KARABAKH LEADER APPOINTS NEW ADVISOR
Mediamax news agency
4 May 06
Yerevan, 4 May: The president of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR],
Arkadiy Gukasyan, today signed a decree appointing Mavrik Gukasyan
his advisor.
Mavrik Gukasyan was relieved of his post of NKR prosecutor-general
on 6 February 2006 over retirement.
Armen Zalinyan was appointed NKR prosecutor-general. He previously
worked as head of the NKR presidential staff.

RUSSIA: SEARCH GOES ON AT PLANE CRASH SITE AS FRENCH EXPERTS ARRIVE IN SOCHI
Channel One TV, Moscow
4 May 06
[Presenter] The active phase of the operation on the A320 crash
site [in the Black Sea] has begun. The search was in progress even
throughout the night. The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s vessels
specially equipped for working in dark hours went out to sea to collect
from the water surface all fragments of the plane and the bodies of
the passengers. Our correspondent Roman Melnik has the details.
[Correspondent] A depth of 500 m. is out of divers’ access. There
is complete darkness there and a terrible pressure of 50 atm. Only
submersibles can shed light on the crash site.
[Igor Levitin, captioned as Transport Minister] Submersibles have
already arrived. They are being prepared for working in the search
area.
[Correspondent] The main task of those who are working at sea is to
locate flight recorders from the crashed plane. First, rescue workers
pinned their hopes on lifting the plane’s tail section. However,
these hopes were never justified – the black boxes have not been
found so far. The flight recorders are fitted out with radio beacons
which can facilitate the search. Airbus experts have already arrived
in Sochi from France to help carry out the search. Fragments of the
aircraft covering, which have risen to the surface with an oil slick
that appeared after the crash, are drifting to the north towards
Tuapse and Novorossiysk. [Passage omitted: technical details]
[Levitin] The weather forecast leads us to hope that we will be able
to use helicopters and the equipment that we have failed to use so far.
[Correspondent] The work with relatives of the crashed plane’s
passengers is under way. The Moskva hotel has become the centre of
people’s grief. Investigators from a prosecutor’s office are working
with the relatives gathering information necessary for initial
identification. Also, psychologists are helping these people, trying
not to leave them alone in this tragedy.
[Armen Smbatyan, Armenian ambassador to Russia] I have felt that
state brotherly support does exist in the world. What we saw here
is very precious. I am very grateful to the Russian authorities
and all organizations who carry out the coordination here. This is
real support.
[Correspondent] The tragedy has brought over 300 people to
Sochi. No-one of the plane’s 113 passengers has survived. There are 49
bodies in the city morgue. The identification procedure is to resume
this morning.
There is no comment from the operational headquarters on the causes of
the crash as there is too little information. After the prosecutor’s
office has denied the theory of a terrorist attack, there remain
three main theories: weather conditions, equipment malfunctions and
the human factor, i. e. the crew’s mistake.

LITHUANIAN FORUM PARTICIPANTS DISCUSS SPREAD OF DEMOCRACY IN EAST
Vilnius BNS WWW-Text
03 May 2006
[“Participants In Vilnius Conference Discussing Western Policy Towards
East” – BNS headline]
VILNIUS, May 03, (BNS) – Famous political scientists, diplomats and
public figures who have gathered for an NGO forum in Vilnius are
discussing the trans-Atlantic community’s policy towards the East.
The NGO forum, held within the framework of Vilnius Conference 2006:
Common Vision for Common Neighbourhood, addressed the future of
democracy in Ukraine, the Caucasian countries of Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, as well as Russia and Belarus that have democracy problems.
The chairman of the Lithuania-based international historic justice
commission, MP Emanuelis Zingeris, noted the responsibility of
the European Union and the trans-Atlantic community for democratic
processes in Belarus, where authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko
had been reelected for a third term in presidential elections several
weeks ago, which were not recognized by the international democratic
community.
Much attention was given to Russia. Bruce Jackson, president of the
Project on Transitional Democracies, stated that the European Union
had been unable to pursue a principled policy of expanding democracy to
the East so far. He noted that, in terms of its definition, the policy
towards the East could not be anti-Russian, it could be anti-Putin
or anti-Kremlin, but an anti-Russian policy would not be successful.
Istvan Gyarmati, a famous Hungarian diplomat and expert in strategic
studies, said that relations with Russia had to be based on both
values and interests, as Russia would remain an important supplier
of natural and energy resources to Europe.
Boris Kuznecov, director of the St Petersburg-based Centre of
International and Regional Policy, said that the conference was
“anti-Russian.” He rhetorically asked where advocates of democracy were
over a decade ago when the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin,
“stole an election victory,” and that international financial
assistance funds had allegedly been embezzled under his rule.
Andrei Illarionov, former economic adviser to Russian President
Vladimir Putin, strongly opposed him. In Illarionov’s words, on
the contrary, the Vilnius conference is very “pro-Russian,” as it
promotes significant values in Russia, which the country lacks, namely
democracy, human rights, freedom of press, free market and prosperity.
The NGO forum, the Agenda for Democracy in Europe’s East, is attended
by NGO representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Czech
Republic, Georgia, the US, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Moldova,
the Netherlands, Norway, France, Russia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden,
Ukraine, Hungary and Germany.
At the Heads of State Summit on Thursday, speeches will be made
by presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia,
Latvia, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, the US vice-president, the EU high
representative for common foreign and security policy, other EU and
Eastern European government representatives.
The presidents of Lithuania and Poland, Valdas Adamkus and Lech
Kaczynski, are patrons of Vilnius Conference 2006: Common Vision for
Common Neighbourhood.

LITHUANIA’S ADAMKUS: ‘DEMOCRATICC CONSOLIDATION’ IN EAST EUROPE ‘GREATEST ISSUE’
Vilnius ELTA WWW-Text
03 May 2006
[“Adamkus: Europe Far From Being Finished Business” – ELTA headline]
Vilnius, May 3 (ELTA) – When opening the Forum of Non-Governmental
Organizations at the “Vilnius Conference ’06: Common Vision for the
Common Neighbourhood” on Wednesday [ 3 May], President Valdas Adamkus
highlighted the development of freedom and democracy in eastern Europe
and talked about how to apply the knowledge of successful transitions
in the past to make the processes inspired by the Rose and Orange
revolutions irreversible.
“Let me begin by saying that Europe is far from being ‘finished
business’. In fact, the fate of democratic consolidation in the
eastern part of Europe today is, in my opinion, the greatest issue
in Euro-Atlantic politics,” Adamkus said during his address.
The situation today, noted the president, differs from what we had
to deal with before, because we are faced with a combination of
factors: strong remnants of the post-communist past, national and
regional identity problems, and, at its worst, “frozen conflicts”
that in some cases have instilled fear and economic stagnation for
more than a decade.
“It is also challenging, because the speed and depth of democratic
transitions that we witness is astonishing. It is also demanding
because democratic consolidation in the eastern part of Europe is
related to a number of significant external factors. By this I mean
the rapidly evolving neighbourhood policy of the European Union. By
this I also have in mind the actions of other important stakeholders
such as neighbouring Russia and the trans-Atlantic community, first of
all the United States. And when sometimes these external influences
go in the opposite directions, we suddenly end up playing the game
of competition, and not that of cooperation,” the head of Lithuania
said at the forum.
In the judgment of the president, before crafting a common approach it
is also wise to ask whether all current Euro-Atlantic structures are
fit enough to develop a strategic vision of Europe, whole and free,
in the century of globalization.
“I personally believe that a common vision for the common neighbourhood
cannot be solved in isolation by a single actor, whether that would
be the EU, the USA., NATO, or Russia. A vision that will commit us
to a Europe bound by common values and linked by economic integration
will require common action from all responsible stakeholders.”
The NGO Forum “Europe’s New Democracies and the Euro-Atlantic Agenda”
is being attended by representatives of non-governmental organizations
from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Georgia,
the USA., Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands,
Norway, France, Russia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Hungary,
and Germany.
The Forum of Non-governmental Organizations is considering how
to respond to the most critical challenge of today’s Europe: what
measures should be taken to irrevocably consolidate the democratic
transformations in Eastern Europe and the southern Caucasus region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“ARMENTEL” WILL SERVE FREE OF CHARGE
A1+
[05:10 pm] 03 May, 2006
“ArmenTel” condoles with the relatives of the victims of the air crash
of the plane flying from Yerevan to Sochi and informs that on May 3
and 4 the calls from Armenia to Sochi by the fixed hot lines will be
free of charge. The telephone numbers of the hot lines in Sochi are:
00-7-86-22-44-00-88
00-7-86-22-44-12-32
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NGOS IN VILNIUS FORUM SAY EU NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY FELL SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS
Vilnius BNS WWW-Text
03 May 2006
[“EU Neighbourhood Policy Fell Short Of Expectations – Ngos In Vilnius”
– BNS headline]
VILNIUS, May 03, (BNS) – The enlargements of the EU and NATO have
made Europe more secure than ever before, however, the European
neighbourhood policy fell short of expectations because human rights,
freedom and democracy are yet to come to Belarus and Russia, while
“frozen” conflicts are still smoking in Moldova, Georgia, Nagorno
Karabakh and Chechnya, reads a resolution adopted at an international
forum of non-governmental organizations in Vilnius.
According to the conclusions passed at the forum held in the framework
of the conference Common Vision for Common Neighbourhood, the EU’s
Neighbourhood Policy “has not lived up to expectations for a truly
common foreign policy effort.” “The policy’s focus on the new Eastern
European democracies should be reinforced. Anchoring these countries
to the Euro-Atlantic community is a strategic imperative for Europe’s
long term security,” reads the document.
“The EU needs a bolder, more consistent and coherent foreign and
security policy towards the Europe’s East before it is “too little,
too late.” The EU has to develop an active policy for promotion of
democracy as well as adequate instruments to support in a direct
and flexible manner democratic entities and civil societies in the
Eastern Europe,” the conclusions suggest.
According to the resolution, “Europe’s re-unification project cannot
be finished without the new Eastern European democracies. The
Euro-Atlantic community needs a common vision and a concerted,
imaginative effort, encompassing political, economic, social, and,
when necessary, military measures.” “Europe’s power of attraction
may not be sufficient to offset Russia’s power of compulsion,” read
the conclusions.
Participants of the forum said that the EU and NATO should not shy
away from raising difficult questions to Russia about its ambiguous
role in the “frozen conflicts” and support to regimes that hold
rigged elections. The official Russian support to Belarusian hard-line
President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime especially compromises Russia’s
democratic credentials, they said.
“The people of Belarus should not suffer because of a criminal
regime. The EU and NATO should continue a consistent policy line of
isolating and pressuring Lukashenko’s regime, while reinvigorating
efforts to help the fledgling civil society of Belarus, which has made
its voice heard during the recent fraudulent presidential elections
in Belarus. As anti-democratic forces have proven in Serbia and
Montenegro, Georgia, and Ukraine, tanks and guns cannot overwhelm
the spirit of freedom,” they noted in the conclusions.
The document passed by the NGOs also speaks about the “double
challenge” that the countries of the Community of Democratic Choice –
first and foremost Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova – face: they must
carry out rapid, painful and all-encompassing domestic reforms; and at
the same time prove their democratic, European credentials. According
to the resolution, the Eastern European countries must understand
that integration is a two way street – whatever the political
and strategic considerations, both the EU and NATO will condition
membership perspective upon an aspirant’s ability to meet the strict
membership criteria.
Forum participants also agreed that the improvement of energy security
should be one of Europe’s political and economic priorities.
“Russia’s use of energy supplies as a geopolitical tool causes
a particular concern, prompting to the need for the EU to
launch a common energy strategy in the face of a common security
challenge. (…) Europe should also seek to further diversification
of the sources of supply both according to geographic origin and
resource base and devise vigorous programmes for the development of
alternative sources of energy,” read the conclusions.
The document also reminds that the Russian Kaliningrad region must
be kept on European neighbourhood agenda because Russia has not yet
delivered on its promises to turn this region into a pilot project
in EU-Russia relations. The EU and its member states should continue
pursuing active relations with the region to ease its international
isolation, imposed by Russia. Otherwise, the EU may face numerous soft
security challenges stemming from Kaliningrad due to worsening social,
economic and crime situation and degrading health and environment
standards.
The forum of non-governmental organizations is attended by NGO
representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Czech Republic,
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden,
Ukraine and the United States.
A conference of state leaders will take place in Vilnius on Thursday
and will be attended by presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria,
Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, US vice-president,
EU’s high commissioner for common foreign and security policy, and
officials of EU and Eastern European countries.
Vilnius Conference 2006: Common Vision for Common Neighbourhood is held
by Lithuanian and Polish presidents, Valdas Adamkus and Lech Kaczynski.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU SENDS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF ARMENIAN PLANE CRASH VICTIMS
AP Worldstream
May 03, 2006
The European Union on Wednesday offered its condolences to families
of the victims of the Armenian jetliner crash in the Black Sea.
In a statement issued by Austria’s EU presidency, the bloc expressed
its “deepest sorrow” at the loss of life and offered its support to
the governments of Armenia and the Russian Federation.

ARMENIAN SPEAKER PLAYS DOWN CONTROVERSIAL NATO REMARKS
Aravot, Yerevan
3 May 06
Armenian parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan has said that his
remarks about the need to strengthen relations with NATO did not mean
that he was against ties with Moscow. However, he said that “I am for
friendly but not vassal relations with Russia”. Bagdasaryan also said
that a serious rift with its partners could force his Law-Governed
Country Party leave the ruling coalition. The following is the text
of Margarit Yesayan report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 3 May
headlined “We shall not create obstacles for the president of the
country or our coalition partners”
An interview with the speaker of the parliament Artur Bagdasaryan. He
does not rule out that the Law-Governed Country Party [LGCP] may
leave the ruling coalition.
[Aravot correspondent] Mr Bagdasaryan, we understood from your speech
that you are ready to leave the coalition. When are you going to
declare that?
[Artur Bagdasaryan] It is evident that there must be serious
and insurmountable disagreements for us to decide to leave the
coalition. True, I have said that we shall not create obstacles for
the president of the country or for our partners and if there is an
inconsistency of ideas and the style of working, the LGCP will leave
the coalition.
[Correspondent] How may this inconsistency be expressed? Why did
an interview with a German newspaper give rise to so many different
interpretations?
[Bagdasaryan] You know, when in 2003 the LGCP was blamed for
populism it was a little bit clear: that was an election year and the
pre-election passions had yet to calm down. When they continued doing
the same in 2004, that was surprising, and in 2005 this is pointless
as they have had enough time to understand that neither my official
visits to other countries, nor my working visits to the regions of
Armenia, nor my setting up of councils under the parliament, nor
topical speeches of the LGCP members are populism, but an ordinary
parliamentary work.
Moreover, I said nothing new in an interview with any foreign or
local newspaper. I do not rule out that there may be different
interpretations. I said the following: “towards Europe preserving
friendly relations with Russia”, that was the gist. Russia itself
does not consider NATO its enemy. I said in St. Petersburg that it
is unacceptable to juxtapose Russia and the European Union, and that
Armenia will not become a member of NATO tomorrow. Finally, NATO has
military as well as political bodies and there are countries which
became members only of the political organization.
Incidentally, Russia itself wants to deepen relations with NATO and to
set up a special NATO-Russia council. I said nothing about membership,
I spoke about NATO-Armenia individual partnership programmes. As
the chairman of the National Assembly, I know that the issue of
joining NATO is not on the foreign policy agenda of Armenia. But
when a journalist asks about different topics, including this one,
do you think it is correct to reply: “ask the president”? As for
Armenian-Russian relations, I highly appreciate them, and I said in
the same interview that I am for their becoming more purposeful. And
if as a politician I see my country adopting the western system of
values, this does not at all mean that I am against friendly relations
between Armenia and Russia.
[Correspondent] According to our information, at a Armenian-Russian
interparliamentary session in Moscow Russian State Duma deputy
Konstantin Zatulin, criticized you for making speech on Kiev’s Maydan
[main venue of the Orange Revolution in Kiev in 2004]. Is that
really so?
[Bagdasaryan] I am not going to comment on what Zatulin said. I am
the parliament speaker of an independent country and I made a speech
after being invited by President Viktor Yushchenko. I greeted Ukrainian
people in connection with their state holiday. I am for friendly but
not vassal relations with Russia as Zatulin might imagine.
[Correspondent] Do you not think that everything started from your
speech on privatization when you voiced serious corruption allegations?
[Bagdasaryan] My speech was directed not at persons but at the
phenomenon. We should not forget that we have free speech which
is called democracy. The fact that, as a result of our consistent
fight, schools, kindergartens, colleges and science companies may
not be privatized any more is already an achievement. Since the first
day after we came to power we said that we shall work and fight for
democratic, social and economic reforms. And we were fair on this way,
we spoke openly and publicly.
Armenia should be a country of the future. We should not be afraid of
our future, we should fight for that and for the progressive values
which we have and for the ideas to which we are devoted.

UKRAINE IS INTERESTED IN IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE
Lragir.am
04 May 06
Ukraine is still interested in the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, said
Ukrainian Ambassador to Armenia Alexander Bojko to news reporters
May 4, at the National Press Club in Yerevan.
When still preliminary talks about the pipeline were going on,
Ukraine said it was likely to become involved in the project. The
ambassador says his country is taking steps in this direction. “It
is important for us to have different resources, and we are working
on this, we are working in Iran, negotiating,” says the ambassador
of Ukraine. But he says the issue that interests Ukraine required
billions, and it will not come true unless Europe is interested,
and the European banks fund the project.

A CLOUD HANGS OVER AIRBUS
>From Charles Bremner in Paris
The Times
May 04, 2006
RUSSIAN officials have identified severe weather as the likely
cause of the crash off Sochi, and an air traffic controller is
under investigation. But the accident may revive questions about
the high-tech design of the Airbus A320 and the crew’s ability to
handle it.
The short-to-medium haul A320 was the first all-electronic
“fly-by-wire” airliner. More than 2,700 have been produced since 1988,
and it has proved one of the world’s safest airliners. Before now,
11 fatal A320 accidents had killed 327. But four fatal crashes in
the first five years of the A320 prompted concern that its flight
management system (FMS) was too sophisticated.
On Tuesday a court in France began hearing criminal charges against
Airbus and transport officials over the crash of an Air Inter (now Air
France) A320 on the approach to Strasbourg in 1992, killing 87. The
crew was officially blamed for entering data into the FMS incorrectly
but relatives of victims are partly blaming its crew interface, which
was later modified by Airbus. In 1993 the A320 design was blamed for
the late deployment of the brakes on a Lufthansa A320 when it ran
off the runway in Warsaw, killing two.
Since the early 1990s, there has been no common thread to incidents
with A320s or the larger Airbus family.
In 2000 pilot error was blamed for a disaster involving a Gulf Air
A320 that killed 143 off Bahrain. That crash was in good night-time
visibility, but it otherwise resembled yesterday’s accident because
the crew were turning back over water after a missed approach. The
relatively inexperienced crew lost their bearings and flew into the
sea. Some aviation experts at the time questioned the role of the
automated system.