PanARMENIAN.Net
Young Armenian Threatened with Forced Deportation to
Baku
08.04.2006 20:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Illegal emigrant Karen Avanesyan,
who arrived in the UK three years ago at the age of
16, could not prove his right for asylum and
authorities decided to deport him to his fatherland.
According to his relatives, Avanesyan studied at
school and lived on an allowance paid by the state, as
he did not have the right to work. Karen is born in a
mixed marriage: his father is Azerbaijani and left the
family, when the boy was very young.
As Avanesyan was born in Nagorno Karabakh, which is
still de jure considered part of Azerbaijan, the
English decided Azerbaijan is his fatherland and
resolved to deport him to Baku. Avanesyan is already
informed that April 12 he will be taken aboard a
London-Moscow plane. From the Russian capital he will
be deported to Azerbaijan.
According to British laws, a person cannot be deported
to a country, where he is exposed to threat of
torture, Mediamax reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net
US to Intensify Efforts in Karabakh Settlement

08.04.2006 20:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ United States are in support of the peaceful
resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and will intensify its
efforts in that direction, the US State Secretary, Condoleezza Rice
stated at her meeting with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov in Washington. Rice expressed her support towards the
democratization policy in Azerbaijan and suggested that the strategic
development dialogue should be continued during the visit of the
Azerbaijani president to Washington.
Mammadyarov in his turn thanked for consistent policy on `recognition
of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan’ and support in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict resolution. After the talks with Washington
officials, Mammadyarov stated they wish to enhance US-Azeri relations,
which meets Azerbaijan’s national interests. `The US supports the
far-sighted strategic policy of President Ilham Aliyev regarding the
country and the region. The US is grateful to Azerbaijan for efforts
within the anti-terror coalition. They view us as a regional leader,’
Mammadyarov underscored.

PanARMENIAN.Net
Ghukasyan Noted Stepanakert Participation in Karabakh Talks Necessity

08.04.2006 21:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Arkady Ghukasyan met with EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby in Yerevan. During the meeting the parties
presented their approaches to the latest developments in the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and possible activation of
EU role in the peace process. Ghukasyan noted it was necessary to
sustain the cease-fire regime and provide for Nagorno Karabakh direct
participation in the talks.

PanARMENIAN.Net
US Presents New Proposals on Continuing Prague Process
on Karabakh
08.04.2006 20:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The US has presented new proposals
on continuing the Prague Process on settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov
stated when commenting talks with US Administration
officials in Washington. In his words, `the proposals
are interesting.’ Official Baku will analyze these and
will present its attitude during the visit of OSCE
Minsk Group American Ambassador Steven Mann’s regional
visit scheduled on April 18, reports Trend.

PanARMENIAN.Net
Armenia to Be Elected to UN Human Rights Council

08.04.2006 20:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia claims membership at UN
Human Rights Council established lately. According to
the UN Office in Armenia, Armenia is nominated for the
Group of Eastern European States (6 places). Within
the Council a Group of African States (13 places), a
Group of Asian States (13 places), a Group of Latin
America and Caribbean Basin States (8 places) and a
Group of Western European and other states (7 places)
will also be formed. The first election of the UN
Human Rights Council will take place May 9, 2006 at
the UN General Assembly session. GA members
individually elect Council members by a direct
majority vote.

U,S. hopeful for progress on rift over Nagorno-Karabakh
AP Worldstream; Apr 07, 2006

The State Department said Friday it is hopeful Azerbaijan and Armenia
can make progress toward ending their dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.
That issue came up on Friday during a meeting between Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarove.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that ahead of the
meeting, Rice spoke with the Azeri and Armenian presidents.
The two leaders met recently in France.
“We hope that both sides can in the wake of the talks in France again
provide some renewed impetus to those discussions and come to an
agreement that would resolve this longstanding issue,” McCormack said.
Rice and Mammadyarove also discussed economic reform and
democratization in Azerbaijan.
“The secretary emphasized the importance of respect for human rights
and moving forward on the democratization process in Azerbaijan,”
McCormack said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
April 9, 2006
Armenian Church Blesses Children
Palm Sunday has been declared to be the `Day for Blessing Children’ in the
Armenian Church by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians.  On this occasion His Holiness extends his message of love
to all children everywhere.
Message of Blessing of His Holiness Karekin II
Catholicos of All Armenians
To All Young Children
On the occasion of the wonderful feast of Palm Sunday, we send to you, our
dearest children, our fatherly love and blessings from the Mother See of
Holy Etchmiadzin.
Today we commemorate the glorious entrance of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ into Jerusalem, when along with the adults, young children went out
to greet Christ with palm branches and songs of praise.  Jesus would always
receive boys and girls with open arms and bless them, citing their innocent
souls and honest emotions as examples to men of a path to God filled with
faith.
And today in our holy churches, the daily blessings of our Lord are granted
to our beloved children, so that they may grow full of faith, grace and
wisdom; and through their life and works, become the worthy sons and
daughters of our Holy Church and people.
>From deep in our heart, we pray to our All-Merciful God that He keep and
protect all children of the world under His Holy Right Hand in peace.  May
He bless the course of their lives with happiness, goodness and benevolence.
With Blessings and Love,
KAREKIN II
CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS

From: Sebouh Z Tashjian
Subject: There Will Be No War
A1+
THERE WILL BE NO WAR
[07:45 pm] 07 April, 2006
«There must not be any war in the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict», Mher Shahgeldyan, head of the NA
Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and
Internal Affairs thinks because of several reasons.
First of all, the international community and the
international organizations will not accept the
military solution, and for the second, the RA attitude
is the same: the conflict must be solved peacefully,
via negotiations.
«Both the RA and the NKR armed forces must be on the
proper level to secure the protection of the country.
The correlation between the armed forces of the
countries shows that the way out of the conflict is
through negotiations», Mher Shahgeldyan said in the
«Pastark» club.
According to him, the negotiations have not reached a
deadlock. «This was a phase of the negotiation
process. The year 2006 can be a good chance to record
progress as the solution can be more complicated
during the coming years. The continuation of the
negotiation process is extremely important. It is also
important to find the approaches to mutual agreements
and compromise».
And what is Azerbaijan ready for? «I think Azerbaijan
must be eager to make compromise, but I can’t say
exactly what they will do».
According to Mher Shahgeldyan, USA wants to support
the settlement of the conflict, `We must welcome the
efforts of the international organizations and the
world powers in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. The RA speaks with the terms of peace and
negotiations, and Azerbaijan speaks with those of war.
Our approaches correspond with those of the
international communities», he says.

A1+
JAVAKH PREPARES TO COMBAT BIRD FLU
[03:25 pm] 07 April, 2006
With the arrival of spring the Akhalqalaq and
Ninotsminda regions get ready to combat bird flu.
The fact of the presence of many lakes in the region
is especially dangerous. In all the schools of the
region special courses are held for the pupils.
Special protective clothes and tools have been brought
from Tbilisi, as well as groups of volunteers have
been created to control the lakes. The majority of
them are veterinaries.
According to `A-Info’ agency, the created groups work
round the clock with several shifts. According to the
chief vets of the Akhalqalaq and Ninotsminda regions,
they are ready to withstand bird flu.

A1+
`THE THRESHOLD MUST BE LOWERED’
[04:22 pm] 07 April, 2006
The Ramkavar-Azatakan and the Powerful Homeland
Parties were concerned by the draft Electoral Code
which was sent to the Venice Commission by the NA.
Today they organized a discussion of the Electoral
Code.
According to them, the reforms offered in the
Electoral Code can aggravate the atmosphere of
non-confidence and intolerance. According to the RA
present Electoral Code, the mandates meant for the NA
proportional elections are distributed to those
parties and blocs who had at least 5% and 7% of votes
respectively.
According to the new draft, the threshold for one
party participating in the Parliamentary elections 5%,
for the alliance of two parties – 7%, and for that of
three or more parties – 10%. Member of the
Ramkavar-Azatakan party Haroutyun Araqelyan announced
that it is meaningless to establish threshold as we do
not have the definition of the «political alliance».
According to Shirak Torosyan, member of the Central
Administration of the Powerful Homeland party, the
draft creates more favorable conditions for the
alliances of three or more parties as they must gather
twice as less votes as separate parties. «Factually
the parties are forced to form alliances, and very
often that is done mechanically without taking into
account ideological differences».
The Powerful Homeland offers to make the threshold
lower for both the separate parties and the alliances.