Agence France Presse — English
March 23, 2006 Thursday 3:38 AM GMT

102 mined areas in east Armenia: UN

YEREVAN, March 23 2006

Some 102 mine fields dot Armenia’s eastern regions near the border
with Azerbaijan, endangering local inhabitants, UN officials said
after examining the area.

The landmine-littered areas, which had already killed over 160 people
and injured over 230 more, contaminate some 320 square kilometers and
have a negative impact on the lives of over 69,000 locals, the UN
de-mining project’s press release said.

“We are now seeking international donors for de-mining all over the
country. It is an expensive program, it takes seven dollars to
de-mine one square meter. If we get the required means, the program
may be complete in five years,” the project’s spokeswoman Anush
Arutyunyan said.

The landmines in south Armenia had been installed as part of defenses
during a military conflict over Azerbaijan’s mostly-Armenian enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The two sides fought a war in the early 1990s over the territory,
leaving some 30,000 people dead and forcing about a million people to
flee their homes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijan News Service
March 23 2006

`ARMENIA WAITS FOR AZERBAIJAN’S NEXT STEP’ V.OSKANYAN 2006-03-23
19:16
Armenia waits for Azerbaijan’s next step. According to the
information given from Armenians’ Regnum agency, Vardan Oskanyan,
foreign minister of Armenia, spoke about it. He stated that official
Iravan did more for solving Daqliq Qarabaq conflict in peace. Now
it’s Azerbaijan’s turn. Oskanyan also touched OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs’ meeting, held in Istanbul. He stated that there were two
variants at present. Either the co-chairs will visit the region or
they will organize the two countries’ next meeting. And Andranik
Markaryan, the prime minister of Armenia, considers that it’s no use
to any country to start the second Qarabaq war. The prime minister
stated that recognition of fictitious Qarabaq regime as an
independent republic depends on the continuation of the negotiations.
Meanwhile, Tahir Tagizade, the head of the Foreign Ministry
information office, thinks the interpretations useless for such
declarations. Nevertheless, Mr. Tagizade stated that Azerbaijan did
the best to solve the conflict in peace. And even neglecting
Armenia’s breaking ceasefire; Azerbaijan is faithful to peace
negotiations. So Tahir Tagizade considers Azerbaijan’s this action as
the best step in the process. Meanwhile, touching to Istanbul
meeting, Mr. Tagizade says that co-chairs will announce the details
of negotiations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Advertiser, Australia
March 22, 2006 Wednesday
State Edition

The Games 350kg But gold-winning Alexsan wanted more;
He’s not heavy – he’s my son

by MICHAEL HORAN

Weightlifting

AN angry Alexsan Karapetyan crushed his opposition to win Australia
weighlifting gold in the men’s 94kg class yesterday.

Karapetyan was in a class of his own as he lifted a total of 350kg to
defend the Commonwealth Games title he won at Manchester four years
ago.

And Melbourne local hero Simon Heffernan, 31, made it a home-town
quinella when he farewelled inter national competition in theatrical
style to win the silver medal. Scotland’s Thomas Yule took the
bronze.

Karapetyan didn’t appear until every other competitor had made all
three lifts in the snatch section and with his first attempt he
raised 155kg put a five-kilogram space between himself and the field.

The ante was upped by 10kg for the next lift and Karapetyan clearly
wanted more in order to bid to break his own Commonwealth Games
record of 167kg, but coach Luke Borregine argued against it.

The crowd watched a testy exchange between the pair on the two big
screens before a simmering Karapetyan returned to the platform. He
easily lifted the 165kg and then appeared to throw the barbell down
in open disgust.

”I wanted to lift 170kg, I wanted to post a new record. I was a bit
angry, but it is okay. I have forgotten already,” an exuberant
Karapetyan said later.

Karapetyan accepted his gold medal draped in an Australian flag and
holding his two-year-old son Garik in his arms.

”When I came to compete my son said ‘father, I need gold – nothing
else’,” Karapetyan said.

The 35-year-old vowed he would be in New Delhi in four years’ time in
a bid to make it three in a row.

Karapetyan, who competed for Armenia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and
then for Australia in Sydney 2000, cemented the gold medal with his
first lift in the clean and jerk, 185kg before missing twice at
190kg.

Heffernan, who missed Manchester four years ago due to a hernia
operation, wowed the crowd with extroverted behaviour after each
successful lift in the snatch.

He gave the Brett Lee ”chainsaw” after lift one, a windmill and a
Lleyton Hewitt gesture second time around and even threw in a pelvic
thrust much to the delight of the packed house.

Later he vritually conceded it was time to quit.

”I think I’m done. It’s a good time to just finish on a good note,”
Heffernan, a schoolteacher who is due back at work on Monday, said.

Australia’s Deborah Lovely won a gold medal after a tight battle in
the women’s 75kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games in
Melbourne last night.

Lovely was equal with Nauru’s Sheba Deireragea after the snatch, but
outlifted her by 6kg in the clean and jerk to take the title.

Deireragea won silver, with South Africa’s Babalwa Ndleleni taking
bronze.

Lovely won a silver medal in the same event at the Manchester Games
in 2002.

The woman who won gold on that occasion, India’s Pujari Shailaja, had
been the favourite to defend her title here until she was
disqualified from competing after recently testing positive to a
banned drug.

Men’s 94kg

G Aleksan Karapetyan (AUS) 165 185 35

S Simon Heffernan (AUS) 150 178 332

B Thomas Yule (SCO) 151 175 326

Women’s 75kg

G Deborah Lovely (AUS)

S Sheba Deireragea (NAU)

B Babalwa Ndleneni (RSA)

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
March 22, 2006 Wednesday 7:50 PM MSK

Chances for Karabakh settlement decreasing – Oskanian

YEREVAN March 22

The prospects for a peaceful settlement in the dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh have decreased after Armenian-Azeri negotiations
were held in Rambouillet in February, Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian told Interfax on Wednesday.

“As of now it is difficult to say whether any agreement on Karabakh,
even a framework document, will be formulated in 2006. Such a result
is desirable, however, it is difficult to forecast anything,” he
said.

“Armenia has made a lot of compromises and we expect Azerbaijan to do
likewise,” the minister said.

“The Russian, French and U.S. co-chairmen of the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group have yet to
decide on the future of the Karabakh negotiations,” he said.

“Either international mediators will decide to visit the Karabakh
conflict zone or will organize another meeting of the Armenian and
Azeri foreign ministers,” he said.

The Rambouillet negotiations took place in France on February 10 –
11.

Daily Nation , Kenya
March 23 2006

SECOND IMPRESSION – Nothing new about these Armenians

Story by KAMAU MUTUNGA
Publication Date: 3/24/2006

Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargsyan are keeping to the beaten track,
writes KAMAU MUTUNGA [[email protected]]

The hilarious antics that have become the hallmark of the two
“Armenian brothers” are not the only ones where foreigners have come
visiting and left Kenyans startled.

But Artur Margaryan (lead role) and Artur Sargsyan (supporting cast)
of the ongoing stranger-than-fiction farce are far ahead of the pack
if their arrogance, sense of entitlement and sheer bravado are any
yard sticks.

Consider Artur Margaryan. He said he won’t leave the country anytime
soon. Perhaps meanwhile, he might do with a Kenyan nickname – Arthur
Magaka.

Magaka or “Magash” in street-speak, could be in need of a barber, but
make no mistake about his bling bling, confidence and wicked sense of
humour. His bling, comprising multiple gold chains, rings, “Al
Capone” sun glasses and an oversize crucifix, will soon have our
wanna-be hip-hop artistes rethinking how they are going to show off
theirs, which they invariably source from exhibition stalls on
hirepurchase.

And just which Kenyan can stand a crowd baying for his blood in a
strange land, let alone have the nerve to dare its Police
commissioner?

Well, Mr Moneybags Magash just gave us a lesson on how to handle the
boys in blue. And then of course, long after this mercenary soap
opera is over, we’ll always remember his clever and mischievous
one-liners. Asked why his vicious dobberman bit a CID officer, he
retorted: “Ask the dog!”

Alexandra Kwizera had no masculine one-liners to remember him by, but
we can’t forget the “chick” who in November 2005 was arrested at Yaya
Centre for masquerading as a woman. The braided and manicured 30-year
old Burundian man had an effeminate pose that rivalled any girl’s.

And what drift didn’t the world grip? That Alexandra – who pleaded
guilty to four counts of being in Kenya illegally – came in a forged
passport to realise his long life dream of getting a sex change.
After all, he had always played with dolls since childhood, he said.

Alexandra was fined Sh31,000 or six months in jail. He had 15 minutes
of fame or infamy, as much as the self styled Queen of Sheba in 2001.

You remember her: Like the “Armenian brothers”, she purportedly came
carrying serious cash – a dizzying Sh15 billion to invest. And
Kenyans, the incurable optimists that we are, believed her.

But this Caribbean 22-carat beauty named Debra Armelia George, was
actually a student. But before that sank in, she had already spent
Sh2m off the Grand Regency hotel’s balance sheet. That included
medical bill payments when she fell ill halfway through her working
holiday.

Such career moves, if you ask me, cannot be executed by the plain
Janes of this world – the kind that can get lost in a crowd of three.

While The Queen came to invest, one Michael Otieno wanted Sh386m for
himself and his henchmen. In January 2002, Oti actually a Nigerian
named Augustine Azubuike, lured, through the Internet, American
businessmen Daniel Marrow, a Baptist minister, Jim Harrel, a retired
policeman and Jurgen Ahlaman to Kenya to sign a Sh732m uncut diamond
deal.

But the only deal that was cut was a Sh386m ransom on their combined
greying heads. For 87 days, the trio survived on water, bread and
diarrhoea – inducing pizzas before they were rescued by the FBI. Oti
was sentenced to seven years in the coolers for kidnapping.

Perhaps he should have learnt a few lessons from Dick Berg, the sly
hand who creamed off a sizeable chunk of the Fourth All Africa Games
kitty in 1987. Devious Dick took over total marketing of the games
after the owners of Arc Enterprises, who were sub-contracted to
organise a concert featuring international musicians, skived with
over Sh243,000 of ticket sales.

“We are very pleased,” said the then Culture permanent secretary Mr
Sospeter Arasa, “that Mr Berg was the first one to alert the police
about the runaway organisers”.

And so Berg, who looked like a cross between a missionary and a
back-packer tourist, got the deal. He assured gullible Kenyans that
they would get value for their money. He even apologised for having
been involved with crooks.

The republic believed him. It had already spent Sh160m which was to
be recovered through TV and film rights, courtesy of Berg’s
entrepreneurial genius. And the supposed marketing maestro had
already raised Sh30m, half in cash and goods, which the missionary in
him delivered to the organisers. But Berg was bitten by a crooked bug
and took off with the rest of the money on a one – way ticket to
Timbuktu.

The only communication to the organisers was a telex wishing them,
“success in the games”.

He has not been heard of since.

ARTSAKH PARLIAMENTARIES HONOUR WITH ONE MINUTE SILENCE MEMORY OF
VICTIMS OF 1920 ARMENIAN MASSACRES IN SHUSHI

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On March 22, a
regular plenary session of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic National
Assembly took place. At the beginning of the session, on the request
of the Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghoulian, the Deputies by a minute of
silence honored the memory of the Armenian pogroms in the town of
Shoushi carried out by Tatar-Azeri on March 23, 1920. Then, turning to
the discussion of issues of the agenda, the Parliamentarians adopted
bills “On Nature Protection Control”, “On Veterinary Science”, “On
Seeds”, on making amendments and supplements in the laws “On
Protection of Atmosphere Air”, “On Regulation of Apartment House”, “On
Taxes”, “On Tax on Added Value”, “On Payments on Obligatory Social
Insurance”, “On Organization and Conduct of Check-ups in the NKR”, “On
State Tax”, “On Licensing”, “On Tax on Profit”, etc. Draft laws “On
National Assembly” and “Agenda of the National Assembly” were send to
revision. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NKR Foreign Ministry’s
Information-Analytical Department, the annual report on the activity
of the NKR NA Control House in 2005 and information on the activity of
the NKR Prosecutor’s Offices’ bodies in 2005 were submitted to the
Deputies. At the end of the session, Deputies delivered statements.

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN GREETS HNCHAKIAN PARTY’S RETURN TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On March 23, RA
National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian received Sedrak Achemian,
Chairman of the Social-Democratic Hnchakian Party’s central board,
board member Matsak Poladian and party’s Armenian representative
Lyudmila Sargsian. Matsak Poladian informed NA Speaker about the
recent decisions of the Social-Democratic Hnchakian Party’s recent
congress mentioning that the party having structures in 14 countries
of the world has made a united decision to change its strategy and to
return to Armenia as far as possible, promoting its main activity in
the homeland. From considerations of making their own contribution to
the European integration processes, they also attached importance to
having offices in European capitals, in particular, in Brussels, for
lobbying activity. Greeting party’s return to Armenia, Artur
Baghdasarian touched upon Armenian political-legislative processes –
Electoral Code’s amending, bill “On Dual Citizenship”, attached
importance to the elaboration and implementation of the immigration
policy conception. As Noyan Tapan was informed from NA Public
Relations Department, possibilities of development of interparty
relations were also discussed at the meeting.

EDUCATIONAL CENTER OF ARMENIAN FRONTIER TROOPS FOUNDED IN YEREVAN WITH
FINANCING OF U.S. GOVERNMENT

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. An educational
center of RA Frontier Troops was founded on March 22 2006 in
Yerevan. The center for repaired with the assistance of the
U.S. government. The document on transferring the construction to the
Armenian side was signed by U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans and
Commander of RA Frontier Troops Armen Abrahamian. Within the
framework of struggle against illegal circulation of drugs and
cooperation in the law-enforcement sphere the U.S. government has
invested 130 thousand USD for finishing the repairs of the
building. The repairs started a year ago by investing 84 thousand USD
within the framework of the U.S. Embassy’s program on control over the
export and security of borders. As Embassy representatives informed,
the educational center of Frontier Troops is intended for training of
both beginning frontier guards and those doing service. After the
repairs of the first part of the educational center some groups of
frontier guards took part in courses with a duration of 1-2 months
preparing for replacing the Russian frontier troops in Zvartnots
airport. Soon it’s envisaged to organize courses on using equipment on
passport decoding. Henceforth conscripts won’t serve on land borders
of the country, therefore the frontier guards should have training in
order to learn how to control borders with conscripts being
absent. “For sovereign states a good guard of borders is one of the
most important problems,” Ambassador Evans mentioned. He emphasized
that the investments made for retraining of the Armenian frontier
forces proceed from the interests of the Armenian people and the whole
international community. As Armen Abrahamian, Commander of RA Frontier
Troops, mentioned, the U.S. government renders assistance to the
frontier troops within the framework of the program on control over
the export and safety of borders made between the Armenian and U.S.
governments in 2000. By this program, starting from 2001, the Service
of Frontier Control of Frontier Troops of Armenia has been given
transport means and instruments of examination, radio stations,
computers, cars and in May 2005 the repaired and equipped building of
Bagratashen check point was put into exploitation. However, according
to Abrahamian, all these resources won’t ensure the desirable result
without training and retraining of the specialists, the possibility
for which is created at the educational center.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO PAY WORKING VISITS TO U.S., RUSSIA AND SYRIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian will be in the U.S. on a working visit on March
26-31. On March 27, Minister Oskanian with U.S. Secretary of State
Condolezza Rice will take part in the ceremony of signing an agreement
between the Millennium Challenge Corporation and Armenia. A meeting
with OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chairman Steven Mann is to take
place the same day. On March 28, V.Oskanian will have a press
conference at Washington National Press Club. On March 27, Oskanian
will make a speech at a conference dedicated to Armenian issues
organized with joint efforts of the Armenian Assembly of America,
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Eastern Diocese of
the Armenian Church, as well as will have meetings with
representatives of the American Armenian community this and the
previous day. On March 29, Minister Oskanian will leave for New York.
On March 30, he will have meetings with UNDP Coordinator Kemal
Dervish, as well as General Assembly Chairman Jan Eliasson. On March
31, V.Oskanian is to meet with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The
same day Minister Oskanian will make a speech under the title
“Building of Statehood in the Caucasus” at Columbia University. As
Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press and
Information Departmemt, on April 6-7, Vartan Oskanian is to pay a
working visit to Moscow where he will have meetings with RF Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov and RF Security Council Secretary Igor
Ivanov. On April 7-9, Minister Oskanian will be in Syria on a working
visit where he will meet with President Bashar Asad and Foreign
Minister Valid Muallim. On April 9, Minister Oskanian will take part
in the festivities of the 100th anniversary of foundation of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union and 75th anniversary of foundation
of the Armenian Youth Association, as well as ceremony of opening of
the Gyulbenkian Center in Aleppo.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPRESENTATIVES OF POLITICAL FORCES ARE OF SAME OPINION THAT PROBLEM
OF MOVING ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ON RIGHT WAY OF DEVELOPMENT
EXISTS

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The discussion
convened on March 22 at the National Press Club with the participation
of representatives of political parties of Armenia was dedicated to
the present state of the Armenian-Russian mutual relations. According
to Shavarsh Kocharian, the Chairman of the National Democratic Party,
the main conflict between the two countries is that the life pushes
Armenia towards democracy, and Russia keeps the function of the
preserver of the authoritarian regime in the post-Soviet
territory. According to him, Russia is dissatisfied with Armenia’s
steps in the direction of the Eurointegration and wants Armenia have
such a controllable authoritarian system, as, for example, Belarus
has. Shavarsh Kocharian finds that in many issues, including the issue
of the Armenian-Russian relations, both society and a considerable
part of the political field often express an emotional approach. A
display of an emotional understanding is also the fact that, according
to the created impression, Russia has always assisted Armenians what
isn’t baseless but there were just opposite situations as well. So, in
spite of stubborn insistences of Azerbaijan, as of 1993, Russia gave
to Azerbaijan twice more tanks, 2.5 times more armoured cars, 1.5
times more guns with bigger than 100 mm calibre, twice more shock
helicopters, and Armenia got no military aircrafts (Su, MIG),
Azerbaijan got 53 ones. There was no case during the process of the
whole Karabakh conflict that Russian detachments struggle on the
Armenian side, and the oppisite has happened: if even we don’t take
into account the “Koltso” operation implemented by the Soviet army and
attacks in the region of Noyemberian, Armenia, then the attacks on
Martakert were directly implemented by the Russian troops. Among the
“legends,” the insistence of Armenia’s being the military advanced
post of Russia was also mentioned: according to Sh.Kocharian, by its
military-strategic meaning, the Gabali radiolocation station placed in
Azerbaijan is few dozens times more important that detachments of
Russian bases existing in Georgia and Armenia. But Aram Manukian, a
member of the Armenian National Movement administration pointed out
the positive role of Russia during the war. He reminded about the
political, diplomatic assistance showed by Russia, what is absent in
the context of solution of the Karabakh issue today. “Our those
strategic partners or those partner countries and organizations which
were silent during the movement and the war or assisted us, today
stated Armenia’s being aggressor, territories’ being captured. This
isn’t the fault of those stating, this the fault of today’s
authorities of Armenia,” the ANM representative finds. Even more,
according to him, “in the relations with Russia, authorities of a day
lost not today’s but tomorrow’s day, tomorrow’s authorities will stand
in front of irreversible processes.” According to Manukian, Russia’s
influence in all the spheres is spread because of Armenian
authorities’ “weakness, tolerance, being not honourable.” The armament
used up in all senses is moved from Georgia to Armenia, without even
asking about the latter’s opinion. According to him, Armenia became
not an advanced post but an attache’, in the sense of economic and
political dictations. Hovhannes Hovhannisian, the Chairman of the
Liberal Progressive Party of Armenia finds that the Armenian-Russian
relations aren’t just newly put on a not normal field. “It appeared
that this Armenian-Russian strategic powerful partnership is just
papers. Russia continues gloriously the Soviet country’s traditions,”
he mentioned. Aram Sargsian, the Chairman of the Democratic party of
Armenia finds that the level of development of the Armenian-Russian
relations will be beneficial for Armenia only and only in the case if
Armenia had its own doctrine in the direction of developing those
relations. He particularly expressed anxiety that the 80% of the
energy system of Armenia is sold to Russia what arises suprise even in
the political circles of Russia: “No country has a right to give its
soveriegn right to another country.” A.Sargsian finds that there are
all factors that Russia creates a huge pole having abilities of raw
materials. Coming out of this, Armenia must form its approach in the
way that it doens’t become a state depending on another country. In
the opinion of Aram Karapetian, the Chairman of the “New Times” (Nor
Zhamanakner) party, in the case of the next authorities, a serious
closing with Russia will take place, in the sense of energy problems,
opening vital roads for Armenia through Georgia and Russian capital’s
entering. Kiro Manoyan, the Chairman of the ARF Hay Dat and political
issues office mentioned that during the last period in the
Armenian-Russian relations there is some movement in the issues of
defence and power-generating materials, “but one thing is clear, there
is attitude reminding of the old days by Russia, what is inadmissible.”
Hrant Khachatrian, the Chairman of the “Constitutional Right” union
has no doubt that the world will be with many poles, and it’s
important for Armenia to exactly orient concomitant to time in which
geographic-political part to be established. It’s also important, he
emphasized, that Armenia and Karabakh are established in the same side
of the geographic-political border.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress