RECURRENT ECHELON WITH RUSSIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO HEAD FOR ARMENIA TOMORROW
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 16:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Thursday an autocade of 20 units of
wheeled equipment will leave Akhalkalaki (Georgia) to Gyumri
(Armenia). Besides, 40 units of wheeled equipment will be sent to
Gyumri in a railway echelon from Batumi, informed deputy commander of
the Russian troops in the Transcaucasus, Colonel Kuparadze, reported
Russian Peacekeeper online edition.

IRANIAN TV REPRESENTED KARABAKH AS INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC. BAKU DISCONTENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 17:07 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Baku expressed discontent over the fact that the
State Iranian Television presented Nagorno Karabakh as an independent
republic on the news. As head of the press office of the Congress of
Azerbaijanis of the World Ali Nicat stated, in a report covering the
Bucharest talks of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Iran TV 1
journalist said, “The Independent Nagorno Karabakh Republic proclaimed
its independence 15 years ago. Now Azerbaijan raises territorial claims
to the republic.” “We perceive it as a threat to Azerbaijan from the
direction of Iran, since Southern Azerbaijan has an information outlet
into the world via the Azerbaijani republic only. With such threats
Iran wishes to force Azerbaijan to close this outlet,” he said,
reported Day.az.

“REVIVAL OF OUR SOUL” BOOK ASCRIBED TO ZORY BALAYAN DOESN’T EXIST
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During recent two years Azeri websites often
mention of a book titled “Revival of Our Soul” and ascribed to
Armenian writer Zory Balayan. The book “is related to the events in
Khojalu.” PanARMENIAN.Net publishes the letter written by Zory Balayan,
who is presently aboard of Cilicia vessel.
“Friends and unknown people call me and ask whether I have written
a book titled “Revival of Our Soul” published by Vanadzor publishing
house. The fact is that some two years long dirty information is spread
via Internet. Quotations from a book allegedly written by me appear
in the network. I do not want to come down to the level of those who
do not realize that such insinuations first of all discredit their
own nation.
I urge all those who should carry out investigations in case of
violation of human rights or show the readers the above-mentioned
book. If such exists that’s another matter.
I am absolutely sure that human rights notion is not an empty sound
but the reality that must be protected.”

ARMENIA DEVELOPS RELATIONS WITH BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 7 newly appointed Ambassador of Bosnia and
Herzegovina to Armenia Enver Halilovich (residence in Moscow) handed
the copies of his credentials to Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian. The Armenian FM remarked that the relations between the two
states are at their initial stage and formation of a legal field is
very important in this view. The parties also stressed the necessity
of bilateral cooperation within various international organizations,
reported the RA MFA press office.

PACE RAPPORTEUR EXPOSES GLOBAL ‘SPIDER’S WEB’ OF CIA SECRET JAILS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur
Dick Marty today revealed what he called a global “spider’s web”
of CIA detentions and transfers and listed seven Council of Europe
member states who could be held responsible, in varying degrees, for
violations of the rights of named individuals by colluding in these
operations. In a 67-page explanatory memorandum to his report, made
public in Paris today at a meeting of the Assembly’s Legal Affairs
Committee, he said there were corroborated facts strengthening the
presumption that landing points in Romania and Poland were detainee
drop-off points near to secret detention centers.
“Even if proof, in the classical meaning of the term, is not as yet
available, a number of coherent and converging elements indicate that
such secret detention centers did indeed exist in Europe.” These
elements warranted further investigation, he said. “It is now
clear… that authorities in several European countries actively
participated with the CIA in these unlawful activities. Other countries
ignored them knowingly, or did not want to know,” he said.
Mr Marty said he used evidence from national and international air
traffic control authorities, as well as sources inside intelligence
services, including in the United States, to compile a detailed
picture of a global system of secret detentions and unlawful
transfers – including new analysis revealing what he called “rendition
circuits”. He listed seven Council of Europe member states who could
be held responsible, in varying degrees, which are not always settled
definitively, for violations of the rights of specific individuals:
Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, Italy, “the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Germany and Turkey. Several
more colluded, actively or passively, in the detention or transfer
of unknown persons, he said, reported the PACE Communication Unit.

BEELINE CLAIMS FOR ARMENTEL STOCKS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Head of VympelCom press office Yulia Ostroukhova
confirmed that Beeline cellular operator has filed an application
for purchasing 90% of ArmenTel stocks. “All the details are kept
in secret by mutual agreement of the sides. Additional information
will be furnished after summing up the outcomes of the tender,”
Ms. Ostroukhova said, reported Mediamax. AFX Europe agency reported
that OTE Greek company, the owner of 90% of the stocks, has received
8 applications in all.
Besides Beeline, Russian cellular operators MTS and Rostelekom have
announced of their intention to purchase ArmenTel’s stocks.

AZERBAIJAN ASSUMES BSEC PA PRESIDENCY FOR NEXT 6 MONTHS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 18:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan has assumed the presidency in the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly for the next 6
months. Milli Mejlis speaker Oktay Asadov will become the next chairman
of the BSEC PA. The decision was taken at the 27th plenary session of
the General Assembly of the BSEC PA in Yerevan by rotation principle.
Parliamentary delegations from all the BSEC PA member states – Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldavia, Romania,
Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey and Ukraine are taking part in
the session. Representatives of Egyptian National Assembly, French
parliament, the German Bundestag, Israeli Knesset, National Council of
Slovakia and Belarusian National Assembly have the status of observer.
Secretary General of the BSECO International Secretariat Leonidas
Chrisanthopoulos, representatives of the International Center of
Black Sea Studies, the European Parliament and PACE also take part
in the session.

ILS DEVRONT CONTINUER A SE CACHER
Par Olivier Bertrand
liberation, France
mercredi 07 juin 2006
Immigration Alex, 10 ans, et David, 7 ans (Lyon)
Pour Alex et David, les propositions de Nicolas Sarkozy ne changent
rien. Arrives a Lyon en novembre 2005, ces deux ecoliers azeris ne
sont pas nes en France et ils parlent leur langue maternelle. Ils
restent donc expulsables. Leur mère, Samira, a fui l’Azerbaïdjan,
où ses origines armeniennes l’exposaient a des persecutions.
Ayant depose une première demande d’asile (refusee) en Allemagne,
ses garcons ne beneficient meme pas de la treve accordee jusqu’a
la fin de l’annee scolaire. Des parents et des enseignants cachent
donc la famille depuis cinquante jours. Hier, ce reseau restait
très mobilise. Les annonces du ministre de l’Interieur avaient
d’abord leve un vent d’espoir. “Beaucoup de parents nous ont appeles,
confiait Mireille Peloux, responsable locale du Reseau education sans
frontières. Mais nous avons fait les comptes et, malheureusement,
très peu de familles sont concernees.”
–Boundary_(ID_EuOjokHDS9TZmpI4uasH3 w)–

OSKANIAN: EUROPEAN COUNCIL PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE FOR STRENGTHENING ARMENIA-EU RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 19:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
met with Mr Edward McMillan-Scott, the Vice-President of the European
Parliament, who is in Yerevan in view of the opening of headquarters
of the International Association of Business and Parliament, reported
the RA MFA press office. The interlocutors noted the activation of
the parliamentary ties between the Armenian National Assembly and
the European Parliament, specifically the sitting of the Armenia-EU
Committee on Parliamentary Cooperation held in April, 2006. Vartan
Oskanian also pointed out to the role of the European Council for the
strengthening of the Armenia-EU bilateral relations. RA NA Vice-speaker
Vahan Hovhannisian was also present at the meeting.

‘WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITIES’ SOUNDS LIKE OBVIOUS OBLIGATION
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
08/06/2006
Kocharian and Aliyev Are Likely to Meet in Late 2006
The June 4-5 meeting between Armenian president Robert Kocharian and
his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev doesn’t seem to be satisfactory for
both sides. Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign minister, stated yesterday
that the sides failed to come to terms over the same issue that
remained unsettled in Rambouillet. Foreign minister of Azerbaijan
voiced the same opinion about the Bucharest meeting. He said that
the sides didn’t achieve big progress in the course of the Bucharest
negotiations. At the same time, Mamediarov said that the sides agreed
to continue the negotiation process and hold the next meeting at the
level of the foreign ministers, if needed.
Meanwhile, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs pointed out in the
statement made on the June 6 Bucharest meeting that “the peaceful
settlement is still actual and achievable, while 2006 is “a window”
for securing progress.” The co-chairs are sure that the settled
principles they defined for the sides in conflict “secure mutually
acceptable settlement grounds and they express regret that the sides
haven’t come to agreement around those principles, yet.”
As for the activities of the Minsk Group co-chairs, according to
RFE/RL, Steven Mann stated that USA will represent another diplomat to
settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by the rotation principle. Mann
will occupy the position of the US Deputy State Secretary for the
Central and the South Asian states. The change of the co-chair may
have certain impact on the negotiations from the aspect of time,
as the new co-chair will have to study the process. Bedsides, Russia
doesn’t support the rotation of the co-chair.
The Azeri mass media informed that Burdikin, temporary representative
of RF Affairs in Azerbaijan, said that Steven Mann realizes the
peculiarities of two countries and the change of the co-chair in the
course of the president’s meeting “is not a very good step.”
On the other hand, taking into account not very satisfactory evaluation
of the Bucharest meeting, the sides state that another Kocharian-Aliyev
meeting will be held in late 2006. Both Novruz Mamedov, head of
Foreign Relations Department at Azeri President’s Staff, and Victor
Soghomonian, press secretary of RA president, expressed this opinion.
According to PanArmenian.net Victor Soghomonian stated that the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs will meet and give instructions to the foreign
ministers, who will prepare the meeting of the presidents. As for
the probability of signing any agreement during the third meeting
of the presidents in late 2006, none of the sides sees such an
opportunity. Meanwhile Matthew Bryza, deputy US State Secretary for
Europe and Eurasia, stated that the sides in conflict have quite
a trustworthy document for settlement at their disposal, while USA
urges presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to take more efforts to
settle the conflict this year, in the course of “The Oil and Gas of
the Caspian Basin” exhibition in Baku.