Author: Chaltikian Arsine

ARRESTED OPPOSITIONIST’S WIFE WAITING FOR ‘PROMISED’ MEETING WITH PREMIER
By Shake Avoyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 13 2007

The American wife of an arrested oppositionist says she is still
waiting for a meeting with the prime minister promised to her a
week ago.

Melissa Brown, the spouse of Alexander Arzumanian, told reporters
on Wednesday that she had not yet received any response from Serzh
Sarkisian despite his staff member’s promise on his behalf.

Last week, members of a civil group set up in defense of the ex-foreign
minister, who was arrested on money laundering charges last month, held
a demonstration of protest near the government building demanding his
immediate release. A government representative who came out to meet
the protestors said then that in the coming days the prime minister
could receive only Arzumanian’s wife.

The U.S. citizen, who claims that her husband is a political prisoner,
said that she and three other activists had prepared formal letters to
be sent out to all foreign diplomats and international organizations
in Armenia.

"In the letter we request a meeting during which we will have a small
conversation about this incident to try to get them to recognize Alex
[Arzumanian] as a political prisoner and assist us as far as they can,"
Brown said, presenting the contents of the letter.

Arzumanian, who served as foreign minister under Armenia’s former
administration, has been kept at the jail of Armenia’s National
Security Service since May 7 on charges of illegally receiving a
large amount of money from a fugitive Russian businessman of Armenian
descent. His arrest came two days after law-enforcers searched his
Yerevan apartment and confiscated $55,4000 kept there.

Late last month Armenia’s Court of Appeals refused to release
Arzumanian from jail pending investigation, thus upholding a lower
court’s decision to allow the national security service to keep the
outspoken opposition politician under two-month arrest.

Civil rights activist Vartan Harutiunian says Arzumanian is kept in
custody for several reasons, including for founding a movement of
disobedience last autumn and for his position on the Karabakh conflict
settlement in the top diplomat’s capacity, which he is known to have
retained since resigning in the late 1990s.

Arzumanian has lodged a case with the European Court of Human Rights
in which he asserts he is being kept in custody illegally and discards
the charges leveled at him as fabricated.

Arzumanian’s loyalists say the case at the European Court will be
continued even if he is released any time soon.

Edik Baghdasarian, the head of the Association of Investigative
Journalists, expresses bewilderment that Arzumanian has to be proving
his innocence, while it is the job of the investigation bodies to
find and provide the evidence of his guilt.

Armenia Helsinki Committee President Avetik Ishkhanian says it is
the society rather than the state that determines whether a person
kept in custody is a political prisoner or not.

"Any state will deny having political prisoners. Instead they call
them all criminals," he told RFE/RL. "It was the case in the Soviet
Union, in post-communist countries, and now it is the case in Cuba
and other undemocratic countries."

HERITAGE ENTERS PARLIAMENT

ArmRadio.am
12.06.2007 16:30

Heritage Party chairman Raffi K. Hovannisian and his six colleagues
from Heritage’s proportional list picked up their parliamentary
mandates today from the Central Election Commission.

Armenia’s first ombudswoman Larisa Alaverdian, theology professor
Vardan Khachatrian, educator Anahit Bakhshian, political scientist
Styopa Safarian, civil rights lawyer Zaruhi Postanjian, and university
lecturer Armen Martirosian then joined Hovannisian in walking to the
National Assembly building on Baghramian Boulevard and taking their
place in the Republic’s legislature.

President Kocharyan appoints Government members

ArmRadio.am
09.06.2007 11:15

June 8 RA President Robert Kocharyan signed a decree on appointing
members of Government.

Aghvan Vardanyan was appointed RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs,
Harutyun Kushkyan ` Minister of Health,
Nerses Yeritsyan ` Minister of Trade and Economic Development,
Gevorg Danielyan – Minister of Justice,
Vartan Oskanian – Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Aram Harutyunyan – Minister of Environmental Protection,
David Lockyan – Minister of Agriculture,
Armen Movsistyan – Minister of Energy,
Manuk Topuzyan ` Head of Government Staff ` Minister,
Levon Lazarian – Minister of Education and Science,
Hasmik Poghosyan – Minister of Culture,
Michael Harutyunyan – Minister of Defense,
Armen Grigoryan – Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs,
Hovik Abrahamyan – Minister of Territorial Administration,
Andranik Manukyan ` Minister of Transport and Communication,
Vardan Vardanyan ` Minister of Urban Development,
Vardan Khachatryan – Minister of Finance and Economy.

According to another presidential decree, RA Minister of Territorial
Administration Hovik Abrahamyan was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

RA MINISTER OF DEFENCE TO VISIT BELARUS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 08 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 8, Mikayel Haroutiunian,
RA Acting Defence Minister, and Mrs Marina Dolgopolova, Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Armenia, discussed
issues on cooperation, as well as regional problems within the
framework of the Armenian-Belarusian technical military cooperation
and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

As RA Defence Ministry Spokesperson reported, the interlocuters also
touched upon the schedule details of RA Defence Minister’s return
visit to the republic of Belarus.

POLAND GO DOWN TO SHOCK DEFEAT IN ARMENIA

Reuters, UK
June 6 2007

YEREVAN, June 6 (Reuters) – Poland lost valuable points in their
Euro 2008 qualifying campaign when they suffered a shock 1-0 Group
A defeat in Armenia on Wednesday.

Hamlet Mkhitaryan fired a free kick into the top corner in the 70th
minute to give the home team their second win in seven games.

Ex-Chelsea manager Ian Porterfield, who took over Armenia’s national
team less than 10 months ago, hailed the victory as one of the biggest
in the history of the former Soviet republic.

"It is a great day for Armenian football," the 61-year-old Scot,
who returned to the job in March after battling intestinal cancer,
told a news conference.

"The whole team played well but I want to say special thanks to
goalscorer Hamlet Mkhitaryan and goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov. They
deserve special praise."

Despite the defeat the Poles still lead Group A with 19 points from
nine matches, five points ahead of both Portugal and Serbia, who have
two games in hand each, with Finland also on 14 from eight games.

NAGORNY KARABAKH L’ARMENIE EXIGE LE DROIT A L’AUTODETERMINATION

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
5 juin 2007 mardi 2:19 PM CET

L’Armenie a exige mardi la reconnaissance du droit a
l’autodetermination du Nagorny Karabakh. C’est la condition d’Erevan
pour que puissent s’engager des discussions avec l’Azerbaïdjan sur le
contentieux qui les oppose au sujet de cette republique autoproclamee.

"L’unique solution a ce conflit c’est la reconnaissance du droit a
l’autodetermination du Nagorny Karabakh" sans laquelle "il ne pourra
pas y avoir de discussion possible sur un quelconque autre thème",
a declare le ministre armenien des Affaires etrangères Vartan Oskanian.

Les presidents armenien Robert Kotcharian et azerbaïdjanais Ilham
Aliev doivent se rencontrer le 10 juin en marge d’un sommet de la
Communaute des Etats independants (CEI: ex-URSS moins les pays baltes)
a Saint-Petersbourg, en Russie.

M. Oskanian, dont les propos etaient traduits en espagnol, s’exprimait
après une rencontre a Erevan avec le president en exercice de
l’Organisation pour la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE),
l’Espagnol Miguel Angel Moratinos.

"Il y a des deux côtes la volonte politique" d’avancer, s’est felicite
M. Moratinos, ajoutant "c’est pour cela qu’il y a a present plus
d’optimisme". Il devait egalement rencontrer le premier ministre
armenien Serge Sarkissian puis le president Robert Kotcharian ainsi
que le "president" du Nagorny Karabakh, Arkadi Goukassian.

Cette republique autoproclamee, peuplee par 145 000 Armeniens et
soutenue par Erevan, a fait secession de l’Azerbaïdjan a l’issue
d’un conflit qui a provoque la mort, entre 1988 et 1994, de près de
25 000 personnes.

Le retour des quelque 800 000 personnes deplacees par ce conflit et
le contrôle par l’Armenie de sept regions d’Azerbaïdjan situees entre
l’Armenie et le Nagorny Karabakh est une des principales pierres
d’achoppement a l’ouverture de negociations sur le futur statut de
la region secessionniste.

–Boundary_(ID_GFDCrmRRxTKqTyDy25 wfZw)–

MUTAFIAN PATRIARCH RECEIVED BY TURKISH ARMED FORCES COMMANDER IN ANKARA
By H. Chaqrian

AZG Armenian Daily
08/06/2007

As Archbishop Mesrob II, Armenian patriarch of Constantinople, had
said in an interview German "Der Spiegel" newspaper, to which "Azg"
referred on June 6 publication, he visited the head of the Turkish
Armed Forces Headquarter, Yasar Buyukanit.

Armenian media of Istanbul report that the meeting lasted for about 90
minutes. After the meeting Mesrob II sated the following: "That was a
very important consultative meeting. I expressed my condolences about
the Turkish servicemen killed recently. I exchanged opinions with the
venerable commander on numerous issues concerning the community. The
head of the Headquarter received me in a warm, frank atmosphere.

He gave me hope and I left his cabinet quite comforted".

In the aforementioned interview the Archbishop had told "Der Sliegel"
that the Armenian community of Turkey shall vote for the ruling
"Justice and Prosperity" party. "The "Justice and Prosperity" party
has less nationalistic approach to the issue of national minorities
than any other. Erdogan’s government is rather inclined to yield to
our requirements," he explained.

The latter phrase was alos published on June 4 by "Hurriet", to
which on June 6 responded "Sabah" with an article by Hincal Uluc,
entitled "That Was not Worth of You, Patriarch". "Those words are
inappropriate," says Uluc, "however it be, the speech was bad,
uncouth and disrespectful. Probably the Patriarch knows that Turkey
is a secular state. In such states religion cannot be used as an
instrument of politics. Religious leader cannot speak about politics
on behalf of a community in a secular state.

One even shouldn’t in such a hot atmosphere. One must not say
‘We Armenians shall vote for this or that party’, and if he does,
he commits a shameful act and even a crime. A criminal case shall
be aroused against him immediately. If there is any party which
keeps an eye on eth Armenian community of Istanbul, that is the
National-Republican Party. There is no need to be unthankful.

The Vice-Prefect of Sisl is Armenian. In the absence of Mayor Sarigul,
member of the National-Republican Party, he acts in the latter’s
name. Numerous problems concerning Armenian estates and schools
were solved in Sarigul’s office term. A great number of events
were organized due to the financial and moral assistance of the
Mayor. Sarigul was the only politician to bee seen participating such
kind of events. How can this be forgotten? And how can one Armenian
say "I will vote for ‘Justice and Prosperity’? I think I can demand
explanations of Mesrob II. And let him explain which claims of the
Armenians are supported by Erdogan".

OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE SEES THE RESOLUTION OF KARABAKH ISSUE IN THE WAY OF OPTIMISM AND COMPROMISE
By Agavni Haroutiunian

AZG Armenian Daily
07/06/2007

Nothing will be discussed without the affirmation of the right of
NKR self-determination according to Vardan Oskanian

After the meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-office, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos RA Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanian informed in a joint press conference that it
was the first visit of a Foreign Minister of Spain to Armenia. "This
visit has a double-sided meaning, but, of course, the visit is mainly
concentrated on OSCE issues and especially Nagorno Karabakh issue. We
have a little discussion of development of bilateral relations, also
OSCE issues – from armament to OSCE amendments and the adoption of
OSCE charter", mentioned Vardan Oskanian.

The third issue was the issue of Nagorno Karabakh.

According to Oskanian they both cherished hopes for the compromises
in the next meeting (the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in St Petersburg), which would contribute to the settlement
of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

According to OSCE Chairman-in-office Miguel Angel Moratinos they
might speak of a progress only after Kocharian-Aliyev meeting in St
Petersburg. "Both sides must take decisive steps in order to have
results in the negotiation process. We think that in the next OSCE
session it will be possible to speak of positive results in the
settlement of Karabakh Conflict, where the participation of OSCE
Minsk group is essential", mentioned the Foreign Minister of Spain.

OSCE Chairman-in-Office announced that there were sufficient bases
to record a progress during the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan on June 9 in St Petersburg. "We will do everything to
find a way of fast resolution", assured Miguel Angel Moratinos. He
had also announced of OSCE readiness during his visit to Baku.

RA Foreign Minister emphasized in his turn that each meeting of the
Presidents aroused new expectations.

"It’s difficult to say how probable is to record serious progress,
but there are definite bases for the Presidents to make decisions. If
there is an agreement, there will also be a progress, if not, we must
continue the collaborations on presidential level".

To the question of a Spanish reporter Oskanian presented the attitude
of Armenia to Karabakh issue.

"It’s not possible to speak of other issues or have agreements without
the affirmation of the right of self-determination of Karabakh,
without its clarification and recording in further document. We must
not forget that this conflict starts because of the self-determination
issue of Karabakh. It’s an issue of Karabakh self-determination;
the other issues, that arose, are the results of the steps taken
by Azerbaijan. We must concentrate on the main issue: the status
of Nagorno Karabakh. This issue may be solved only by recognition
and self-determination of Karabakh people. After it the rest of the
issues will find their resolution.

According to Azerbaijani media OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miguel
Angel Moratinos had announced that it was a favorable moment for the
settlement of Karabakh conflict and both sides were never so close to
agreement. "Azg" daily asked the OSCE Chairman-in-office to clear up
what "to be so close" and "what the sides were really close to" meant.

Moratinos insisted on being optimist. "We must encourage both sides
by optimism, and must not make predictions without bases". Moratinos
thinks that the most important thing is to encourage both sides,
in order to have a resolution and to better the state of NKR
citizens. "The settlement of Karabakh conflict must be reached in
hope, optimism and compromise. And for this we need the political
will of both sides", mentioned OSCE Chairman-in-office.

The announcement that he had done in Baku that "both sides were
close to the settlement of the conflict" he also repeated in Yerevan,
clearing up that he saw optimism and political will from both sides.

"There are positive and negative moments in the processes of resolution
of conflicts, but dialogue will contribute to affirm the attitudes
and good aims of the sides, and the third sides will help to fasten
the settlement of conflict. The aim of OSCE is to contribute to the
resolution of issues", mentioned Moratinos.

The OSCE Chairman-in-office hoped that the presidential elections of
Armenia would be as democratic as the parliamentary elections.

Moratinos also met RA President and Prime Minister, and had a meeting
with the President of NKR Arkadi Ghukasian.

MURDER IN GYUMRI

ArmRadio.am
06.06.2007 16:31

On June 5 Arthur Avagyan (born in 1989), citizen of Gyumri, died on
the way to hospital of knife wounds in the belly.

Press Secretary of RA Prosecutor General Sona Truzyan informed
Radiolur that the same day a criminal case was launched in the Public
Prosecutor’s Office of Shirak marz in compliance with Article 104.1
of the Armenian Criminal Code.

The investigation revealed that at about 22:00 Arthur Ð~Pvagyan had
a drunken brawl with Gyumri citizen G. Hambartsumyan (born in 1978),
during which the latter delivered a knife blowat Avagyan’s belly,
causing wounds.

As a result of the measures taken G. Hambartsumyan was found and
arrested.

Investigation is underway.

–Boundary_(ID_12PohXT3RDTRaFdivo+GvA)- –

KASPAROV V KREMLIN: HIS RISKIEST GAME YET

AFP
Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
June 5 2007

MOSCOW – Garry Kasparov is running an hour late. But when he finally
appears, exuding nervous energy, the chess genius turned Kremlin
opponent sounds like a man with no time to lose.

"We have a chance to save the country," he declares, looking out from
intense brown eyes. "This regime is deadly. The regime survives –
the country dies."

In an interview with AFP on the eve of the Group of Eight summit in
Germany, Kasparov urged world powers to join his campaign against
President Vladimir Putin, whom he likened to the rulers of Belarus
or Zimbabwe.

"Putin can’t be treated as the leader of a free country," Kasparov,
44, said at his Moscow office, a mile (1.6 kilometres) from Red
Square. The West "must draw a line in the sand."

Many in Russia see this small, compact man with bushy eyebrows as at
best a quixotic figure.

Judging by polls indicating huge support for Putin, Kasparov’s crusade
to prevent Putin from easing a successor into the Kremlin in March
2008 presidential elections looks doomed.

Putin himself recently scoffed at Kasparov’s opposition coalition
The Other Russia as "marginal."

Yet in Russia’s strangely unbalanced political landscape, the chess
grandmaster has emerged as the country’s most prominent opposition
leader.

Putin youth supporters dressed in white coats may hound him as a
lunatic, but the Kremlin appears genuinely rattled, and Western
capitals are watching closely.

Born to Armenian and Jewish parents in then-Soviet Azerbaijan,
Kasparov ruled world chess for two decades before retiring in 2005
to focus on Russian politics, which he already knew as a supporter
of Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s.

The passion for top-level competition clearly still burns.

Despite a relaxed look in blue jeans and striped polo shirt, he spent
much of an hour-long interview tapping against the table, and glancing
repeatedly at a giant wall map of Russia – as if to check the country
was still there.

For Kasparov, though, the cold logic of chess matters most.

Other Russia, he concedes, is small, weak and poorly financed. "For
our organisation, political survival, and for some members not only
political survival, is a major issue."

The Kremlin, meanwhile, has de facto control over almost all television
and vast security forces, including the OMON riot police used in huge
numbers against tiny Other Russia protest marches.

But in such weakness Kasparov sees possibilities that might seem
fanciful were they not from the mind of an undeniably great strategist.

For example, the inability so far of Russia’s fragmented opposition to
unite around a single candidate for next year’s presidential election
is good, he says.

"When you are facing overwhelming force – again, that’s my chess
experience – you don’t want to simplify your position. You don’t
want to make it plain. You want to keep it complicated, because any
mistake that cannot be reversed could blow you off the board."

He dismisses opinion poll results as the fruit of state media
brainwashing and claims the Kremlin’s seeming invincibility masks
vicious behind-the-scenes rivalry in the run-up to Putin’s departure.

"If my calculation is correct and the split within the regime is
inevitable, we’ll see. Regimes of that type, they collapse overnight."

Opposition is hazardous in Russia, where almost no one openly
criticises Putin or his ministers.

Two of those who did were murdered last year in mysterious and
appalling circumstances – journalist Anna Politkovskaya shot by a
hitman in central Moscow and fugitive agent Alexander Litvinenko
poisoned in London.

Kasparov and his activists have faced police beatings or arrest while
trying to hold peaceful demonstrations. Many have been detained or
prevented from travelling even before reaching protests.

"They’re stepping up the pressure on us," Kasparov said. "It’s a
nightmare and not everyone can keep up. We have reports of people
giving in."

Several bodyguards accompany him everywhere in Russia, even in
Moscow. His wife and seven-month old daughter live in New York.

"Not that you can protect yourself against a real assassination
attempt, but still, that creates extra problems. Let’s say I could
avoid Politkovskaya’s fate," he says.

Kasparov insists he can pull his mission off if all opposition groups,
from the liberal Yabloko to the Communists, unite around a single
presidential candidate.

Kasparov, who rules himself out as a contender, says the common
platform would focus on rolling back Putin’s centralisation of power
in the Kremlin.

"Russia cannot be protected from the virus of dictatorship unless
the powers of the president are cut dramatically."

If the odds are great, Kasparov does not seem to care.

He came back from seemingly certain annihilation in the epic 1984
World Championship against Anatoly Karpov and in 2003 he drew against
Deep Junior, a supercomputer that evaluated three million positions
a second.

The Kremlin, he insists, is no tougher.

"I know it’s a huge risk, but I believe this regime has outlived its
historical importance," he says.

"I was losing 5-0 to Karpov in 1984. It couldn’t get worse than that
and I’m still here, you know, with 20 years of Number One ranking
behind me. So it’s never lost until you concede."

But isn’t chess a game with rules, while politics has none?

Kasparov doesn’t miss a beat: "The rule here is that there are no
rules. No rules is a rule too."