ARMENIAN BY NATIONALITY ELECTED GLENDALE (CALIFORNIA) MAYOR

Arminfo

YEREVAN, APRIL 7. ARMINFO. An Armenian was elected Mayor of Glendale
(California State) during Apri l5 elections.

The press-service of the Supreme Body of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Dashnaktsutyun party informs ARMINFO that Artashes Kasakhyan
won the elections receiving 5,714 votes (27.3%). He was supported by
Hay Dat organization in Glendale.

As regards the elections to the Glendale City Council, 4 candidates
were elected there, Ara Nacharyan 8,362 (10.4%), Pap Eusefyan – 7,230
(9%), Franck Queentero 7,119 (8.8%) Dave Weaver 6,574 (8.2%). Glendale
Treasurer was elected Ronald Boruki. Members of the Budgetary
Department of Glendale were elected Victor Bing, Armine Hakobyan
and Anita Queentes Gabrielyan. Members of the Educational Council
of Glendale were reelected Greg Grigoryan, Zak Sambar and Julienne
Weakner. Thus, 9 of 12 candidates of supported by Hat Dat won the
elections, the source reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OLEG TABAKOV TO CONDEMN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTOMAN TURKEY

Arminfo

YEREVAN, APRIL 7. ARMINFO. Moscow Arts Academic Theatre after
A.P. Chekhov has arrived in Armenia on two-day tours.

At today’s press-conference MAAT art director Oleg Tabakov condemned
Armenian Genocide and stressed that the art is a more effective method
of condemnation of a crime against mankind than diplomacy.

He also noted that the cooperation of MAAT and Russian dramatic
theatre of Armenia will be continued in future, too. “If Armenian
dramatists present successful plays they will not escape my attention”,
Tabakov noted.

In his turn, art director of Russian dramatic theatre Aleksandr
Grigoryan thanked Tabakov for his assistance. He noted that Tabakov’s
foundation allotted $200.000 to Russian theatre of Armenia in its
hardest years.

HUNGARIAN COURT DISMISSED PETITION FOR PARTICIPATION OF AZERI EXPERTS IN
EXAMINING RAMIL SAFAROV

Pan Armenian News
08.04.2005 02:46

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azeri experts will be allowed to be present at
the examination only with the permission of Hungarian doctors,
however they will be deprived of any possibility to present their
conclusions, lawyer Nazeli Vardanian stated when commenting of the
statement of Safarov’s defender Adil Ismaylov regarding the medical
inspection of his client scheduled for next week, Arminfo agency
reports. “The repeated medical inspection of Ramil Safrarov is to be
conducted next week. Azeri psychiaters are mostly likely to leave for
Budapest to take part in it”, the defender stated. When commenting
to Echo newspaper defender Ismaylov stated that the examination must
be conducted with the participation of the Azeri specialists. “Since
the Azeri experts will be present at the test as observers it is not
ruled out that the final permission for the participation will be given
during the examination process”, Ismaylov noted. In her turn Nazeli
Vardanian reminded that the Hungarian court rejected the petition
for the participation of the Azeri experts in the examination. Thus,
Azeri experts being present at the examination will only have the
possibility to make certain of its results. To remind, February
19, 2004 Azeri serviceman Ramil Safarov hacked to death Armenian
officer Gurgen Margarian. Lawyer Nazeli Vardanian is presenting the
interests of Gurgen Margarian and another officer Hayk Makuchian in the
court in Budapest. Safarov is accused due to 166.2 of the Hungarian
Criminal Code providing for punishment up to life imprisonment. The
next sitting of the court is fixed for May 10 and the results of the
medical inspection will be announced. To note, a representative of
Hungarian Ombudsman will also be present at the trial.

DURING THREE INITIAL MONTHS OF 2005 RUSSIAN FRONTIER GUARDS DETAINED 50 TRESPASSERS

Pan Armenian Network
08.04.2005 05:09

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the three initial months of 2005 the border
guards of the Russian Federal Service have detained 50 trespassers,
Lieutenant General Sergey Bondarev, who commands the Russian
border-guard force deployed on Armenia’s borders stated, Arminfo
agency reports. In his words, 49 of them were detained in Zvartnots
International Airport when trying to penetrate into Armenia with forded
documents with the intention to leave abroad. One of the trespassers,
a man of Kurdish origin, who was “looking for better life” in Armenia,
was detained by the Gyumri frontier guards. After the investigation
he was conveyed to the Turkish party, the Russian General informed.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY CONFIRMED ARMENIAN SOLDIER CAPTURED BY AZERIS

Pan Armenian News
07.04.2005 08:22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Defense Ministry of Armenia has confirmed the
reports that the Azeri party has taken captive an Armenian soldier,
who serves in one of the units of Noyemberian region of Armenia,
Arminfo agency reported. In the words of Press Secretary of the
Armenian Defense Ministry Seyran Shahsuvarian everything is being
done to return the serviceman at present. “The Minister deals with
the issue in person,” he added. It should be reminded that yesterday
the International Working Group on Search for the Missing, Hostages
and Release of Captives in the Karabakh conflict zone released a
statement on Armenian soldier T. Z. (born in 1985) being captured
April 1 in Noyemberian region. Seyran Shahsuvarian also reported the
circumstances of the capture of the Armenian soldier. In his words,
the serviceman due to a willfully fleeing from the unit, the soldier
lost his way. When searching for him it turned out that he went in
a wrong direction and found himself captured. The soldier not being
armed evidences he had fled. “Thus, the Azeri version that a diversion
group was acting is false,” Shahsuvarian emphasized.

ARMENIAN DM CONFIRMS CAPTURE OF ARMENIAN SOLDIER BY AZERI SIDE

Arminfo

YEREVAN, APRIL 7. ARMINFO. Armenia’s Defence Ministry has confirmed
the reported capture of an Armenian soldier by the Azeri side.

DM press secretary Seyran Shahsuvaryan says that the Defence Minister
is making personal effort to have the soldier released.

To remind, the international task group for missing, hostages and
POWs in the zone of the Karabakh conflict reported Wednesday that
an Armenian soldier T.Z., 20, was captured in Noyemberyan district
(Armenia) Apr 1. Shahsuvaryan says that the soldier left his unit
without permission and got lost. He went in the wrong direction and
was captured as a result. The soldier was not armed. “So the Azeri
version of activities by some Armenian subversive group are not true,”
says Shahsuvaryan.

COMPROMISES IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS IS NOT DEFEAT: ARMENIAN DM

YEREVAN, APRIL 8. ARMINFO. Armenia’s Defence Minister Serzh Sargsyan does
not agree with the opinion that the idea of necessary compromises in the
Karabakh peace process means a defeat. Speaking in a military unit in
Armavir region Sargsyan said that boasting is the easiest thing. When one
says that nothing must be conceded some ten people may applaud him but nine
of them think that he is just a boastful cock. “Where do we want to lead our
people, what do we want – a new war. Hadn’t we enough of deaths? How
perpetual can war be? True this is also a way but defence minister will take
it up only if his people wants this,” says Sargyan. He says that one should
not listen to one-two people unable to see further than their noses. Of
course they have the right to express their views but they should understand
that boasting is not expressing viewpoint. “The Armenian soldier is famous
for his spirit. We have always won due to our spirit and if we have what we
have today this is due to this spirit,” says Sargsyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMMISSION ON PRISONERS OF WAR, HOSTAGES AND UNACCOUNTED FOR

AzerTag
[April 09, 2005, 21:29:27]

The State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Unaccounted For
of the Azerbaijan Republic announces it has taken necessary measures
towards release from Armenian captivity of Bakirov Ruslan Fagni oglu
(born in 1958), Abdullayev Khayal Idris oglu (1986), Tgiyev Hikmet Adam
oglu (1983) who were taken prisoner in 15 February 2005 and kept in the
city of Khankendi. In this connection, the Commission attracted the
attention of relevant international organizations to this issue, and
has been kept informed of the conditions of the prisoners’ captivity.

As a result of the daily intensive talks with representatives of
the International Committee of the Red Cross, International Working
Group to release prisoners of war and hostages and search for the
missing, the fact of the Azerbaijani soldier’s being in captivity
has been brought to the notice of the global community and relevant
international organizations ensuring thus their security.

Although soldiers’ release became a reality more than once, the
Armenian side would hamper the process every time resorting to
groundless pleas that aroused serious concern of the international
organizations, which have demanded from Armenia a constructive approach
to the issue.

The State Commission has informed in a regular manner the local mass
media, public and parents of the war prisoners on conditions of their
captivity in Khankendi, and with the help of the International
Committee of the Red Cross, they have been allowed to be in
correspondence.

Unfortunately, however, some media organizations display irresponsible
approach to this delicate problem linked with a human’s fate by
disseminating unproved reports from dubious sources. For instance, the
agreement on transfer of three Azerbaijani soldiers to representative
of the State Commission was reached by the mediation of the ICRC with
the Armenian side on April 7. However, a while after the radio ANS
(Azerbaijan News Service) reported April 6 – referring to the press
agency Arminfo and website Panarmenian – on alleged capture of an
Armenian soldier, the Armenian side demanded his exchange for the
three Azerbaijani prisoners. As a result, the release process has
been postponed to uncertain term.

Considering the mentioned above, the State Commission on Prisoners
of War, Hostages and Unaccounted For calls on the mass media to
treat carefully with this very delicate issue dealing with the fate
of prisoners of war, hostages and missing citizens, and not allow
dissemination of unproved and groundless information contradicting
our statehood and national interests.

Baku city, 9 April 2005

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus

| 14:20:01 | 09-04-2005 | Politics |

MAYOR SHOULD BE ELECTED BY RESIDENTS

The Mayor of Yerevan is appointed and dismissed by the
President. Yerevan has the status of region. The draft of
constitutional amendments provides for transforming the status the
city to a community.

“If Yerevan is a community it should be headed by an elective person
independent of those who appointed him”, one of the Yerevan residents
said when responding to our question whether the Mayor of Yerevan
should be elected or appointed. April 1-6 we addressed this question
to 100 citizens. 55% of the respondents stated the Mayor should
be an elective figure. 20 hold the opinion that according to the
Constitution he should be an appointee. 25% of those surveyed found
difficulty in answering.

According to the experts of the Venice Commission, the appointment and
dismissal of the Mayor by the President is one of the key violations
of the local democracy and principles of the European Charter of Local
Self-Government. According chapter 3.2 of the Charter the Mayor is
elected by the resident of the city.

Karine Asatryan

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIAN KHACHKARS TO BE EXHIBITED IN LOUVRE WITHIN YEAR OF ARMENIA

09.04.2005 03:19

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the Year of Armenia, to be held in France in
2006-2007, Armenian Khachkars will be exhibited in Louvre, Arminfo
agency reported. In the words of French Ambassador to Armenia Henry
Cuny, French experts of the renowned museum have arrived in Yerevan the
other day. Along with Armenian colleagues they will choose Khachkars
from the funds of a range of Armenian museums to be exhibited in
Louvre. The Ambassador noted that within the Year not only many
cultural events, but also trade exhibitions of foodstuffs and other
Armenian produce will be organized in France. The Ambassador emphasized
that the main fruit symbol of Armenia will be the apricot. At that
he emphasized that “Armenian apricots are known for their taste
throughout the globe.” Henry Cuny noted that the holding of the Year
will allow presenting the culture of Armenia, accumulated in the
course of centuries, to wide strata of the population of France,
which in its turn will encourage the interest of the Frenchmen to
visit Armenia. “Armenia is one of most stable countries of the world
and it is most suitable for developing tourism,” the French Ambassador
to Armenia noted.