KARABAKH WAR PARTICIPANTS: YEREVAN SHOULD QUIT TALKS WITH BAKU
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 23:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Any Armenian-Azeri dialogue is possible only if
official Baku stops anti-Armenian hysteria, recognizes Artsakh belongs
to Armenians, Artsakh war participants say. Armenian authorities should
quit the Armenian-Azeri talks over the Nagorno Karabakh settlement,
says an open letter of a group of participants of the Artsakh war. The
message authors are convinced that participation of Artsakh (Nagorno
Karabakh) in the talks is not acceptable either. “We do not trust
these talks and those, who negotiate on behalf of Armenians. Any
Armenian-Azeri dialogue is possible only if official Baku stops
anti-Armenian hysteria, recognizes Artsakh belongs to Armenians, as
well as recognizes its responsibility for violent deportation of Azeri
Armenians and unleashing a war against the autonomy,” the statement
says. The document notes that there is no actual settlement of the
Karabakh issue, as during the talks it was not possible to form any
compromise, all OSCE MG proposals contained unilateral concessions
and violated the rights of the Armenian people of Artsakh for living
in their homeland.

IRAN SUGGESTS ENRICHING URANIUM IN TURKEY
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2006 23:52 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran offers Turkey to hold works to enrich
uranium or process nuclear fuel in its territory. Teheran also
invites MPs and journalists from Turkey to visit Iranian nuclear
objects. “We trust Turkey more. We can discuss those initiatives as
part of the package of initiatives. As it is known, disputes refer
to concentration of uranium, processing nuclear fuel and not only
these matters. It would be better for us if one of the initiatives is
implemented in the Turkish territory,” Iranian Ambassador to Turkey
Firuz Devletabadi. In his words, the issue has technical and legal
sides. “We are for involving Turkey in the process. We simultaneously
invite Turkey and its companies to participate in implementation of
our nuclear projects,” the Iranian Ambassador to Ankara said.
Official Ankara has many times expressed concern over implementation
of nuclear programs by Iran and urged to observe conventional
international norms. Turkey also indicated negative consequences for
the international community in case of a military operation against
its neighbor, reports Yeni Safak Turkish newspaper.

NATO SEC. GEN. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA IN APRIL
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 00:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for
the South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons will visit Armenia
in April, NATO Officer-Coordinator for the South Caucasus Romualdas
Razuks reported. In his words, the South Caucasus is a geopolitical
priority to the NATO. Uniting the countries of the region within the
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) is an important step to
ensure regional and Euro-Atlantic security, said Romualdas Razuks.

TURKEY TO ANNOUNCE ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM SOON
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 00:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey will soon announce its program on the
peaceful use of nuclear energy, Turkish FM Abdullah Gul stated after
a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director
General Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna. “Our nuclear program will be
of peaceful nature exclusively. It will be based on transparency,
openness to cooperation and interaction with the IAEA. Within its
nuclear program Turkey plans to build three nuclear power plants (NPP)
by 2016. The construction of these, according to experts’ estimates,
will cost $7-8 billion. The overall capacity of Turkish NPPs will
make some 5 thousand MW,” Gul remarked.
Beginning the building of the first station is scheduled in 2007. The
first Turkish NPP will be built in Sinop Black Sea province. It will
be run by 2012.
Russia, US, China, UK, France, Canada, South Korea and Japan show
interest towards the construction project.
Turkey has many times announced a tender for NPP building. In 2000
the project of the first NPP was closed owing to lack of financing.
Turkish authorities speeded up works relating to the building of the
NPP after abrupt decrease of natural gas import from Iran in January
2006. Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Guler said
at the time it was necessary to reduce external dependency from energy
supplies and its soonest diversification, reports CNN-Turk TV Company.

ARMENIA JOINED EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 00:46 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 13 Armenia officially signed the European
Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural
Habitats (Bern Convention), reports the Press Service of the Armenian
MFA. Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe (CE)
Christian Ter-Stepanyan signed the Convention on the Armenian party,
CE Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio signed it from
the EU part.
Armenia became the 46th CE member to sign the Bern Convention. Besides
CE member states, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, as well
as the European community signed the convention. The Convention aims
at controlling wildlife preservation, especially in case of threat
of disappearing.

MANN DISCUSSED KARABAKH SETTLEMENT WITH AZERI LEADERS
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 01:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received
US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Steven Mann, on March 13. A
number of questions regarding Armenian-Azeri talks over settlement
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were discussed at the meeting.
The same day Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmar
Mammadyarov, met with US Ambassador Steven Mann.
At the end of the meeting Mann stated that they discussed the peaceful
solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict and considered the meeting
“very productive”.
“We exchanged opinions with Elmar Mammadyarov over settlement of the
Karabakh issue and a number of other questions,” Mann remarked. He
also added that he was going to Baku airport to welcome US Assistant
Secretary of State Daniel Fried, who will also meet with the Azeri FM,
APA reports.

LORD JOHNSTON WILL GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT KARABAKH
A1+
04:07 pm 13 March, 2006
Tomorrow the PACE Political Issues Committee session will take place
in Paris where the Karabakh issue will be discussed too. Lord Russell
Johnston will make a statement about the Karabakh issue and about
what is going on within the framework of the OSCE Minsk group.
“Russell Johnston is to give information to the Political Issue
Committee, and it is still not clear whether a session of the Karabakh
Committee will take place or not”, RA NA deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan
said. He is the only on to represent Armenia in the Political Issues
Committee while Azerbaijan has two representatives there. Neither is
it known whether Torosyan will make a speech or not.
“It is not something important but I will make speech if needed”,
the NA deputy speaker informed “A1+” from Paris. He does not have
great expectations from the speech of Russell Johnston as he will
only represent the 1-year activity of the Committee.

“TO CEASE ALL THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN”
A1+
04:54 pm 13 March, 2006
“It is meaningless to seek ways of compromise with negotiations with
a country without punishing them internationally for the cultural
genocide”. The reason for this announcement of the Aldermen of the
Armenian Intellectuals Forum is the destruction of the Julfa khachqars.
The announcement which has been signed by Silva Kapoutikyan, Anna
Boyajyan, Khoren Palyan, Lenser Aghalovyan, Yervand Manaryan, Rafayel
Ghazaryan, David Sedrakyan, and Hrachya Matevosyan, mentioned that
“The latest cultural genocide was executed in the conditions of
the criminal silence of the international society. Moreover, during
those days with the intention to settle the Karabakh conflict with
an inexplicable haste the Minsk group co-chairs forced Armenia to
sit at the negotiation table with a country which makes a national
hero out of the murderer of a sleeping soldier”.
The Aldermen of the Intellectuals Forum bring other examples too
proving the intolerant and military attitude of Azerbaijan. Founding
on these facts the Armenian Intellectuals Forum demands that the
Armenian authorities cease all the negotiations with Azerbaijan on
all the levels until the international community punishes Azerbaijan
for their crimes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRIAL OF RAZMIK SARGSYAN RESUMED
A1+
05:11 pm 13 March, 2006
The Criminal and Military Court of Appeal restarted to hear the trial
of soldiers Razmik Sargsyan, Musa Serobyan and Arayik Zaryan. They
are accused of the murder of soldiers Movses Mkrtoumyan and Roman
Eghiazaryan.
The Court of the first instance of the Syunik region had sentenced
them to 15 year of imprisonment on the basis of the only confession
of Razmik Sargsyan which, according tot eh advocates, was acquired
by means of beating and torture.
By the way, Razmik Sargsyan stopped his hunger-strike on January
9. Nevertheless, according to his advocates, he still has health
problems.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“NATIONAL RENAISSANCE” GETS MORE MEMBERS
A1+
07:32 pm 13 March, 2006
The “National Renaissance” party founded a regional organization of
Ani in the region of Shirak. 157 people have already applied to become
member of the organization. The organization includes Maralik and the
nearby villages. The 13-member council of the organization was formed
during the founding conference. Levon Petrosyan was elected its head.
During the conference Albert Bazeyan and Vagharshak Haroutyunyan
made speech. The representatives of the party were interested in
the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and in the probability of
launching war. Both Bazeyan and Haroutyunyan found it improbable.
Vagharshak Haroutyunyan does not share the concern that we must
settle the issue as quickly as possible as time plays into the hands
of Azerbaijan. “We won in the military field, and we will win in the
political field too”.
“The status of Karabakh and the settlement of the issue depend only
on Armenia and Karabakh”, Haroutyunyan announced in answer to the
assumption that the settlement of the conflict depends on other states.