Individual sites of Armenian writers

By Hovhannes Yeranian

Yerkir/arm
24 Dec 04

Literature, unlike other branches of art, has a natural obstacle on
the international market, which is the language. To address this
issue, the Armenian Union of Writers has initiated creation of a web
site at the funding of Eurasia foundation.

The president of the Union, Levon Ananian says: `We have good modern
literature, but it needs to be translated to get to the international
public.’ The site construction for the union and its 387 members will
be accomplished by May of 2005. The works of each author will be
installed in Armenian, Russian and English.

Recently, the cultural department of the Iranian Embassy sponsored
publication of a selection of creative biographies of 60 Armenian
writers, which is now spread in Iran.

Ananian also mentioned that a number of prose and poetry works are
being translated into English, sponsored by the Armenian General
Benevolent Union.

In addition, the Germans are willing to sponsor translation of modern
Armenian literature into German. Let us hope that these projects will
be a success.

Kathimerini, Greece
Dec 27 2004

Halkidiki coffee shop owner killed trying to break up customer row

A 20-year-old Armenian national was arrested yesterday in connection
with the shooting of a 50-year-old coffee shop owner in the village
of Doubia in Halkidiki, police said. The incident occurred in the
early hours of the morning when the suspect, who has not been named,
is thought to have had an argument with another man at the local
cafe. The Armenian, who is a Thessaloniki resident but was spending
Christmas in Doubia, is said to have gone to his mother’s nearby
home, picked up a single-barreled shotgun and returned to the coffee
shop. He allegedly then began arguing with the father of the man with
whom he had the earlier row, at which point the cafe owner stepped in
to separate them and the 20-year-old shot him, officers said.

ArmenPress
Dec 27 2004

BAKU READY TO NEGOTIATE WITH KARABAGH IF ARMENIA WITHDRAWS FROM TALKS

BAKU, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: A senior official of the
Azerbaijan’s president administration was quoted last Friday by
Russian Interfax news agency as saying that the official Baku was
ready to engage in dialogue with Nagorno Karabagh to end the conflict
on condition that Armenia withdraws officially from the negotiation
process.
Novruz Mamedov, the chief of external relations departments at Azeri
president Ilham Aliyev’s staff, said the dialogue with Nagorno
Karabagh was in principle possible, adding that in that case Armenian
leadership would have to officially walk out of the talks and promise
not to interfere. He said Azerbaijan would negotiate in that case
with Karabagh as an integral part of Azerbaijan.

ArmenPress
Dec 27 2004

UKRAINIANS IN ARMENIA VOTE FOR YANUKOVICH

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: The Ukrainian embassy in Yerevan
told Armenpress that out of 213 Ukrainian citizens, living in Armenia
who were eligible to vote in Sunday’s repeat presidential election
only 101 came to the embassy on Sunday to take part in the third
round pf presidential election.
The embassy said around 71 percent of them voted for the acting
prime minister Victor Yanukovich and 23 percent for opposition leader
Viktor Yuschenko.
According to the latest figures from Ukraine, the opposition
leader Viktor Yushchenko has an unassailable lead in a re-run of
Ukraine’s rigged presidential election with more than 90 percent of
the vote counted. Election officials in Kiev said with 96.52 percent
of the ballot counted, Yushchenko had won 53.97 percent compared with
42.25 percent for Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich.
By the way, it appeared that the opposition presidential candidate
Viktor Yuschenko, lived for some time in Nagorno Karabagh, when a
child, where his father, a Soviet Army officer, served.

ArmenPress
Dec 27 2004

GAS LEAK RESULTS IN ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT

ASHTARAK, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: A 60 year-old man and his 56
year-old wife were asphyxiated by a natural gas leak in Ashtarak
town, the administrative center of Aragatsotn province Saturday,
emergency officials said today- the fourth such incident of gas
poisoning in Armenia this month.
Emergency officials said the accident was caused by the couple’s
failure to observe safety rules. They used a gas water heater while
their apartment does not have a waste-heat flue.
The return of widespread use of natural gas in Armenia has caused
a number of safety problems in recent years, officials say. The
country had almost no natural gas for about 11 years because of
supply problems. Last week, a family of five died in the town of
Etchmiadzin. Two days later, a gas leak killed two people in the town
of Gyumri, followed by another accident in the village of Brnakot, in
Syunik province, where a man, his wife and 7-year-old child were
asphyxiated by a natural gas leak.
Concerned with the growing number of fatal incidents caused by
natural gas leaks president Robert Kocharian instructed last week
relevant government agencies to combine efforts to prevent use of
poorly installed homemade gas heaters and illegal connection to
municipal gas pipes.

ArmenPress
Dec 27 2004

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION COMMISSION MEETS IN MOSCOW

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian delegation, headed
by defense minister Serzh Sarkisian has left today for the Russian
capital Moscow to participate in the sixth meeting of a bilateral
inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation. The commission
is co-chaired by Serzh Sarkisian and Russian transport minister Igor
Levitin.
The meeting agenda will be topped by economic, trade, transport
and energy issues.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Press
Dec 27 2004

Turkey’s Millennium

BY ZEYNEL ABIDIN ERDEM

STAR- Turkey is now ready to integrate with the European community, a
group made up of developed countries respectful of democracy and
human rights. Since we Turks are hardworking, careful and friendly, I
believe that our partnership with the European Union could be formed
sooner than expected.

Let’s take a look the EU’s requirements of our country:

* Withdraw our troops from Cyprus. Recognize the Greek Cypriot
administration.

* Open the Heybeliada Seminary.

* Grant the Alawites minority rights

* Recognize the `ecumenical patriarch’

* Recognize the so-called Armenian genocide

* Abolish the National Security Council (NSC), or transform it into
an institution compatible with EU norms.

* Permit an international organization to manage the waters of The
Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

What must (or mustn’t) Turkey do during its membership negotiations?
All countries have their own `red lines,’ but it isn’t always
possible to retain all of them once your start negotiating. The most
important issues that Ankara will have to deal with during this
process will probably be the Cyprus issue, minority rights and
northern Iraq. Turkey must first take measures to protect its
territorial integrity from certain well-funded, well-organized groups
which can use such devastating means against our country as
terrorism.

We shouldn’t forget that Turkey isn’t like Belgium, France or Spain,
none of which have problems regarding their national borders. Of
course we’ll discuss these issues for 5-10 years, but what we will
say and accept in the initial phase of the negotiations will shape
our future course. We must discuss these issues from the very
beginning, and also try to find the best solutions possible for all
the parties involved.

The Hindu, India
December 26, 2004

CUPA SORE OVER GIFTING OF ELEPHANT

Staff Reporter

For this young female elephant, this is a journey she may never want
to embark on. Animal rights organisations are sore over the decision
of the State Government to send Veda from the Bannerghatta Biological
Park to the Yerevan Zoo in Armenia in West Asia. The proposed
transfer is in disregard of animal welfare guidelines, legal
provisions and government policies, according to Compassion Unlimited
Plus Action (CUPA).

The organisation has said that the practice of gifting elephants to
temples or States and countries should be checked, keeping in mind
the welfare of animals.

Violation

In a press release issued here, CUPA said Veda, which is Schedule 1
wild animal, is being sent to a far away place in violation of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Wildlife Protection
Act of 1972 and the policies of the State Government. According to
the organisation, the pachyderm, which is six years old, is living
with a herd of elephants in the park. The elephants are given
adequate food and water at the park and are taken to the forest in
the evenings. The elephants live closely as a family and if Veda is
separated from the herd, it may be harmful to her wellbeing. It said
Section 42 of the Wildlife Protection Act states that with respect to
any wild animal, the Chief Wildlife Warden should ensure that the
applicant (in this case the Yerevan Zoo authorities) has adequate
facilities to take care of it.

However, in this case, no inquiry about the conditions at the Yerevan
Zoo has been made by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the park, the State
Government or the Centre. The Yerevan Zoo is not a sanctuary. Apart
from the freezing temperature, the zoo in Armenia is not suitable for
elephants. The enclosures there are not adequate for the big animal
to move about, CUPA said.

Agence France Presse — English
December 27, 2004 Monday 3:09 PM GMT

Armenia adopts budget foreseeing deficit of 2.4 pct of GDP

YEREVAN

Armenian members of parliament adopted Monday a 2005 budget that
increases social and defence spending and shows a deficit equivalent
to 2.4 percent of output.

The text, which was adopted with 103 votes in favour and seven
against in a second and last reading, should be ratified before the
end of the year by President Robert Kocharian.

The budget is based on expected revenues of 345.4 billion drams
(about 690 million dollars) and spending of 394 billion drams.

As a result, the budget would have a deficit of 48.6 billion drams,
which is equivalent to 2.4 percent gross domestic product. That
compared with a deficit of 51.2 million drams, or 2.5 percent of GDP,
this year.

Prime Minister Andranik Margarian told members of parliament: “The
increase in spending will be devoted essentially to social questions
even if security has not been forgotten.”

Social outlays would account for 30 percent of spending while defence
would receive 16 percent, marking an increase of 35 percent from
2004.

Armenia is to spend 61 billion drams on defence which the lion’s
shares going towards a rise in soldiers wages, Defence Minister Serj
Sargsian said.

Armenia’s economy is expected to grow eight percent in 2005 with
inflation of about three percent.

La Prensa, Panamá
26 de diciembre de 2004

Armenia enviará tropas a Irak

ARMENIA (EFE). – El Parlamento de Armenia aprobó por mayoría el envío
de tropas no combatientes a Irak, a pesar de la férrea oposición de
la influyente diáspora, los intelectuales y su vecino del norte,
Rusia.

“Las tropas armenias serán de pacificación y partirán en el plazo de
un mes y medio, con la misión de permanecer en Irak durante un año”,
aseguró a EFE Artur Agabekian, viceministro de Defensa.

El contingente, cuyo grueso estará formado por las fuerzas de
pacificación armenias desplegadas en Kosovo, estará integrado por
diez zapadores, tres médicos y 30 conductores.

De esta forma, Armenia se suma a otros tres antiguos miembros de la
Unión Soviética que también tienen tropas en Irak supeditadas al
mando polaco y desplegadas al sur de Bagdad: Ucrania, Georgia y
Azerbaiyán.

El proyecto fue aprobado anoche por la Asamblea Nacional con 91 votos
a favor y 23 en contra en una sesión parlamentaria celebrada a puerta
cerrada y tras siete horas de acalorados debates.

Los miembros del bloque opositor “Justicia” y la fracción
parlamentaria del partido oficialista “Dashnaktsutiun”, que
representa a la diáspora tanto en el exilio como en Armenia, votaron
en contra del envío de las tropas.

A pesar de que el Gobierno reiteró en numerosas ocasiones que Ereván
nunca desplegaría tropas en otro país, el presidente armenio, Robert
Kocharian, justificó la decisión al asegurar que Armenia no puede
quedar al margen de los procesos que tienen lugar en el mundo.

El Tribunal Constitucional dictaminó que el plan de Kocharian de
enviar tropas a una zona en conflicto no infringía la Constitución a
pesar de las protestas de la oposición contra la firma en septiembre
pasado de un acuerdo entre el presidente armenio y el polaco,
Aleksander Kwasnievski.El ministro de Defensa, Serzh Sarkisyan,
matizó que Ereván impondrá como condiciones que el contingente
armenio tome parte únicamente en actividades defensivas y
humanitarias, y no participe en operaciones con fuerzas azerbaiyanas.

En concreto, agregó, el Ejército estadounidense debe proveer con
robots antiminas a los zapadores armenios que, en ningún momento,
entrarán en acciones de combate.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress