2ND RECORDER RECOVERED FROM ARMENIAN PLANE
Niagara Gazette, NY
May 24 2006
MOSCOW
Searchers on Wednesday recovered the second flight recorder from an
Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea three weeks ago,
killing all 113 people aboard, local media reported.
The flight data recorder was lifted by a diving apparatus from a
depth of about 1,640 feet after it was separated from a thick layer
of silt, said Transport Ministry spokeswoman Svetlana Kryshtanovskaya,
according to the RIA-Novosti news agency.
The data recorder was discovered within 50 feet from where workers
on Monday found the plane’s cockpit voice recorder.
Russian television channels showed a yellow, remote-controlled
apparatus lifting the red recorder from the sea surface.
Investigators hope the two recorders will help answer why the Armavia
Airbus A-320 plane plunged into the sea May 3 in heavy rain and poor
visibility. The flight had been en route to the southern Russian sea
resort Sochi from the Armenian capital, Yerevan.
Prosecutors almost immediately dismissed the possibility that
terrorists had brought the plane down, and officials point to rough
weather or pilot error as the likely cause. Armavia officials have
suggested, however, that air traffic controllers were at least partly
to blame.
Top Armenian aviation officials will travel to Moscow Thursday for
deciphering the recorders, a process that could also take place in
Paris with the involvement of Airbus, said Gayane Davtian, a spokesman
for Armenia’s civil aviation authority.
Meanwhile, the victims’ relatives are to receive compensation of
$20,000 each, the insurance company liable for the payments said
Wednesday.
“The insurance payments will not depend in any way on the cause of
the catastrophe,” said Artak Antonian, head of the Grand insurance
company.

U.S. ENVOY TO ARMENIA RECALLED
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 24 2006
President George W. Bush has officially confirmed the impending
dismissal of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans which Armenian
circles in the United States attribute to the diplomat’s public
recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
The White House announced on Tuesday that Bush will ask the U.S.
Senate to endorse his nomination of Richard Hoagland, Washington’s
outgoing ambassador to Tajikistan, as Evans’s replacement. It offered
no explanation for the widely anticipated move.
Evans has been tipped to lose his current job for the last three
months. Armenian-American groups and activists have suggested that
he is paying the price for his controversial reference to the mass
killings and deportations of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as “genocide.”
U.S. officials have declined to publicly confirm or deny this. “We
all serve at the pleasure of the President,” Assistant Secretary of
State Daniel Fried told the Armenian Assembly of America on March 27
when asked to comment on the issue. The Assembly and another Armenian
lobbying group in Washington, ANCA, have voiced strong support for
Evans, demanding that the Bush administration refrain from recalling
the envoy.
Evans has served as ambassador to Armenia for less than two years.
All of the four previous heads of the U.S. mission in Yerevan had
longer tenures. “I do not know when I will be leaving Armenia and
I have not submitted by retirement papers,” the 58-year-old career
diplomat told reporters on March 7.
Evans openly contradicted the long-running policy of successive U.S.
administrations when he declared in a February 2005 speech in
California that “the Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the
20th century.”
Washington was quick to disown the remarks, saying that it reflected
only his personal views and did not signify any change in U.S. policy
on the sensitive subject. “He did not coordinate with the U.S.
government. He did not clear his remarks with the State Department,”
a senior Bush administration official told RFE/RL at the time.
“I used the term “genocide” speaking in what I characterized as
my personal capacity,” Evans clarified in a subsequent written
statement. “This was inappropriate.”
The extraordinary genocide recognition led to a decision by the U.S.
Foreign Service Association to give Evans its annual prestigious award
designed for American diplomats displaying “constructive dissent” in
their work. However, the association then unexpectedly withdrew the
award. Reports in the U.S. press suggested that the decision, which
came ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s June 2005
trip to Washington, was made under pressure from the State Department.
Turkey, which is a key U.S. ally, vehemently denies that the Armenian
massacres constituted a genocide and has repeatedly warned Washington
against using the politically sensitive term.
In his last April 24 address to the Armenian-American community,
Bush again stopped short of describing the mass killings as genocide,
speaking only of “one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century.”
But he at the same time cited and praised an independent study,
commissioned by prominent Armenians and Turks in 2002, which concluded
that the slaughter of some 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians fits the
internationally accepted definition of genocide.

NEWSPAPER DEMANDS CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST SARKISIAN BROTHER
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 24 2006
An opposition-linked newspaper demanded on Wednesday that Armenian
law-enforcement authorities launch criminal proceedings against
a controversial brother of Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian who
reportedly verbally abused and threatened one of its journalists.
Taguhi Tovmasian of the “Iravunk” bi-weekly reported last week that
Aleksandr “Sashik” Sarkisian clashed with several reputed crime figures
during a birthday party at one of Yerevan’s expensive restaurants
earlier this month. Tovmasian says Sarkisian confronted her in the
Armenian parliament on Tuesday to express his fury with the article
and demand that she disclose its source. She says he threatened to
create “problems” for her after she refused to do that.
In separate letters to the police, the Prosecutor-General’s Office
and the National Security Service (NSS), the “Iravunk” management
said all of this is sufficient grounds for a criminal case against
the influential businessman and member of Armenia’s parliament. It
also demanded that the law-enforcement agencies ensure the physical
security of its young female employee.
“He [Sarkisian] wants to know the source? I am the source,” Hayk
Babukhanian, the “Iravunk” editor-in-chief, told RFE/RL.
Tovmasian also struck a defiant note. “Sashik Sarkisian cared not so
much about the veracity of the information as its source,” she said.
“He was endlessly making threatens like ‘If you don’t name the source,
you’ll have problems; you know who I am.'”
“He didn’t care whether or not what I reported was true,” she added.
“This only shows that what I wrote was true. It can be said that I
rubbed salt against his wounds with that article. He proved this with
his brazen behavior.”
“Iravunk,” which is linked to a small opposition party called the
Union for Constitutional Rights, claimed that Sarkisian went to the
restaurant on May 2 to celebrate with dozens of crime figures the 50th
anniversary of a prominent Russian mobster. The paper, one of the
best selling in Armenia, said that at one point he started angrily
quarrelling with some them over a business-related matter. It also
noted that some of them were among the passengers of the Armenian
airliner that crashed off the Russian Black Sea coast a few hours
later.
Sarkisian, meanwhile, refused to speak to journalists and comment
on the scandal as he attended a parliament session on Wednesday. His
powerful and normally reserved brother Serzh is currently attending
the Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy and was not available for comment.

ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVED DELEGATION OF MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR STATES
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
May 24 2006
The President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev received the
delegation of the Minsk Group co-chair states in the Presidential
palace on May 24, 2006. The composition of the delegation includes
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigori Karasin, the USA State
Secretary Assistant Daniel Freed, French President Advisor Pyer Morel,
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the personal representative of
the OSCE chairman, Trend reports.
The meeting focused on the negotiations held in connection with the
solution of Azerbaijan-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS, VISITING AZERBAIJAN, ISSUED STATEMENT
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 24 2006
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, being on a visit in Azerbaijan, issued
joint statement. The statement reads that co-chairs coming together
with OSCE chairman in- office personal representative, in diplomatic
mission is to support the necessity of Nagorno Garabagh conflict
in peaceful way, and stressing the time of solving the problem for
the sides.
“We were received by President Ilham Aliyev, and before that we
met with foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov. We had discussed the
significant aspects of future regulation. We tried to provide condition
for two Presidents’ meeting. Besides it, both countries should prepare
its community to peace not war.”
Our talks in Baku are of constructive character. Tomorrow we will visit
Yerevan, meet with President Robert Kocharyan and foreign minister
Vardan Oskanian and hold of the same character talks and return to
the states we represent and inform our leader”. Co-chairs will also
inform the OSCE and international community of their visit to the
region. “At present, it depends on Azerbaijan and Armenia what will
happen. We leave the country in hopes for development. We are pleased
to be in Baku, and we express our gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev
and Azerbaijani people for their receiving us.”

ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING ON A THURSDAY NIGHT
John Cleere
Kilkenny Advertiser, Ireland
May 24 2006
This is a serious music column for serious music fans. With that in
mind I sat down last Thursday to watch and listen to the semi-final
of the Eurovision Song Contest. Twenty three countries sang, danced
and undressed for nearly two hours. I can now wear the Tee-shirt that
says “I sat through a whole Eurovision show and survived”.
It started out with Armenia, who sounded very Armenian. The backing
singers spent most of the song trying to tie up the main guy with
strips of leather. If they did not like the song they could have just
told him so. Bulgaria next, then Slovenia who sang the immortal line,
“You came to me at night, like a ray of light”. To which I hum,
“and your song is really s**te”. Twenty more to go and I’m beginning
to doubt whether I will stick it out.
Andorra has girls dressed only in underwear, Belarus has a guy with
his underpants on over his jeans. I think I’m going mad. Brian Kennedy
comes on and restores some sanity. Sensible clothes and a sensible song
from Ireland. I am writing this before the results are in. Prediction:
he hasn’t a hope in hell. Double chins and well clad backing singers
in nice frocks are not what this party is all about.
The male backing singer looks as if he has strayed in off the set of
the Father Ted Euro Song episode. Halfway through the performance
Brian Kennedy goes down on his knees. Did someone shoot him? Is
he praying? He gets back up and finishes the song on a high note,
literally.
A few more countries flash by then it’s Poland. They actually manage
to sound a bit Irish and one of them even has green hair. They mix
a rapper and some medieval sounds, a bit like Damien Dempsey meets
Clannad. This is one step too far in the current Irish/Polish mutual
admiration society. Finland send on a heavy metal band in costumes and
masks, Lord of the Rings meets Spinal Tap. Lordi is their name and they
proceed to try to dismantle the arena. Great stuff, they have not won
it in forty years and this is not going to be any different. Lithuania
is very confident as they sing, “We are the winners of Eurovision”. I
don’t think so boys. The final act is a lady called Sylvia Night
from Iceland. The most prominent line in her song is “You rubbish
nation”. Honesty is not a good policy at this event. This does not
go down too well and she leaves to a chorus of boos and catcalls. I
reach for the phone. Number 23 please, I feel like I am ordering a
Chinese takeaway, but Iceland get my vote. It takes guts to stand up
in front of 16,000 fanatics and manage to insult them all.
The sand flows through the biggest egg timer in the world and soon
the ten minute voting period is up. Marty Whelan gets excited as
the qualifiers are announced. Russia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Lithuania
(the guys who sang “We are the winners of Eurovision”, how did they
know?), Finland. Ukraine. I sit back with an ‘I told you so, Ireland
haven’t a hope smirk’. Then qualifier number nine is announced. It’s
Ireland! Marty goes ballistic, you would think we had won the World
Cup, the Lotto and three All Irelands in a row. That’s it, we have
to sit through it all again on Saturday. You must be joking, Munster
versus Biarritz takes priority. Now that’s where you will hear some
real singing.
*I have just looked up Ms Sylvia Night’s website. Seemingly she was
not singing “Rubbish Nation”. What she sang was “Eurovision Nation”.
What got the crowd so upset were lines like the following:
“Born in Reykjavik in a different league – no damn eurotrashfreak
The vote is in, they say I win.
Too bad for all the others.
Hello is it God?
What’s up dog?
It’s your favourite person in the world Sylvia Night
I’m saving the world”.
No sense of humour these eurotrashfreaks.
From: Baghdasarian

STANCE OF UKRAINE CONCERNING TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN STABLE
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
May 24 2006
President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko has declared, that his country
is ready to be one of participants of forming of plans of settlement of
“the frozen conflicts” in territory of the GUAM states. As informed,
Yushchenko has declared it on May 22 in Kiev after the meeting with
the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, answering the question of
the Azerbaijan journalists in connection with Nagorno Karabakh.
“We recognize that each such conflict demands personal plan. There
is no typical recommendation, there is no typical recipe – as,
shall admit, to resolve problem of Nagorno Karabakh, the problem
Pridnetsrovie, or the problem of Abkhazia. These are very personified
conflicts, and they should be considered exclusively proceeding
from the personal plan”, the head of Ukraine has declared. Having
reminded of the plan offered in due time by Ukraine on settlement
of the Pridnestrovie conflict, he has noted, that the given plan was
accepted both by the Moldavian Parliament and leaders of Pridnestrovie.
“Ukraine admits that each country, including the countries of GUAM,
require support concerning the declared sovereignty and the line of
borders which have been originally defined. We speak about firmness
of borders, about integrity of territories. It is a key component of
policy”, Yushchenko said. He added, that the given position concerns
not only to the GUAM countries, but also the world policy as a whole.
“Therefore, the stance of Ukraine concerning territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan is firm, and I can only confirm it”, Mr. Yushchenko stated.

“JUSTICE” FACTION BEGINS COLLECTING SIGNATURES FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING GROUP FOR STUDY OF SITUATION IN ARMENIAN AVIATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 24 2006
YEREVAN, May 24. /ARKA/. “Justice” oppositional parliamentary faction
has begun collecting signatures for establishment of a working group
for study of the situation in the Armenian aviation and organization
of parliamentary hearings. According to the information provided by
the Secretary of “Justice” faction Viktor Dallakyan 20 signatures
form required 44 are already collected.
He said parliamentary opposition has not once offered to create
a working group for study of the situation in the Armenian civil
aviation; however proposals were continually rejected.
“In the present situation especially in the light of crash of the
A-320 Armenian liner near Sochi on May 3, opposition will insist
on formation of a working group and holding special parliamentary
hearings, presumably on June 12”, Dallakyan said.

STAFF MANAGER OF YEREVAN BRANDY COMPANY HRANT BAGRATYAN TO RESIGN BY THE END OF JUNE
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
May 24 2006
YEREVAN, May 24. /ARKA/. Staff and Grape Purchase Manager of the
Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC), RA ex-Prime Minister Hrant Bagratyan
will resign by the end of June, upon his own application, according
to the Press Service of the YBC. Bagratyan has been Staff and Grape
Purchase Manager of the YBC since 1998.
“YBC Board of Directors expresses its gratitude to Mr. Bagratyan
for his service in establishment of good relations between the YBC
and wine-growers of Armenia, as well as for his contribution to
strengthening company’s authority and image in the republic, and
wishes success in future activities”, YBC press release says.
The Press Service also informed that the Administrative-Financial
Manager of the YBC from 1999 to 2006 Alexander Ghazaryan has been
appointed Regional Director of Pernod Ricard in Kazakhstan. His post
will be taken up by Ignaty Arakelyan, who has been Chief Accountant
of YBC since 1999.
In June 1998 YBC joined Pernod Ricard group international corporation
owner of a number of famous trade brands of spirits. Pernod Ricard
company obtained Yerevan Brandy Company at international tender for
$30 mln.

OSCE OFFICIAL WELCOMES ABKHAZ RAILWAY DEAL
Civil Georgia, Georgia
May 24 2006
Speaking at the OSCE Economic Forum, which concluded in Prague on
May 24, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Pierre Chevalier
welcomed plans for a railroad project via breakaway Abkhazia, which
will connect Russia and Armenia via Georgia.
In early May the Georgian, Abkhaz, Russian, and Armenian sides signed
a protocol on establishing a consortium – the Black Sea Railways –
which will rehabilitate the Abkhaz railway.
“Everything must be done to entice parties to a conflict to find
complementary ways to overcome their differences… One possible
contribution in this respect is to lay emphasis on the economic and
social interests they have in common,” Pierre Chevalier said.
He also noted that projects proposed after an OSCE Needs
Assessment Study in breakaway South Ossetia included transportation
infrastructure. A donors’ conference will be held in Brussels on
14 June.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress