MATTHEW BRYZA: US WILL STIVE TO DEVELOP DEMOCRACY NOT ONLY FROM UP TO DOWN BUT ALSO FROM DOWN TO UP
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The purpose
of my visit to Armenia is to do everything possible for further
strengthening of the Armenian-US relations,” Matthew Bryza, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs,
stated at a press conference in Yerevan on March 7.
In particular, according to him, the US attached special importance to
the Armenian-US bilateral relations in the field of democracy and the
issue of power-bearing substances diversification in Armenia. M. Bryza
noted that diversification is important not only with respect to
the issue of gas import – great attention should also be paid to the
development of hydropower energy, geothermal energy, as well as the
construction of nuclear power plants of new generation.
Regarding the current level of democracy in Armenia, M. Bryza noted
that he would not like to attach any label to Armenia, particularly,
to say what kind of country Armenia is today, – Armenia is in the
process of democratization.
We believe that it will proceed successfully, otherwise Armenia would
not have been included in the Millennium Challenges Program, he said.
He also underlined that the development of the democratization process
requires the political will of the country’s authorities and the
constructive position of its political parties. He said that in the
coming months, the US will try to use all available resources in order
to develop democracy not only from up to down but also from down to up.

RAMIL SAFAROV TO MAKE STATEMENT AT COURT
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The special sitting
of the trial of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov being accused of
Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian’s murder will take place in Budapest
on March 7.
On the previous day Safarov’s attorney Adil Islamov stated that
he met with the defendant who has seriously prepared for today’s
sitting. According to the defence advocate’s evidence, Safarov’s
main goal is to explain the world what instigated him to kill
Gurgen Margarian with an axe. Ismaylov also mentioned that he has
no information about results of Safarov’s regular judicial-medical
examination.
Before that Safarov and the team defending him has chosen the strategy
of proving the defendant’s irresponsibility. Nazeli Vardanian, the
attorney defending interests of Gurgen Margarian’s legal successor
said to Radio Liberty: “If they decided to inform all the society
why Safarov conducted that crime and give new reasonings, this may
become something new.”
“After the anti-Armenian statements made during the preliminary
investigation, Safarov read during the first court sitting the speech
prepared by the attorneys in which he expressed sorrow for what he
had done. During all the five sittings taken place after that Safarov
said no word, even in prejudice of him, refused to answer questions. If
now he decided to say anything it would be interesting to listen to,”
the attorney mentioned.
The first two examinations made concerning Safarov’s mental state gave
reasons for dissenting opinions as for the first time the Hungarian
psychologists decided that the Azeri soldier killed with an axe the
Armenian officer of 26 years old during the English Language courses
organized by the NATO in Budapest in 2004 was liable, and for the
second time they decided that Safarov wasn’t able to control his
actions completely, thus, he’s limited liable. The third expert’s main
activity and conclusions rose serious doubts in his being just what
made to state that conclusion invalid and appoint a new examination.
“The court refered this issue objectively, gave a correct
estimation to the last two experts’ conclusions and appointed a
new examination. Besides, on December 15 the Prosecutor presented
intercession for two witnesses not having been examined at the court
were invited,” Nazeli Vardanian finished.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JOHN EVANS: I DON’T KNOW WHEN I WILL LEAVE ARMENIA, I HAVE NOT SUBMITTED ANY DOCUMENT REGARDING THIS ISSUE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. I do not agree that
the Rambouillet meeting failed, the Karabakh settlement process
stopped or reached a deadlock, and the Minsk Group did not come
up to expectations. The sides came close to reaching an agreement,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Matthew Bryza said at the March 7 press conference. According to him,
the issues, on which the sides failed to come to an agreement, need
to be settled. He disagreed that his visit intentionally coincided
with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen’s meeting in Washington –
his meeting was planned much earlier.
As for the rumors about the recall of the US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans, the US diplomat noted that Ambasador Evans serves the
US President. He is a fantastically good ambassador, while the US
President deals with personnel issues, so it is for him to speak about
personnel issues, he said. In the opinion of M. Bryza, Ambassador
Evans succeeded in forming a good expert team in Armenia.
In response to the same question, Amb. Evans underlined that he serves
the US President, and no one can be an eternal ambassador. He said
that he does not know when he will leave Armenia and that he has not
submitted any document regarding that issue. I will not give up my
work until my plane takes off from Armenia, he stated.

COURT RECOGNIZES RAMIL SAFAROV AS SANE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
BUDAPEST, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Azerbaijani officer
Ramil Safarov, who is charged with murder of Armenian officer Gurgen
Margarian, was recogniized as sane at the regular court sitting in
Budapest, Radio Liberty reported.
Lawyer Nazeli Vardanian who defends the interests of the Margarian
family told during an interview to Radio Liberty that after hearing
the testimonies of two Hungarian witnesses and the conclusion of
the fourth expert, the court dismissed all the petitions of Safarov’s
defence to call new witnesses to court, and based on the first expert’s
conclusion about Safarov’s being sane at the moment of committing the
crime, court decided that there is enough information for the final
conclusion of the prosecution and defence sides.
The prosecution and defence speeches, as well as the final word of
the accused will be heard at the next sitting to be held on April 4.
The court ruling will be made public on April 13.
According to Nazeli Vardanian, since no changes were made in charges
brought against the accused during the trial, in accordance with the
Criminal Code of Hungary and based on the charges, Ramil Safarov may
be sentenced to 8-15 years’ or life imprisonment.

24 OF PARTICIPANTS OF ANTI-ARMENIAN DEMONSTRATION INITIATED BY PANTURKISTS IN TAVRIZ ARRESTED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 07 2006
TABRIZ, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. At the February
26 meeting with the journalists, Colonel Haghighi, Commander of
the law-inforcement bodies of Tabriz, gave explanations about the
anti-Armenian demonstration in front of the building of the Armenian
National primacy building of Atrpatakan held on the same day in Tabriz.
The illegal demonstration was initiated by Panturkist groupings. As the
“Alik” Tehran daily informs, referring to the information of the Tabriz
“Mahde Azadi” daily, the law-inforcement bodies of Tabriz, defending
the minority of the Tabrizian Armenians and holding up the danger
threatening the rights of the population, arrested 24 demonstrants and
gave the cases instituted against them to the law-enforcement bodies.

FOR FIRST TIME, ANTI-MIGRANT GROUP INVESTIGATED FOR INCITING ETHNIC HATRED
Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, DC
March 7 2006
For the first time, a member of the Movement Against Illegal
Immigration has been detained on charges of inciting ethnic hatred.
According to a March 7, 2006 report by the Regnum news agency,
Aleksey Safin, the head of that organization’s Kaliningrad branch,
has been arrested on incitement charges after police searched his
computer and found allegedly illegal materials on his computer which
Mr. Safin used to maintain the regional branch’s web site. The local
branch is not officially registered, making its prosecution easier.
Although not mentioned in the report, the Movement Against Illegal
Immigration first came upon the scene when it was linked in the
media with anti-Armenian violence in the Moscow region city of
Krasnoarmeysk a few years ago. Since then, under the leadership of a
former Pamyat activist, it has grown into one of the leading far-right
organizations in Russia. Last November, it played a major part in
a far-right march in Moscow which featured extremist nationalist
rhetoric against migrants and Jews. No incitement charges were filed
against participants in that march.

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN FORCES FACE OFF
Ayinde O. Chase – All Headline News Staff Writer
All Headline News
March 7 2006
Baku, Azerbaijan (AHN) – As a result of ongoing tensions Azerbaijani
and Armenian forces got into a heated exchange of exchange of heavy
gunfire and mortars along their border late Monday and early Tuesday.
The barrage of fighting took place on several points along their
border, and sparked some of the most intense fighting in months.
Azerbaijan authorities report the death of one soldier while
another one is in critical condition. Armenian officials also report
several-wounded behind their lines as well.
The two countries remain at odds over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,
an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, with fighting occurring
over a so called no mans land the two countries are in dispute over.

YEREVAN, BAKU SHOULD SET KARABAKH SETTLEMENT TIME – OFFICIAL
ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 7 2006
YEREVAN, March 7 (Itar-Tass) — The leaders of parties to the conflict
should set the Karabakh settlement time, U.S. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Matthew Bryza for European and Eurasian Affairs
said in Yerevan on Tuesday.
He said the United States was ready to do its best for the soonest
Karabakh settlement.
He disagreed with the opinion that the recent meeting between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in the Paris suburb of Rambouillet
was a failure. The sides were close to an intermediate agreement in
Rambouillet, and their inability to do that does not mean that the
process is in a deadlock, the diplomat said. He said that final steps
are always very difficult and require determination of the leaders.
Normalization between Armenia and Turkey will become a necessary
and natural consequence of the Karabakh settlement agreement, the
official said. He said that normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations was discussed at every meeting of American administration
members in Yerevan and Ankara.
Bryza said that his Tuesday meeting with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan was very constructive.

RUSSIA, U.S. DISCUSS “FROZEN” CONFLICTS, BILATERAL RELATIONS
RIA Novosti, Russia
March 7 2006
WASHINGTON, March 7 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s foreign minister and
the U.S. secretary of state put on a generally united front despite
recent differences Tuesday after talks on a variety of global issues,
including the “frozen” conflicts in the former Soviet Union.
Condoleezza Rice said that she and Sergei Lavrov had discussed a
number of important issues, including the Iranian nuclear crisis,
the Middle East and the conflicts in Nagorny-Karabakh, a region in
Azerbaijan with a predominantly Armenian population, and in the
self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia in Georgia. Both conflicts
erupted after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Rice said the United States was satisfied with relations with Russia,
although she expressed concern over what she termed were certain
negative developments in the country. Washington has often criticized
Moscow for allegedly “backsliding” on democracy and failing to observe
human rights.
Lavrov said the talks in the U.S. capital “were productive and
important for the future development of relations” between the two
countries, but added that Moscow was concerned about U.S. position
on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization.
“The U.S. is the only country that has not reached a WTO agreement with
Russia and has not abolished the notorious Jackson-Vanik amendment,”
Lavrov said.
The Jackson-Vanik Amendment links U.S. trade benefits, known as Normal
Trade Relations (NTR), to the emigration and human rights policies
of communist or formerly communist countries.
The Russian minister said the solution of the issues that had been
discussed during the talks would largely influence the interaction
between Russia and its partners in the Group of Eight industrialized
nations.
St. Petersburg, Russia’s second city, will host the next G8 summit
in July.
“We have certain differences over the ways to pursue our goals,
but our final aims coincide, in my opinion,” Lavrov said referring
to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the fight
against international crime, drug-trafficking and terrorism, and the
development of global trade.

OSCE OFFICE LAUNCHES ESSAY COMPETITION FOR ARMENIAN STUDENTS ON GENDER ISSUES
Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

March 7 2006
YEREVAN, 7 March 2006 – The role of women in decision-making will
be the theme of a student essay competition that will be launched
tomorrow by the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
Organized in co-operation with the Centre for the Development of Civil
Society, the event inaugurates a gender activities month, linked to 8
March, International Women’s Day, and will end on 7 April, celebrated
in Armenia as Beauty and Motherhood Day.
“The essay contest will inspire hundreds of students, teachers and
parents and help focus on women’s rights and the role of women in
Armenia’s public and civic life,” said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin,
Head of the OSCE Office.
“This project is one of the few country-wide initiatives that aims
to promote gender education and awareness through outreach to young
Armenians, especially in the regions of the country.”
As in the previous contests, this year’s event will be organized in
nine regions of Armenia. The award committee will select 27 regional
winners and three national winners, who will receive prizes at a
ceremony to be held in Yerevan on 10 April.
Earlier this year, the OSCE Office initiated an International
Co-ordination Group on Gender Issues, an informal forum of the main
international actors in the gender field in Armenia, to enhance
the exchange of information and co-ordination of gender-related
initiatives.