A1 Plus | 19:28:13 | 15-04-2004 | Sports |

CAMEROON’S FOOTBALL PLAYER RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

On April 9 night, Armenian soccer national team’s player from Cameroon Carl
Lombe was attacked by two unidentified men and stabbed in the back with
knife.

He was rushed to a hospital with major injuries. Now, Carl has already
recovered and is released from the hospital.

Press Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Mr. Edward Hagopian
April 14, 2004 Tel: 514-880-0400
Lt. Governor Lise Thibault Pays Historic Visit to The Armenian Community of
Quebec

Montreal, QC – On Wednesday April 14, 2004 her Excellency Madame Lise
Thibault, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, paid an official visit to the
Armenian Community Centre of Montreal, announced the Armenian National
Committee of Quebec (ANCQ). This historic visit follows the passing
and Royal Assent of Bill 194, “An Act To Proclaim Armenian Genocide
Memorial Day”.

The event, a cocktail reception, was highlighted by speeches from the
Armenian National Committee of Quebec, Monsieur Alain Paquet
(MNA-Laval Des Rapides), His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Hagopian –
Prelate of the Armenian Prelacy of Canada, and Her Excellency Madame
Lise Thibault.

“The Armenian Community of Quebec is extremely pleased and honoured by
Her Excellency’s visit to our Community Centre,” stated Norair
Serengulian, President of the ANCQ, “We are especially moved by Madame
Thibault’s eloquent and heartfelt words of remembrance for the one and
a half million Armenian victims of the 20th century’s first Genocide.”

Her Excellency’s visit included a tour of Sourp Hagop Armenian
Apostolic Church, a formal greeting by the Homenetmen Gamk Scouts, and
introductions to leaders of the Armenian Community. Those present also
included politicians of the three levels of government and members of
the diplomatic community.

The Armenian National Committee of Quebec is a grassroots organization
representing the interests of the Armenian Community in Quebec.

A1 Plus | 22:14:33 | 15-04-2004 | Politics |

FREEDOMS SUPPORTERS GATHERED IN PROTEST ACTION

“We will keep struggling until not a single political prisoner remains in
Armenia. We demand to release all political prisoners from detention”,
Armenian Helsinki Association Chair Avetik Ishkhanyan said speaking at today
‘s rally.

Initiators of the event said everybody has right to live and think freely in
his homeland urged people to unite against tyranny.

Armenian ruling coalition offers opposition to start dialogue “at any time”

Mediamax news agency
15 Apr 04

YEREVAN

The ruling coalition today offered the Armenian opposition “to start
the political process of dialogue in the Armenian National Assembly at
any time”.

According to Mediamax news agency, the political forces which are
members of the coalition – the Republican Party of Armenia, the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun and the Orinats
Yerkir Party – declared this in a statement today.

The coalition says in the statement that “the intolerant and radical
opposition, as well as the tactics of setting unacceptable conditions
for beginning a dialogue have turned the situation into an open
confrontation”.

“Given the fact that there is no alternative to dialogue, the
coalition offers again to start a political dialogue despite
accusations against it,” the statement reads.

The coalition highlighted the problems that it offered to discuss
during the dialogue with the opposition: achieving a consensus on the
key points of constitutional reforms; achieving a consensus on changes
to the Electoral Code; elaborating ways to involve the opposition in
the fight against corruption and fulfilling commitments to the Council
of Europe according to the schedule.

Armenian opposition leader says police hunting him, other activists

Noyan Tapan news agency
15 Apr 04

YEREVAN

“Stability is impossible in the country under [Armenian President]
Robert Kocharyan, and unfair elections are the reason for this,” a
member of the political council of the Republic [Anrapetutyun] Party
and former prime minister, Aram Sarkisyan, has told journalists. He
said that the opposition planned to continue rallies and
demonstrations.

As for the opposition’s future moves, Aram Sarkisyan said that the
authorities “have no other methods but to use force, and if they
weaken the use of force, the entire power pyramid will collapse”. He
said that the dictatorship is being established with the help of the
police.

In connection with the prosecutor-general’s decision to summon MPs to
the police, Aram Sarkisyan said that “it is impossible to intimidate
them by summoning or arresting them”. He added that the members of the
Republic Party, Gegam Arutyunyan, Vagarshak Arutyunyan and his brother
Artur Arutyunyan, Aramazd Zakaryan, Suren Surenyants and others are
still under arrest.

Aram Sarkisyan also said that after the events of the night of 13
April on Bagramyan Avenue, several police groups have been hunting
opposition leaders. The internal troops, who were on guard in the
trial of his brother, Armen Sarkisyan [convicted of organizing the
murder of journalist Tigran Nagdalyan], have been hunting him
personally, Aram Sarkisyan added.

As for the criminal case against opposition MP Smbat Ayvazyan, Aram
Sarkisyan said: “I was simply shocked by this case invented by the
law-enforcement bodies. It became clear after my brother’s case that
they are brilliant inventors. It would be better if they wrote fairy
tales”. According to Aram Sarkisyan, he has personally asked Ayvazyan
to refrain from attending the 16 April rally.

Over 360 Russian and CIS citizens expected to leave Baghdad today

ITAR-TASS news agency
15 Apr 04

MOSCOW

A total of 365 members of staff of the Tekhpromeksport company will be
flown from Baghdad to Moscow by three special Emergencies Ministry
flights today. ITAR-TASS has learnt this from the Foreign Ministry in
connection with the start of the evacuation of Russian specialists and
CIS citizens. Those returning home include 152 Russian citizens, 172
Ukrainians, 39 Belarusians, one Armenian citizen and one person from
Tajikistan. “On Friday, 16 April, the evacuation measures will
continue,” the Foreign Ministry said.

[ITAR-TASS reported at 1311 gmt on 15 April that an Il-76 Emergencies
Ministry aircraft took off from Baghdad at 1240 gmt today with 116
people on board, including Russian and CIS citizens].

OSCE envoy, Azeri MPs discuss Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
15 Apr 04

[Presenter] Goran Lennmarker, special representative of the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly for Nagornyy Karabakh, has met the Azerbaijani
delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

[Reporter over video of meeting] On the first day of his visit to
Baku, Goran Lennmarker, special representative of the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly for Nagornyy Karabakh, met members of the
Azerbaijani delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe. Naturally, the topic of the meeting between the guest and the
head of the Azerbaijani delegation, Samad Seyidov, and other members
of the delegation was Nagornyy Karabakh.

Addressing the guest, Mr Seyidov said that we favour a fair solution
to the Nagornyy Karabakh problem and the establishment of peace in the
Caucasus. Goran Lennmarker pledged assistance in a just settlement to
the conflict. He also blamed the European Union for failing to pay
attention to the processes in the South Caucasus in time. Goran
Lennmarker said that the OSCE attached great importance to the
situation in the region, particularly to the Armenian-Azerbaijani
relations. Quote, this is my second visit to Azerbaijan, I favour a
peaceful solution to the problem, all countries should take the same
position in order to settle the problem, end quote.

Mr Lennmarker said that Azerbaijan was the most stable country in the
South Caucasus.

At a meeting with members of the Milli Maclis [parliament] commission
for economic policy, the conflict was also in the focus of
attention. MP Sattar Safarov informed the guest about his
complaints. He especially noted that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
had so far adopted no document saying that Armenia is an aggressor
country. It is time to impose sanctions on Armenia, he said.

Goran Lennmarker is also expected to meet President Ilham Aliyev, the
Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh and representatives of NGOs
today.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN RECEIVES RFE/RL PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Robert Kocharian
received today the president of RFE/RL Thomas Dine and the head of
RFE/RL Armenian Service Hrayr Tamrazian. Kocharian press office said
that Thomas Dine spoke about the RFE/RL activities and its future
plans, mentioning that the radio station has quite a big audience in
Armenia.

At the request of the guests the president spoke about his position on
the current political situation. The press service also said the
president and the guests exchanged their views on a variety of issues.

RELATIONS WITH US, CHINA AND EU ARE PRIORITIES FOR ARMENIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS: When defining priorities for
Armenian foreign policy we take into considerations the processes that
take place inthe world, Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian said
Wednesday. Among such processes are NATO enlargement, which brings
about a new situation and a new mentality. The next process is the
enlargement of the European Union. The third relates to the USA
project of the Greater Middle East, which is not as clear as are the
cases of NATO and EU but it is also an issue of great importance.

According to Oskanian, USA, China and EU have interests in the
region and defining relations with them are priorities for Armenian
foreign policy.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PARLIAMENT FORCES RENEW CALLS FOR DIALOGUE WITH OPPOSITION

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS: Representatives of some
parliament-represented forces renewed today their calls for a dialogue
withopposition. Speaking at a briefing Rafik Petrosian from the
independent People’s Deputy group said the dialogue is the only way of
a political solution of the created tense situation. “Both sides
should make an endeavor to ease and then resolve their confrontation
only through political means,” but added that even if the dialogue is
not possible at this moment, the opposition must give up its
revolutionary calls, as the history shows that revolutions lead
eventually to destruction.

Rafik Petrosian then defended the authorities counteractions, which
he said were aimed to restore law and stave off new breaches of public
order. He also claimed that the April 13 events showed that the great
majority of Armenians are against revolutionary calls.

Stepan Demirchian of the opposition Ardarutyun (Justice alliance)
argued that the dialogue is possible only after individuals, who he
said, committed crimes and violated laws during the opposition rally
are held responsible.

Gurgen Arsenian, the head of United Labor Party faction denounced
the coalition members for disrupting the regular sessions of the
parliament forthree running days, describing at the same time the
current situation as “poaching,” regretting that his parliament
fellows are involved in it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress