Author: Varosian Antranik

Zaman Online, Turkey
March 18 2006

Ankara Refuses US Call to Open Armenian Border
By Suleyman Kurt, Ankara
Published: Saturday, March 18, 2006
zaman.com

The Turkish government responded negatively once again to a demand
from the United States to open the Armenian border.

An envoy from the United States brought the Mountainous Karabag
(Karabagh) region to the agenda in search of a resolution as they asked
the Turkish government to reevaluate the Armenian border. On Thursday,
Turkish foreign ministry officials met with Assistant Secretary of
States Daniel Friend of the United States as well as with Ambassador
Steven Mann, a United States negotiator assigned to find a resolution
to the Mountainous Karabagh question.

Fried addressed the demand to open the Armenian border, according
to reporters. Ankara, however, acted unenthusiastically to the issue
at hand. Turkish officials classified the Armenian cessation of its
invasion of the Karabagh region as one of the three requirements for
the appeasement of relations between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey is
also pushing Armenia to disavow its allegations of genocide and to
remove from the Armenian constitution the anti-Turkish clauses.

Another topic at the meeting was the demand to ease the administration
in North Cyprus off economic isolation. The United States envoy
preferred to give priority to diplomacy in handling with Iran,
reporters said, although the US administration reserves the possibility
of a military operation as well.

RA PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSS REGIONAL PROBLEMS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006

YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. The RA President Robert Kocharyan and
Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Daniel Frid discussed
regional problems in Yerevan on March 16.

According to the Press Service of the RA President, during the meeting
interlocutors also discussed issues referring to guarantee of energy
security of Armenia.

The sides exchanged opinions concerning the situation formed around
the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and future steps towards
its settlement.

“Challenges of Millennium” program was also discussed by the
interlocutors during the meeting. American Co-Chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group Steven Mann took part in the meeting. S.P. –0–

CBA BOARD PRESENTS PECULIARITIES OF ITS NEW MONETARY AND CREDIT POLICY TO HEADS OF COMMERCIAL BANKS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 16 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting of the Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA) Board members and the heads of the commercial banks
took place on March 14. NT was informed from the CBA press service
that the new instruments of the CBA monetary and credit policy
and the principles of their use were presented at the meeting. It
was noted that in order to ensure price stability in Armenia, the
CBA shifted to inflation targeting in January 2006 and currently
attaches importance to increasing the efficiency of the interest rate
transfer mechanism in the monetary and credit policy. The success
here will depend on a number of tasks such as the fight against
the shadow economy, the development of the financial system, the
integration of the international financial systems and increasing
the financial market liquidity. It was pointed out at the meeting
that the low level of liquidity of the Armenian financial market
prevents efficient management of financial institutions’ liquidity,
and therefore the crediting of the economy. The meeting participants
pointed out that the instruments of the monetary and credit policy
should be aimed, through increasing the financial market liquidity,
at enhancing the efficiency of the interest rate instrument of the
transfer mechanism and strengthening the role of the short-term
interest rate for the financial market participants. The change in
the monetary and credit policy’s strategy requires that the logic of
the CBA operations on the domestic financial market be reviewed. It
was underlined that for this purpose every Wednesday, as the main
instrument, the CBA will implement 14-day repo operations at the
interest rate of refinancing. The CBA will set the refinancing
interest rate, taking into account the deviations of the forecast
and target inflation indices, as well as the tendecies shown by the
interest rates on the market and the profitablity curve. Long-term
restricting structural instruments will be used, particularly the
issue of bonds and the sale of foreign currency for the monetary base
and liquidity management. The interest rate of lombard credit will
be smoothly reduced and will not be viewed as an instrument for fining.

CONGRESSMAN MILLER TAKES STRUGGLE IN DARFUR TO UN

California Chronicle, CA
March 8 2006

California Political Desk
March 7, 2006

Miller Follows Up on Trip to Sudan with Pleas for International
Assistance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman George Miller, House Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi, and several other members of Congress met today with
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York City to
express their sense of urgency about the need for more forces and
humanitarian assistance in the Darfur region of the Sudan to address
the serious crisis there.

“We wanted to make sure that the United Nations heard our message
loud and clear: that we cannot let the Sudanese government continue
to victimize its own citizens,” said Miller. “We need to make sure
that the U.N. remains committed to increasing the number of United
African troops in the region to protect the people there.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, an estimated 1.9
million people have been displaced because of the political crises and
more that 213,000 people have been forced away from their homes and
into neighboring Chad. While there are no reliable estimates of the
number of people killed as a result of the conflict, some observers
project that up to 300,000 people have been killed over the past 24
months. In July 2004, the House and Senate declared the atrocities
in Darfur “genocide,” and the Bush Administration reached the same
conclusion in September 2004.

“Despite the passage of time, the situation in Darfur is getting
worse, not better,” Miller said. “The world community must respond
immediately. The current African Union Forces need to be strengthened
and given greater support. President Bush has declared this crisis
to be genocide, and it will continue to be genocide unless there is
a stronger reaction from the world community, including the United
States.”

Miller noted that on April 30 in Washington, D.C. and in other cities
thousands of people are expected to hold protests calling for stronger
actions on Darfur. Prominent political figures, faith leaders, human
rights activists, entertainers, journalists and thousands of others
who support a stronger multi-national force to protect the civilians
of Darfur are expected to participate.

“During the past genocides of Armenia, the Holocaust, and Rwanda, the
world community failed to speak up and act with diligence in a timely
manner,” Miller added. “Now we look back at the tens of millions of
lost and destroyed lives and ask how this happened. Today we have the
opportunity to learn from history rather than repeat it. Already too
much damage has occurred but if we act with diligence now, perhaps
we can stop this catastrophe that is occurring in Darfur.”

AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN FORCES EXCHANGE MORE WEAPONS

Pravda, Russia
March 9 2006

Azerbaijani and Armenian forces exchanged more weapons fire along
the countries’ northern border, Azerbaijani military officials said
Thursday, in the latest rise in violence between the two Caucasus
nations.

A Defense Ministry statement said its forces in five locations were
fired on by Armenian forces with mortars and gunfire on Wednesday
and that the firing halted only after Azerbaijani troops returned fire.

The ministry reported no casualties.

Armenian defense officials could not be immediately reached for
comment.

Earlier this week, the two sides exchanged heavy gunfire and mortar
fire at several points along their border, killing at least one
Azerbaijani soldier and wounding several Azerbaijani and Armenian
soldiers.

The two countries remain at odds over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,
an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. A cease-fire agreement
was reached in 1994 after six years of fighting, and the enclave is now
under the control of ethnic Armenians, whose troops face Azerbaijani
forces across a half-mile-wide no man’s land.

Sporadic clashes, however, break out along the Nagorno-Karabakh border
and land mines continue to kill people every year, reports the AP.

ARMENIANS HOLD MILITARY DRILL ON OCCUPIED LAND

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
March 9 2006

Armenia has held military exercises in the occupied Azerbaijani
territories, a move that comes just a day after Azerbaijan President
Ilham Aliyev visited the frontline during his visit to the central
districts in lowland Garabagh.

The training was spearheaded by the commander of the former Russian
366th motorized- infantry regiment, “defense minister” of the
self-proclaimed Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh republic, lieutenant-general,
Seyran Aronian, Armenian media reported. The military unit was
responsible for the horrendous massacre of Azerbaijanis perpetrated by
Armenians in the Khojaly district on February 26, 1992, which killed
hundreds of civilians, including the elderly, women and children.

Aronian was granted the military rank of lieutenant-general on the 14th
anniversary of the tragedy. Special instructors from Russia, Canada,
USA, Germany and England were reportedly drawn to the exercises.

Armenpress

ARMENIANS OF JAVAKHETI SPEAK OF THEIR PROBLEMS

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: Leaders of several
Armenian and Georgia-based Armenian non-governmental
organizations warned yesterday that the region of
Samtskhe-Javakheti, in the south of Georgia, populated
largely by ethnic Armenians, may lose its Armenian
population in 30 years unless urgent measures were
taken to prevent outflow of young men from the region.
The region lacks industrial enterprises for
processing of agricultural goods. Private
entrepreneurs face a set of problems at Georgia’s
border with Armenia, when dealing with customs office,
let alone the poor condition of roads. The only
‘enterprise’ that gives jobs to around 3,000 local
people is the Russian military base, which is set to
be pulled out next year. Local population accuses
central authorities in Tbilisi of ignoring their
problems, of doing nothing to attract domestic and
foreign investors, forcing thousands of young men to
look for jobs in Russia or in Armenia.
Another factor stimulating outflow of young
population is the absence of higher educational
establishments. The majority of young men and women
who get education in Russia and Armenia choose to stay
there as they see no prospect of finding jobs in the
homeland. Central authorities are transferring all
administrative bodies from Akhalkalaki, the center of
Javakheti region to Akhaltsikhe, the administrative
center of Samtskhe-Javakheti province, while all force
bodies are being concentrated in Akhalkalaki. Young
Armenian males of the region are not drafted to the
army and few of locals speaks Georgian.
Overall 100,000 Armenians live in Javakheti , who
make 95 percent of the local population, 32 percent
are people aged from 16 to 35 years, but only 7
percent have jobs, the rest are jobless. Around 9,000
young men leave the region for Russia every year to
work there and only half of them comes back home. The
yesterday’s meeting also denounced Armenian members of
the Georgian parliament who are reluctant or are
afraid to raise these issues.
Georgian ambassador Revaz Gachechiladze, who was
also present, argued that the problems faced by
Armenians of Javakheti are common for all Georgian
regions. He said more efforts should be made to
attract private investments and urged local Armenians
to learn Georgian to facilitate their integration with
the society.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Talvitie: Balance between Two Basic Principles Should
Be Found in Karabakh Issue

11.03.2006 19:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ «Some perspective appeared today
within «the Prague Process», however there are still
unsettled matters and it is had to say whether parties
are close to settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict,» former OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, former EU
Special Representative to the South Caucasus Heikki
Talvitie stated in an interview with the Golos
Armenii. In his words, «Key West was in 2001 and many
people believed that the solution is close,» while
Talvitie himself had a different opinion, «I did not
believe Heydar Aliyev will accept the Key West
proposal.» When answering the question, «Which is the
basic principle of the talks?» he said, «It is
preservation of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
and the right of Nagorno Karabakh to
self-determination. In my opinion it is necessary to
find a balance between these two basic principles.»

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED STATES

His Holiness Aram I received the Ambassador of the United States to Lebanon,
Mr. Jeffrey Feltman in his office in Antelias on March 8.

The two discussed issues related to the internal situation in Lebanon, the
national political dialogue and the role of the Armenian community during a
meeting that lasted about an hour and a half.

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View photo here: tm#2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

ANDRE’S BIRTHPLACE IRRITATES THE AZERIS

A1+
01:25 pm 13 March, 2006

The Azeris have launched a “cultural war” against the organizers of
the singing festival “Eurovision” and Greece where the festival is
to be organized this year.

The fact that irritated them was the biography of Andre representing
Armenia which was represented in the official website of the
competition. The problem is that Andre is from Karabakh. “This fact
can be evaluated as absence of respect for the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan. It can be deduced from the fact that the organizers
of the festival defend the aggressive policy of Armenia”, the letter
to the organizers of “Eurovision” says, day.az reports.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture found it necessary to remind
that the international community has focused its attention on the
negotiation process carried out with the OSCE Minsk group, and “such
facts” can have a negative influence on the process.

At the end of the letter the Azeri side had voiced hope that the
organizers of the competition who contribute to the dialogue of
cultures will solve the problem and will display respect for the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.