AZERI LEADERS WILL NOT RISK TO START WAR AGAINST ARMENIA: ARMENIAN FM
YEREVAN, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. The Azeri leaders will not risk to start
war against Armenia, Armenian FM Vardan Oskanyan says in an interview
to Shant TV channel.
We rule out the possibility of war. They cannot scare us by war or to
change our position. Azerbaijan is not ready for war.
If today Azerbaijan is not ready for or cannot run the risk to solve
the problem by compromise, it will never risk to solve it by war.
Azerbaijan can get much through talks by giving something they know
they have already lost. They have tried war twice, the third time will
be the last. War will take much from Azerbaijan and at heart the Azeri
authorities know that war will be hard for them. Today the Azeri
leaders are not ready for risk. Billions have been invested in that
country and now it cannot risk them. Nobody will allow Azerbaijan to
easily start war against Armenia.

ARMENIAN FM REFUSES TO CONFIRM OR REFUTE REPORT OF POSSIBLE RECALL OF US
AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. Armenian FM Vardan Oskanyan refuses to
confirm or refute the report about the possible recall of US
Ambassador to Armenia John Evans This is a confidential process. One
should not make a problem of it. Armenia may be asked to agree to a
new ambassador but whether and when he will be appointed will depend
on the US adminitration. Let’s wait and see, says Oskanyan.

COOPERATION WITH SOUTH CAUCASUS IS A PRIORITY OF NATO
YEREVAN, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. Cooperation with the South Caucasus region
is claimed a priority by NATO, said NATO representative Romualdas
Razuks during the “Starlink expert Roundtable and seminar”.
According to Mr. Razuks, NATO aims providing the security of the
region due to cooperation between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The
NATO programs in South Caucasus, the individual partnership program
particularly, are to satisfy the individual needs of the Southern
Caucasian states, provide assistance in integrating with Europe and
developing democratic institutions, as well as in destroying the old
Soviet weapon. NATO also takes part in settling the regional
conflicts. Mr. Razuks reminded that next year will be considered
Armenia’s achievements in the frameworks of cooperation with NATO. The
NATO official concluded that the partnership of South Caucasus states
will make all the security programs more effective.

CNN REMINDED THE WORLD ABOUT THE ANTI-ARMENIAN POLICY OF AZERBIAJAN
YEREVAN, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. Today the CNN channel reminded the world
public about the events of Sumgayit, 1988, and the ‘heroic’ deed of
Ramil Safarov, who in February 2004 assassinated with an axe sleeping
Gurgen Margarian. The topic was prepared for CNN by the ‘Armnenia’ TV
channel, which has been cooperating with CNN during the recent years.
Gagik Mkrtchian, chief executive of ‘Armenia-TV’, informed that CNN
broadcaster an episode of the last demonstration in Yerevan, as well
as shots from the mass murder of 1988 and the national liberation
movement. The CNN let the world to see barbarian destruction of
Armenian cemetery in Nakhijevan. ‘We were able to show the world the
results of anti-Armenian propaganda of Baku, its cynicism, barbarism
and national-religious intolerance,’ said Mr. Mkrtchian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN NGOs OF GEORGIA URGE GEORGIA AUTHORITIES TO PREVENT ETHNIC CONFLICT
IN TSALKA
TSALKA, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. The Multinational Georgia and New
Generation NGOs have urged the Georgia public, authorities and
President Mikheil Saakashvili to take urgent measures to solve the
problem in Tsalka in order to prevent one more ethnic conflict in
Georgia.
The NGOs urge the authorities to fairly investigate the incident in
Tsalka and to punish those guilty.
To remind, Georgian and Armenian residents of Tsalka got into fight
Mar 9. 5 young Armenians were wounded, Gevorg Gerorgyan – killed. The
attackers were Georgians from Svanetia.
Alarmed by the incident the Armenian residents of Tsalka (some 500
people) held a rally in front of the police building with demands to
punish those guilty. The police togeter with local criminals dispersed
the ralliers. Mar 10 the police blocked all the roads leading from
Armenian villages to Tsalka and are controlling all the governmental
facilities in the town.
Commenting on the incident the United Javakhq NGO says that it is a
direct result of the Georgian authorities’ policy to artificially
change the ethnic maps of its regions. The large-scale population of
the mostly Armenian regions with Georgians from Svanetia and Ajaria is
breaking the ethnic balance in the region and provokes ethnic
tensions.
The NGO urges all the Armenians of the region to be calm and
restrained and demands that the Georgian police fairly investigate the
case and punish all those guilty.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 11 2006
Military solution of Karabakh conflict ruled out – minister
14:54 | 11/ 03/ 2006

YEREVAN, March 11 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia’s foreign minister ruled
out Saturday a military solution for the breakaway region of Nagorny
Karabakh.
“Azerbaijan must realize that the problem cannot be resolved other
than by peaceful means. The military option is ruled out.
[Azerbaijan] will not be able to intimidate the Armenian side or
force it to change its position,” Vardan Oskanyan said in an
interview with the Armenian TV company Shant.
He said Azerbaijan was not ready for war.
“If the Azerbaijani side is not ready or will not risk resolving the
problem through simple compromise, it will never risk using force,”
the minister said.
Earlier, Oskanyan reiterated Armenia’s position that Nagorny
Karabakh’s right to self-determination was crucial for a peace
settlement.
The conflict between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and
Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region with a
largely Armenian population, first erupted in 1988, when the region
claimed independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.
Over 30,000 people were reported dead on both sides between 1988 and
1994, and over 100 others died after a ceasefire was concluded in
1994, leaving Nagorny Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions
between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.

WORK ON FORMATION OF SECONDARY MORTGAGE MARKET TO START IN ARMENIA FROM 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. A non-profit non-commercial
organization “The Union of Armenian Mortgage Market Participants” has
been set up for the purpose of assisting the development of the
mortgage market in Armenia. The founders of the union are:
Armeconombank, the Armenian Development Bank, ArmSwissBank,
Inecombank, Arminvestbank, Unibank, Ararat Bank, Areximbank;
Washington Capital and First Mortgage Company credit companies; SIL
Insurance, Private Insurance, Nairi Insurance and Prime Insurance
Brokers insurance companies, Alta Vip, M & M, Premier Realty and
Elefant Realty realty agencies. During the constituent assembly on
March 10, Ashot Osipian, Armeconmbank’s Executive Director, pointed
out such primary tasks of the newly established union as the creation
of all the necessary preconditions for efficient operation of the
secondary market of mortgage credits, participation in the strategy
development and improvement of the legislative field, etc. In the
words of Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Tigran
Sargsian, CBA attaches importance to the formation of the union and
will assist it. He noted that there are two strategies for developing
the mortgage market – ensuring equal rules of game for all market
participants through adoption of mandatory normative acts, or a
voluntary unification of market participants and the development of
common standards. T. Sargsian assured that CBA that considers the
second option as more acceptable will cooperate with the
union. According to him, CBA “will not adopt any normative act related
to the sector without discussing it with the union and receiving a
conclusion about it.” CBA Chairman also attached importance to the
fact of participation of KfW Bank’s Armenian Reprsentative Karapet
Gevorgian in the foundation of the union.

GOLD SMUGGLING ATTEMPT FOILED AT ZVARTNOTS AIRPORT
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. During a customs examination of a
Moscow-Yerevan flight passengers at Zvartnots Airport recently,
employees of the RA State Customs Committee (SCC) revealed an attempt
to smuggle gold items.
According to SCC press service, Armenian citizen Tereza Kochoyan hid
some of the gold items of the total weight of 200 grams in an
hairpin. An attempt to smuggle perfume was also prevented recently at
Zvartnots Airport – again during a customs examonation of the luggage
of Moscow-Yerevan flight passengers. The SCC officials revealed two
attempts of smuggling over 1,000 litres of diesel fuel through Meghri
customs. The offenders tried to smuggle diesel fuel from Iran in
specially prepared hiding places of trucks. Investigation into the
above mentioned cases is underway.

Daily Nation , Kenya
March 12 2006
Mercenaries: Tell us the truth
Publication Date: 03/12/2006
The strictest definition of a mercenary is a soldier who fights or
engages in warfare for money with no regard for ideological,
political or national considerations.
Ever since the raid on the Standard Group nearly a fortnight ago, the
air has been thick with the talk of a squad of mercenaries that is
allegedly in the country at the behest, or at least with the
knowledge of, the government.
Langata MP Raila Odinga last week was the first to come out in the
open on the issue of these alleged soldiers of fortune.
After the Russian Embassy in Nairobi disassociating itself from any
such activity, Mr Odinga came out and said that in fact he had been
mistaken, the mercenaries were not Russians but Armenians. He even
displayed copies of their passports and visas to Kenya.
Mr Odinga’s claims might have the ring of believability about them.
It is known that ex-soldiers from what was called the Eastern Bloc
are widely available for hire throughout the world.
Mr Odinga is obviously keen to make as much political capital as he
can on what are, so far, unsubstantiated claims.
His foes have rubbished the allegations, and the whole matter is in
danger of degenerating into a slanging match and a political
point-scoring contest.
It does not help that divisions in the police force between the
Commissioner and the Director of the CID could be hampering a proper
investigation of the matter.
It is important that the matter be investigated thoroughly and
impartially.
If rumour and innuendo and gossip is allowed to continue, then the
country could find itself in a situation where fear and despondency
are engendered amongst the general public.
If indeed mercenaries are found to officially operate in Kenya, then
they and their high level connections must be exposed and brought
swiftly to justice.
On the other hand if there is no truth to the story, then the matter
should be brought to a rapid close.
It should surely not be difficult for the police and the Immigration
department to get to the bottom of the worrying matter.

Daily Nation , Kenya
March 12 2006
More questions over alleged squad of mercenaries
Story by SUNDAY NATION INVESTIGATIONS TEAM
Publication Date: 03/12/2006

Police detailed to investigate the alleged presence of Russian
mercenaries in the country have not questioned any of the suspects –
despite circulation of copies of Armenian passports of two of the
men.
“We only saw some documents displayed on a news report on television
on Friday evening but police have not received any document,” a
senior CID officer said.
The Sunday Nation can reveal today that the men Langata MP Raila
Odinga claims are mercenaries working for the Government are two
Armenian “businessmen.”
Travel documents indicate the two men – aged 33 and 36 – arrived in
the country early this year from Dubai, but have also visited Kenya
in the past on missions that remain a mystery.
Investigations have established that the suspects have changed their
residence four times since they arrived in Kenya separately on
January 23 and January 24.
On arrival, they booked in at a five-star city hotel before they
moved to the upmarket Runda Estate in early February.
A leading city hotel confirmed yesterday that one of the men had been
a guest there on different occasions since 2003.
They allegedly moved to Lenana Road after Mr Odinga gave details of
the Runda house to police.
Runda residents in the vicinity of the single-storey mansion
confirmed to Sunday Nation that a truck pulling a 40-ft container
entered the estate at around 9.15 pm on Thursday night and moved all
the household goods.
The relocation from Runda capped a week of dramatic happenings in the
palatial residence and its vicinity, including an assault on an
alleged police officer in circumstances that remain unclear.
Not interviewed yet
Police have not interviewed the two men despite the furore and have
dismissed Mr Odinga’s claims even after inviting him to record a
statement on Wednesday.
On arrival in January, the two men were granted a two-year category H
permit, which is for professionals or foreigners investing in the
country.
They paid Sh60,000 each and posted a bond of a similar amount for the
permits.
A Mombasa politician and businessman yesterday denied being among
those who had been seen in the company of the alleged mercenaries.
Following the March 2 raid by hooded police officers on the Standard
Group offices, there have been claims of involvement of foreigners.
Mr Odinga displayed faded photocopies of the passports of the two
foreigners on Friday, saying they were Armenians and not Russians as
earlier claimed.
But police say they have not received such documents and do not,
therefore, know who the alleged mercenaries are.

“We have not received any documents or fresh information regarding
the presence of mercenaries. We only saw some documents displayed on
a news report on television on Friday evening but police have not
received any document,” a senior CID officer said.
It would be easy for police, through the Immigration Department, to
find out who the people are, how they entered the country and who
posted bond for them when they entered the country. The category ‘H’
visa issued to them would also identify the kind of business they
intend to engage in and the name of the company, if any.
On Friday, police officers led by the Deputy Nairobi Provincial
Criminal Investigations Officer, Mr Isaiah Osugo, began
investigations into the alleged existence of mercenaries as ordered
by the Commissioner of Police, Maj-Gen Hussein Ali.
But even as the investigations were going on, the CID boss Joseph
Kamau were dismissing the story of the alleged mercenaries as a lie.
CID boss Joseph Kamau, whose team is supposed to investigate Mr
Odinga’s allegations, on Wednesday dismissed the mercenary claims as
“untrue” and urged Kenyans not to take them seriously.
Mr Kamau said this as Mr Odinga made a formal complaint to the
Commissioner of Police, Maj-Gen Hussein Ali.
Mr Kamau said the MP was spreading propaganda, which should not be
taken seriously.
In a statement signed on his behalf by Senior Superintendent Gideon
Kibunja, Mr Kamau dismissed the MP’s dossier as “baseless, wild,
unsubstantiated.”