Author: Kamalian Hagop

Le Président polonais victime d’un accident d’avion

RUSSIE (10h10)

samedi10 avril 2010, par Jean Eckian/armenews

Le président polonais Lech KaczyÅ?ski est décédé ce matin à la suite
d’un accident d’avion dans la région de Smolensk (Ouest de la Russie).
Il y a 96 morts, dont des dizaines de hauts responsables –
politiciens, des députés du Parlement, et des chefs religieux.

L’avion, le Tupolev Tu-154 N présidentiel aurait explosé en procédure
d’atterrissage avant d’atteindre l’aéroport militaire de Smolensk.
Selon une agence polonaise, l’avion aurait touché un arbre dans un
épais brouillard. L’épouse du président et la délégation officielle
n’auraient pas survécus.

En raison du brouillard, l’aéroport Nord avait été fermé, indique un
organe de presse russe.

Néanmoins, le commandant de bord aurait décidé d’atterrir à Smolensk.
L’avion a tenté d’atterrir à trois reprises. Au cours de la quatrième
tentative l’avion s’est écrasé à 300-400 mètres de la piste.

C’est le chef du Parlement polonais (Diète), Bronislaw Komorowski qui
assurera l’intérim de la présidence.

Lech Kaczynski devait se rendre au cimetière de Katyn près de
Smolensk, lieu de mémoire des victimes de la répression totalitaire. 4
000 officiers avaient été exécutés en 1940.

Dans les années 1970, Lech KaczyÅ?ski est un activiste du mouvement
démocratique et anti-communiste en Pologne, et devient en août 1980,
conseiller au Comité de Grève du chantier naval de GdaÅ?sk et du
mouvement SolidarnoÅ?Ä?. Pendant la loi martiale en Pologne imposée par
les communistes en décembre 1981, il est interné comme « élément
anti-socialiste ». Lorsque le mouvement SolidarnoÅ?Ä? est légalisé vers
en 1989, Lech KaczyÅ?ski est un conseiller actif de Lech WaÅ?Ä’sa et au
Comité de Citoyens Solidarité (Komitet Obywatelski SolidarnoÅ?Ä?). En
juin 1989, il est élu membre du Sénat et vice-président du syndicat
SolidarnoÅ?Ä?. Après la chute du régime communiste, les ambitieux
jumeaux ont souvent agi en coulisses pour favoriser les alliances
entre les différentes formations de droite. Il est le conseiller
principal de Lech WaÅ?Ä’sa quand celui-ci est élu président de la
République de Pologne en décembre 1990. Lors de la première élection
présidentielle démocratique d’après-guerre, en 1990, leur soutien Ã
Lech WaÅ?Ä’sa est crucial dans la victoire de l’ancienne figure de proue
de Solidarité. WaÅ?Ä’sa nomme KaczyÅ?ski ministre de la sécurité
nationale. Après avoir occupé de hautes fonctions auprès de WaÅ?Ä’sa,
les jumeaux KaczyÅ?ski se brouillent avec le président polonais en
raison de leur opposition à la « thérapie de choc » administrée Ã
l’économie polonaise et, surtout, du conflit concernant le
gouvernement de Jan Olszewski.

Lech KaczyÅ?ski est le président de la Chambre Suprême de Contrôle
(Najwyższa Izba Kontroli (NIK), Cour des Comptes polonaise) de février
1992 Ã mai 1995 et plus tard ministre de la justice dans le
gouvernement de Jerzy Buzek (juin 2000- juillet 2001). En 2001 il
fonde le parti conservateur PiS, et est élu 2002 maire de Varsovie,
capitale de la Pologne. En tant que maire, il parvient, entre autres,
à faire construire le musée de l’Insurrection de Varsovie et Ã
interdire une manifestation organisée par les associations
homosexuelles. Le 19 mars 2005, il déclare officiellement sa
candidature à l’élection présidentielle de 2005.

Il est finalement élu président de la République de Pologne le 23
octobre 2005. Après l’élection présidentielle, son frère, JarosÅ?aw
KaczyÅ?ski, avait d’abord refusé le poste de Premier ministre, avant de
l’occuper quelques mois plus tard. La Pologne fût alors le seul pays
où deux frères occupèrent les postes de chef d’Ã?tat et de Premier
ministre. Mais c’est surtout le projet de loi de lustration de 2007,
qui vise à purger l’administration publique des anciens collaborateurs
des services secrets communistes, qui a suscité une réprobation très
forte, en Pologne comme à l’étranger.

Interfax, Russia
April 9 2010

Armenian president does not expect war in Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN April 9

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has said he does not think a renewed
armed conflict will break out in the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

"I don’t see any threat of imminent war," Sargsyan said during a
working trip to the Tavush region of Armenia.

He acknowledged, however, that the threat of a war would remain until
peace and stability was brought back to the region through talks
between all sides.

The Defense Ministry should be prepared for a conflict to start at any
moment, Sargsyan said.

"This is why our ministry works from morning till night. I am sure
that our army is combat-ready, and if, God forbid, a war starts
tomorrow, we won’t be taken by surprise," Sargsyan said.

Some Armenians fear a war will break out because of the militant
rhetoric of the Azeri leadership, Sargsyan said.

"I don’t know what these fears are based on because I don’t see their
[Azerbaijan’s] superiority over us," he said.

The main stumbling block is Nagorno-Karabakh’s status, Sargsyan said.

"If the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s self-determination problem is
resolved, all the other issues will be settled very quickly," he said.

Praising the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ proposals, Sargsyan said the
resolution of the problem depends on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-
Karabakh and the OSCE Minsk Group partners.

news.am, Armenia
April 9 2010

Turkish Premier’s envoy meets with Azeri President

19:21 / 04/09/2010Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a meeting on
April 9 with Turkish Premier’s Special Envoy Feridun Sirinoglu.

Sirinoglu conveyed Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s greetings to the
Azeri leader, and handed Turkish Premier Rcep Erdogan’s letter over to
him. He also informed President Aliyev of the current Armenian-Turkish
relations.

The Azerbaijani President informed Sirinoglu of the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process.

The sides also discussed the development of Azerbaijani-Turkish
relations, reported azertag.com.

NEWS.am reminds readers that on April 7 Feridun Sirinoglu was on a
visit to Yerevan on April 7. He held meetings with RA President Serzh
Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

T.P.

ARMENIAN POLITICIAN DOES NOT RULE OUT A THEATRICALIZED WAR IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

ArmInfo
2010-04-09 16:10:00

ArmInfo. There are two ways out of the current deadlock situation
in the Karabakh peace process: either the Armenian authorities agree
with the solution imposed from outside, which will lead to domestic
political tension in the country, or reject it, and this increases
the threat of a new war, said Chairman of the oppositional New Times
Party Aram Karapetyan at today’s press-conference.

"But I think this new war will be like a performance as Russia
will admit no other version. The war will open the doors for NATO’s
entry into Armenia, and not only",- he said. Karapetyan estimates
the probable delay of the conflict settlement and maintenance of the
status quo at 10%.

DOES EU INTEND TO PARTICIPATE IMMEDIATELY IN KARABAKH PROCESS?

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 8, 2010 – 20:00 AMT 15:00 GMT

EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy
Stefan Fuele said that he welcomes the efforts of the parties,
specifically, the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents’ actions aimed
at peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict. According to him,
activation of efforts within the framework of OSCE Minsk Group is
a certain signal proving that the parties do their utmost to find a
solution. "The EU absolutely supports these efforts," Fuele said.

At the same time he noted that after the entry into force of Treaty
of Lisbon, the EU gained a clearer position in the foreign political
arena. "The unresolved conflicts of countries of the European
neighborhood remain a serious problem for us. Thus, I consider our
immediate participation in their settlement to be possible," said
Fuele, adding that with respect to this, great attention will be paid
to the interested parties’ stances, Trend news reported.

Treaty of Lisbon (official name – Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty
on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community)
is an international agreement signed during the EU summit in Lisbon on
December 13, 2007. It was aimed at substituting the EU Constitution,
which had not entered into force, and amending the acting treaties
of the EU to reform the EU administration systems.

POLITICAL PRISONERS IN ARMENIA UNDENIABLE FACT, FIDH PRESIDENT STATES

news.am
April 7 2010
Armenia

Political prisoners in Armenia are an irrefutable fact, Ms. Souhayr
Belhassen, President of the International Federation of Human Rights
(FIDH), stated in Yerevan on April 7.

She pointed out that at her meeting with RA President Serzh Sargsyan
she urged the Armenian authorities to release all the political
prisoners, particularly the persons arrested after the events in
Yerevan on March 1, 2008.

In her interview with RFE/LR, Ms. Souhayr Belhassen pointed out that
she discussed the problem with the leader of the opposition Armenian
National Congress (ANC) Levon Ter-Petrosyan. She also visited the
political prisoners and met their families.

PROBABILITY OF WAR IS RATHER HIGH: ARKADY TER-TADEVOSYAN

Tert.am
08.04.10

There can be no attacks on Armenia by neighboring countries as
it has signed an agreement with the Collective Security Treaty
Organization. This agreement stipulates that should any member state
come under attack all the other member states of the organization
shall support it, freedom fighter of the Artsakh war General Major
Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan (also know as Comandos) said at a press
conference today.

As what concerns the resumption of military actions in Nagorno
Karabakh, Ter-Tadevosyan considers it "highly probable."

In his words the probability of a war is rather high as long as
Azerbaijan is stockpiling weapons and weaponry.

Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan also said that few are the cases when conflicts
are resolved in a peaceful way.

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCES NATIONAL FLY-IN DAY APRIL 21

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 7, 2010 – 12:38 AMT 07:38 GMT

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) will hold its 2010 National
Fly-In Day entitled "Day of Advocacy and Affirmation" on Wednesday,
April 21, 2010 in the nation’s capital.

"With the House Foreign Affairs Committee adoption of H. Res. 252,
the Armenian Genocide resolution, Assembly members, ARAMAC activists,
friends and colleagues are all urged to join us in Washington,
DC as we push forward," stated Assembly Grassroots Director Taniel
Koushakjian. The next step in the legislative process is to secure
an affirmative vote on the House floor.

Also, on the evening of April 21, the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs, Reps.

Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) will host the Capitol
Hill Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, which will be held in
the Cannon Caucus Room.

"With April designated as Genocide Prevention Month, the Obama
administration has an important opportunity to further the cause of
genocide education and prevention through a clear and unambiguous
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide," stated Assembly Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny. "We encourage activists and all people of
good will to take action to ensure that President Obama and Congress
affirm the truth."

IRAN PROPOSING RESOLUTION TO KARABAKH CONFLICT?

Tert.am
17:03 ~U 07.04.10

Tehran has presented proposals over the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to the conflicting parties, said Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, reports Azerbaijani news source
Trend.az.

"We hope that the parties will take positive steps for the settlement
of the conflict," said Mottaki at press conference in Tehran, according
to MEHR agency.

Iran’s foreign minister expressed confidence that the parties will
have positive feedback on these proposals.

HOVHANNES IGITYAN: THE PROTOCOLS WILL NOT SERVE THE PURPOSE
Lusine Vasilyan

"Radiolur"
07.04.2010 18:18

Representative of the Armenian National Congress, former head of
the Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe Hovhannes Igityan considers that the current stage of the
Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process is unfavorable to Armenia, but
the withdrawal from the process will further aggravate the situation.

According to him, the withdrawal from the process will require more
skills and diplomacy than its starting.

The recent discussions on whether the protocols will be ratified or
not have pushed to the background the main objective of the process –
the opening of the border and establishment of diplomatic relations,
Hovhannes Igityan told a press conference today.

"Even if the protocols are ratified, the parties are not ready to
realize all its objectives," he said.