Author: Nalbandian Eduard

G2: Diversions: The king and I

The Guardian – United Kingdom; Jun 08, 2006
NIGEL SHORT

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected FIDE president in Turin by 96 votes
to 54.

As a member of Bessel Kok’s defeated Right Move campaign, I suppose I
should, with my trademark stoicism and magnanimity, congratulate our
adversary on his success. Instead I find myself dwelling on some
rather odd stories generated by the election: the senior federation
official seen wandering around with large amounts of cash; the
delegates who found it necessary to photograph their completed ballot
papers and SMS the pictures to their colleagues before depositing
their votes; and the delegate who chose to deliver his proxy to the
fiercely pro-Kirsan Georgian delegate rather than voting in person
himself.

Of course, there may not have been any shenanigans. Elections,
however, must not only be clean, but be seen to be clean, and it is
high time to appoint an independent authority to ensure this.

As to the Olympiad itself: Armenia were worthy winners, but no thanks
to England. Daniel Gormally, our fourth board, punched Levon Aronian
in the eye at the traditional Bermuda party in a rage of
love-jealousy. He then had to be restrained by grandmaster Yasser
Seirawan. To say that the Armenians were unamused at having their
national hero attacked would be an understatement. Allan Beardsworth,
the England captain, was forced to apologise to their delegation and
Gormally was sent home – partly for his own protection.

England finished 19th – not a bad result in itself. It was John Nunn
who accurately identified the causes of the inevitable decline of
English 15 years ago. Essentially, we are living on a dwindling stock
of capital. Without a shake-up in the game, the rot will continue.

Michael Adams and I both scored plus five. Michael’s performance was
by far the more praiseworthy as he faced much stiffer opposition on
board one. Here is his elegant victory over the leading Iranian.

Adams, M (2720) – Ghaem Maghami, E (2584), 37th Olympiad, Turin,
3/6/2006 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7
7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 Nf6 9.Nc3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Nc6 11.h3 Bf5 12.GBP3 Ne4 (A
time-consuming way of reducing the tension through exchanges) 13.Re1
Nxc3 14.bxc3 Qd6 15.GBP4 Qg6 (Intending Bxh3) 16.Kh1 Rae8 17.Bf4 Bd6
18.Qd2 Rxe1+ (An unnecessary concession of the open e-file) 19.Rxe1
Bd7 20.Ng5! Nd8 21.Ne4 Bxf4 22.Qxf4 Qc6 (The weakness on c7 requires
urgent attention) 23.Bb5 Qd5 24.Re3 (Threatening 25.Nf6+! but it was
stronger to play the direct 24.Bxd7 Qxd7 25.Nc5! as Qd6 fails to
26.Qxd6 cxd6 27.Nd7 winning) f5 25.Bxd7 Qxd7 26.Nc5 Qf7 27.d5!
(Penetration on the seventh rank is more important than pawn
structure.) b6 28.Nd3 Qxd5 29.Qxc7 Ne6?! (Maghami, an aggressive
player by nature, tries to activate when the position does not warrant
it. It was better to try and hang on grimly with Qb7) 30.Qe7 Rd8?!
(Juggling pieces, but they soon come crashing to the ground) 31.Ne5!
Nf4? (Hopelessly optimistic. It was essential to jettison some
material by Qd1+ 32.Kh2 Qd6 pinning the White knight) 32.Rg3
(Simultaneously defending against mate in one and threatening it) g6
DIAGRAM 33.Nf7! (The coup de grace) Qd1+ (The queen is overloaded)
34.Kh2 Black resigns. The rook is attacked and the king is menaced
with mate in two (starting Nh6+).

US COMMITTED TO KARABAKH PEACEFUL RESOLUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.06.2006 15:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States remains committed to helping
secure a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, said
US Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza. In his words, the
Presidents met in Bucharest last weekend for intensive, detailed
negotiations. “Obviously, no breakthrough was reached, but we
continue to believe that 2006 represents a window of opportunity
if the Presidents can make difficult, courageous decisions to move
forward with a settlement,” he underscored.

Bryza also stressed that the United States is interested in
broadening cooperation with Azerbaijan in all fields. “We already
enjoy excellent cooperation on military and security matters, energy
issues, and democratic and economic reforms. President Aliyev’s visit
to Washington was very successful in advancing this cooperation and we
hope to deepen our cooperation still further in the weeks and months
to come,” he remarked, reports Trend.

RENEGADES WITH CALCULATORS
by Anastasia Kornya, Alexei Nikolsky
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Vedomosti, June 6, 2006, p. A2
Agency WPS
What the Papers Say Part B (Russia)
June 6, 2006 Tuesday

Corruption scandal in the Auditing Chamber; The Auditing Chamber itself
is at the center of a scandal – for the first time in its history. One
Auditing Chamber official has been arrested, and several others have
been suspended. Auditing Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin promises
that further action will be taken.

Auditing Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin has given his own version
of the situation involving Kalmykian Senator Levon Chakhmakhchjan and
some Auditing Chamber officials. Stepashin told Interfax yesterday
that Transaero CEO Alexander Pleshakov had informed him that some
mediators were asking for $3 million to intercede with the Auditing
Chamber on Transaero’s behalf. The Auditing Chamber audited Transaero
recently and decided that the company owed 14 million rubles to
customs authorities. Informed that a fraud was under way, Stepashin
went directly to Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Nikolai
Patrushev. President Putin and the heads of both houses of parliament
were informed in advance of the planned arrests. Hence the swiftness
with which the Federation Council set out to clean its slate. The
operation took place last Friday, June 2, and the following day
Sergei Mironov was already appealing to the Kalmykian authorities to
recall their senator. Once Chakhmakhchjan is stripped of senatorial
immunity, the question of pressing criminal charges against him will
be considered, a source in the Prosecutor General’s Office said.

Transaero and the Economic Development Ministry signed an investment
agreement in 1999 (procurement of ten TU-204 planes by Transaero in
return for no more customs duty on imports of foreign planes into
Russia). Then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed the agreement
as well. The expected investments in the Russian aircraft industry
never materialized. The Prosecutor General’s Office appealed to the
government in 2004 to demand compensation from Transaero. The Economic
Development Ministry tried to have the courts annul the agreement,
but failed. Minister Herman Gref and Pleshakov signed a supplement
to the agreement, extending it to 2007.

Insiders report the arrests of Igor Arushanov and Armen Oganesjan
under Article 195 of the Criminal Code (fraud). The former is a
book-keeper with the Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation Association,
headed by Chakhmakhchjan; the latter is an assistant auditor and
Chakhmakhchjan’s son-in-law. “The detainees demanded $1.5 million
from a certain businessman in return for deleting negative conclusions
from an audit report drawn up by the Auditing Chamber,” a source said.

Stepashin promises that other crooks will be exposed as well.

Experts are skeptical, saying that auditors are unlikely to be
really involved. Ex-auditor Vladislav Ignatov maintains that amending
documents drawn up by the Auditing Chamber is easier through technical
personnel. “Auditors only draw a report and forward it to the Board
for endorsement. It is the Auditing Chamber bureaucratic machinery
that is responsible for the final text of the document,” Ignatov said.

Kirill Kabanov, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Committee,
points out that this is the first corruption scandal to involve
Stepashin’s Auditing Chamber.

THE RESIDENTS OF GYUMRI CANNOT GET HYPOTHEC LOANS

A1+
[08:42 pm] 07 June, 2006

The volumes of money transfer into Armenia surpass the annual budget
of the country forming about 1 billion USD. Nevertheless, the money
transfers received by the residents of the country are not mentioned
in any documents and cannot be basis for getting hypothec loans.

The concept of hypothec loans is a new one in Armenia and although
there are a number of homeless people in Gyumri, not many of them
are willing to buy a house by hypothec loan. The reason is that in
order to get the loan the citizens must have a monthly income of at
least 500 USD, prove it with documents and be able to pay a monthly
sum of 300 USD to the bank.

TV Company “Tsayg”, Gyumri

EDUARD TOPCHIAN GIVEN TITLE OF RA HONORED ART FIGURE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By RA President Robert
Kocharian’s June 6 decree, Art Director and Principal Conductor of the
Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra Eduard Topchian was given the
title of RA Honored Art Figure for his contribution to development of
classical performance art and on the occasion of the Orchestra’s 80th
anniversary. Noyan Tapan was informed about it from the President’s
Press Office.

VIMPELCOM BIDS FOR ARMENIA MOBILE OPERATOR ARMENTEL

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 7 2006

MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti) – VimpelCom (RTS: VIMP) has tabled a
bid for a 90% stake in Armenia’s leading cell operator ArmenTel,
Russia’s no.2 mobile phone company said Wednesday.

Greek company OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications Organizations SA)
said in April it was planning to sell the stake.

“We will take part in the first stage of the tender,” said VimpelCom
spokesperson Yulia Ostroukhova. “But we are not going to reveal any
details until the tender results are announced.”

Russia’s telecommunications company AFK Sistema (RTS: AFKS; LSE: SSA)
is also bidding for ArmenTel, the company’s chief executive Vladimir
Yevtushenkov said.

The Armenian government holds 10% in ArmenTel, which with about
330,000 users counts just over a tenth of the population as its
clients, as of late March 2006.

ARMENIA MUST BE MORE ACTIVE IN DEFENDING ITS CITIZENS’ RIGHTS ABROAD

Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006

YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. Armenia must be more active in defending
its citizens’ rights abroad, Vice-Chairman of the Constitutional
Right Union (CRU), Chairman of the Editorial Board, “Iravunk” (Right)
newspaper, Hayk Babukhanyan told reporters.

“I believe that the measures taken by our Government in this direction
are extremely unsatisfactory. The result is a negative attitude to
Armenians both in Russia and in other countries over the last few
years,” he said.

In this context Babukhanyan pointed out that Armenia’s authorities
must create such conditions in the country that would allow people
to stay instead of going abroad for money. “Armenians staying in
other countries, particularly in Russia, are is unsatisfactory social
conditions, not equal with the local population, which is frequently
the cause of their violating the law,” Babukhanyan said. He pointed out
that this phenomenon casts aspersions on the entire Armenian nation.

He also stressed that Armenia’s authorities have no political programs
of raising Armenia’s reputation abroad.

The Migration Agency, RA Ministry of Territorial Administration,
reports that a total of 833.3ths people left Armenia in 2005 against
737.8ths in 2004.

Embassy of The United States
Yerevan, Armenia

2006 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT ARMENIA (TIER 2 WATCH LIST)

Armenia is a major source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination
country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to
the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Turkey. Traffickers, many of them
women, route victims directly into Dubai or through Moscow. Traffickers also
route victims to Turkey through Georgia via bus. Profits derived from the
trafficking of Armenian victims reportedly increased dramatically from the
previous year.
The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum standards
for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant
efforts to do so. Armenia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a second
consecutive year because of its failure to show evidence of increasing
efforts over the past year, particularly in the areas of enforcement,
trafficking-related corruption, and victim protection. While the government
increased implementation of its anti-trafficking law, it failed to impose
significant penalties for convicted traffickers. The government failed to
vigorously investigate and prosecute ongoing and widespread allegations of
public officials’ complicity in trafficking. Victim protection efforts
remained in early, formative stages. Victim-blaming and lack of sensitivity
for victims remain a problem among Armenian officials, particularly in the
judiciary.

Prosecution
In 2005, the Government of Armenia increased the use of the 2003
anti-trafficking statute under Article 132, which prohibits trafficking in
persons for forced labor and sexual exploitation. However, many courts
overturned convictions handed down under Article 132, and reduced sentences
by converting the charges into lesser pimping charges. The government
continued to apply other criminal codes to about half of its trafficking
cases in 2005. During the reporting period, the government investigated 30
trafficking cases, resulting in 14 prosecutions and 17 convictions. While
Article 132 provides for longer sentences, penalties actually imposed
continue to be insufficient and not commensurate with those for other
equally grave crimes in Armenia. During the reporting period, only a few
convictions resulted in actual imprisonment; the remaining offenders
received suspended sentences, corrective labor and fines. Lack of public
confidence and allegations of official complicity continued to hurt the
credibility of the government’s anti-trafficking efforts. The government
established a special task force in February 2006 to investigate widespread
allegations against an official within the Prosecutor General’s
anti-trafficking unit. However, after a cursory investigation, this task
force found no evidence of any wrongdoing. The government failed to provide
direct training to educate prosecutors and judges on its new trafficking
law, although it distributed to police practical guidelines on methods to
investigate trafficking cases.
Protection
The Armenian Government continued to rely on international organizations and
NGOs to provide protection and assistance to trafficking victims; these
non-governmental groups cited good cooperation with government officials.
Victim assistance programs reportedly sheltered 16 victims in 2005, the
majority referred by Armenian officials. Notably, the police took the
initiative to invite NGOs to screen and interview four suspected trafficking
victims. A formalized screening and referral mechanism has yet to be
developed or implemented among law enforcement officials. Some victims
continue to receive poor treatment during court cases, reducing the
likelihood of future victims willing to come forward to testify against
their traffickers.
Prevention
In 2005, official recognition and acknowledgment of trafficking in Armenia
improved and the government began to implement its January 2004 National
Action Plan (NAP). Government officials made public appeals to help raise
awareness about trafficking. The government joined UNDP in raising awareness
about trafficking. The Department for Migration and Refugees (DMR) included
trafficking information in its outreach activities through the distribution
of brochures and visits to rural regions in Armenia. The DMR also developed
a draft law on regulating labor migration, to include licensing for
employment agencies that recruit people for jobs abroad. The government
continued to provide housing to vulnerable children released from Armenian
orphanages.

AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS CONTINUE TALKS TO SETTLE NK CONFLICT TODAY

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 5 2006

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s President Robert
Kocharian today continued the negotiating process for the settlement
of the Nagorno Garabagh conflict in the Romanian capital, Bucharest.

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Romania told APA that the presidents did
not make any statements after about 40-minute talks. The results of
the meeting are not yet made public.

The Presidents started the talks in Bucharest yesterday. No statement
was made after the yesterday’s 4-hour talks.

KARABAKH WAS SPOKEN ABOUT DURING THE SUMMIT

A1+
[08:41 pm] 05 June, 2006

Today Robert Kocharyan made a speech in the Dialogue and Cooperation
Black Sea Summit. Representing the importance of the work and
cooperation within the framework of the structure for Armenia Robert
Kocharyan mentioned what separated the members of the structure from
each other, “Unresolved ethnic conflicts and certain deficit of trust,
caused by the negative experiences of the history of the region”.

“I am confident that we shall concentrate on those elements which
unite us. We shall take steps to harmonize our reforms, achieve
unification of trade regimes and transportation tariffs. There is
a need for joint investment projects in the infrastructures of the
region. First of all, for energy and transportation projects, covering
the entire Black Sea basin, and increasing its economic attractiveness.

This will create favorable environment for resolution of existing
conflicts. Through cooperation to the settlement, through communication
to a bigger trust – that is the best formula for overcoming the
controversies, based on a search for a common interest”, Kocharyan
said and added, “In this context we are ready to continue dialogue
with Azerbaijan for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and with Turkey on establishing relations without any preconditions”.

Later on Kocharyan briefly represented the essence of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict and the attitude of Armenia in this connection, “The
people of Nagorno Karabakh have implemented in practice the right for
self-determination. It was done fully in line with the requirements of
international law. Results of the referendum on independence were later
defended in the war forced on that people. These events developed in
the timeframe of global changes, related to the collapse of the Soviet
Empire. That situation is classical for cases of self-determination
through secesion. Now for fifteen years Nagorno Karabakh Republic
continues to prove its right for independence by own achievements in
effective statecraft. A whole generation grew up there, which watches
itself as possessors and defenders of that statehood. We believe that
there is a need for effective efforts for a full-scale integration
of the Republic in the international society”.