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08/15/2006
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1. ARF Supreme Council Sets Up Lebanese Relief Fund
2. Kocharian, Putin Discuss Bi-Lateral Relations
3. Turkey Wants Clarity from UN Before Committing Troops to Lebanon Ceasefire
4. Government Reports Continued Growth In Tourism

1. ARF Supreme Council Sets Up Lebanese Relief Fund

YEREVAN (Yerkir Daily)–In an announcement issued Tuesday, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council outlined efforts to join the
international effort to assist in the humanitarian relief efforts for Lebanon
by setting up special bank accounts for donations to the relief efforts to the
Lebanese-Armenian community.
"All communities in the Diaspora have embarked on efforts to assist the
Lebanese-Armenian communities," the announcement stressed.
"In order to provide assistance to our brethren, the ARF Supreme Council of
Armenia has set up special accounts in ArExImBank. For donations in Armenian
drams the account number is 2380002225190700 and for donations in US dollars
the number is 2380002225190301," the ARF announced.

2. Kocharian, Putin Discuss Bi-Lateral Relations

SOCHI, Russia (Armenpress)–Armenian president Robert Kocharian met with his
Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Tuesday in the Black Sea resort city of
Sochi, where they discussed bilateral relations, including economic and
cultural matters, as well as a number of regional issues.
Putin highly praised the positive development of cooperation in trade between
the two countries and expressed his conviction that Russian-Armenian economic
relations will prove successful.
Kocharian emphasized the importance of establishing effective cooperation
mechanisms in the communication, transport and investment sectors.
The two leaders also discussed the successful progression of events in
relation
to the "Year of Armenia in Russian" program.
The delegation Kocharian arrived in Sochi Tuesday to participate in the
non-official summit of the Eurasian Economic Association, which will conclude
Thursday. Armenia is participating in the summit as an observer.
At the airport, Kocharian was met by the governor of Krasnodar province
Alexander Tkachov, Russian deputy foreign minister and executive secretary of
Eurasian Economic Association Grigori Rapota and Armenian consul in Sochi
Vardan Azoyan.
Members of the Eurasian Economic Association are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine have
observer status.

3. Turkey Wants Clarity from UN Before Committing Troops to Lebanon Ceasefire

ANKARA (Combined Sources)–The Turkish government led by Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan Monday signaled that it will await a UN resolution on a planned
international force for Lebanon before making a formal decision on whether  to
contribute troops, although the office of the Lebanese prime minister had
earlier listed Turkey among the six countries that have already agreed to send
troops to bolster the UN force there, the Turkish Daily News reported
"A new resolution to be adopted at the UN Security Council in the coming days
is expected to bring more clarity" to the terms of the planned deployment, the
prime minister’s press office said in a written statement following a senior
level meeting at the office of the prime minister.
At the meeting, Erdogan discussed the conflict with senior government and
military officials. Present were Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense
Minister Vecdi Gonul, outgoing Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and his
successor, Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, who takes office next
week.
However, Gul will travel to Lebanon and Israel Wednesday for a one-day
visit to
discuss the aftermath of the ceasefire between the two countries, Foreign
Ministry said Tuesday.
-In the interest of preventing further regional unrest–and mindful of
Turkey’s
violent legacy in the Middle East–the Armenian National Committee of America
this week expressed the Armenian American community’s opposition to the
prospect of Turkish armed forces being deployed between Lebanon and Israel as
part of a future peacekeeping operation.
In an August 9 letter to President George W. Bush, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian
called upon the Administration to oppose any proposal to include Turkish
troops
in such a deployment, noting that, "Turkey’s presence on Lebanese soil will
only make the current situation even worse."  He added that, "as Armenian
Americans–the sons and daughters of a people who endured genocide at the
hands
of the Ottoman Turkish government–we are especially mindful of raising the
legacy of Turkey’s brutal Ottoman rule over the Middle East and unnecessarily
introducing a nation with history of destabilizing behavior into an already
complex and highly sensitive region."
Stressing that, "Turkey’s record of persecution and genocide has left deep
scars in the collective memory of the Lebanese people," Hachikian explained
that, "it would be immensely insensitive on the part of the United States to
promote Turkish participation in an international peacekeeping force that will
need every ounce of credibility and goodwill that it can muster in order to
succeed in such a highly delicate and challenging mission."
Late on Sunday, a statement released by the office of Lebanese Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora said Morocco, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey, Spain and Malaysia had
agreed to send troops on the condition that "all the Lebanese parties accept
their participation," Agence France-Presse reported from Beirut.
The Lebanese government’s statement followed a telephone conversation between
Erdogan and Siniora earlier on Sunday. According a report by the semi-official
Anatolia news agency, the conversation took place upon Siniora’s request
and he
informed Erdogan about recent developments following the release of Resolution
1701 of the UN Security Council, under which a ceasefire between Israel and
Hezbollah took effect Monday.
The agency’s report didn’t elaborate whether the two prime ministers talked
about Turkey’s possible contribution to the planned international
stabilization
force in Lebanon, while it said that Erdogan and Siniora exchanged views
concerning the upcoming process in Lebanon.
The Turkish statement described the UN resolution as "an important step to
stop
the fighting before the crisis in Lebanon reaches more serious proportions and
to find a permanent settlement to the problem," adding that "Turkey will
consider its possible contributions to finding a permanent resolution to the
problem [in Lebanon] in the light of developments. It is expected that a new
decision to be approved by the UN Security Council will shed more light" on
the
peacekeeping force.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Gul reiterated that Ankara would look favorably on
sending peacekeepers to southern Lebanon only after a full ceasefire was
achieved, while Turkey’s expected participation in the international
peacekeeping force has also become a matter of debate on the international
platform.
Pro-Israeli commentators in Washington advocate a leading role for Turkish
troops while others, including Britain’s Robert Fisk, expressing concern.
Fisk,
a seasoned left-wing Middle East analyst and a correspondent for The
Independent, says a Turkish move to send a contingent to the Lebanon force
would be "unwise." He believes the international force plan will not work.
Noting that the people of southern Lebanon have not been consulted "about the
army which is supposed to live in their lands," Fisk said recently, "So when
this latest foreign army arrives, count the days–or hours–to the first
attack
upon it."

4. Government Reports Continued Growth In Tourism

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia’s tourism industry continued its steady growth in
the
first half of this year, with the number of foreign visitors rising by 11.6
percent to over 122,500, a senior government official said on Tuesday.
Mekhak Apresian, head of the tourism department at the Ministry of Trade and
Economic Development, told the Regnum news agency that the figure is expected
to total at least 350,000 by the end of the year. The peak period of travel to
Armenia usually starts in August and ends in October.
According to official statistics, the country already had a record-high
318,000
tourists last year. Most of them are believed to be ethnic Armenians from
Europe and the United States. Government officials and industry executives in
Yerevan say the share of non-Armenian visitors has been steadily growing in
recent years.
The reported further growth of the tourism sector is supported by anecdotal
evidence, with virtually all hotels in central Yerevan fully booked at the
moment. Flying there is also not an easy task despite the increased frequency
of flights to the Armenian capital carried out by several major European
airlines.
President Robert Kocharian reiterated last week that the sector’s development
is a top economic priority for the Armenian government. Kocharian said the
country should be able to attract 500,000 tourists a year in the near future.
He also promised more government investments in the still underdeveloped
tourism infrastructure in regions outside Yerevan.
Local travel agencies say the sector’s more rapid expansion is also
hampered by
the relatively high cost of travel and accommodation in Armenia. Ara
Petrosian,
deputy minister of trade and economic development, estimated earlier this year
that the average foreigner has to spend approximately $1,000 on a one-week
stay
in the country.

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