NO UNREGISTERED PASSENGERS FOUND ON THE CRASHED PLANE

Panorama.am
13:27 04/05/06

Gayane Davtyan, Press Secretary of the Armenian Civil Aviation
General Department Head refuted in an interview with Panorama.am
the information disseminated by Russian mass media that three of the
passengers of Yerevan-Sochi plane A-320, crashed on May 3, were not
found in the passenger list.

Referring to Regnum, Russian RTR TV station told today that three
passengers were found among the victims at the place of the crashed
plane whose names were not listed in the passenger list.

“Not that people or their surnames were missing but 1-2 mistakes
were found in the spelling of their surnames. For example, instead of
“Harutunyan” “Parutunyan” was written. It is about of such errors.

In any case CAGD Aviation Security Department has checked the
information – the names and surnames of passengers, and has found
out that there were only differences in the spellings of surnames
of several passengers. That is, the number of people listed and
actually on the plane was the same – 105. Nothing can be said about
the existence of 3 extra passengers,” CAGD Head Press Secretary says,
commenting on the information disseminated by the Russian mass media.

To our question if in fact the rescuers managed to find one of the
“black boxes”, Gayane Davtyan said, “No, at the moment (11.30 a.m.) no
“black box” has been found.”

According to Regnum, 17 bodies taken out from Black Sea, were
identified as of 10 a.m., May 4.

BUSH ADMINISTRATION PRESENTED CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF A-320 VICTIMS

Panorama.am
12:53 04/05/06

US President George Bush’s Administration has presented its condolences
to families of A-320 crash victims. “We present our sincere condolences
to the people of Armenia and Russia, as well as to the families of
those, who died in the crash of Armavia flight heading from Yerevan to
the south of Russia,” the statement released in Washington says. Wires
with condolences to Armenia and Russia have been arriving from the
whole world.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TALKS ON RESTORING ABKHAZ SECTION OF GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN RAILWAY HELD IN MOSCOW

Apsnypress, Sukhumi
4 May 06

Sukhumi, 4 April: Negotiations continued today in Moscow over the
restoration of the Abkhazia section of the Transcaucasian Railway
[connecting Georgia and Russia]. Taking part are representatives of
Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia and Armenia.

The Abkhaz delegation consists of Andrey Turukin, representative of
the republic of Abkhazia to the government of the Russian Federation
on railway issues, Guram Gubaz, director-general of the Abkhaz railway
directorate, and his deputy, Daur Avidzba.

Georgia is represented by Irakli Ezugbaia, director-general of the
Georgian Railways Ltd and Iuri Chavchanidze, director of railway
infrastructure. The Armenian delegation is headed by the head of
Armenian Railways, Ararat Khrimyan.

The Russian delegation is led by Mikhail Akulov, the vice-president
of the joint stock company Russian Railways, who is also chairing
the meeting.

“At yesterday’s meeting we discussed general principles for the
creation of an international consortium, its name, form of ownership,
i.e. all organisational issues. No specific decisions have yet been
made,” Turukin told Apsnypress by telephone.

Today a protocol of a general organisational character is to be signed.

Turukin said that the document should reflect that the sides are in
agreement over the creation of a consortium. The consortium will
most likely be called the Caucasus Railway Consortium. “This will
probably be an open-type joint stock company, given the fact that it
will be necessary to attract investment and create shareholdings,”
Turukin said.

At the meeting, the consortium’s place of registration was also
discussed, though the sides have yet to reach consensus on this
issue. The Russian delegation proposed that it be organized in
Russia. “Then, some international body will be invited to prepare a
business plan. This should be an authoritative international body,”
he said.

The protocol, he said, will reflect these considerations.

“This is the first protocol. It will signed today by all the
sides. Abkhazia is a full participant in these talks, not merely an
adjunct party. We insisted that Abkhazia be represented as a fully
fledged participant,” Turukin said.

He added that the meeting is going forward in a very constructive
working atmosphere. “The sides comprehend the fact that this is
an important matter, that infrastructure must be restored. In the
future we will discuss the levels of equity and the principles of
dividing equity, and who will enter the consortium with what shares,”
Turukin said.

AZERI FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT ON US REMARKS ABOUT KARABAKH

Lider TV, Baku
1 May 06

[Presenter] The USA is ready to take all steps to resolve the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. This
statement has been made following President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to
the USA. Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov regards this as a success.

[Mammadyarov speaking in his office, captioned] The US president and
government are ready to take any measures necessary for the rapid
settlement of the conflict. This is a crucial statement. It means
that both the American president and the government are ready to do
their best to bring peace into the region.

THE FIRST BODIES WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO ARMENIA TONIGHT

A1+
[03:47 pm] 04 May, 2006

20 – 30 bodies will be transported from Sochi to Armenia at 22:00
tonight. According to the latest data, 20 bodies have already been
recognized by the relatives.

Today the RA Government decided to allocate 1.5 million AMD to the
families of each victim. Foreigners will not receive any help,
as the RF Government decided to show assistance to the families
of their citizens. After the governmental session Minister of
Regional Government Hovik Abrahamyan announced they are ready to give
transportation and material support to those Armenia citizens who would
like to transport their relatives’ bodies and bury them in Armenia,
regardless of the Russian humanity.

There are already good coffins at the airport, and people can take them
out of charge. Soon the Government will open a bank account to help the
families of innocent victims. Hovik Abrahamyan who is also the head
of the committee engaged in eliminating the air crash consequences,
informed the journalists that many businessmen already expressed their
readiness to shoulder the victims’ families. According to their data,
there are 300 Armenian citizens in Sochi who arrived from Armenia,
10 rescuers are involved in searching and so far they have countered
no technical problems. The Minister didn’t comment on the possible
causes of the air crash.

RIVERS WILL ALSO BE DREDGED

A1+
[05:13 pm] 04 May, 2006

The Government allocated 80million AMD to the RA Ministry of
Agriculture in order to purify the river-bed of the Aghstev in Dilijan
and to solidify its banks. The Government also allocated 25 million AMD
from reserve fund to the regional council of Vayots Dzor to implement
anti-overflowing programs in the most dangerous fragments of the
rivers Arpa, Eghegis and Elpin passing through the villages Arpi,
Getap, Elpi and Shati.

SECTION 907 TO BE APPLIED TO AZERBAIJAN UP TO SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH ISSUE

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.05.2006 18:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act will be
applied to Azerbaijan up to settlement of the conflict in Nagorno
Karabakh,” stated Public Affairs officer of the US Embassy in
Azerbaijan Jonathan Henick. In his words, in spite the US Government
was against application of Section 907 to Azerbaijan, Congress kept
it in effect. “we are very content with the fact that Section 907
regarding Azerbaijan and continuation of our business cooperation
with that country is frozen for 5 years,” the US diplomat noted,
reports APA.

We note that Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act was adopted by
the US Congress in 1991 after Azerbaijan and Turkey blocked the border
with Armenia and Azerbaijan’s aggression against Nagorno Karabakh.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AAA EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF VICTIMS OF ARMAVIA PLANE CRASH

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 03 2006

WASHINGTON, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Hirair Hovnanian,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Assembly of
America (AAA), on behalf of the AAA’s leadership, members and staff,
extends his heartfelt condolences to all the families and friends of
the victims of the Armavia plane crash in Sochi. “This tragedy, in
which our fellow compatriots perished, is a great loss for the entire
Armenian nation. You are in our thoughts and prayers,” Hirair Hovnanian
writes in his letter of condolences, submitted to “Noyan Tapan”
by Arpi Vartanian, AAA’s Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Country Director.

MOSCOW INCIDENT IS NOT CONNECTED WITH MY BEING ARMENIAN, MIKAEL DOVLATIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
May 03 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. “The incident that happened to me in
Moscow is not connected with my being Armenian. Such cases happen
to Georgians, Azerbaijanis and people of other nationalities, too,”
film director Mikael Dovlatian declared at the May 2 press conference
in connection with the attack upon him by a group of young people
some days ago in Moscow underground. According to him, this group
of young people was like a “pack of wolves” and their goal was to
do harm to people of other nationalities. According to M.Dovlatian,
if such incidents become frequent, it is not excluded that a civil
war will start in Russia. “This is a bright example of xenophobia and
the Russian government should undertake serious measures as otherwise
this anti-hysteria will cause many problems for Russia and other CIS
countries,” M.Dovlatian emphasized. He also mentioned that he has
no hope that this case will be disclosed. According to M.Dovlatian,
he has nothing against Russia and will continue to cooperate with
Russian cinematographers. But Ruben Gevorgiants, Chairman of the Union
of Armenian Cinematographers, said that the Russian cinematographers
have refused to take part in the “Yes Em” (“It’s Me”) international
youth festival starting on May 3 in Yerevan.

RUSSIA ON THE BRINK OF SEPARATION
Aram Abarahamian

Aravot.am
03 May 06

Those persons in Russia who are for “Russia for Russians” slogan and
encourage slaughters of foreigners perhaps are sincerely sure that they
assist in territorial integrity and power of their country. But it is
too easy to prove that they stimulize just the opposite process. When
an Armenian, Tajik or Azerbaijani is asked; “what do you do here,
go back to your country?” the … for Russia are simply economic; it
means that their production or construction where foreigners work,
will stop, as Russian nation can’t. But when the same is asked to
Tatars or Bashkirian or Yakuts who live in Moscow or in Tambov, it
is a serious threat to territorial integrity of the country because
if Russians want to live in Tambov themselves it will be very natural
that Tatars will want to in Kazan only themselves and it will be the
end of Russian state.

Russia has existed for centuries as an Empire. And national minority
should have a certain status in the Empire, perhaps not equal
to the “main” nation. When the major nation of the Empire begins
thinking that other nations disturb them, it is a /// of Empire
destruction. It happened to the Russian Empire at the end of 19th
century. In particularly Russian nationalists together with tsar
“okhranka” created and spread “The records of Zion wise men” for
slandering proposes. The Bolsheviks “internationalism” in the soviet
empire was imitated but it was an official ideology, which helped to
keep the empire for a while.

It is difficult to say with which it is possible to change
“internationalism”. But it is obvious that the primitive nationalism
is supported by the authorities leads the country to separation. By
the way it is possible that the enemies of Russia understand it that
sponsor fascist moods.

Here our authority cherishes hopes with this country, which is on
the brink of separation. That’s true, all these are too difficult
for them but making money and “keeping posts” is clear and obvious.