Author: Kharatian Ani

Return of Territories out of Question before NKR Recognition

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.07.2006 16:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We are not going to return territories, which
serve as security zone for Nagorno Karabakh," NKR Defense Minister,
lieutenant general Seyran Ohanyan stated at a news conference in
Stepanakert. He remarked that Karabakh supports exclusively peaceful
settlement of the conflict.

"Azerbaijan imposed a war on us and we had to solve the problem by
force. Territories controlled by Nagorno Karabakh are not end in
itself, but serve as security zone," he underscored.

The NKR Defense Minister emphasized that questions of territories and
deployment of peacekeeping forces of an international peacekeeping
contingent should be considered only at the final phase of settlement,
after the core issue – determination of the Nagorno Karabakh status –
is solved. "If there is not decision over the core issue, return of
territories is out of question," Ohanyan said.

Speaking of the probability of resumption of hostilities within the
context of militarist statements of the Azeri President, he said
that the Azeri party does not wish to launch a war. In his opinion,
militant rhetoric is aimed at testing the public opinion and is aimed
at domestic goals. The Minister said the NKR Defense Army has a plan
of counter measures, aimed at defense. At the same time Ohanyan said,
"If there is an extraordinary situation, the life will show what
everyone is capable of."

Commenting on the proposal of Chief of the General Staff of the Armed
Forces of Armenia on the need to involve Karabakh detachments in joint
exercises of Russia and Armenia, Ohanyan remarked, the NKR Defense
Army is always ready to take part in these, reports IA De-Facto.

Alarm centers established in industrial enterprises of Armenia

ArmRadio.am
08.07.2006 13:25

Alarm centers have been established in a number of industrial
companies under the regional "Prevention of industrial disasters"
program financed by Germany. In case of emergency the centers will
issue alarm signals.

Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry
of Environmental Protection Ruzanna Davtyan told "Armenpress" that
under the program disaster prevention systems will be elaborated
and implemented particularly in industrial enterprises built on the
banks of Kur and Araks Rivers. The program costs 800 000 Euros. The
first phase will be completed in September.

SEPARATIST LEADER SAYS AZERBAIJAN NOT READY FOR TALKS WITH KARABAKH

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Jun 06

[Presenter] The president of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic, Arkadiy
Gukasyan, today said that recent revelations on a settlement of the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict [by US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group
Matthew Bryza] cannot change Karabakh’s position. As for Karabakh’s
participation in the negotiations, the president said that this is
still impossible because of Azerbaijan’s non-constructive position.

[Gukasyan] The position of Karabakh has not changed and will not
[change]. All revelations cannot affect us because our position is
stable. Azerbaijan’s position is its destructive approach [as heard].

I do not think that it will be realistic today and Azerbaijan will
be ready to negotiate with Karabakh. It is a wrong impression that
Karabakh needs this. The process needs this.

MOSCOW: KARABAKH PROCESS FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES SHOULD BE COORDINATED IN SHORTEST TERMS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.07.2006 17:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair state Russia is
actively assisting in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
but is against imposing recipes for conflict settlement on the sides,
Russian Deputy FM Grigory Karasin said. "We stand against imposing of
any recipes from outside. The responsibility for the final decision
should lie on Armenians and Azeris," Karasin said in an interview
published in Region+ Azeri magazine. In Karasin’s words, Russia will
support a variant that will prove admissible for the conflicting
parties.

"In our opinion, the decision should bring back stability and peace to
the Transcaucasus. It will help to maintain the geopolitical balance
of forces and avoid transformation of the region into a field for
international political and military rivalry," the Russian diplomat
said. Karasin also added that during the recent year Armenia and
Azerbaijan advanced on the way to the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

At the same time he remarked that "the issues remaining on the
agenda are as complicated as the conflict itself and it’s time to
proceed from talks to decisions and demonstration of political will
in order to coordinate the fundamental principles and open the way
for long-lasting peace."

RA AMBASSADOR ASHOT GALOYAN HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO LATVIAN AND ESTONIAN PRESIDENTS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jul 5 2006

RIGA, JULY 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On June 27, Ambassador
of Armenia Ashot Galoyan handed his credentials to Latvian President
Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

The Latvian President, congratulating the Armenian Ambassador on the
occasion of his appointment, wished him success in his high mission.

Vaira Vike-Freiberga expressed satisfaction with the level of political
dialogue between the two countries and expressed the hope that the
possible potential will be used for extension and deepening the
cooperation between Lativa and Armenia in the coming years.

Ashot Galoyan said that Armenia sees a stable partner in Latvia within
the framework of European integration, especially New Neighborhood
policy, as well as cooperation of Baltic and South Caucasian regions.

During his visit to Latvia the Armenian Ambassador had official
meetings with Latvian Minister of Economy, Defence Minister,
Chairman of Parliament Commission on Foreign Relations, members of
Latvia-Armenia deputy group, State Secretary of Foreign Ministry,
Director of Bilateral Relations Board and Chairman of Latvian
Businessmen’s Union.

At the meeting with the Latvian Minister of Economy the Latvian
side stated that they are ready to found an Armenian-Latvian
Intergovernmental Commission for working out bilateral economic
programs and developing mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Armenian Ambassador also met with the Armenian community of Latvia.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Department, on June 29, Ashot Galoyan handed his
credentials to Estonian President Arnold Ruutel.

The Estonian President congratulated Ashot Galoyan on the occasion
of being appointed on the high and responsible post of Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Estonia.

He said that Estonia is ready to closely cooperate with Armenia both by
bilateral and different formats, in political, economic and cultural
spheres, and expressed readiness to visit Armenia in terms convenient
for Armenia and to make speeches, to give lectures in defence of the
process of solving the difficult problems faced by Armenia.

During his visit to Estonia the Armenian Ambassador had official
meetings and discussed various issues relating to bilateral relations
with the Estonian Prime Minister, Minister of Economy, Parliament
Vice-Speaker, Chairman of Parliament Commission on Foreign Relations,
Foreign Ministry Political Director and Director of Foreign Ministry
Third Political Board on Bilateral Relations.

Ashot Galoyan also met with the Armenian community and discussed
issues interesting the community in Tallin.

IRAN READY TO DEVELOP COOPERATION IN ENERGY SECTOR WITH ARMENIA

ITAR-TASS, Russia
July 5 2006

TEHRAN, July 5 (Itar-Tass) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
expressed readiness to develop cooperation with Armenia in the
energy sector.

The president made his statement during Wednesday’s talks with his
Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian, who is in Tehran on a two-day
working visit.

According to the Iranian president’s press service, Ahmadinejad said
that "the Islamic Republic calls for the development of diversified
relations with Armenia, especially in transport, tourism, culture
and energy fields."

"In the course of Kocharian’s visit to Iran, six meetings of joint
commissions are due to be held," the Iranian president said. "A whole
range of agreements on bilateral cooperation in various spheres will
be signed during those meetings."

Armenia and Iran, whose Armenian ethnic community numbers 150,000
people, actively interact in various spheres, and especially in the
energy sector.

Some of the fresh instances of that cooperation are a gas pipeline
being built from Iran to Armenia, a hydro-power plant on the borderline
Araks River, which is in the phase of project-making now, and a
wind-driven power plant that an Iranian company has built in Armenia.

THE CONFLICT WAS NOT INSTIGATED BY ONE PERSON

Lragir.am
04 July 06

Ashot Bleyan, the New Way Party, announced July 4 at the Pastark Club
that the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Mathew Bryza is
favorable, for it allows to become alert, understand, focus attention
on the fact that the conflict is not resolved and the resolution is
not likely in the nearest future. The conflict was not instigated
by one person, and if all of us took part in the occurrence of the
conflict, consequently this complicated conflict cannot be resolved
without participation of everyone of us in person, believes Ashot
Bleyan. After this statement he noticed, "It is useful that people
worry about Bryza’s statement, why are you afraid?"

Republican Armen Ashotyan, debating with mutual accusations and stings,
says Mathew Bryza who has experience of a mediator in Georgian-Ossetian
and Georgian-Abkhazian conflicts, has assumed a greater goal. He must
expedite the settlement of the conflict for the sake of the economic
interests of the United States and the question of Iran. And these
interests are the ways of energy resource supply, notes Ashotyan and
announces that Bryza’s statement smells the oil of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
and the gas of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum. This gas pipeline will supply
Europe, says Ashotyan. He is also hopeful that one day Iran-Armenia
will become a transit pipeline to Europe.

Ashot Bleyan says, "It is clear that at one time the former government
was busy hampering Azerbaijan, allegedly it has no oil and gas and a
strike is enough to make it collapse. It is obvious that Azerbaijan
is not going to collapse, on the contrary, the rates of development
of Azerbaijan in the past few years and in the upcoming two years
exceed the rates of development in Armenia several times.

It is known that the state budgets, state wealth cannot be compared.

If we are trying to measure our budgets by hundreds of millions,
they are already measuring by billions of dollars, it is obvious
that Azerbaijan increasingly feels confident as a powerful state in
the region."

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT PEOPLE IN ARMENIA AND
AZERBAIJAN THINK ABOUT THEIR PROPOSALS

Yerevan, June 30. ArmInfo. What OSCE MG US co-chair Matthew Bryza said
was in no way some sensational information leak. His statement and the
following statement by the three OSCE MG co-chairs were just aimed at
seeing how people in Armenia and Azerbaijan would react, says the
leader of the parliamentary faction of the Republican Party of Armenia
Galust Sahakyan.

However, if the co-chairs really want to know the public opinion in
the conflicting states they should make public all the documents
discussed by the Armenian and Azeri presidents. Bryza’s statement says
nothing whether Armenia has accepted the promulgated elements or
not. In Armenia only the president and the FMs actually know the
details of the talks. Concerning the co-chairs’ statement that they
are running out of fantasy, Sahakyan says that they will hardly stop
their mediation even if they fail the next round.

Sahakyan says that despite promises of a breakthrough there will be no
serious progress in the peace process this year. He condemns those
local forces who are trying to speculate on the Karabakh problem for
their own purposes.

rticle.php?&ArticleID=813

Noah’s Ark?

By Brannon S. Howse
© Brannon S. Howse

June 16th, 2006

How many times have you yawned at the claim "Noah’s Ark Has Been
Discovered"? Right, you say, and Elvis has been sighted again,
too. People who hoped to find the famous vessel and the legendary
voice have been pretty much in the same boat (so to speak)-No
proof. Until today.

Led by explorer, adventurer, and featured Worldview Weekend speaker
Dr. Bob Cornuke, a fourteen man crew returned this week from Iran
bearing stunning evidence that theirs is the long-anticipated even
coveted discovery of the remains of Noah’s Ark. Bob’s team consisted
of a Who’s Who of business, law, and ministry leaders including Barry
Rand (former CEO of Avis), the author and Christian apologist Josh
McDowell, Frank Turek (co-author with Norm Geisler of I Don’t Have
Enough Faith to be an Atheist), Boone Powell (former CEO of Baylor
Medical Systems), and Arch Bonnema (president of Joshua Financial).

The unusual object is perched on a slope 13,120 feet above sea
level. After studying the discovery site, Bonnema observed, "These
beams not only look like petrified wood, they are so impressive that
they look like real wood-this is an amazing discovery that may be the
oldest shipwreck in recorded history."

Reg Lyle, oil and gas geologist said "the object appears to be a
basalt dike, however, it is absolutely uncanny that the object looks
like hand hewn timbers, even the grain and color look just like
petrified wood….I really need to keep an open mind about this."

The team returned to the U.S. from rugged mountains in Iran with
astonishing video footage of a monstrous black formation which looks
like rock but bears the amazing image of hundreds of massive, wooden,
hand-hewn beams. Could it be the lost ark on which two of every animal
once sailed with their human rescuer?

Bob Cornuke, president of the BASE Institute, is a veteran of nearly
30 expeditions looking for yet-to-be-discovered locations and
artifacts described by the Bible. He is cautiously-but
enthusiastically-optimistic about the find: "We have no way of
confirming for sure that this object is Noah’s Ark, but it is probably
the most interesting and baffling object ever found by ark
searchers…it sure gets my heart to pumping just thinking of what it
could be."

The arkish object is about 400 feet long and consists of rocks that
look remarkably like blackened wood beams while other rock in the area
is distinctively brown. And one visible piece is "cut" at 90-degree
angle. Even more intriguing, some of the wood-like rocks were tested
just this week and actually proved to be petrified wood, and it is
noteworthy that Scripture recounts Noah sealed his ark with pitch-a
decidedly black substance. Upon being cut open, one of these "rocks"
also divulged a marine fossil that could have only originated
undersea.

Scouring the mountains all around the object, team participant Steve
Crampton found thousands of fossilized sea shells blanketing the
landscape. Cornuke brought back a one inch thick rock slab choked with
fossilized clams.

High above the ark suspect, the team also found wood splinters and
broken pottery shards under snow and rock at the 15,300 foot level. It
showed evidence that ancients had thought this an important worship
site for hundreds-if not thousands-of years. The landing location
would also be an unusually hospitable place to live. The team notes
that every ecosystem helpful to humans and the animals is reachable
within a 25-mile radius of the ark’s location.

Cornuke initially got involved in the search for the ark after meeting
Apollo 15, moon walking astronaut Jim Irwin. In the 1980s Cornuke
participated with Irwin in several searches on Mount Ararat in Turkey
but was disappointed with the results. After several years of
frustrating expeditions, Cornuke started looking elsewhere for the
ark.

Cornuke found clues in the Bible that the ark might be on a mountain
other than the famed Mount Ararat of Turkey. His observation was based
on the Genesis 11 account that says descendants of Noah came to the
Mesopotamian valley from the east. According to Cornuke, that would
put the Biblical mountains of Ararat somewhere in the northern reaches
of Iran. He also cited ancient historians such as Nicholas of Damascus
and Flavius Josephus who wrote just before and after Christ that
timbers of the ark had survived in what would today be the higher
mountains of Iran.

Although his research is by far the most definitive ever, Dr. Cornuke
is not the first to suggest Noah’s Ark came to rest in Iran rather
than Turkey. In 1943 an army observer named Ed Davis said he saw the
ark on a high mountain in Iran. Sergeant Davis was a road construction
engineer in Iran during World War II, building army highways from the
Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea. During his tour of duty there, some
Iranian friends told Davis of the ark and led him to the site. After
the war, Sgt. Davis passed a lie detector test affirming his testimony
about actually seeing timbers from an ark-like object high in the
mountains of Iran.

Before his death, Davis became acquainted with Bob Cornuke and gave
him a map showing the way to the object. "It was right where Ed said
it was in his map," Cornuke relayed, "After seeing it from a distance
I thought it at first unimpressive, but once we stood on the object we
were all amazed at how it looked just like a huge pile of black and
brown stone beams."

Mary Irwin, wife of late Apollo 15 astronaut Jim Irwin, viewed the
evidence and stated that it was "compelling and certainly could be the
actual Ark of Noah."

Many Christians will be eager to see the pictures and video footage,
and hear the Biblical evidence for why Noah’s Ark and the mountains of
Ararat must be in Iran. Unfortunately, I also expect that Dr. Cornuke
will be venomously attacked by both Christians and non-Christians. His
discovery will greatly distress evolutionists who do not want the
story of Noah and a worldwide flood to be verified. And many
Christians that have spent years and millions of dollars searching on
Mt. Ararat in Turkey will be quick to dismiss Cornuke’s discovery out
of jealousy (and perhaps a bit of embarrassment that they spent so
much time looking in the wrong place).

Dr. Cornuke has used the Bible as his primary guidebook to one
Biblical location and artifact after another. Has he once again
overcome huge odds to make what is arguably one of the greatest
archeological discoveries of all time? Has this
crime-scene-investigator-turned-explorer pieced together clues from
years of examination and discovered the remains of Noah’s Ark?

Some of America’s leading businessmen, an attorney who has argued
several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and two leading
apologists believed the evidence was compelling enough that they made
a daring trip to the politically volatile state of Iran and climbed a
harsh mountain to see the object firsthand. Now that they’ve returned,
they seem anything but disappointed. Elvis may have long since left
the building, but it looks as if the Ark may have just appeared at the
door.

OSKANIAN COMMENTS ON THE OSCE MINSK GROUP STATEMENT

A1+
[09:01 pm] 29 June, 2006

The co-chairs in their statement say that "our approach has been a
modified one: we have not tried to solve all aspects of the conflict
in one phase.

Instead our principles seek to achieve a major degree of progress but
defer some very difficult issues to the future and envision further
negotiations." What does this mean?

The actual negotiating document on the principles that is on the table
today is all-encompassing. It covers all the principles affecting the
resolution of the conflict. It includes the core issue of status of
Nagorno Karabakh, territories, refugees, security issues, peacekeeping
and every other conceivable issue that is necessary in order to arrive
at a lasting resolution of the conflict.

Only after full agreement on all these basic principles would the
parties, as the actual negotiating text says, "in cooperation with the
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group to begin work on the elaboration of
an agreement on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict." In
other words, the agreement on principles will be comprehensive. The
final agreement may envision implementation over time.

In their report, the co-chairs say "the principles include the phased
redeployment of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories around
Nagorno Karabakh, with special modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin
districts." What are these special modalities?

This formulation is indeed very broad, and for a reason. This issue has
two layers. One is the issue of Lachin, where the actual negotiating
text on principles provides clear language stating that there will be
"a corridor linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia." For Armenia, it’s
very clear that this corridor must have the same status as Nagorno
Karabakh. The second layer is the issue of Kelbajar.

For Armenia, this also is clear: based on security concerns,
Kelbajar can be returned only after the referendum is conducted
and the final status of NK is determined. Azerbaijan’s position is
different on Kelbajar. That’s the disagreement that the co-chairs
are addressing in their statement. The co-chairs’ language in the
actual negotiating text, with regard to this issue, is generally in
line with our approach.

The co-chairs say that there will be a referendum / popular vote
"to determine the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh," but they
don’t say who will vote.

The actual negotiating text on principles clearly specifies that
"the final legal status will be determined through a referendum /
population vote by the population of Nagorno Karabakh."

The co-chairs also say "certain interim arrangements for Nagorno
Karabakh would allow for interaction with providers of international
assistance." What does this mean?

This is only one element of a much more detailed section in the
actual negotiating text which addresses interim status for Nagorno
Karabakh. We think the co-chairs have emphasized international
engagement, because that’s a major problem for the people of
Nagorno Karabakh. Their current, unrecognized, de-facto status,
has not allowed them to benefit from the generosity of international
organizations. In the actual negotiating text, the provisions address
such rights as control over their political and economic viability
and security, upholding their personal privileges and freedoms, the
right to democratically elect officials to govern Nagorno Karabakh,
the authority to effectively legislate and administer the internal
affairs of Nagorno Karabakh.

What is Armenia’s overall assessment of the content of the document
as it stands today?

This not a perfect document. For anyone. However, there are enough
solid and balanced provisions, with the right trade-offs on the main
issues – status, territories and security – that we are prepared to
continue to negotiate on the basis of these principles. In today’s
context, Azerbaijan’s rhetoric about autonomy and desperate calls
for militarization surprise us. We have at hand a real opportunity to
resolve all issues, including the much-maligned issue of refugees. But
Azerbaijan must revert to real situations and real opportunities,
rather than illusory maximalist hopes. Today, we hope that Azerbaijan
will realize that we have a chance to resolve the conflict and achieve
a lasting peace.