ANCHOR:
Armenians around the world are calling for legal proceedings against the
instigators and perpetrators of the Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and Baku.
They say that those responsible for a wave of crimes against humanity were
released after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armenia TV’s Paul
Chaderjian reports.
REPORTER:
Thousands gathered in Yerevan to protest the anti-Armenian hysteria being
promoted by officials in the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the center of
Azerbaijan’s malice is a border dispute with Armenia over a sliver of land
where Armenians have lived for centuries.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be traced back to Joseph
Stalin, who in an attempt to control the ethnic communities in the Soviet
Empire, placed the centuries-old Armenian region of Mountainous or Nagorno
Kharapagh under Azeri rule.
In reaction to talks of Armenian autonomy in Kharapagh, Azeris attacked
Armenians with the approval and support of local authorities.
What resulted were massacres of native Azerbaijanis of Armenian decent.
Hundreds were killed, tortured, burnt alive, stabbed with crude and barbaric
weapons, children were held over the open flames of stoves. More than 300
thousand Armenians were forced to flee Azerbaijan, but the world didn’t take
notice.
STAND UP: Rally organizers say the Sumgait massacres were never fully
acknowledged and addressed by Soviet authorities. Further, they say, those
who orchestrated and carried out these brutal and barbaric attacks were
never punished by the courts.
It took the Red Army three days to march into Sumgait and put a stop to the
violence, but violence broke out in other Azerbaijani cities and forced
Armenians in Kharapagh to defend themselves.
For 18 years now, Armenia’s government has been trying to find a diplomatic
solution to the Armenian Republic of Nagorno Kharapagh’s referendum to break
away from Azerbaijan and be part of Armenia. As recent as a few weeks ago,
another meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, failed to
achieve any results.
Adding insult to injury, an Azerbaijani political party awarded its man of
the year award to an Azeri solider who hacked to death and decapitated an
Armenian officer attending a NATO peace conference in Hungary.
Armenians are asking Azerbaijanis to stop the desecration, destruction and
vandalism of ancient Armenian holy sites, cross stones and cemeteries.
For the CNN World Report, Paul Chaderjian, Armenia TV
# #
Following is the rundown for this weekend’s CNN World Report, scheduled to
air on Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12:
– Africa, Europe, & the Middle East:
Saturday:
06:30A CET/12:30A Eastern Time – Program A
15:30P CET/09:30A Eastern Time – Program A
05:30A CET/11:30P Eastern Time- Program A
Sunday:
05:30A CET/11:30P Eastern Time – Program A
– Latin America:
Saturday:
02:30A Buenos Aires/12:30A Eastern Time – Program A
11:30A Buenos Aires/09:30A Eastern Time – Program A
01:30A Buenos Aires (Sunday)/11:30P Eastern Time (Saturday) – Program A
Sunday:
01:30A Buenos Aires (Monday)/11:30P (Sunday) Eastern Time – Program A
– East & South Asia:
Saturday:
13:30P HK, 11:00A New Delhi/12:30A Eastern Time – Program A
12:30P HK, 10:00A New Delhi (Sunday)/11:30P Eastern Time (Saturday) –
Program A
Sunday:
12:30P HK, 10:00 New Delhi (Monday)/11:30P Eastern Time (Sunday) – Program A
– North America & The US:
Saturday:
06:30A CET/12:30A Eastern Time – Program A
15:30P CET/09:30A Eastern Time – Program A
05:30A CET (Sunday)/11:30P Eastern Time (Saturday) – Program A
Sunday:
05:30 CET (Monday)/11:30P Eastern Time (Sunday) – Program A
PROGRAM A
EUTV, EUROPEAN UNION Row at the European Union Over Services Debate
ARMENIA TV, ARMENIA Rally Marking the 18-th Anniversary of the Sumgait Massacre
FUTURE TV, LEBANON Rug Made by Armenian Orphans in Lebanon Adores White House
IRIB, IRAN Iranian Artist Paints a Noble Portrait of Virgin Mary
UNTV, UNITED NATIONS UN Helps Indian Fishermen & India’s Rural Development
UGANDAN TV, UGANDA Uganda Masters Farming of the Deadly Tse Tse Fly
CCTV, CHINA China Helps Neighboring Laos Curb Its Opium Cultivation
TIANJIN TV, CHINA Destination: Shi’s Residence in Tianjin

Armenia raises domestic gas prices
Mediamax news agency
10 Mar 06

Yerevan, 10 March: Beginning from 10 April 2006, the population of
Armenia will pay 90 drams [20 cents] for 1 cu.m. of gas instead of the
previous 59 drams [0.1 dollars].
Today, the public service coordinating commission set new tariff rates
for natural gas, Mediamax reports.
Beginning from 10 April, industrial consumers (using over 10.000
cu.m. a month) will pay 146.51 dollars for 1,000 cu.m., instead of the
previous 79 dollars.
The population (with the volume of consumption not exceeding 10,000
cu.m. a month) will pay 90 drams for 1 cu.m. of gas instead of the
previous 59 drams.
On 28 February, ArmRosGazprom company appealed to the public service
coordinating commission asking them to review gas tariffs due to the
increase in Russian natural gas prices beginning from 1 April 2006
from 56 dollars to 110 dollars for 1,000 cu.m.
ArmRosGazprom proposed raising the tariffs from 59 to 108 drams for 1
cu.m. for the population and from 79 dollars to 145 dollars for 1,000
cu.m. for the industrial consumers.
[Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian 1040 gmt 10 Mar 06 quoted
the chairman of the Union of Consumers of Armenia, Armen Pogosyan, as
saying that the decision to raise the tariffs was “socially
unacceptable”.]

International mediators urge Armenia, Azerbaijan to prepare for peace, not war
Turan news agency, Baku
10 Mar 06
Washington, 10 March: The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen have expressed
regret over the failure of the recent talks between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders and urged them to make efforts to achieve peace in
2006.
In a special statement on the results of their meeting in Washington
on 7-8 March, the co-chairmen said that they discussed the results of
the 10-11 February talks in Rambouillet. Assessing the current state
of affairs in the region, the co-chairmen said that “great progress
has been achieved over the past six months”. They expressed regret
that this progress did not continue in the past weeks “despite great
opportunities”.
The co-chairmen called on both sides “to lay the basic principles” for
a future settlement in order to reach an agreement in 2006.
The co-chairmen still believe that objective conditions make 2006 the
most favourable year for stable progress and urge the governments of
Armenia and Azerbaijan to work energetically to achieve a result. The
co-chairmen also called on the governments of the two countries “to
prepare their people for peace rather than war”.
The co-chairmen will visit the region after they assess the sides’
readiness. The next meeting of the co-chairmen is scheduled to be held
in Istanbul on 20 March, the statement said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Council of Europe experts’ body on combating corruption publishes
report on Armenia
Strasbourg, 10.03.2006 – The Council of Europe’s Group of States against
Corruption (GRECO) has today published its evaluation report on Armenia,
with the agreement of the Armenian authorities.
The report concludes that in Armenia corruption is considered a major
problem. The judiciary, the police, the customs service, the tax
inspectorate, education, healthcare, licensing and privatisations are
particularly affected. Despite the adoption of a number of
anti-corruption measures, shortcomings still prevail in the existing
anti-corruption legislation and its implementation, as well as in the
organisation of the justice and law enforcement systems.
The existence of serious obstacles to collecting evidence, depriving
offenders of the proceeds of corruption together with the almost total
absence of significant results in prosecuting and indicting individuals
involved in serious cases of corruption call for substantial efforts. In
this respect, problem areas include legislation on banking secrecy,
special investigative means, training for members of the law enforcement
agencies, witness protection, assets declaration and the anti-money
laundering regime. Immunity enjoyed by judges, prosecutors,
parliamentary candidates, members of electoral commissions and even
candidate mayors and candidates for membership of the council of elders
(local council) is also a matter of concern.
As for public administration, there is an urgent need for implementing
measures that deal with situations where personal/financial interests or
activities may raise issues of conflict or partiality with regard to
public officials’ duties and responsibilities. It is also necessary that
public officials be informed and, above all, trained on how and when to
report instances of corruption, or suspicions thereof, which they come
across in their duty and, to establish adequate protection for public
officials who report instances of corruption (whistleblowers) in good
faith. The Armenian legal system does not provide for corporate
liability, so there is a need to establish it for offences of bribery
and money laundering and to provide for effective, proportionate and
dissuasive sanctions, in accordance with the Council of Europe’s
Criminal Law Convention on Corruption.
GRECO has addressed twenty-four recommendations to Armenia and invited
the Armenian authorities to report on their implementation by September
2007.
The full report is available at GRECO’s website:
< ; ED017a06

ANS TV, Baku
10 Mar 06
US ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish has commented on the latest
truce violation.
The ambassador believes that the Nagornyy Karabakh problem is not a
frozen conflict but a real and threatening danger. I think both [the
Azerbaijani and Armenian] presidents, the foreign ministers and the
[OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs have to act boldly to seek ways of a
peaceful resolution of the issue [Harnish said].

Armenia Transfers to Summer Time on March 26
09.03.2006 21:47 GMT+04:00
PanARMENIAN.Net
Armenia transfers to summer time beginning on March 26. Clock hands
should be moved an hour forward. The transfer to winter time is on
last Sunday of October (clock hands are moved an hour back), while
that to summer time takes place on the last Sunday of March.

Armenia Fund USA
152 Madison Avenue, S-803
New York, NY 10016
Ph: 212-689-5307
F: 212-689-5317

Armenia Fund USA Announces Operation Blessing International’s Donation
of $569,000 of Medicines
United Armenian Fund Makes their Safe Arrival and Distribution Possible
for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
NEW YORK, New York – Armenia Fund USA is pleased to announce the generous
donation of medicines valued at $569,000 for medical centers and healthcare
providers in the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The humanitarian
aid provided by Operation Blessing International of Virginia Beach, VA
includes much-needed, high quality medicines- including antibiotics- which
are often unavailable and cost-prohibitive to obtain. Founded in 1978,
Operation Blessing International is a non-profit relief and development
organization dedicated to bringing hope to millions through hunger relief,
medical care, outreach programs, and disaster relief. 
Armenia Fund USA’s partnership with Operation Blessing International spreads
a powerful message of caring and humanitarian relief and make it possible to
reach those in need.
Additionally, Armenia Fund USA is indebted to United Armenian Fund (UAF).
For the third time in recent months, UAF made it possible to ship free of
charge items critically needed for the well-being and survival of the
Armenian people in the homelands. This time the shipment, which weighs more
than 6,000 pounds, is destined for polyclinics and medical centers
throughout Armenia and Karabakh. United Armenian Fund, through its
humanitarian services and strong relationship with the governments of both
republics, was vital to securing both the clearance of the medications by
the Ministries of Health of both Armenia and the NKR and, ultimately, their
transport from Operation Blessing International’s warehouses in Virginia to
Yerevan, Armenia through UAF’s 137th humanitarian airlift scheduled to
arrive in mid-March.
The Ministries of Health of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh have each expressed
their appreciation to Armenia Fund USA, Operation Blessing International and
the United Armenian Fund for making this humanitarian relief available. A
great support to both republics striving to improve their healthcare
systems, the medications will be available to medical facilities like
Armenia Fund USA’s newly-constructed Armine
Pagoumian Polyclinic and Diagnostic Center in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh.
Located in the region’s capital and replacing the previous Soviet-era clinic
that was seriously damaged during the Armenian-Azeri conflict, it is the
first and only full care outpatient medical center in the Republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
About Armenia Fund USA: Armenia Fund USA, founded in 1992, was one of the
first of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 18 international affiliates and serves
constituents in all states east of the Mississippi. As a non-profit,
non-governmental, nonsectarian organization, the Fund represents all
Armenian constituents.
Armenia Fund USA is the largest contributor among the 18 international
affiliates – supporting strategic infrastructure projects in Armenia and
Karabakh, and having helped build 138 miles of roads, 100 miles of
waterways, 36 schools, 3 electric transmission networks, 210 residential
buildings and 15 healthcare institutions. Armenia Fund USA’s Mission is the
development of strategic socio-economic infrastructure in Armenia and
Karabakh, focusing on major projects such as major highways, schools,
drinking water to communities and humanitarian programs in education,
training and medical facilities. The Fund has adopted a policy to go `Beyond
Bricks and Mortar’ to provide sustainability for projects it sponsors.
About Operation Blessing International: Founded in 1978, Operation Blessing
International is a 501(c )(3) faith-based, non-profit relief and development
organization dedicated to bringing hope to millions through hunger relief,
medical care, outreach programs, and disaster relief.  Since inception, it
has touched the lives of more than 184.9 million people in 96 countries and
all 50 states, providing goods and services valued at more than $1.1
billion.
About United Armenia Fund: Founded in 1989 and based in Glendale, CA, the
United Armenia Fund is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of
America, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary
Association of America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America and the Lincy Foundation. To date, UAF has sponsored and prepared
136 airlifts and delivered over $428 million of aid to Armenia.
To learn more about Armenia Fund USA, please go to our website at
or call us at 212-689-5307.
Armenia Fund USA, 152 Madison Ave., Suite 803, New York, NY 10016

Japanese, Azeri premiers agree on economic, energy cooperation
Kyodo News Service
10 Mar 06
Tokyo, 10 March: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and
visiting Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev agreed Friday [10 March] to
deepen their countries’ economic ties through trade, investment,
energy projects and other exchanges.
In a joint press conference after their talks at the premier’s
official residence in Tokyo, Koizumi called for “further improving
Azerbaijan’s trade and investment climate,” saying Japanese businesses
are interested in the country.
The Japanese leader also expressed thanks for Baku’s support of
Tokyo’s bid to get permanent membership on the UN Security Council,
and voiced hope Azerbaijan will peacefully resolve its regional
conflict with Armenia.
Aliyev said his country has well-funded economic development plans and
needs “good partners – companies with advanced technology, knowledge,
expertise” possibly from Japan which he said is a world leader in this
area.
According to a joint statement the two leaders signed before speaking
to the press, the Azerbaijani side stated its intention to continue
efforts to improve its trade and investment environment through
deregulation plus tax and legal reforms.
Both sides expressed intention to further develop cooperation in the
field of energy, praising two projects in Azerbaijan to develop an oil
field and build an oil pipeline that are joined by Japanese concerns.
Visiting Japan for the first time, Aliyev arrived Tuesday for a
four-day stay.
On Thursday, he met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and agreed
to foster bilateral ties through cooperation in the development of oil
and natural gas exploration in the Caucasus state.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting Azerbaijan
President Ilham Aliyev agreed Friday to deepen their countries’
economic ties through trade, investment, energy projects and other
exchanges.
Kyodo News Service; Mar 10, 2006

In a joint press conference after their talks at the premier’s
official residence in Tokyo, Koizumi called for “further improving
Azerbaijan’s trade and investment climate,” saying Japanese businesses
are interested in the country.
The Japanese leader also expressed thanks for Baku’s support of
Tokyo’s bid to get permanent membership on the U.N. Security Council,
and voiced hope Azerbaijan will peacefully resolve its regional
conflict with Armenia.
Aliyev said his country has well-funded economic development plans and
needs “good partners companies with advanced technology, knowledge,
expertise” possibly from Japan which he said is a world leader in this
area.
According to a joint statement the two leaders signed before speaking
to the press, the Azerbaijani side stated its intention to continue
efforts to improve its trade and investment environment through
deregulation plus tax and legal reforms.
Both sides expressed intention to further develop cooperation in the
field of energy, praising two projects in Azerbaijan to develop an oil
field and build an oil pipeline that are joined by Japanese concerns.
Visiting Japan for the first time, Aliyev arrived Tuesday for a
four-day stay.
On Thursday, he met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and agreed
to foster bilateral ties through cooperation in the development of oil
and natural gas exploration in the Caucasus state.

ANCA Endowment Fund
888 17th St NW Suite 906
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-0279
PRESS RELEASE
March 9, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-0279
ANCA ENDOWMENT FUND PURCHASES NEW WASHINGTON, DC HEADQUARTERS
— Historic Four-Story Building to Serve as Permanent Home for
Armenian American Advocacy in Nation’s Capital
WASHINGTON, DC – The ANCA Endowment Fund today announced the
purchase of a new national headquarters, cementing the grassroots
organization’s presence in the nation’s capital and creating a
platform for the continued growth of the political power and
influence of the Armenian American community.
“At its heart, this purchase speaks to our respect for our roots –
our enduring historic roots as a people, our grassroots communities
around the country, and the deep roots that we have planted here in
the nation’s capital,” said ANCA Endowment President Ken Hachikian.
“Roots represent our identity – and our strength. Grassroots
advocacy is in our very soul. Our roots have been the wellspring
that has nourished us from our fledgling days, through decades of
struggle, and to our status today as a world-class organization,
recognized internationally as the principled, forceful, and
effective voice of the Armenian American community.”
The four-story building, formerly owned by AOL founder Steve Case,
is located near prestigious Embassy Row, blocks from the White
House and the nation’s leading think tanks, including the Carnegie
Foundation and the Brookings Institution. The newly renovated
structure features the latest in computer, communications, and
networking technology.
“Now is the time to build on our successes,” added Hachikian. “We
look confidently to the future – forging new paths and embracing
new technologies – to generate the political power, influence and
respect that the Armenian American community deserves – and that
the Armenian homeland needs.”
With a proven track record of results and a rock-solid base of
support to build upon, the leadership of the ANCA Endowment is
currently in the planning stages of a capital campaign to cover the
full cost of this state-of-the-art building, expand a broad range
of advocacy programs, and grow the organization’s life sustaining
endowment fund. These efforts will cement the long-term stability
and continuing success of Armenian American advocacy, substantially
reinforce the Armenian presence in Washington D.C., and create an
even more powerful voice for Armenian Americans – in short, provide
a sound footing for the future and a permanent home for the
Armenian Cause in the United States.
#####