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06/20/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) EU Says Turkey Faces `Major Accident' over Membership 2) Petrossian Says MKR Must Participate in Search for Missing And Hostages 3) Head of Armenian Church to Visit Istanbul 4) Commission Approves National Security Strategy Project 5) 56 Mayors Risk Jail in Turkey over Letter to Danish PM 1) EU Says Turkey Faces `Major Accident' over Membership (Bloomberg)-- The European Union's top expansion negotiator said Tuesday Turkey is heading for a "major accident" in its membership bid unless it opens its ports to ships from Cyprus. "If we want to avoid a major problem in the autumn, Turkey needs to stick to its word without hesitation," Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee in Brussels. "Turkey should open its ports to vessels under the flag of all member states, including the Republic of Cyprus." The talks hit a snag last week only four days after getting under way when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan balked at an EU demand that Turkey end its trade curbs on Cyprus, an EU member since 2004. Turkey's bid to become the EU's first Muslim country is running into grassroots opposition as well, amid a backlash against lower-paid immigrants after the EU's expansion to ex-communist Eastern Europe in 2004. "I am concerned that the reform process has lost its momentum," Rehn told the parliamentary panel today. "While there has been legislative progress on the ground, the implementation of the reforms remains uneven." Turkey has occupied the northern tier of Cyprus since a 1974 invasion in response to a Greek-backed coup, and the Mediterranean island's disputed status has been the biggest barrier to the EU bid. Turkey pledged to end trade restrictions on the southern, Greek Cypriot Government as part of the EU entry process. Erdogan said last week that Turkey wouldn't honor that promise until the EU drops its own curbs on northern Cyprus. "When those who broke their word start to keep it, they'll get an immediate response from us," Erdogan told lawmakers from his party in Ankara. "But if promises aren't kept then nobody should expect our ports or airports." Turkish officials point out that Cyprus remains divided because the Greek Cypriots voted against a United Nations-backed reunification plan that was supported by Turkish Cypriots and by Erdogan's Government. Turkey has per-capita economic production equal to 31 percent of the EU level, triggering fears that Turkish migrants could price western workers out of jobs. EU unemployment is 8.3 percent, compared to 4.7 percent in the US. Some 63 percent of Europeans fear that further expansion would push up unemployment and drive down wages, according to an EU-sponsored poll of 25,000 people conducted between February and March. Referring to the public discontent, European Commission President Jose Barroso told the full Parliament earlier today that "we must make sure that the union does not simply enlarge by default." EU pressure is also mounting on Turkey to end the discrimination of the Kurdish minority, give non-Muslims complete religious freedom, improve media freedoms, crack down on police brutality, and enhance the status of women. A resolution debated by the Parliament committee Tuesday "regrets the slowing down of the reform process" and "deplores the fact that only limited progress has been reported over the least year as regards fundamental rights and freedoms." Turkish legislators Monday delayed until late July debate on a law that would give non-governmental organizations more rights and freedoms, part of the EU's catalogue of demands. The government had sought passage of the law by the end of June. A progress report to be issued by Rehn's department in October or November looms as a key test of Turkey's commitment to reshaping its society along western lines and of the EU's commitment to let Turkey in. 2) Petrossian Says MKR Must Participate in Search for Missing And Hostages YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) Foreign Minister Georgi Petrossian met with the delegation of the International Working Group (IWG) for Search for the Missing, Hostages, and Release of Prisoners of War in the zone of the Karabagh conflict to discuss the current state and future of the ongoing search for the missing and their graves. During the meeting, Petrossian noted that the MKR has continuously assisted IWG activities and is always open to cooperation, while Baku constantly refuses to contact the respective MKR state commission. Petrossian said that politicization of the field is unacceptable and that MKR representatives should directly and actively participate in search for the missing, hostages, and the release of prisoners of war. IWG memberswhich include co-chairs Bernhard Klazen (Germany) and Paat Zakareishvili (Georgia)--said they agreed with Petrossian about the openness of the Karabagh party and its assistance to the Group work. Klazen said he regrets that former prisoners of war are still judged and persecuted in Azerbaijan. He said that the IWG will do its best to convince Baku to end that practice. The meeting participants also noted that they support active cooperation of all interested parties in solving problems in that field. 3) Head of Armenian Church to Visit Istanbul (AP/Armenpress)--The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, His Holiness Karekin II, is to begin a weeklong visit to the Armenian community of Istanbul on Tuesday, where he will also meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. During his first Pontifical Visit to Turkey, the Catholicos of All Armenians will visit Armenian churches and holy shrines, extend his pontifical blessings to the Armenian community of Istanbul, and meet with Armenian intellectuals and young men and women. On Sunday, June 25, His Holiness will celebrate a Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Patriarchate's Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. His Holiness will have a number of ecumenical meetings in the Armenian Patriarchate as well. Also planned is a meeting between the Pontiff and the Governor of Istanbul. Turkish nationalist protests during his visit are likely. 4) Commission Approves National Security Strategy Project YEREVAN (Armenpress)The commission in charge of developing Armenia's national security doctrine held a meeting chaired by Defense Minister Serge Sargsian Tuesday to discuss the final version of the project. The final edited version of the document, which takes into account all suggestions made during its development, was approved at the session. Seyran Shahsuvarian, spokesperson for the Armenian Defense Ministry, said that the participants of the session were also presented the draft glossary of the main terms of the National Security Strategy. 5) 56 Mayors Risk Jail in Turkey over Letter to Danish PM DIYARBAKIR (AFP)--Fifty-six Kurdish Mayors risk up to 10 years in jail for signing a letter urging Denmark's Prime Minister to ignore Turkey's calls to ban a Kurdish television station with alleged links to terrorism, judicial sources said Tuesday. In an indictment filed with a court in Diyarbakir, the central city of the mainly Kurdish southeast, the prosecution charged that the December 27 letter to Anders Fogh Rasmussen amounted to "knowingly and willingly supporting" the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey says that Denmark-based Roj TV is a mouthpiece of the PKK--considered to be a terrorist group by Ankara, the European Union, and the United States--and has long urged Copenhagen to take it off the air. The charge sheet says that Roj TV often hosts PKK leaders, carries PKK statements inciting violence, and follows a broadcasting policy "in line with PKK propaganda." It was not immediately clear when the trial will start. Among the 56 accused is Osman Baydemir, one of Turkey's most popular Kurdish politicians and mayor of Diyabakir. The overwhelming majority of the mayors belong to the Democratic Society Party (DTP), the main Kurdish political movement in the country. Kurdish politicians are routinely suspected by Ankara of supporting the PKK and are often prosecuted for alleged links to the group, which has been fighting for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast since 1984. Two of the mayors, who belong to a small center-left party, have disowned their signatures in the letter, but the prosecution said they should still stand trial. The letter states that silencing Roj TV "would mean the loss of an important vehicle in the struggle for democracy and human rights" in Turkey. The station has become a thorn in the side of Turkish-Danish relations. During a visit to Copenhagen last November, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan boycotted a joint news conference with Rasmussen after the latter rejected his request that a Roj TV reporter be barred from entry. Danish authorities said last year that Roj TV's programming contained no incitement to hatred of Turkey, and that there was no proof it was linked to the PKK. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
PARIS HIGH SCHOOLS DISTRIBUTE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CIRCULAR TO 500,000
STUDENTS
Paris – In May 2006, 500,000 high school students and 80,0000
teachers and government officials of the French Ile-de-France region,
which represents the Paris metropolitan area, received an informative
brochure about the Armenian Genocide written by the Regional Council of
Ile-de-France in cooperation with the Coordination Council of Armenian
Organizations in France (CCAF-Paris). Emphasizing that the history
of the Armenians is part of the history of France, the four-page
color document, entitled “Genocide of the Armenians,” was written by
historians Philippe Videlier of CNRS in Lyon, Claude Mutafian, and
Raymond Kevorkian, the Director of AGBU’s Nubarian Library in Paris.
The brochure’s content was tailored to the region’s high school
students and included the crucial facts and lessons of the Armenian
Genocide. Intended for use as an educational tool, teachers have been
using the materials during classroom discussions on the topic. The
document illustrates the context of the Ottoman Empire at the time,
the situation of the Armenian population on the eve of the Genocide,
the tragic decision to eradicate the Armenian population by the Young
Turk government, the creation of concentration camps, the role of
the Young Turk Central Committee, and the criminal Turkish trials
that followed (1919-1920). It also includes a brief history, complete
with photos and maps, of the forced Armenian exile, and presents an
overview of the Armenian diaspora and realities faced by Armenians
in present day Turkey.
The Armenian Genocide brochure was a result of the vision of CCAF,
that after seeing that the Regional Council of Ile-de-France published
several documents pertaining to the Holocaust, contacted the region
in 2004 and persuaded them of the necessity to relate an important
event that has impacted the lives of all French Armenians.
Other French regions, including Provence-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes,
are considering distributing similar informational brochures to
their students.
The Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF)
() brings together the 23 French Armenian organizations,
17 of which are permanent members (AAAS, ADL, AGBU, ANACRA, CBAF,
CDCA, FRA, GIIA, JAF, MAFP, Nor Seround, SD Hentchak, UCFAF, UMAF,
the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, and the
Armenian Evangelical Church), to coordinate joint initiatives. In
addition the “Genocide of the Armenians” document, this year’s
CCAF activities also included the organization of April 24th
commemorations, the mobilization against Turkish denial efforts,
the inauguration of Lyon’s Armenian Genocide memorial, and the
organization of demonstrations that supported the law that would
criminalize genocide denial.
The mission of AGBU’s Nubarian Library, based in Paris, France, is
to preserve, promote and highlight the Armenian heritage. Historians,
researchers, musicians, movie producers, and journalists consult the
library’s rich archive-which includes over 40,000 books, periodicals,
photos, post cards, musical scores, and maps-for projects ranging
from academic studies to television documentaries. The library also
publishes books, as well as, the quarterly journal, “Revue Armenienne
des Question Contemporaines.” Open to the public four days a week,
please contact the AGBU Nubarian Library by calling +33.1.45.20.03.18,
or email [email protected] for more information.
AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world
and reaches 400,000 Armenians annually in 35 countries through its
educational, humanitarian and cultural projects. For more information
about AGBU and its programs, please visit
–Boundary_(ID_8gTpXMzxQCTDtGcueKUK bA)–

June 21, 2006
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
WESTERN PRELACY SCHOLARSHIPS ALLOCATED TO PRELACY SCHOOLS
FOR THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR
His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate,
and the Western Prelacy Executive Council are pleased to announce
that this year also, as in previous years, the Western Prelacy
allocated scholarships to students of Prelacy schools who met the
eligibility requirements.
There are several scholarship funds under the auspices of
the Western Prelacy, the annual interests of which are allotted to
students of Prelacy schools who meet the conditions.
Below are the figures for this year:
– Angel Arpajian Scholarship: $150 to a student from Rose & Alex
Pilibos School.
– Robert Artounian Scholarship: $400 to two students from R. & A.
Pilibos School who excel in Armenian and English.
– Alex and Maro. Iskenderian Scholarship: $400 to two
needy students from R. & A. Pilibos School.
– Haroutioun & Araxie Keosseian Scholarship: $250 to a student from
Ferrahian School.
– Victoria Minassian Scholarship: $900 to three students from
Ferrahian School who excel in Armenian.
– Charles Keyian Scholarship: $2,800 to the top four graduating
students of Mesrobian School towards their college education.
– Two allocations were made from a special scholarship fund; one in
the amount of $1,500 to a university student in Beirut, and the other
in the sum of $1,000 to a university student in Los Angeles.
Currently candidates are being considered for the
Garikian Scholarship, which is specifically for college students.
More details will be announced once the committee comes to a
decision.
Western Prelacy Divan

June 21, 2006
Press Release
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
DURING HIS SERMONAT HOLY MASS ON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE CORONA
PARISH
COME, LET US BUILD THE ALTAR OF LIGHT AND
BRIGHTEN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES
Preached His Eminence the Prelate
On Sunday June 18, 2006, His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian,
Prelate conducted Holy Mass at the Armenian Apostolic Church of
Corona, Riverside County, on the occasion of the first anniversary
of the establishment of the parish community. Holy Mass took place
at St. Anthony and St. Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church.
Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian assisted at the altar. Also
participating in the Holy Mass were deacons and choir members of the
local parish as well as from Forty Martyrs Church of Orange County
and St.Garabed Church of Hollywood.
The procession entered the church with the singing of “Hrashapar”
as youngsters carried candles and recited a psalm.
In his sermon, the Prelate first gave glory and thanks to Almighty
God for looking over the parish community and keeping them away from
harm. God is love and we are the result of that love, therefore we
must have that same love and bond toward God and toward each other,
said the Prelate. “Let us build the Altar of light and brighten our
spiritual lives,” invited the Prelate and concluded by asking the Lord
to accept our prayers, to keep our families prosperous, to enlighten
the Armenian Church, and to keep us all in His mercy and love.
Following Mass and the offering of Holy Communion, the parishioners
sang “Giligia” and “Mer Hayrenik” along with the clergy.
After church services, the parishioners headed to the church hall
where the Ladies Auxiliary had organized a reception.
Among the guests were Nazareth Dishoian, Chair of the Forty Martyrs
Board of Trustees, and Leo Donian, Chair of the Colorado parish Board
of Trustees, who delivered remarks and made donations on behalf
of their parishes. Various donations were also made throughout
the reception. Following welcoming remarks by parish Chairlady Ani
Barmaksyan, Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian made remarks in which he
congratulated the Prelate on the occasion of Father’s Day, reminding
the faithful that on this very day thirty years ago, the Prelate
vowed to devote his life to serving the Armenian church and people.
On this occasion, Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian, Vartkes Dishoian,
and Suren Hazarian sang songs for the Prelate and for all fathers.
In his concluding remarks, the Prelate commended the enthusiasm
of the parish community, offered them guidance and encouraged them
to be active in the parish and to work together to brighten their
parish and community. The reception concluded with the “Bahbanich”
prayer by the Prelate.
From: Baghdasarian

Sunday, June 18, 2006
*****************************************
It’s not easy writing for an audience of laymen who think they are wiser than writers if only because, unlike writers, they deal with reality every day.
*
Since we can never be sure to be right, let us at least make an effort not to be catastrophically wrong, as we have been in the past.
*
Sometimes to be understood can be much more painful than to be misunderstood.
*
Dissidents have been victimized not because they were wrong but because they were right.
*
As things stand, I suspect we are a nation whose writers and poets outnumber their readers.
*
Whenever I write “nation” I think “collection of tribes.”
*
We have a rich literature but a destitute readership.
*
Under Talaat and Stalin, our writers risked their lives. Today our academics are afraid to risk their income brackets. Result, an abundance of books on massacres and Turks.
#
Monday, June 19, 2006
****************************************
Where everyone believes he is among the chosen, being unchosen becomes a privileged condition.
*
Why should I be on the side of little men if their sole ambition in life is to be big men in order to oppress little men?
*
Unlike some of my fellow Armenians, I will not pretend to know everything there is to know about Jews, but I can make the following assertion with some degree of certainty: even at their worst, they are not as bad as those who hate them.
*
The more accurately I describe our tribal ways, the greater the number of readers who would like to cannibalize me in order to prove they are better Armenians.
*
“If you gaze long into the abyss,” Nietzsche warns us, “the abyss will gaze back into you.” Elsewhere: “Nothing on earth consumes a man more quickly than the passion of resentment.” And: “No one is such a liar as the indignant man.”
*
There is a price to be paid for writing too much about Turks and massacres. Or, writing about Turks is not the best way of de-Ottomanizing ourselves.
*
More quotations from Nietzsche:
On benefactors: “This is the hardest of all: to be modest as a giver.”
*
On bishops: “After coming in contact with a religious man, I feel the need to wash my hands.”
#
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
******************************************
Once more I stand accused of plotting the ruin of the nation by promoting miscegenation – a word I have never used if only because it is closely associated with Nazis, members of the KKK, and racist bigots in general.
*
The overwhelming majority of Armenians today are very probably of mixed parentage. If it were up to our racists, they should be classified as lesser Armenians or second-class citizens.
*
What destroys a nation is not miscegenation but intolerance, racism, arrogance, prejudice, and ignorance.
*
What defines a man is neither his race nor his nationality but how much he has contributed to the welfare of his fellow men regardless of race, color and creed.
*
If miscegenation were such a bad thing why is it that some of our most ardent nationalists, from Abovian to Zarian, married odars? And how does one explain the fact that some of the most popular political leaders were either foreigners or the offspring of mixed marriages: Napoleon was not a Frenchman but a Corsican, Hitler was not a German but an Austrian, Stalin was not a Russian but a Georgian; closer to home, the Mamigonians were of Chinese descent and the Bagratunis identified themselves as Jews.
*
Throughout world history, from Alexander the Great to our own, the ruling classes and elites (the very same individuals who promote nationalism) have practiced miscegenation as a matter of course. Neither the czars of Russia nor the kings of England were pureblooded Russian or English. The Greek royal family was not Greek but German.
*
I have said this before and I will go on repeating it: I find all assertions of moral or racist superiority odious and I’d rather deal with a good Turk than a bad Armenian.
#
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
*******************************************
TALAAT AND I
**************************
When told not all Armenians were guilty, Talaat is said to have replied: “After what we have done to them, if they are not guilty today, they will be guilty tomorrow,” or words to that effect.
For many years, whenever I was told not all Turks were guilty, I would think, “After what they have done to us, they are all guilty!”
Readers who insult me today may plead not guilty on grounds of ignorance, but the same cannot be said of those who were better at programming us to hate the Turks but not to love our fellow Armenians.
*
THEN AND NOW
***************************
When I was young I tried to change the world; in my old age I try to share my understanding and so far I have been as successful in the second enterprise as in the first.
*
BENEFACTORS AND WRITERS
*****************************************
Benefactors are more popular than writers because they share their money, and everyone is convinced he has more than his share of understanding but never enough of the green stuff. Between thirst for knowledge and greed for money, who among us will choose knowledge?
*
KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE
***************************************
What you think of yourself is only half the story. What others think of you is the other half. Knowledge based on only one half of the story is closer to ignorance.
#

CAUSE OF ARMAVIA CRASH STILL MURKY
By Anatoly Medetsky – Staff Writer
Viktor Klyushkin / Itar-Tass
The Moscow Times, Russia
June 20 2006
One of the black boxes from the Armavia flight on display May 24,
shortly after it was retrieved from the Black Sea.
The Armavia plane that slammed into the Black Sea last month, killing
all 113 on board, had fully functional engines and plenty of fuel
at the time of the accident, the Interstate Aviation Committee
said Monday.
It was also intact before the crash.
The committee, which is based in Moscow, released its findings after
an investigating panel analyzed the tape from a flight recorder of
the French-made Airbus A320 plane.
The tape did not include voices, but it did include extensive
information about the condition of the plane and its various operating
systems.
The information from the black box does not permit authorities to rule
out technical failure, said Oleg Yermolov, the panel’s deputy head.
Vladimir Karnozov, the Moscow-based correspondent for Flight
International, a British magazine for industry insiders, agreed
with Yermolov.
But he speculated, as he has elsewhere, that a heated conversation
could have taken place between the crew and some passengers over
where to land, putting undue stress on the pilots.
The nighttime flight originated in Yerevan, Armenia and was heading
to the popular resort of Sochi. But because of inclement weather,
the crew considered landing in nearby Georgia instead.
Among the plane’s passengers were a former head of Armenia’s KGB, a
former Armenian interior minister and the director of Armavia — all
of whom, presumably, would have been comfortable confronting the pilot.
The plane made one unsuccessful landing attempt. It then made a
second approach to the airport but had to pull up again in the face
of worsening weather conditions.
It was then that the plane suddenly veered off course and plummeted
into the water, breaking apart on impact.
At the time of the accident, Russian authorities blamed bad weather
and speculated that pilot error could have played a role.
Armavia maintained that the pilots were seasoned and that the plane
was in top shape.
The investigating panel has also completed the transcription from
another flight recorder in the cockpit, the investigating panel said
in a statement last week.
But the panel did not release the contents of that transcription,
which included voices. The panel said it was standard practice not
to release that information.
The panel will now conduct a “comprehensive” analysis of data from
both flight recorders, attempting to peg snippets of conversation to
specific moments in the plane’s ill-fated trip, Yermolov said.
The panel also plans to conduct a simulation of the flight, Yermolov
said.
The measures would help determine if the plane’s systems “were fully
operable,” he said.
Asked to comment on the cause of the May 24 crash, the International
Civil Aviation Organization declined to say anything.
One of the leading goals of the Montreal-based organization is the
promotion of flight safety.

DIPLOMATS USE OIC SUMMIT TO WARN PALESTINIANS AGAINST LOOMING CIVIL WAR
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Daily Star – Lebanon,
June 20 2006
Palestinian factions must take steps to fight a slide into civil war
which is being exploited by Israel, diplomats said at a pan-Islamic
conference in Azerbaijan on Monday. “Palestinian forces should not
allow a civil war to take place,” the foreign minister of Malaysia,
Syed Hamid Albar, said at the opening of an Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting in Baku.
Foreign ministers of Islamic nations have gathered in Baku
for a meeting expected to be dominated by developments in the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict and in Iraq as well as the crisis over
Iran’s nuclear program.
Yemen’s foreign minister, Abu Bakr al-Kurbi, proposed that “all Middle
Eastern nations and neighboring countries … set up a joint center
for nuclear research in civilian purposes.”
He added that the initiative could “improve security and confidence
in the region.”
Kurbi said that the center could be jointly funded and operated by
nations of the region.
He did not say where the center should be located or give any further
details.
Last year, Russia proposed enriching uranium for Iran to assuage
international concerns about its nuclear program.
“We support UN calls for the Gulf to be free of nuclear weapons. At
the same time, Israel must also sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty,” Kurbi said.
On the Palestinian issue, he said that Hamas’ election was being
exploited by Israel.
“The victory of Hamas is a trump card in the hands of Israel, which
does not want dialogue with the Palestinian government,” he said.
He also called on international donors to resume the aid to the
Palestinians to break an international financial siege.
“Today there are threats to blockade the Palestinian people. We demand
donor countries aid Palestine,” Kurbi said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also called for reforms to the UN
Security Council, which he described as having “no effective mechanism
for implementing decisions.”
“If a decision is made it must be executed. If a country does not
execute a decision, sanctions should be used against it,” Aliyev said,
in a veiled jab at Azerbaijan’s foe, Armenia, which Baku believes
has not complied with UN resolutions over disputed territory.

ARMENTEL DIRECTOR FOR RECONSTRUCTION AWARDED PRIZE FOR RESEARCH INTO EUROPEAN SECURITIES MARKET
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 20 2006
YEREVAN, June 19. /ARKA/. Director of reconstruction of the Armenian
ArmenTel Company Arman Khachatryan was awarded main annual prize
after Joseph de la Vega for outstanding research into the European
securities market of 2006.
The company’s press service reported that the prize was awarded
to Khachatryan for the work “One Action-One Vote Problem in the
European Union. The jury highly appreciated the importance of the
topic addressed, its urgency, methodological approaches and practical
application.
The prize was awarded by the Federation of European securities markets
and the Institute of the markets of European capital during the 10th
convention of European financial markets, held in Zurich on 8 June.
At the end of 1997, OTE Greek Telecommunication Company purchased
90% shares of ArmenTel Telecommunication Company based on the
international contest for $142.47mln. The rest 10% belongs to the
Armenian government.

EXPERTS’ REPORT ON A-320 CRASH TO BE PROVIDED AFTER INVESTIGATIONS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 20 2006
Yerevan, June 19. /ARKA/. An experts report on the causes of the crash
of the Armenian airplane A-320 will be provided after investigations
and analyses, reported Gayane Davtyan, Press Secretary of the RA
Civil Aviation Department.
According to her, on June 17 the Interstate Aviation Committee
completed deciphering the black box of the plane and synchronizing
the ground-based and airborne instruments.
“The airborne recorder contained information on eight flights from
April 30 to May 3, 2006. The record lasts 26 hours 20 minutes,
including the record of the last flight, 1 hour 26 minutes,”
Davtyan said.
The record showed that the plane was not destroyed in the air,
the engines were operating until the plane smashed into the water,
and the fuel was sufficient for a safe landing.
During the last minute, the flight was carried out in the “direct
crew control” regime with the autopilot operating.
The Commission started a comprehensive analysis to simulate the
flight and make a report on the real causes of the air crash and give
recommendations on flight safety, Davtyan said.

OSKANYAN TO HEAD TO GENEVA THIS TUESDAY TO ATTEND FIRST SESSION OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 20 2006
YEREVAN, June 19. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
is to head to Geneva this Tuesday to attend the first session of UN
Human Rights Council. Armenian Foreign Ministry pres service reports
that the minister intends to meet with representatives of Armenian
community in Switzerland.
Oskanyan is to fly back to Yerevan on Wednesday.
The UN Human Rights Council will replace UN Human Rights Commission,
which stopped functioning on June 16. The resolution on the Council’s
powers was approved by General Assembly on March 15, 2006.
The Council includes following groups: on Eastern Europe, Africa,
Asia, Latin American and Caribbean countries as well as on Western
Europe.