Author: Ekmekjian Janet

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT : ENLARGEMENT ISSUES SET TO DOMINATE PLENARY SESSION

European Report
September 25, 2006

The European Parliament’s second plenary session this month, which
will be held in Strasbourg from 25 to 28 September, will focus on
enlargement with the adoption of the Eurlings report’ on Turkey’s
progress towards accession, and a Commission declaration on Bulgaria
and Romania’s entry into the EU. Parliament is also due to vote on
the Rapkay report’ on Services of General Interest.

Turkey must relaunch reforms, normalise relations with Cyprus and
recognise the Armenian genocide. This in substance is the tenor of
the own-initiative report by Camiel Eurlings (EPP-ED, NL), which will
be examined in plenary session following its adoption by the Foreign
Affairs Committee on 4 September. While the rapporteur welcomes the
opening of negotiations with Turkey, he nevertheless regrets the
slow pace of the reform process in the country. Accession remains
the objective of negotiations, even though it cannot be considered
automatic. MEPs will vote on the report on 27 September, but the
outcome remains uncertain since some 79 amendments have been tabled.

While the EPP-ED has already pledged its support for the text, the
Socialists (PES) reserve the right to reject it if certain amendments
are not retained. The European Commission has, meanwhile, postponed
until 8 November (two weeks later than originally scheduled) the
publication of its annual report on progress made by Turkey towards
EU accession.

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn will present a communication to
the EP on 26 September on the progress made by Bulgaria and Romania
towards their EU accession. The Commission must in effect decide
whether to maintain the 1 January 2007 date for the two countries’
entry into the European Union and decide whether to trigger certain
safeguards. An exchange of views will follow but the real debate will
come on 11 October in Brussels at the mini plenary session.

Parliament will vote on the two resolutions the following day. The
various groups generally expect the accession date to be maintained
at 1 January 2007.

INVESTITURE OF COMMISSIONERS

In another field, the own-initiative report by Bernhard Rapkay (PES,
DE) on the Commission White Paper on Services of General Interest will
be debated on 26 September in the presence of Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso. The vote will take place the following day. The text
looks at how EU legislation should affect public services provided in
the member states. The report reflects a consensus negotiated between
the different political groups.

The plenary assembly will also examine the recommendation from its
Committee on Budgetary Control to grant discharge to the European
Parliament’s president for the 2004 budget year. This vote has been
postponed since April following the controversy over EP buildings in
Strasbourg. However, the settlement now appears to be in sight. In
this context, the Budget Committee, which meets on 26 September,
must decide whether or not to approve the acquisition of buildings
for a total of E143.125 million.

On the fringes of the plenary session, and in addition to the solemn
session on 26 September with the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson
Sirleaf, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will address the
Conference of Presidents of Political Groups on 27 September.

Symbolically, the plenary session will be interrupted for an hour
and a half to allow this Conference to be opened exceptionally
to all MEPs. However, since this meeting will also be held in the
Parliament chamber, there will be little visible difference with the
plenary session.

Finally, three nominees among the ten candidates for the 2006 Sakharov
Prize will be revealed on evening of 25 September. The winner will be
chosen in October. On 28 September, the Conference of Presidents is
expected to begin discussing a date and procedures for the investiture
of the future Bulgarian and Romanian commissioners as well as current
commissioners who will be required to change their portfolio. A priori,
the commissioners should be appointed at the end of October, appear
before the European Parliament in November and be invested by the
December plenary session.

PRESENTATION OF DILI FARMING HELD IN DILIJAN

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. Presentation of Dili farming was held
in Dilijan (Armenia), which intends to develop production of famous
sorts of Mozzarella and Mozzarella-Pizza cheeses.

"In the nearest future the farming will be producing Mozzarella and
Mozzarella-Pizza cheeses, besides that the Dili already produces
traditional Armenian cheeses", head of the enterprise Ashot Tamrazyan
informed during the presentation.

At the same time he said that the price of the Armenian Mozzarella
would be lower than that of the Italian one.

Tamrazyan emphasized that the farming was unique in a meaning that it
was the only farming with so called "close circle" in the country,
where the whole process – beginning with cattle farming and ending
with the final product -processing of milk and diary farming, was
carried out on the spot.

Besides that, thanks to the modern equipment and technologies human
factor is reduced to minimum on the stage of production.

In addition, Tamrazyan said that 120 cows of special breed were
imported to Armenia from Germany, which may become a good stimulus
for the development of agriculture in Armenia.

He informed, "We have agreed with our German colleagues that all
cows will stay in the farm and their posterity will be distributed
all over the country".

"That is, we mean exchange of experience, which is for sure useful
for everybody" he said.

Tamrazyan also emphasized that the farming had been set as an object
to export its production to other countries already in the nearest
future. "USD Two million was invested in the farming, and Italian
professionals help the local specialists", he explained. The RA Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan, Minister of Agriculture David Lokyan,
Minister of Environment Protection Vardan Ayvazyan, Governor of
Tavush region Armen Gularyan and Mayor of Dilijan Armen Santroyan
were present at the presentation.

CES BIENS CHRETIENS QU’ANKARA NE VEUT PAS LâCHER

Le Figaro, France
21 septembre 2006

EXASPERE par l’absence de progrès dans le domaine des libertes
religieuses en Turquie depuis 2004, Bruxelles promet un sevère
avertissement dans son rapport annuel, qui sera rendu public par le
commissaire a l’Elargissement Olli Rehn, le 8 novembre. Le Parlement
turc a fini par recevoir le message. Les deputes sont reunis en
session extraordinaire depuis mardi pour voter un 9 e "paquet"
d’harmonisation avec les lois en vigueur dans l’Union europeenne. Cet
ensemble legislatif comprend un texte particulièrement attendu sur
les fondations religieuses non musulmanes.

Il prevoit la restitution des biens immobiliers confisques aux
institutions grecques orthodoxes, armeniennes et juives. Usant du
pretexte que les fondations des minorites religieuses n’avaient pas le
droit d’acquerir ou de recevoir en donation du patrimoine immobilier,
l’Etat turc s’est approprie des milliers de logements, ecoles, hôpitaux
ou eglises, depuis les annees 1930. Lorsque cette jurisprudence ne
suffisait pas, les tribunaux recouraient a des astuces. "Par exemple,
de nombreux biens avaient ete enregistres sous le nom de saints,
comme Saint-Augustin ou Saint-Gabriel, une pratique courante sous
l’Empire ottoman pour contourner des difficultes, explique Emre Oktem,
specialiste de droit a l’universite Galatasaray.

Le plus serieusement du monde, des tribunaux turcs ont donc constate
la disparition de ces proprietaires et leur absence d’heritiers pour
transferer les proprietes au Tresor." Spoliation systematique Reclame
par l’Union europeenne, le projet de loi examine par les parlementaires
etait en souffrance depuis un an et demi, car il se heurte a une forte
opposition des nationalistes. Pour Baskin Oran, professeur de sciences
politiques et auteur d’un rapport accablant sur le droit des minorites
en Turquie, cette spoliation systematique "n’est que le dernier maillon
de la chaîne du projet de transfert de capital des non musulmans
aux musulmans lance en 1915". La loi ne touche pas au pouvoir de la
Direction generale des fondations (VGM) qui peut toujours dissoudre
a sa guise l’une d’entre elles. "Les avancees legislatives seront
insuffisantes, estime d’ailleurs Diran Bakar, avocat des fondations
religieuses armeniennes. "La restitution ne concerne que les immeubles
detenus encore par le Tresor ou la direction des fondations. Rien
n’est prevu lorsqu’ils ont ete revendus a une tierce personne, ce
qui est frequent." Et cet habitue des rouages de l’administration
predit de nouvelles difficultes après la promulgation de la loi :
"La bureaucratie refusera le transfert au proprietaire d’origine et
il faudra aller en justice. La mentalite n’a pas evolue." Dernier
problème de taille, les catholiques et les protestants ne beneficient
pas de ces lois. Exclus du traite de Lausanne de 1923 garantissant la
protection des minorites non musulmanes, ces deux communautes n’ont
jamais constitue de fondations. Longtemps, ce statut a part les a
paradoxalement mises a l’abri. Mais depuis quelques annees, l’absence
de personnalite juridique les fragilise. La Direction generale
des fondations a, par exemple, mis la main sur une eglise situee
sur la rive asiatique du Bosphore. La justification : la location
d’une partie du terrain a un club sportif detournait le lieu de sa
fonction religieuse. Un arrangement amiable a finalement ete trouve a
la Cour europeenne des droits de l’homme de Strasbourg. L’Etat garde
la propriete de l’eglise, l’institution catholique ne dispose plus
que de l’usufruit.

Mais six ans après cette decision, ce droit d’usage n’est toujours
pas enterine.

–Boundary_(ID_giNAO8ci9zL8h6IpX+La2Q)- –

Turkish Daily News , Turkey
Sept 23 2006

Cicek may have been right
Saturday, September 23, 2006

Justice Minister Cicek had insisted that we be patient, arguing, ‘The
judiciary will fine-tune itself.’ Afterwards, Elif ªafak was found
not guilty. Now the Supreme Court of Appeals will have its say. If it
goes along with the decision, we will have passed a critical
threshold. Cicek will have been proven as right. The only thing I’m
worried about is the trials of the not-so-famous people.

Mehmet Ali Birand

I was interviewing Justice Minister Cemil Cicek for Kriter
magazine, which will be released with Radikal daily on Monday. Cicek
was constantly making the same argument.

"Everyone is so impatient. Just wait a while and you’ll see the
judiciary fine-tuning itself. If you take a look at the decisions
made up until now, you’ll see that important steps were taken on this
matter. You can’t provide a clear definition on everything laws
describe as a crime. These are defined through court decisions. We
can’t pass a law every time we face a problem."

After an Istanbul court found Elif ªafak not guilty, Cicek called
to say," Didn’t I say so?"

He is right.

He told me.

If the Supreme Court of Appeals approves the decision, the justice
minister will be proven right.

However, the trial we are talking about is for Elif ªafak, a famous
writer. The entire world was watching what the decision would be.
More importantly, most of Turkey was waiting to see what would
happen.

What about the trials of people we’ve never heard of? Some of them
are being convicted and suffering hardship.

The judiciary finding its own solutions to problems is fine, but do
we need to make ourselves suffer so much for progress?

301 needs to change for our sake:

There’s something I don’t agree with concerning Cicek’s argument.
The minister constantly argues that Turkey is being pressured by the
European Union to change Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 301.

Yes, the EU has taken several initiatives against this article.
However, there is one thing the justice minister cannot see, and that
is the fact that the EU’s opposition to Article 301 is just a
reflection of the domestic reaction.

It is not the EU but part of Turkey that opposes Article 301.

In other words, we are against Article 301.

If the article is to be changed, it won’t be for the EU but so that
the people of this country can live freely and utilize their rights
to the fullest.

Kerincsiz and Co. lost:

I had written about my belief that Kemal Kerincsiz is the best
propaganda artist this county has ever had. I still hold this
opinion. He again attracted all the attention at the trial of ªafak.
He and a few of his friends were able to do something that no party
could. He succeeded in mobilizing the groups that are against
Turkey’s EU membership. I don’t share his opinions, but still you
need to give him credit for what he has done. He’s a one-man show.

He knows which cases to follow and what news to pursue. He knows
how to organize his team. He knows what to say to galvanize support.
He knows how to act in front of the cameras. Consequently, he is
always in the headlines.

However, we must also admit the fact that our media played a
tremendous role in making him famous. If we had just ignored his
antics, no one would have ever heard his name.

Despite all their efforts, the poor results they have achieved
speak for themselves.

Whenever they created a fuss, no matter what they tried to prevent,
they failed. They were only able to attract the attention of the
local and international media. They failed on the Armenian
conference, the Orhan Pamuk case and the ªafak case.

Kerincsiz and his friends may run for Parliament from the far-right
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in the next elections; however, no
matter what they do they can’t say, "I proudly represented my country
in the world."

Let’s keep watching the shows of Kerincsiz and Co.

If the AKP had done what the CHP is doing…

You must have read it in yesterday’s newspapers. Opposition
Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies took a very weird stance
when Parliament’s General Assembly was discussing the "definition of
minorities and education of foreigners" clause in the Law on Private
Schools, as part of the 9th EU Harmonization Package. The CHP
deputies provoked Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies by
arguing, "If this proposal becomes law, Turkey will be training
priests," and were able to suspend voting on the matter.

The foreign, interior affairs, justice and education ministries
worked on this proposal for months and it was pushed aside with just
a single sentence. The most important part of this affair is the fact
that this was done by the CHP, which believes it epitomizes
secularism.

If the AKP had done what the CHP did, we would have been furious.
We would have accused them of trying to take Turkey back to the Dark
Ages.

What’s happening with the CHP? Some CHP deputies don’t seem to be
aware of the fact that they are harming the country’s interests
merely in order to play politics.

–Boundary_(ID_evSwcOEDa+epWSfMZcKXcg)- –

ON THE TUBE
By Pat St. Germain

Winnipeg Sun, Canada
Wed, September 20, 2006

Famous for his Campbell’s soup can art, silkscreens of the rich
and famous and "factory" films — and, oh, yeah, getting shot by
a nutbar — oddball artist Andy Warhol earns a four-hour bio on
two-part American Masters special Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film,
on PPTV Ch. 3 at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow. Part 1 depicts the shy
son of Polish immigrants who makes it big.

A crime-conscious female FBI profiler leaves her window open while
she’s out of town? Her boss sends her home alone knowing she’s under
threat? We’re not buying it for a second — but we are dying to know
how the cliffhanger of Criminal Minds plays out on CBS Ch. 4 at 8 p.m.

It’s the end of the world as we know it. A small town in Kansas may
be the last safe haven after a presumed nuclear attack in serial
drama Jericho, premiering on CBS Ch. 4 at 7 p.m. Luckily, the mayor’s
prodigal son Skeet Ulrich and a mysterious stranger arrived in town
shortly before a mushroom cloud was spotted on the horizon.

A wealthy couple (Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany) hire a private
retrieval expert (Jeremy Sisto) after their son — whose talent
for holding his breath is likely to come in handy — is abducted,
sparking a season-long hunt on Kidnapped, premiering on NBC Ch. 6
and Global Ch. 12 at 9 p.m.

After six seasons, we know they aren’t really gonna be "top" models,
but the catty competition is still fun on the seventh season premiere
of America’s Next Top Model on The CW (WPIX Ch. 62 and WGN Ch. 61),
and City Ch. 8 at 7 p.m.

Modern cop Sam steps in to release a suspect when he discovers
old-school partner Gene planted evidence on the man. Unfortunately,
tragedy ensues on Life on Mars, on BBC Canada at 9 p.m.

Nancy pretends her husband is a Canadian hockey player injured by
a goon from Moose Jaw when she needs an electricity hookup, and the
crew are threatened by Armenian rivals on Weeds, on Showcase Ch. 28
at midnight.

Mac has sex with Dee and Dennis’s mom on It’s Always Sunny in
Philadelphia, on Showcase Ch. 28 at 12:40 a.m.

A serial killer on death row may be engineering a fresh string of
murders on Bones, on Fox Ch. 49 at 7 p.m.

A young socialite is accused of killing her ex-beau in a rehab centre
on Justice, on Fox Ch. 49 at 8 p.m.

Mac’s girlfriend (Claire Forlani) signs on as the new medical examiner
when a man who projects a giant marriage proposal on a highrise gets
a definite no — right in the heart — on the season premiere of CSI:
NY, on CBS Ch. 4 at 9 p.m.

COUNCIL ON AGING – HENRY HAROIAN

Lincoln Journal, MA
Thursday, September 14, 2006

Henry Haroian will speak about his recently published memoirs,
Remembrances, at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, immediately following
the Men’s Coffee. He will also be available to autograph copies of
his book. The book can be purchased at the Council on Aging or the
library for $24. Haroian has generously donated the entire proceeds
of the sale of his book to benefit the Friends of the Council on
Aging and the Friends of the Library. The book will be available to
purchase at either location.

Haroian’s memoirs chronicle the experience of his ancestors before
and during the Armenian genocide (1915-1923); their arrival in the
United States and settling in Watertown; World War II experiences;
the family move to Lincoln in 1958 and family and professional life.

FEAR AND UNCERTAINTY REIGN IN KONDOPOGA
By Carl Schreck – Staff Writer

The Moscow Times
Thursday, September 14, 2006. Issue 3497. Page 1.

Margarita Slezova, mother of one of the men killed in the Kondopoga
brawl, motioning toward a recent photograph of her son, Grigory Slezov,
who was 27.

KONDOPOGA, Karelia — In the aftermath of the ethnic explosion here
that left two men dead, destroyed numerous businesses and kiosks,
and forced hundreds to flee, Russians across the country are asking
the same question: Could it happen here?

Aside from its picturesque setting on Lake Onego, Kondopoga — with
its Soviet-era streets names, Lenin statue and World War II memorial —
differs little from thousands of towns struggling to stay afloat.

There’s the paper mill, employing one out of five of Kondopoga’s
roughly 38,000 residents. There are the same crumbling apartment
blocs and storefronts that can be seen everywhere in Russia.

And, like numerous towns in post-communist Russia, there’s the local
outdoor market, which is dominated by dark-skinned natives from the
Caucasus, much to the dismay of ethnic Russians.

The white people in Kondopoga say "hot-blooded" Azeris, Chechens and
others don’t respect local mores and accuse them of flaunting their
wealth and paying off the police so they can sell illegal drugs.

That the recent ethnic riots were sparked by a fight at an Azeri-run
restaurant, Chaika, in which natives of the Caucasus purportedly
killed two ethnic Russians has only reinforced that sentiment.

"The only things Chechens understand is force," said Sergei, 46, a
retired Army officer whose sons served in the North Caucasus. "Everyone
gets into fights, but here we do it with our fists. They showed up
with weapons and the intent to kill."

Natives of the Caucasus, many of whom fled north after the outbreak
of the first Chechen war in 1994, counter that the ethnic Russians
are too drunk or not enterprising enough to start their own businesses.

"If we are paying off the police, it certainly didn’t do us much good,"
said Hamzat Magamadov, a Chechen.

"When the pogrom started, we had to hide our children, who were
trembling with fear. The police did nothing."

Officials from Kondopoga to the republic of Karelia’s capital of
Petrozavodsk to Moscow blame the riots on everything from alcohol to
police ineptitude to mafia turf wars to political opportunists trying
to stoke racial fires for their own ends.

But Kondopoga residents — ethnic Russians and Caucasus natives alike
— say government authorities are unwilling to face an ugly truth:
Ethnic tensions have been brewing here for years, they say, and all
it took for widespread turmoil to break out was the Aug. 29 bar fight.

"This was just the last straw," said Margarita Slezova, whose son,
Grigory Slezov, 27, was killed in the fight at Chaika, once one of
Kondopoga’s few watering holes. As she spoke, Slezova, dressed in
black, tended to a small shrine for her son in her apartment.

Her son, she said, had stopped by the restaurant and bar for a drink
with friends to celebrate the new apartment he had moved into with
his common-law wife, Kristina, who is due to give birth to their
child in November.

"I can’t say for sure what happened," Slezova said, "but when things
turned violent, he apparently defended himself."

Carl Schreck / MT Flowers and broken glass adorning the veranda
outside Chaika restaurant.

Prosecutors and witnesses say a group of ethnic Russians had been
drinking at Chaika and began arguing with the Azeri bartender. The
argument led to a fight, and soon the bartender was getting pummeled
by the group of ethnic Russians. The bartender escaped, returning later
with a group of Chechens bearing knives, baseball bats and iron rods. A
brawl ensued, spilling onto the cement veranda outside. Along with
Slezov, Sergei Usin, 32, lost his life. Several others were injured.

In the days following the brawl, mobs armed with Molotov cocktails
torched Caucasian-owned businesses, including Chaika, and rampaged
through the outdoor marketplace, smashing dozens of kiosks that remain
unrepaired. Most of the Chechens living in Kondopoga fled. Forty-nine
Chechens are at a summer camp outside Petrozavodsk under police
protection. Four Chechen men, meanwhile, have been charged with
murdering Slezov and Usin. A Chechen, a Dagestani and an ethnic
Russian have been charged with hooliganism.

There have been numerous attempts to make sense of the chaos and
violence, and the loss and confusion and uncertainty about what
looms ahead.

State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov recently called the violence a
"criminal showdown" and a "provocation of interethnic violence,"
Interfax reported.

Alexander Belov, head of the ultranationalist Movement Against Illegal
Immigration, or DPNI, turned up in Kondopoga soon after the riots
to address a crowd of 2,000 angry white people. He called for the
expulsion of natives of the Caucasus lacking residence permits.

Everyone blames the police. "The only people the police are protecting
right now are themselves," said Yury Zakharnyov, a friend of Usin’s
who is a turbine operator at the paper mill. A police officer speaking
at a recent town meeting was shouted down by the 300 residents in
attendance.

What’s clear is the devastation and recrimination, and the lingering
fear that, in a way, nothing has changed.

"Look at those empty stands," said Artur Galstyan, an Armenian shoe
trader at the Kondopoga market, pointing to a dozen kiosks. "Those
were empty before the pogrom. Nobody was stopping the Russians from
selling anything there. But all they do is drink."

Galstyan said he wasn’t afraid of being attacked; Armenians, after all,
like Russians, are Christian.

But he conceded that locals had trouble distinguishing between
different peoples. "Azeri, Chechen, Armenian — it’s all the same to
them," he said.

Like Galstyan, a beefy 37-year-old, not all natives of the Caucasus
have left town. And a modicum of normalcy has returned. Police were
on constant patrol.

But an uneasy current persists. "No to Gooks!" is scrawled on a
kiosk hawking honey; on Proletarskaya Ulitsa, Kondopoga’s main drag,
windows had been smashed in and building facades charred.

An odor redolent of a steaming landfill emanated from Chaika. Broken
glass, stray clothing, a one-legged table and random blocks of wood
and concrete were strewn on the veranda. Passersby don’t seem terribly
fazed by the rubble, but people have laid flowers in front of the
restaurant in memory of Slezov and Usin.

No one appeared to have been lulled into thinking the violence was
over for good, especially if the Chechens who fled the town return. "I
don’t think things will remain calm," Slezova said.

Alexander Brod, head of the Moscow Bureau of Human Rights, said that
ethnic violence similar to the riots in Kondopoga had broken out in
several Russian regions in recent years and that a Kondopoga-like
scenario could happen anywhere.

"With such a high level of xenophobia," he said, "such conflicts
could emerge across the country."

The natives of the Caucasus who once lived in Kondopoga seemed aware
of that much. Satsyta Visayeva, who came to the town 12 years ago with
her husband, said she didn’t know where the family would go after
they left the summer camp, which is outside Petrozavodsk. There is
talk of some of the self-exiled Chechens seeking political asylum in
Finland or elsewhere in Scandinavia.

"Maybe they can come back eventually," Slezova added, her crisp speech
suddenly breaking into a sob. "But only later. The city needs time
to calm down."

Staff Writer Anatoly Medetsky contributed to this report from Moscow.

WEST ALWAYS PERCEIVED KHATAMI AS LIBERAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.09.2006 17:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The West always perceived Khatami as a leader of
the liberal wing of the Iranian society, and first of all students,
Armenian political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, when commenting on the isseu of a US visa
to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. In his words, during
Khatami’s Presidency in Iran, especially during the first tenure,
there was thaw in US-Iran relations. "Washington probably remembers
differences between Khatami and ayatollah Khamenei, arisen at the
time. Although Khatami lately made a few harsh statements, addressed
to the US, Washington apparently views him as a potential leader of
a democratic movement. Favor towards him, in the opinion of American
strategists, should signal and stimulate proponents of democratic
changes in the country. It is another attempt to split the Iranian
society," the political scientist said.

PACE PRESIDENT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: WAR IS OUT OF QUESTION!

Yerevan, September 11. ArmInfo. It is inadmissible that members of
one and the same organization who have adopted the principles of
peaceful community and peaceful co-existence be at conflict with one
anothert, in this particular case, over Karabakh, Trend news agency
(Baku) reports PACE President Rene van der linden as saying during
the Dialogue of Culture and Inter-Religious Cooperation conference
in Nizhnyy Novgorov.

Linden expressed sincere hope that with the help of the CE and
other international organizations the Armenian and Azeri presidents
will continue their dialogue for finding peaceful solution to
the conflict. He said that the CE’s goal is to avoid any further
contradictions and to resolve the conflict between the two CE members.

Linden noted that even if it is expedient in terms of defence and is
stipulated by the law, a CE member should in no way start a war. War
is out of question. The CE gives priority to peace, dialogue and
negotiation. A new war by either of the members would be a very serious
problem and PACE would certainly react by considering the expedience
of further membership in the CE.

BOARD OF BENEFICIARIES OF MILLENNIUM CHALLENGES – ARMENIA PROGRAM TO CONVENE ROUTINE SESSION ON WEDNESDAY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006

YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. Board of Beneficiaries of Millennium
Challenges – Armenia program is to convene a routine session on
September 13, Levon Barseghyan, a member of the board, said on Tuesday.

On March 27, an agreement was signed in Washington, under which $235.5
million had to be given to Armenia for roads and irrigation systems
restoration as part of Millennium Challenges program.

Millennium Challenges Corporation was established in 2004 as part of
the U.S. State Department’s program focused on economy development
and poverty reduction.