Author: Dabaghian Diana

Tehran Times
Dec 16 2004

Armenia, a good market for Iran gas

TEHRAN (IRIB News) — Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Tuesday called for further expansion of
Tehran-Yerevan relations in all fields.

In a meeting with Armenian Ambassador to Tehran Gegham Garibjanian he
called for implementation of the agreements reached between the two
sides.

Stressing the importance of the project to transfer the Iranian gas
to Armenia, Rafsanjani said that by putting into operation the
project Iran will gain access to an appropriate market.

Calling for settlement of the existing dispute between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, he expressed the hope that peace and durable stability will
be established in the entire region through all-out cooperation among
all regional states.

Iran and Armenia share various historical and cultural common points,
the EC chairman said urging the two states to make use of the
existing potentials in both countries.

Appreciating Iran’s efforts in settlement of the regional crises, he
said a powerful and developed Iran is to benefit the entire region.

He further lauded Iran’s economic achievements after the victory of
the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Armenian ambassador to Tehran further called for promotion of
Tehran-Yerevan bilateral relations.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

AGBU YPGNY IN MIDST OF FIFTH BUSY SEASON

FUNDRAISES FOR AGBU HYE GREEN PREGNANT WOMEN’S CENTER IN GYUMRI &
ANTRANIG DANCE ENSEMBLE

In step with its continuing dedication to the local community, the
AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York (YPGNY) has stirred up
yet another season full of diverse and exciting activities. Over the
past few months, YPGNY has gathered hundreds in various venues to
perpetuate its mission of providing young Armenian professionals with
an outlet to volunteer for worthwhile causes, interact and socialize
with their peers, and stay close to their heritage – all under the
AGBU umbrella. Recent YPGNY-sponsored events included two evenings at
Manhattan lounges, one of which benefited a fellow AGBU auxiliary –
the AGBU Antranig Dance Ensemble. The YP group organized this event as
an expression of gratitude to the Ensemble for providing three decades
worth of fond memories to the Armenian community.

Additionally, YPGNY held a fundraising brunch event for AGBU Hye Geen,
another group within the global organization. Established in 1994 and
based in Southern California, Hye Geen is committed to empowering
women, making them more aware of their changing roles and shedding
light on women’s issues. Recognizing the high infant mortality and
complicated pregnancy rate in Armenia, Hye Geen also operates a
Pregnant Women’s Center in Gyumri, which provides vital pre-natal care
to almost thirty women on a daily basis. Participants of the program
receive daily counseling and medical exams from visiting doctors, in
addition to building unique bonds with fellow mothers-to-be. To date,
over seventy-five healthy babies have been born as a result of this
project.

Guests at the November 14 brunch enjoyed a Provençale-style atmosphere
and learned more about the importance of pre-natal care through a
presentation by Dr. Carol Dersarkissian. Through the generosity of
attendees and other donors, tiered gifts covering the cost of one
trimester or an entire pregnancy for one woman brought in over $2,200
for the Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Center in Gyumri. Those interested
in YPGNY’s “Sponsor a Mom” project should contact: [email protected] or
212.319.6383 ext. 128. Donations of $35 or $70 will cover one or two
trimesters of a pregnancy respectively; gifts at the $100 level will
cover the costs incurred during one full-term pregnancy.

As always, never content to rest on its laurels, AGBU YPGNY has two
more events on the way this winter to bring together young Armenian
professionals and raise awareness about AGBU’s many endeavors. The
group is planning its third annual New Year’s Eve party at the Union
Square Ballroom. The December 31st evening includes six hours of
premium host bar, dinner buffet, midnight champagne toast and dancing
to the international beats of DJ Fares. Tickets, priced at $175, must
be purchased in advance, please call 917.882.4999 to make
reservations.

YPGNY’s second “must-attend” evening, its Armenian Christmas
Reception, is slated to take place in January 2005. The event, which
has become a staple of the group’s annual activity roster, supports
AGBU’s three Children’s Centers in Armenia. Providing after-school
curriculums in a variety of fields, including the arts, athletics,
computers and religion, the program has become an invaluable
institution for Armenia’s youth. Event proceeds will be added to the
AGBU Young Professionals Endowment Fund for AGBU’s Children’s Centers,
which to date totals over $18,000, thanks to fundraising efforts by
YPGNY and YP committees in Los Angeles and Northern California. The
highlight of the evening this year will be a silent auction featuring
artworks created by the students at the Centers.

For more information on AGBU YPGNY, please visit: ,
email [email protected] or call the AGBU Central Office: 212.319.6383.

ARMENIA: A successful new Armenia is emerging from a long Soviet shadow

Highlight

DiplomaticTraffic.com
December 14, 2004

By Thomas Cromwell ([email protected])

With a hostile Azerbaijan to the east and Turkey to the west, and an
often chaotic Georgia to the north, Armenia has had to struggle to
establish itself as a modern state after suffering 70 years under
Soviet rule. It has been a fairly slow process as both the minds of
people raised in the Soviet system and an economy built to serve it
have had to undergo radical change. But Armenia’s ambassador to
Washington, Dr. Arman Kirakossian, sees a good bit to be hopeful about
when discussing recent developments in his country. For one,
conversion to a market economy has started to take hold, as
investments begin to pay off, exports rise, and incomes increase. Last
year, Armenia registered GDP growth of 13.9 percent and this year it
should come in at 9.7 percent. This year its exports to the United
States stood at $33 million (40 percent above the level for 2003),
while imports from the US were $74 million. The main export is
jewelry, with apparel in second place (including 40,000 uniforms for
the NYPD).

This despite the unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan over the disputed
region of Nagorno Karabakh, where, after the fall of the Soviet Union,
fighting broke out between Azeris and the Armenian community there,
supported by Armenia, Karabakh Armenians accounted for 80 percent of
the population in the enclave at independence, but today there are no
Azeris living in the territory (there are small groups of Russians,
Greeks and Yazidis resident there).

It is 10 years since a ceasefire was put in place between Armenia and
Azerbaijan, but to date a political settlement has eluded the parties.
Nevertheless, an OSCE committee, called the Minsk Group, co-chaired by
the US, Russia and France, has made progress through several rounds of
meetings that have supported a series of bilateral talks between the
two sides. A series of meetings among foreign ministers of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and the Minsk Group this past summer led to the
announcement of a new round of peace talks, called the Prague
process. Talks proceeded yet further at a follow-up meeting on
December 6 and 9.

What’s more, the ambassador says, the new president of Azerbaijan,
Ilham Aliyev, while initially talking tough, threatening to restart
military action and rallying Muslim nations to press for United
Nations intervention, has moderated his position and has met three
times with Armenian President Robert Kocharian. He has shown himself
willing to find a compromise, and, the ambassador says, Armenia hopes
he will become more pragmatic.

Armenia has made a number of proposals for a solution in the past but
to date they have not been accepted. Now, the ambassador says,
Yerevan’s position is simply that the Karabakh Armenians must be
allowed to exercise self-determination and not be responsible to
Baku. What it won’t accept is a return to the Soviet-era status quo,
created by Stalin’s 1933 decision to add the Nagorno Karabakh region
to Azerbaijan, of course without asking the people living there if
they agreed!

Armenia is a country of long-suffering, and its people are scattered
around many parts of the world. There are some three million living in
Armenia, but five million living elsewhere, with concentrations in
North America, Russia, and the Middle East. The United States has some
1.5 million ethnic Armenians, concentrated primarily in California.

American Armenians include some very successful individuals who have
been active in helping Armenia get on its feet. The best-known is Kirk
Krikorian, the owner of MGM. Last year he added to an earlier $200
million grant to build a major highway by funding a project to
renovate central Yerevan and another to renew the country’s museums.

James Tufenkian has organized carpet weaving among the villages and is
beginning to export the rugs to the United States. He has also started
to invest in B&B properties. Vahakn Hovnanian of New Jersey’s
Hovnanian Brothers (one of the top ten construction companies in the
United States) is building an American-style town near Yerevan, and
other projects.

Other investors have arrived by different routes. The devastating
earthquake that in 1988 destroyed the town of Spitak and killed 25,000
Armenians, brought Utah’s Jon Huntsman to help with the
reconstruction. He stayed on to build homes and to carry out other
construction projects.

But there are also other Diaspora communities that are returning to
help build the new state. There have been Armenian communities
throughout much of the Middle East since the Ottoman Empire and the
dispersion of Armenians from eastern Asia Minor in 1915. Some of these
Armenians have been returning to their homeland, especially of
late. Another group of importance is Armenians who went to Russia
after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the idling of most of
the Soviet factories in Armenia, including many secret Soviet
plants. Many of the Armenians in Russia are now prospering there and
investing back home, at least to the extent of building homes.

The American Armenian communities were created by three major waves of
immigration. The first was in the late 19th Century and continued to
World War I and the 1915 murders and deportation of Armenians by the
Ottomans, persecution that the Armenians and most of the world say was
genocide. (Turkey continues to dispute this and refuses to open its
border with Armenia until Yerevan stops using the term. Ankara says it
also wants to see the Nagorno Karabakh dispute resolved before it will
negotiate with Armenia over a border agreement. Armenia has not placed
conditions on normalizing relations. Washington sees the normalization
of ties with Turkey and a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
as critical for stability in the region.) The second wave occurred in
the 1960s and was comprised primarily of Armenians from the Middle
East, where conflicts made life increasingly difficult. The third wave
followed the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of the 80s.

The economic recovery of Armenia is giving the country strength, and
the momentum is there for a solution to the Nagorno Karabakh
standoff. The Minsk Group seems an effective negotiating structure and
it is clearly making some headway. The real sticking point is for the
leaders of both nations to be able to find a workable solution based
on mutual compromises and to sell that solution to their respective
populations. The result would be welcome for both sides, ending an era
of tension, with positive repercussions for the domestic politics and
economies in both countries.

Ambassador Kirakossian says that while relations between his country
and the United States have been “generally good,” the terror attacks
on 9/11 brought the two sides closer in security cooperation. Armenia
quickly agreed to allow use of its air space for US Air Force planes
headed to Afghanistan, and it has contributed intelligence and other
tangible assistance to the Global War on Terror in Afghanistan and
elsewhere, a peacekeeping unit to Kosovo, and has pledged doctors,
de-miners and convoy drivers to Iraq.

>From its side, Washington initiated two years ago a program of
military aid and cooperation after President Bush waived Section 907
of the 1992 Freedom Support Act which prohibited the sale of US
weapons to Azerbaijan so long as it was engaged in hostile acts
against Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh. In the name of parity, this had
resulted in an arms embargo for Armenia as well. Now both countries
get $8 million a year in assistance from Washington to boost their
militaries and their ability to work with the United States Armed
Forces.

In the broader picture, a special US-Armenian Task Force meets twice a
year to improve bilateral relations across the board. It has focused
on reform programs, trade, energy and other key areas of mutual
concern. Recently the US Congress passed a measure establishing
Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with Armenia, which is one of
the first CIS countries to join the World Trade Organization (Georgia,
Moldova and Kyrgystan are the others).

*****************************************************************
Biography of Ambassador Arman Kirakossian

Dr. Arman Kirakossian was appointed Armenian Ambassador to the United
States on October 22, 1999 and presented his credentials to President
Bill Clinton on February 3, 2000. He holds the diplomatic rank of
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Prior to assuming this position, Dr. Kirakossian served as Armenia’s
Ambassador to Greece from July 1994 to October 1999. In March 1999, he
also assumed the duties of the Dean of Diplomatic Corps in Athens,
Greece. Dr. Kirakossian was also accredited to Cyprus, Slovenia,
Croatia, Albania and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. From 1991 to
1994, he served as First Deputy Foreign Minister, and, from October
1992 to February 1993, he held the post of Acting Minister of Foreign
Affairs.

Before embarking on a diplomatic career at the Foreign Ministry of
Armenia, Ambassador Kirakossian held several high-level academic
positions at the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. He was
Associate Director of the Armenian Diaspora Studies Department from
1990 to 1991 and served on Advisory Panel on Science and International
Relations at the Armenian Government from 1986 to 1990. He was Senior
Fellow, then Project Director at the Center of Scientific Information
for Social Sciences at the Armenian National Academy of Sciences from
1980 to 1986.

Dr. Kirakossian was born on September 10, 1956 in Yerevan, Armenia. He
received a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Geography in 1977 and a
Master’s degree in History of the Armenian and International Diplomacy
in 1980 from the Armenian State Pedagogical University. In November
1999, he earned the degree of Doctor of Sciences in History.

Dr. Kirakossian is the author of books and more than 100 scientific
publications. Two of his books were published in the United States
recently: British Diplomacy and the Armenian Question, by the Gomidas
Institute, Princeton and London, 2003, and The Armenian Massacres
1894-1896: U.S. Media Testimony, by Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, 2004. He has been awarded the Certificate of Merit for
Scientific Research by the National Academy of Sciences in 1983, and
Honorary Citizenship of Athens, presented by the Mayor of Athens in
1999.

In addition to his native Armenian, Ambassador Kirakossian is fluent
in English and Russian. He is married and has one son.

`

Grand Junction Sentinel, CO
Dec 12 2004

Armenians out of state custody

By DANIE HARRELSON
The Daily Sentinel

Ouray County residents on Saturday welcomed home the family it lost
last month and still could lose to deportation. Armenian transplants
Ruben Sargsyan and his children, Meri, Gevorg and Hayk, spent the
last five weeks locked up in a Denver immigration detention center.
They were unexpectedly released Thursday.

`They community is elated to see them back,’ said family friend and
Ouray resident Kelvin Kent.

The small western Colorado communities of Ouray and Ridgway, home to
the Sargsyans for six years, cheered and embraced their newly-freed
friends and neighbors Saturday afternoon at the town park in Ridgway.

The two towns have rallied to make sure the family stays put. Only
800 and 500 strong, residents raised $16,000 at a dinner last month
to cover exploding legal bills. They’ve been working the phones to
let everyone from Denver to Washington, D.C., know of the Sargsyans’
plight.

Immigration agents took the family into custody in early November
while their attorney was trying to obtain visas for them. The
Sargsyans contend they fell victim to an American con man who duped
others into paying him to obtain fraudulent visas to the United
States.

Ruben Sargsyan and his children may no longer be locked up, but they
are not home free.

`The government’s position is still exactly the same,’ said Lloyd
`Max’ Noland, who married Ruben’s eldest daughter, Nvart Indinyan,
about five years ago. `The government’s contention is that these
people were a flight risk, so what they are saying is they want to
keep them in jail so they won’t leave the country so they can deport
them.’

Immigrations agents did not take Nvart, and her mother, Susan, into
custody because their cases were heard separately.

Noland said the family is trying to determine who ordered their
release.

`We’re curious to see who finally saw the light,’ he said.

Hayk, a star soccer player and senior honor student, attends Ridgway
High School. Gevorg studies chemical engineering at the University of
Colorado and was on the dean’s list.

Noland said school district officials assured him Saturday they would
work with Hayk to ensure his five-week absence does not delay his
high school graduation in the spring. CU administrators offered
Noland similar assurances that Gevorg’s absence would not count
against his academic record and he could return to campus when he was
ready.

`The most amazing thing is that this small mountain community in
southern Colorado is making the government listen,’ Noland said. `I
haven’t seen anything like this. We would have been nothing without
the community behind us.’

The Sargsyans remain cautious about their release because it does not
affect their ongoing case.

Each of the four family members must check in with immigration
officials in Denver twice a week by phone and once a month in person.

`There is extreme elation now, but we’re going to continue the
fight,’ Kent said. `They’re just good, clean wholesome people.
`They’re the type of people America wants and needs.’

Palestinian official on US assurances of Jerusalem election participation

Al-Jazeera TV, Doha
7 Dec 04

Chief Palestinian negotiator Dr Sa’ib Urayqat has said that the US
side has assured Palestinians that voting in occupied Jerusalem in
the presidential and legislative elections, which are scheduled to
be held on 9 January, would be subject to the same criteria adopted
in the 1996 elections.

[Begin recording]

[Urayqat] We have received assurances that the elections scheduled to
be held on 9 January would be subject to the same administrative and
security arrangements made in the 1996 elections. This means that the
Palestinian people residing in Jerusalem will participate in these
elections, just as they did in the 1996 elections, and will follow
the same guidelines they followed then.

[Al-Jazeera correspondent] Meaning five centres –

[Urayqat, interrupting] Five polling centres will be set up in five
post offices in Jerusalem. From what I remember, those offices
were located in the Salah-al-Din Road, Al-Armani [the Armenian]
neighbourhood, Shu’fat, Al-Tur and Bayt Haninah. The polling will
take place in five centres under international supervision, and the
Palestinian Central Elections Commission will supervise the entire
process.

Turquie : nouveau débat à droite
par ENGUÉRAND RENAULT

Les Echos, France
7 décembre 2004

A dix jours d’un sommet européen crucial, au cours duquel les
Vingt-Cinq doivent décider de l’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion
de la Turquie à l’Union, partisans et opposants d’Ankara se mobilisent,
en demandant tous la reconnaissance rapide du génocide arménien de
1915. Après Patrick Devedjian, dimanche, c’est François Bayrou qui
réclame aujourd’hui, dans le mensuel « Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine »,
qu’Ankara reconnaisse le génocide.

« Il n’est même pas concevable qu’il y ait un partenariat privilégié
avec la Turquie sans cette reconnaissance publique et claire », pointe
le président de l’UDF, qui milite contre l’entrée de la Turquie dans
l’Union. Dans le même mensuel, Pierre Lellouche, qui, contrairement
à son propre parti, l’UMP, est, favorable à cette adhésion, déclare
que « si la diaspora faisait de cette reconnaissance un préalable
à toute adhésion ou rapprochement avec la Turquie, elle commettrait
une erreur ». « Il ne faut pas en faire un préalable, mais l’une des
conditions du processus », estime-t-il.

–Boundary_(ID_4GDnXwI1eoELRE7V1ZgTNw)–

“EURASIA” FOUNDATION IMPLEMENTS PROGRAMS OF 20 MLN DOLLARS IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, December 6 (Noyan Tapan). 70 grant programs of a total
of 1.5 mln dollars were completed in Armenia due to the financing
of the “Eurasia” Foundation last year. According to Ara Nazinian,
Director of the Fund’s Yerevan Office, 2/3 of the programs fell on the
share of organizations operating in the regions of the republic. The
financing of 25 new programs of 600,000 dollars were approved, four
program contests were held: “Business Interests Protection”, “Stable
Development of Communal Organizations”, “Regional Business Development”
and “Strengthening of Press Spread System”. V. Nazinian noticed that it
is expected that the funds for the improvement of the sphere of small
and medium enterprises, the establishment of the local self-government
bodies, the introduction of informational communication technologies in
the higher education system will be allocated in 2005. The “Eurasia”
Foundation has unfolded the activities in Armenia since 1995. The
Foundation gave 600 grants to public organizations during the recent
years. Total investments volume made about 20 mln dollars. Most of
them the Foundation received from USAID. The Armenian Diaspora, the
“Lincy” Foundation, Cafesjian and Izmirlian Foundations, the Open
Society Institute and other organizations also supported the fund.

Nuclear and radiation safety Armenia’s state priority
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
December 6, 2004 Monday 1:42 PM Eastern Time

YEREVAN, December 6 — The nuclear and radiation safety is now among
Armenia’s state priorities. This is defined by amendments to the
republic’s law On Safe Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy that was passed
by Armenian parliament and was signed by President Robert Kocharyan
on Monday, Tass learned from the Armenian president’s press service.

The Armenian legislation is amended to bring it in accordance with
the safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Under the law, only the republic’s citizens can assume the posts that
entail responsibility for the safe functioning of nuclear facilities.
The law requires the tightening of control over nuclear materials and
protection of nuclear power plants. The law on insolvency (bankruptcy)
does not apply to the Armenian nuclear power plant.

The nuclear power plant that went into operation in 1979 was shut
down in 1989, several months after the devastative earthquake. The
plant was reactivated with the participation of Russian specialists
in 1996, and industrial operation of the second reactor was resumed.

Electricity generated by the nuclear power plant now accounts for 38
percent of Armenia’s energy balance. The European Union demands that
Armenia shut down the plant. The Armenian authorities believe this
could be possible only if there were alternative sources of energy.

>>From last year, the management of the financial and economic activity
of the nuclear power plant went to InterRAO UES, the subsidiary of
RAO UES, the Unified Energy Systems of Russia.

Philippine Star, Philippines
Dec 6 2004

Fahsan plans secret for Manny
By Joaquin Henson

Fahsan 3-K Battery has a secret strategy that he will unravel to
surprise consensus world featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao in
their scheduled 12-round International Boxing Federation (IBF) title
eliminator in an open-air field at the Fort, Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig, this Saturday.

Both Fahsan and his manager Ekarat (Jimmy) Chaichotchueng are
tight-lipped about the plan which, they guarantee, will pull the rug
from under Pacquiao. All they’re saying is whatever the odds,
Pacquiao isn’t sure to win.

No doubt, Fahsan is a dangerous opponent. Pacquiao must dispose of
the Thai contender to keep his Feb. 26 appointment with IBF and World
Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Marquez in
Las Vegas.

New Jersey promoter Murad Muhammad envisions at least a P200 Million
windfall for Pacquiao next year as he’s lined up Marquez, Erik
Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera in a series of HBO fights that will
make the General Santos City southpaw the wealthiest Filipino athlete
ever.

But before the cash register starts ringing, there’s Fahsan to take
care of.

Fahsan is guaranteed $25,000 for the fight against Pacquiao. If he
defies the odds, the Thai stands to earn a fortune in his next bout
so he’s expected to let it all hang out in his chance of a lifetime.

Fahsan, 30, has the credentials to make life difficult for Pacquiao.
First, he’s a southpaw, meaning Pacquiao has no advantage being a
lefthander, too. Second, he’s a tough nut to crack-the fact that
Fahsan has never been knocked out is proof of his durability. Third,
he claims to be immune to Filipinos. Fahsan has never lost to a
Filipino and his list of victims includes at least 20. Fourth, he is
more experienced than Pacquiao. Fahsan turned pro three years before
Pacquiao and has logged 10 more fights, not counting his experience
as a Muay Thai kickboxer. And finally, he has the edge in the element
of surprise. There is little known about Fahsan unlike Pacquiao whose
fights have been shown all over the world on TV.

Whatever is Fahsan’s secret, he will not reveal it until the bell
rings on Saturday.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, who flew in from Los Angeles two
weeks ago, isn’t taking Fahsan lightly.

“This guy is getting an opportunity of a lifetime,” says Roach. “He’s
fighting the best featherweight in the world. He’ll give 100 percent
in this fight. He wants to be on a pedestal like Manny. If he beats
Manny, it’ll be an unbelievable future for him. Fahsan will bring his
A-game into the ring. But he’ll be fighting over his head. We want to
get this guy out of the way so we can think of the other fights
coming up.”

Roach expects the Thai to keep away from Pacquiao in the early going
because the Filipino is supposed to be deadliest in the first few
rounds. But Roach says Pacquiao is ready for the tactic.

“Fahsan has no tendency to run,” explains Roach. “When fighters start
exchanging punches, they get back to what they’re used to. Fahsan is
no exception. Once Manny moves in, it’ll be a war and Fahsan won’t
survive Manny’s speed and power.”

Roach says Pacquiao has his own surprise for Fahsan-a killer right.
While Pacquiao is known for his lethal left, he has been working on
his right to become more unpredictable in the ring. Roach confides
that the plan is to put Fahsan to sleep with a right hook or cross.

Muhammad predicts Pacquiao will win “in style” but he’s not counting
his chickens before they’re hatched. He says Pacquiao must stay in
focus to beat Fahsan convincingly.

Last May, Fahsan faced Art Simonyan of Armenia in a 12-round IBF
title eliminator in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. It was his first
fight outside of Thailand.

Chaichotcheung claims Fahsan had not enough time to prepare for
Simonyan and experienced difficulty in adjusting to US conditions.
Simonyan carved out a unanimous decision.

What was evident in the fight was Simonyan used his jab to dominate
Fahsan who never got his offense untracked. Simonyan was conscious of
Fahsan’s ability to slug so he kept the Thai safely stuck on the
outside. Pacquiao won’t fight Fahsan like Simonyan because he’d
rather mix it up toe-to-toe.

Boxing News writer Jim Brady, reporting on the Fahsan-Simonyan bout,
said the Thai fought from a “tight southpaw stance (with) chin
tucked.” He described Fahsan as “a veteran of Muay Thai fighting (who
is) used to getting whacked with bamboo poles and training on ground
glass.”

With 40 seconds to go in the ninth round, Fahsan landed a left cross
to Simonyan’s body then unleashed a “wicked” left counter that shook
up the Armenian. The attack, however, wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

Chaichotcheung says Fahsan is a fighter, not a boxer, and that’s why
he has problems facing stylists like Simonyan. That won’t be a
problem against Pacquiao because the Filipino shows up to slug not to
run in a fight.

Fahsan is ranked No. 6 featherweight by the IBF and Pacquiao, No. 3.
The winner faces Marquez in February.

Muhammad says IBF No. 1 contender Rocky Juarez may be squeezed in
Pacquiao’s calendar if Barrera delays their rematch until late next
year. After Marquez, Pacquiao hopes to fight Morales in July. If
Barrera plays hard to get, Pacquiao could meet Juarez in September
before taking on the Baby-Faced Assassin in November or December.
Barrera appears to be avoiding Pacquiao but Muhammad says the rematch
is inevitable because HBO and the fans demand it.

Fahsan, Chaichotcheung and knockout artist Chaiyong Distar arrive
here today from Bangkok. Chaiyong, who has registered 11 knockouts in
12 wins, will meet Cebu sensation Z Gorres in Saturday’s undercard.

PRESS RELEASE
UN Department of Public Information, Yerevan Office
14 K.Liebknekht, Yerevan 375010, Armenia
Tel.: (374 1) 560 212
Fax/Tel.: (374 1) 561 406

November 30, 2004

HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC IN THE WORLD AND REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA

As of December 2004 there are about 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS
in the world, the majority of whom – 25.4 million – are from the countries
of Sub-Saharan Africa. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the
countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including Armenia and other
countries of the former Soviet Union, has reached 1.4 million.

About 4.9 million people have become HIV infected in the year of 2004,
whereof 210 thousand are from our region, which tenfold exceeds the number
of new cases registered in Eastern Europe and about fivefold – the number of
new cases registered in Northern America. Our region experiences the fastest
growing epidemic in the world. More than 20 million AIDS patients have died
since the beginning of the epidemic, whereof 3,1 million have died in the
year of 2004. The proportion of children and women among new HIV cases are
growing. As of December 2004 there are 2.2 million children and 17.6 million
women living with HIV/AIDS in the world. 640 thousand children have become
infected with HIV in 2004. The same year 510 thousand children have died of
AIDS-related illnesses in the world.

According to National AIDS Center, in Armenia registration of cases of human
immunodeficiency virus infection has started since 1988:
1988 – registration of the first HIV carrier infected through
heterosexual practice;
1988 – registration of the first AIDS patient;
1989 – registration of the first death from AIDS;
1990 – registration of the first case of HIV infection in injecting
drug users;
1996 – registration of the first HIV carrier woman;
2000 – registration of the first case of HIV transmission through
homosexual practice;
2001 – registration of the first case of HIV-infection and AIDS
among children;
2001 – registration of the first case of child death from AIDS;
2002 – HIV prevalence among IDUs is in the range of 15%;
2004 – 13 cases of HIV infection have been registered among women,
which exceeds the number of cases of HIV infection registered among women in
any of the previous years;
2004 – the number of HIV and AIDS cases as well as number of cases
of death of patients with HIV/AIDS registered this year is the highest.

>From 1988 to December 1, 2004, 304 HIV carriers were registered in the
Republic of Armenia, 288 of them are citizens of the Republic of Armenia.
The trend towards increasing the number of HIV infection cases has been
observed in the country. The number of HIV infection cases registered here
in the last 4 years in the Republic of Armenia constitutes 50% of all the
cases registered in the previous years. It is worth mentioning that already
53 cases of HIV infection have been registered this year, which exceeds the
number of HIV infection cases registered in any of the previous years. Men
constitute a prevailing part in the total number of HIV carriers 224 cases
(77.8%), women represent 64 cases (22.2%). 288 reported cases include 4
cases of HIV infection among children (1.4%). Like the entire world, Armenia
also has the tendency in the growth of number of infected women. In 2004, 13
cases of HIV-infected women were registered, which is unprecedented for the
statistics of the country. The majority of the HIV carriers (77.4%) belongs
to the age group of 20-39.

The main modes of transmission driving the epidemic in the Republic of
Armenia are transmission through injecting drug usage (53.2%) and
transmission through heterosexual practices (38.5%). Besides, cases of
mother-to-child HIV transmission as well as HIV transmission through blood
and homosexual contacts have also been registered in our country.

Sixty HIV-infected individuals are diagnosed with AIDS (whereof 7 are women
and 1 is a child), whereof 30 diagnoses have been made during the last two
years. From the beginning of the epidemic 45 cases of death (the cases
include 7 women and 1 child), from HIV/AIDS have been registered. More than
one third of these cases have been registered during the last two years. The
number of cases of HIV infection (53), AIDS (17) and death from AIDS-related
illnesses (11) registered in 2004 is the highest in comparison with the
number of the cases registered in any of the previous years.

The maximum number of HIV carriers was reported in Yerevan: 143 cases, which
constitute 49.7% of all the registered cases. Lori Marz is at second place –
23 cases, which constitute 8% of all the registered cases.

However, HIV/AIDS situation assessment has shown that the estimated number
of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Republic is about 2800-3000.

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Armine Halajyan
Information Assistant
UN Department of Public Information
Yerevan Office (Armenia)