Author: Chaltikian Arsine

"SHORSHOR – YEREVAN" WATER-PIPE ACCIDENT TO BE LIQUIDATED ON DECEMBER 12 EVENING

Noyan Tapan
Dec 12 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The water supply of the Districts
5-15 of Ajapniak, the Silikian district, as well as the Merdzavan
and Haghtanak villages has been stopped in Yerevan on December
12 morning on account of the accident of the "Shorshor – Yerevan"
water-pipe. And there is a fall in the water pressure on the upper
stores of the block of flats of the South-Western district.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the "Yerevan
Dzur (Water)" CJSC, the water supply of the above-mentioned territories
is envisaged to be restored at 20:00 of the same day.

RA PM AND EU COMMISSIONER ON SCIENCE MET

2007-12-11 12:11:00

ArmInfo. RA Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan discussed the issues of
cooperation in scientific and scientific-research spheres with the
EU Commissioner for science and research Janez Potocnik in Brussels.

As the Armenian governmental press-service told ArmInfo, RA PM
said during yesterday’s meeting that, along with extension of
cooperation with EU, it is important to establish direct contacts
with the Commissioners of the European Commission, the scope of
responsibilities of whom includes the issues of priority of Armenia-EU
Actions Programme. S. Sargsyan said that he attaches special importance
to the meeting with Potocnik in this context since the science and
scientific-research activities, being traditional priority importance
for Armenia, have not been yet brought into line with the modern market
terms taking into account the policy aimed at creation of a science-
intensive economy.

In view of this, presenting the recent reforms in the area of science
organization, RA PM attached importance to the European Commission’s
assistance in this area through consultations, seminars, specialist
exchange. He also called the programmes, carried out by EU in the area
of science and scientific research, in which Armenia also takes part,
important. In particular, he emphasized the frame programmes and the
"Marie Curie" programme. RA PM added that the funds, envisaged by these
programmes, are not distributed equally because of high competition. In
view of this, he offered to establish a definite simplified order or
a quote for the countries, included in the European Neighbourhood
Policy. S. Sargsyan also said that Armenia attentively studies a
possibility of scientific cooperation with EU also within the frames
of regional organizations, in particular, the Organization of Black
Sea Economic Cooperation.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the required measures
and mechanisms for Armenia’s integration in the European research
zone. Having noted that the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia,
via its potential, scientific-research centers and institutes,
can make a serious contribution in implementation of programmes,
S. Sargsyan emphasized the necessity of elaborating such mechanisms
which will allow, at the initial period, to use the existing potential
in Armenia-EU partnership development. From this point of view, he
offered to create scientific centers or national laboratories on the
principles of self-financing, which will carry out researches within
the frames of the established scientific priorities and which will
allow the Armenian institutes to establish an efficient cooperation
with the leading European institutes.

The message also reads that after the meeting with Janez Potocnik,
S. Sargsyan met Head of the European People’s party Wilfred Martens, as
well as NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. It is envisaged
that during his stay in the Belgian capital, S. Sargsyan will meet
Mayor of Brussels Freddy Thielemans. RA PM also gave an interview to
the "La Stampa" newspaper.

UNITED STATES AND ARMENIAN GOVERNMENTS HOLD INITIAL DISCUSSIONS TO CONSIDER THE NUCLEAR SMUGGLING OUTREACH INITIATIVE

Lragir
Dec 11 2007
Armenia

On December 10, the United States and Armenian governments held initial
discussions at the U.S. Embassy to consider the Nuclear Smuggling
Outreach Initiative (NSOI). The talks were aimed at negotiating a
bilateral action plan to combat nuclear smuggling.

Representatives of the U.S. Departments of State, Energy, and Homeland
Security, as well as experts from the European Union and International
Atomic Energy Agency were joined by 19 representatives from 11 Armenian
government agencies, including the National Security Service, the
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, the Border Guard Service, the Armenian
Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the Justice Ministry, Foreign Ministry,
Prosecutor General’s Office, State Customs Committee, Ministry of
Nature Protection, Armenian Rescue Service, and Ministry of Defense.

American and Armenian officials discussed modes of potential
cooperation in preventing, detecting, and responding to illicit
trafficking of nuclear and highly radioactive materials. Both sides
affirmed the need for a coordinated response to combat nuclear
smuggling.

Through NSOI, the United States has already entered into joint
action plans to combat nuclear trafficking with Ukraine, Georgia,
the Kyrgyz Republic, and Kazakhstan, and has a tentative agreement
with Tajikistan.

The United States and Armenia hope that the NSOI will promote greater
U.S.-Armenian cooperation on international security issues. American
officials plan to return to Armenia in spring, 2008 to continue
discussion of the NSOI.

ARAZ AZIMOV: DEVELOPMENTS IN KOSOVO CANNOT SATISFY AZERBAIJAN

armradio.am
10.12.2007 17:55

Developments in Kosovo cannot satisfy Azerbaijan, Araz Azimov, the
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister and Azerbaijani President’s special
representative for Nagorno-Karabakh, said in talks with journalists
on 10 December.

"Statements urging that Kosovo can be a precedent for other conflicts,
should not shake and fear Azerbaijan," the Deputy Minister said.

Azimov said that this precedent can affect Azerbaijan, but the country
is prepared to accept this challenge.

Earlier Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, stated that the
Kosovo status will become a precedent for non-recognized states on
post-Soviet area.

LEVON TER-PETROSIAN COMPARES ARMENIA WITH TATAR-MONGOL KHANATE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 10 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. "As a result of the monopolization
of the Armenian economy, small and middle business has, in fact, been
destroyed," Levon Ter-Petrosian, the first President of the Republic
of Armenia, made this statement at the December 8 rally. He called
to the big enterprizers of the country for joining the national
movement. According to him, if it seems to Gagik Tsarukian, Ruben
Hayrapetian, Haroutiun Pambukian and others that they are in charge
of their business, they are sadly mistaken, as they depend on the
whims of Robert Kocharian and Serge Sargsian and in case they do not
fulfil the instruction or suggestion of the latters at any time, they
can lose their property or even appear in court. According to him,
in case entrepreneurs join the national movement, they will get an
opportunity to work in the legal field.

Levon Ter-Petrosian compared the current Armenia with the Tatar-Mongol
khanate, where everything in the country belongs to the leaders,
who give out wealth and posts to their friends according to their
desire. Levon Ter-Petrosian mentioned that in Karabakh any official,
who has been removed from his post, moves to Armenia and holds an
office here. By the way, the latters even have business here. "Thus,
the system created by Robert Kocharian and Serge Sargsian is a direct
danger for Karabakh, which, in fact, is becoming vacated as those
officials come to Armenia with their families and permanently settle
down here. If tomorrow a danger hangs over Karabakh, they will not
return there. Only we and you will feel sorry," Levon Ter-Petrosian
declared.

SERBIA CALLS FOR PROLONGATION OF KOSOVO TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.12.2007 13:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ December 7, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic
called on the UN Security Council to prolong terms of Kosovo status
talks. However, the outcome of the negotiations should not be
predetermined, he said.

"The latest round of talks ended in a failure because Albanians have
an impression that they will be ‘gifted’ independence and all they
need to do is to wait till December 10," Mr Jeremic noted.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said "ethnic conflict
can burst out if Kosovo proclaims independence unilaterally," Deutsche
Welle reports.

22 ARMENIAN ORIGINAL FILMS DONATED TO ARMENIA

Panorama.am
13:43 08/12/2007

"Russia Svoexportfilm has donated 22 films shot in Soviet Armenia
during 1960-80," Amatuni Virabyan, National Archive director, told
Panorama.am. In his words, the company is engaged in the sale of films
and several countries, like Ukraine, Kazakhstan, have purchased films
shot on their territories. "We have negotiated with this company for
a year and since the director is Armenian, they donated us our films,"
Virabyan said.

In the words of archive director, several of the films are of high
art value and it is important to have them in the original.

New Internationalist, NI 406
November 2007, p26

Skulduggery: Fuelling corruption in Armenia

It all seemed to be on the up and up for Bruce Tasker. In 2004, he was
invited to become a special consultant to an Armenian parliamentary
commission examining the use of $3 billion in international donor funds.
He accepted the invitation – but he never could have guessed what would
happen next.

The Armenian capital, Yerevan, was used as a case study for the World
Bank-funded $30 million Municipal Development Project to improve its
water supplies. Tasker, a veteran British development worker, and his
team, discovered not only project failure but also an administration
riddled with corruption, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars.

So, taking the Bank’s stated concern with corruption in the former
Soviet Republic at face value, Tasker reported his findings, not only to
the parliamentary commission, but also to the Bank’s office in Yerevan.
Rather than act upon the commission’s interim findings, Tasker says that
the bank turned on him.

Alleging blacklisting by the bank for reporting the illegalities, Tasker
believes that pressure was applied on the government to prevent full
public disclosure. He claims that taking the matter further would have
revealed colossal fraud and corruption and that all the players,
including senior government officials and foreign workers, would lose
out. `The World Bank is fuelling corruption in Armenia,’ Tasker told New
Internationalist.

Despite the documented allegations, no action has been taken – including
by the World Bank’s own internal watchdog, the Department for
International Integrity (INT). The allegations against the Bank and
British nationals involved in the project were, however, reported by
Tasker to the British Embassy, which informed the Foreign & Commonwealth
Office and in turn, the Serious Fraud Office.

In March 2007, the Washington-based watchdog Government Accountability
Project (GAP) took up Tasker’s cause and filed its own complaint with
the INT in the hope that an investigation into the documented cases of
corruption and fraud would be launched.

When the INT finally responded this August, it gave no indication of
when it would investigate the matter. According to INT, the case was
considered to be of `medium’ priority and dependent on `the availability
of investigative resources.’ The letter came just days before GAP
released its annual report on the INT. The Armenian case was singled out
for specific criticism.

Tasker jokes about the INT’s reluctance to investigate the matter: `I
should consider myself fortunate… the low priority cases are simply
filed away with no further action’. Following on from the forced
resignation of World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, this new revelation
hammers yet more nails into the coffin of the Bank’s credibility.
Self-righteous finger-wagging should start at home.

Onnik Krikorian

Russia & CIS Presidential Bulletin
December 6, 2007

TIME FOR REGISTERING PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES RUNNING OUT IN …

The Armenian Central Elections Commission (CEC) will stop receiving
applications for the presidential race at 6:00 p.m. local time on
Thursday.

Former parliamentary speaker and leader of the Orinats Yerkir (Land
of Law) opposition party Artur Bagdasarian applied for registration
on Wednesday, commission spokesperson Tatevik Oganian told Interfax.

The commission has also received applications from Prime Minister and
Republican Party Chairman Serzh Sargsyan, ex-prime minister and
opposition National Democratic Union leader Vazgen Manukian and
Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosian.

Ter-Petrosian is the only self-nominated candidate.

Former adviser of the Karabakh president Arman Melikian and former
world boxing champion Israel Akopkokhian also wish to run for
president.

The registration process started on November 21, and the elections
will take place on February 19, 2008.

Ter-Petrosian said in an interview published in the Thursday issue of
the Kommersant newspaper the candidates would do their best to
prevent falsifications in the elections.

We will do our best to avoid falsifications. We have suggested
printing voting papers abroad and made a related appeal to European
entities. We have also suggested marking voters’ fingers with a
special ink. If they do that, we will have a chance for normal
elections. Yet they may invent something else, he said.

Ter-Petrosian also said he would not allow a revolution in Armenia.

There will be no revolution. I will not allow violence and violations
on the part of the opposition, he said.

He disagreed with the opinion that rallies of his supporters
resembled ‘color’ revolutions. This is not so. We are mobilizing
people.

There is no legal change of administration without that. It would be
wrong to make such comparisons, Ter-Petrosian said.

There are no pro-Russian or pro-American forces in Armenia, he said.

I can bet that Russia will not repeat in Armenia what it has done in
Georgia or Ukraine. That will not happen, as long as I am the
alternative to Sargsyan. Ukrainian and Georgian models will not work
here. This country is not divided into pro-Russian and pro-American
forces, he said.

Asked what he would do in case of his victory in the elections, Ter-
Petrosian said he would normalize relations with Armenia’s neighbors.

We should balance our foreign political strategy and settle conflicts
with our neighbors: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia and Iran, he said.

KARABAKH’S SELF-DETERMINATION FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE IN TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.12.2007 18:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The problem of Nagorno Karabakh’s self-determination
is fundamental in the talks, RA Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman Vladimir
Karapetian said.

He said information published in Kommersant daily with a reference
to a source close to the talks does not correspond to the truth. The
package the OSCE MG Co-chairs handed the Armenian and Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministers in Madrid is "as a matter of fact the same document
that has been on the table during past 10 years."

The presentation of proposals in the framework of the session of
the OSCE Foreign Ministers was meant to lend increasing importance
to the talks, according to him. He said Armenia will respond to the
mediators’ proposal during their next regional visit which is not
likely till the yearend, IA Regnum reports.

Earlier, Kommersant daily citing a diplomatic source reported
that "Yerevan is supposed to surrender territories around Nagorno
Karabakh." "Armenian forces will abandon Kelbajar (a small contingent
will remain) while the way from Azerbaijan to Nakhijevan will be open.

International administration under the OSCE aegis will be established
in Kelbajar but will pass to Azerbaijan’s full control. The plan,
however, provides for creation of a corridor in Lachin connecting
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The liberated territories will
be demilitarized and international peacekeepers will be deployed
there. Finally, the international community will encourage settlement
of Armenians from those territories back to Armenia and return of
Azeri refugees in several years. The UN Security Council will act as
guarantor of the peaceful agreement."