LEVON ANANYAN: THE DAY THE BUILDING OF THE UNION OF WRITERS IS DEMOLISHED, I WILL RESIGN
ArmRadio.am
17.04.2006 16:10
“The day the building of the Union of Writers is demolished, I
will resign,” declared President of the Union of Writers of Armenia
Levon Ananyan in response to the recent publications in the press,
according to which the building of the Union of Writers is going to
be destroyed and a new elite building will be constructed in its place.
Where did this news come from? As it is said, there is no smoke
without fire. In 2005, when Levon Ananyan was reelected President
of the Union of Writers, the building was also talked about. It was
concluded that the building was small.
Levon Ananyan opposes the idea of constructing a multistory
building. However, this issue is still in the stage of discussion.
Another publication that irritated Levon Ananyan says that only old
writers let for Lebanon to participate in the all-Armenian forum
of writers.

MINISTERS RATTLED BY GAZPROM’S ADVANCES
Lragir.am
17 April 06
The Financial Times published information April 16 that the UK
considered changing its merger control regime this year to block a
potential takeover of Centrica, the UK’s biggest gas supplier, by
Gazprom of Russia, a move that remains an option to thwart any bid
that threatens energy security. Alan Johnson, the trade and industry
secretary who has been a vocal critic of protectionism in the US and
Europe, was briefed with other ministers in February on the legal
changes required to allow them to block a rumoured bid by Gazprom
for Centrica, the Financial Times has learnt.
The problem was no policy had been formulated to deal with a move by
Gazprom into the UK market.
The standard policy on potential takeovers was clear – the government
removed itself from mergers in 2003, when the Enterprise Act came
into force, delegating decisions on almost all deals to independent
competition authorities.
The UK has made a virtue of this lack of political interference,
which has allowed several utilities to be taken over by European
Union companies with no political discussion and barely a murmur of
public dissent.
Alan Johnson, trade and industry secretary, used a speech to the
British Chambers of Commerce this month to boast of Britain’s open
energy market. “Downing Street’s electricity is supplied by a French
company, the water is supplied by a German company and there is
a choice of four gas suppliers, three of whom are foreign owned,”
he said.
But should this laissez faire approach to foreign takeovers extend to
Gazprom? A takeover of Centrica, which owns British Gas, or Scottish
Power, another rumoured potential target, could have competition
implications.
Malcolm Wicks, the energy minister, warned this year that the UK’s
liberalised market was “not about creating a big oligopoly”. It would
look “a bit odd if, in a few years’ time, this market resembles a
monolithic oligopoly with a few companies state-owned but not by
Britain,” he told The Observer.
Ministers’ concern focused instead on the implications of a Gazprom
takeover for security of supply. The gas company’s decision earlier
this year temporarily to cut off supplies to Ukraine was seen by some
as politically motivated. The prospect – however seemingly remote
– of Russia using ownership of a UK gas supplier to try to exert
political influence rang alarm bells in Whitehall.
The UK’s increasing dependence on gas imports has moved such
geopolitical threats to energy supplies sharply up the political agenda
since 2003, when the government’s energy review largely ignored the
issue. The review of energy policy now under way has put security of
supply centre stage. Asked by MPs this year about central issues for
the review, Mr Johnson cited “this geopolitical question”. “Where are
the oil reserves? Where are the gas reserves? Can we be sanguine about
the future if…? A large amount of our gas will come from countries
which are perfectly stable … but these are issues which have grown
in importance,” he said.
P.S. It is the right moment to recall our reality. Our energy suppliers
are part by part taken over by Gazprom, and each time defining the
takeover as the century’s deal, the RA government did not even utter
a word about the energy security of Armenia. If a developed country
such as U.K. is cautious in relations with Gazprom, it is already a
forceful argument.

ARAB REPUBLIC OF SYRIA CELEBRATES THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS INDEPENDENCE (ANALYSIS)
Armen Manvelyan
“Radiolur”
17.04.2006 15:30
Today the Arab Republic of Syria is celebrating the 60th anniversary
of its independence. To note, this historic fact was preceded by a
long national-liberation war, which came to and end on April 17, 1946
with complete withdrawal of French troops from Syria. Before that,
for 25 years Syria was under political and military control of France.
It should be reminded that in 1920 the League of Nations decided
to give the mandate of Syria to France. However, discontent with
this decision, the people of Syria stirred up a number of rebellions
against the invaders, the most powerful of which was the 1925 revolt,
when the rebels even managed to enter capital Damascus. However,
the revolt was viciously pressure by French troops.
Nevertheless, the powerful national-liberation movement forced France
to recognize in 1941 the independence of Syria. Notwithstanding all
this, 5 more years of struggle were necessary to reach complete
withdrawal of French troops from the country. It is the day of
withdrawal of the French troops that Syrians celebrate as Independence
Day.
Generally, turning to Armenian-Arab ties, we should note that
the relations with the Arab Republic of Syria are of particular
importance for the Armenian nation. During the 1915 massacres in
Osman Turkey thousands of Armenians survived thanks to our Syrian
friends. The role of Syria is invaluable also in the further formation
and development of the Armenian community in the country. Armenians
became citizens of Syria, enjoying all the rights the native people
of the country had. Perhaps, this is the reason that explains the
fact of establishment of warm friendly relations between independent
Armenia and Syria. We can say that the centuries-long Armenian-Arab
ties and friendly relations were best expressed just in the sphere of
Armenian-Syrian relations. In needs to me mentioned that Syria was one
of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations
with Armenia. In the future Armenian-Syrian relations continued to
develop dynamically both in political and economic spheres. Today we
can state that despite the existing good relations, official Yerevan
and Damascus have still much to do to raise the relations between
the two countries to the level of friendly relations between the
two peoples.
There is still a great unused potential of political and economic
development between the Republic of Armenia and the Arab Republic
of Syria.

RALLY IN ATHENS DEDICATED TO THE 91ST ANNIVERSARY OF TEH ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ArmRadio.am
17.04.2006 14:35
April 15, several hundreds of people held a rally dated to the 91st
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The action participants demanded
the Genocide recognition from Turkey.
They marched from the central square of Athens towards the Turkish
Embassy.
At the end the demonstrators burnt a Turkish flag.

NA CHAIRMAN RECEIVED TEH AMBASSADOR OF UKRAINE TO ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
17.04.2006 14:30
On April 17 Chairman of the National Assembly Arthur Baghdasaryan
received Alexander Bozhko, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia.
The Ambassador familiarized the NA Speaker about the Parliamentary
elections and the latest political developments in Ukraine and
informed that in the result of the elections it is expected to sign
an extensive coalition agreement, which will coordinate the activities
of the parliament and the government.
The parties attached importance to the accomplishment of the
interparliamentary agreement signed during Arthur Baghdasaryan’s
official visit to Ukraine.
Stressing the importance of overcoming the post-election difficulties
in the internal political field, the Chairman of the National Assembly
congratulated the creation of the orange coalition and told that
it will promote the reinforcement of stability in the country and
deepening of democracy.

OUR DEAD HAVE NAMES WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY
Yerkir
17.04.2006 12:36
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – A number of representatives of the Armenian
Diaspora addressed 9 million Armenians worldwide to start Our Dead
Have Names campaign.
The call specifically says, “On April 24, 2006, the Armenian community
will commemorate the Armenian Genocide of 1915 which was perpetrated
by the Young Turk government of Ottoman Empire. This will be the 91st
commemoration. 90 too many! Historical revisionism by the State,
which has overstepped its boundaries since 2005 (when the Republic
of Turkey began negotiations for entry in the European Union), is
drowning us out and thereby prolonging Armenocide.
In turn, our sons and daughters should not have to struggle to make
the Turkish State recognize the ignominy of the Genocide inflicted on
our people. Their future should be normal and happy within a society
that has made peace with itself. This is why we are making a solemn
call to the whole community so that every one of its members can
witness the drama that has affected them personally on 1915.
We are asking men and women from all continents to stand vigilant,
as the memory of the Martyrs is decried, as unprecedented violence
is being inflicted on the sons and daughters of the survivors of
the Armenian Genocide, and as the very existence of our identity,
symbolized by the vestiges of our culture, is being willfully wiped
out. Today, Armenians are the target of the denial of the crime
of which their parents were innocent victims. Scorned, bruised,
exasperated, but nevertheless Armenian, we have to tell the world, once
and for all, that the time for geopolitical procrastination has passed.
We are not claiming to be victims, but protesters for simple
justice. The first of these is to allow us to pay respect to our
graveless parents’ remains. We will do this on April 24, as we
have done every year since 1916. In the absence of burial sites,
enables every one of us to write in the names of
those who lost their lives on our ancestral soil.
Once this has been done, another task will be invoked: to insure the
permanent recognition of the Genocide of the Armenian people and
the inevitable consequences of recognition. Just like a petition,
the recording of the names of the victims will become a recognized
document render to the United Nations, the only institution whose
competence in this area is acknowledged by Turkey.”

FOOD SHOULD BE UNDER MORE CONTROL
Editorial
Yerkir.am
April 14, 2006
Hrayr Karapetian, secretary of the National Assembly’s Armenian
Revolutionary Federation faction and the chairman of the NA group that
deals with consumer rights, recently raised the issue of violations
of the consumers’ right in the sector of food.
Speaking on April 11 at the National Assembly, Karapetian noted
that some food products in the Armenian market do not comply with
the Armenian legislature: some products lack necessary labeling in
Armenian, or labeling is incomplete.
Karapetian said, “The group and the non-governmental organization
protecting the consumer rights call the attention of the authorities on
these issues and demand taking measures to ban products with incomplete
or absent labeling. Also, we demand more control for securing relevant
certificates at retail stores.”
The NA members also demanded that the street trade be halted and
exercise more control over the conditions of the products in terms
of temperature and hygiene.
The statement was also co-signed by the Consumers Rights NGO.

PRIVATIZATION MAKES SENSE IF IT RESULTS IN INVESTMENTS
By Karine Mangassarian
Yerkir.am
April 14, 2006
This week’s parliamentary discussion of the report on implementation
of the state program on privatization for 2001-2003 was so heated
that it soon turned into an opportunity to sort out the relations
between parties.
In the aftermath of two-day discussions the political forces presented
their positions on the report and the privatization processes in
Armenia.
Head of ARF’s parliamentary faction Levon Mkrtchian voiced his concerns
over the discussions in the parliament.”The discussion of the 2001-2003
report turned into a discussion of the overall privatization policies
implemented in Armenia over the past years.
I am sure that if this discussion were held some other time and not in
2006, a pre-election year, we would avoid such emotional outbursts,”
Mkrtchian said. He informed that similar reports were presented for
1994-1995, 1996-1998, 1998-2000 and some political forces represented
in the present parliament voted for these reports.
“When the privatization process was launched in Armenia several
ideology-based parties believed that the privatization policies should
be implemented based on approaches grounded on socialist ideas and
active intervention of the state.
At that time the liberal approach was selected and implemented. We
don’t see any significant difference between the policies implemented
in 1990’s and in 2001-2003. Moreover, 2004 inspires some hope for
positive developments,” Mkrtchian noted. He presented the following
examples.
In 2001-2003 117 entities were privatized and the budget revenues from
privatization amounted to 2.9 billion drams while in 2004 67 entities
were privatized but the budget revenues amounted to 2.7 billion
drams. Mkrtchian believes this means that the state administration
and policies tend to focus on certain issues and principles.
What should the National Assembly be concerned about? First of all,
it is the clarification of the legislative framework. Mkrtchian
believes the purpose of privatization is not the price for which
a given entity is privatized but the program based on which it is
privatized and the ways how that program is implemented.
“We have to monitor implementation of such programs. If we observe
tendencies whereby investment programs are not implemented we must
demand that clear-cut measures are undertaken. Several privatized
entities must be demonstratively taken back from new owners who do
not fulfill their obligations.
We have to differentiate between the processes of privatization and
alienation of property. We have to determine our further political
actions,” Mkrtchian noted suggesting that the National Assembly’s
relevant committee should hold hearings to evaluate the privatization
policies, assess the present situation and determine its future
directions.
Then the political forces will be able to present their approaches
because there are some tendencies that cause their concern. Mkrtchian
pointed to one of them: some entities, even functioning enterprises
are subjected to alienation through artificial bankruptcy.
“If we want to assess the present situation to be able to determine
our future actions let’s have hearings. Our faction can present
some proposals because we are truly happy that some political
parties grounded on liberal values return to socialist values and
start accepting what we were saying in the beginning of 1990’s,”
Mkrtchian stated.

WAITING FOR THE DRAFT LAW: THE CONCEPT NOTE RECEIVED POSITIVE FEEDBACK
By Karine Mangassarian
Yerkir.am
April 14, 2006
Last week, Levon Mkrtchian, leader of the National Assembly’s
Armenian Revolutionary Federation faction and ARF Armenia Supreme Body
representative Armen Rustamian presented at the National Assembly the
concept of the Law on Granting Dual Citizenship Status to Armenians
Abroad.
ARF had articulated its position on the issue during the constitutional
referendum. Armen Rustamian stated that the present concept note can
serve as the foundation for further establishment of the institute
of dual citizenship.
We asked several political leaders to comment on the concept note
and the concerns they had voiced during the constitutional referendum
campaign.
Before presenting the concept note Armen Rustamian stated that the
concept note has three main goals: organizing the world-spread Diaspora
around national goals, creation of new opportunities for strengthening
Armenia, and protection of the rights of Armenians in other countries.
Head of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party Galust
Sahakian noted that his faction has read the concept note but does
not have any specific feedback yet.
“It was a result of a political consensus and during the referendum
campaign we supported elimination of the ban on dual citizenship. I
think when a draft law is elaborated based on this concept note our
faction will discuss it,” Sahakian said noting that his party has
discussed the concept note many times and believes the wording of
some provisions is not clear enough.
“There are some provisions that can be interpreted in different
ways but I think these uncertainties will later be eliminated. These
provisions deal with the right to vote and be elected, issues connected
with military service. The overall idea behind the law will be that
individuals with dual citizenship who exercise their rights and
fulfill their obligations in the homeland will have the right to
fully participate in these processes,” Sahakian said.
Chairman of the National Democratic Party, member of the National
Assembly Shavarsh Kocharian believes the concept note contains the main
provisions that currently exist in the international experience. “The
concept note indicates the main directions.
The final feedback will be possible only after the draft law is
elaborated. I want to stress one important issue that is in the center
of attention of our public. The concept note stipulates that only
individuals with dual citizenship who permanently live in Armenia
will have the right to vote.
This means that people with dual citizenship who do not live in Armenia
will not be able to participate in the elections in Armenia. The second
point I want to stress is that the right to be elected and the right
to occupy public posts can be limited, which I think is logical,”
Kocharian said adding that his party fully supports this limitation.
“We had presented our concerns in the text of the constitution we
had proposed. However, since the concept note contains provisions
on such limitations, I don’t see any reasons to worry,” Kocharian
concluded. Are there any suggestions that were not included into the
concept note? Commenting on this question Kocharian noted that once
the draft is elaborated further proposals can be made.
Member of the National Unity Party’s parliamentary faction Aghassi
Arshakian stated that the concept note is an attempt to settle the
concerns of the population regarding three main issues connected with
dual citizenship.
“These issues are military service, taxes and the rights to vote and
be elected. All of them are addressed in the concept note, in some
cases addressed adequately, in others not so well. When the draft
law is elaborated it will be possible to settle any disagreements
through discussions,” Arshakian said.
Secretary of Ardarutyun (Justice) Bloc’s faction Victor Dallakian
said he has important things to do and has no time to read the
concept note. He further stated that he is very skeptical of dual
citizenship. We have no reasons to disagree with Dallakian.
There are of course more important things to deal with. Parliamentary
elections are approaching and it is necessary to ensure that his
party gets some seats in the new parliament.
Member of Orinats Yerkir’s faction Mher Shahgeldian said he has read
the concept note but his position will be further clarified after
the note is discussed by his faction.

RUBEN SAFRASTIAN: TURKEY WANTS TO REVIVE ITS OBSESSION TO MEDIATE IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
Yerkir.am
April 14, 2006
“In my opinion, Turkey is trying to receive dividends from the fact
that the U.S. is interested in it in connection with the possible
military operations against Iran,” Ruben Safrastian, head of the
National Academy of Sciences’ Department of Turkey said in his
interview with Noyan Tapan.
He said Turkey is trying to derive benefit from the formed situation
and is carrying out bargaining, which in many respects is aimed at
satisfaction of its interests. In particular, Turkey is trying to
revive its obsession to mediate in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement despite the opposition from Armenia. Ruben Safrastian
reminded that in 2001 former Turkish Foreign Minister Ismayil Jem
offered Turkey’s mediation in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.
“Today Turkey, making use of the interest of the U.S. in itself in
connection with the Iranian crisis, is trying to press upon Armenia
with the support of the U.S. and to squeeze itself into the process
of settlement,” Safrastian said. According to Ruben Safrastian,
in Turkey they consider that one of the main ways of strengthening
its influence in the South Caucasus is the mediation services in the
Nagorno Karabakh issue.
In this context Turkey is also interested in including its military
contingent in the peacekeeping forces in the zone of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. The scientist said that in the respect of increasing
its influence in the South Caucasus Turkey has made progress only in
Georgia that expresses willingness to join NATO. However, the Turks
have no progress either in Armenia or in Azerbaijan.
As for the latter, the expert reminded: “To all appearances, the
Turks have lost interest in Azerbaijan as they have no chances to
strengthen their influence in Azerbaijan, in any case, under Ilham
Aliyev. Of course, there is the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline, there is
Turkish capital in Azerbaijan, military and political cooperation,
but the influence of the U.S., Russia and Iran becomes more and more
strong in Azerbaijan”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress