Armenian News

Armenian Opposition Rallies Thousands, Demands Fresh Polls
By Emil Danielyan

Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian demanded President Serzh Sarkisian's resignation and fresh presidential and parliamentary elections late Friday as thousands of his supporters again rallied in Yerevan, defying a government ban.

Addressing more than 10,000 people who gathered in the city center, Ter-Petrosian also reiterated his earlier demands for an independent inquiry into the deadly March 1 break-up of his post-election protests and the release of dozens of opposition members arrested in the ensuing government crackdown.

He denounced as an `impudent challenge' to the domestic public and the international community Sarkisian's recent implicit remark that the Armenian authorities do not have to fully meet similar demands voiced the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) by next January.

`I don't know what the international community's reaction to his statement will be, but the reaction of the Armenian public is beyond doubt: it will resolutely continue the popular struggle and make Serzh Sarkisian's resignation and pre-term presidential elections the main
slogan of our movement,' said Ter-Petrosian.

Opposition leaders said earlier that Friday's rally will be `decisive' for the success of their campaign, hinting that it could spark the kind of street protests that nearly brought down the government following the February 19 presidential election. Ter-Petrosian called on July 4 for a
`maximum mobilization of the public' in the weeks leading up to August 1.

The former Armenian president appears to have postponed his new push for power by one month, speaking of the need to achieve `a peak of the public's political activity' in September. One of his top aides, Levon Zurabian, indicated that the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition hopes to pull bigger crowds after the summer vacations.

Zurabian said the next opposition rally will take place on September 5 and mark the `start of a nationwide campaign of rallies, marches andother forms of mass protest which will aim to finally rid ourselves of this kleptocratic regime.' `In September our movement will be joined by tens of thousands of our fellow citizens returning from summer vacation, students, and the burden of agricultural work will somewhat ease,' he said.

Sarkisian's resignation and the holding of snap elections are also the key declared objectives of the newly formed Armenian National Congress (HAK), an alliance of 16 mostly small opposition parties that backed Ter-Petrosian's 2008 presidential bid. Leaders of those parties demons- tratively signed the HAK's founding declaration in front of the crowd that gathered outside Yerevan's Matenadaran museum.

The declaration made clear at the same time that opposition is ready to engage in a dialogue with the Sarkisian administration on `reforms aimedat the country's democratic development' in case of the release of all `political prisoners.' `Free all political prisoners and you can sit down with us and talk about everything,' Ter-Petrosian said, appealing to the authorities.

Much of Ter-Petrosian's hour-long speech was devoted to Sarkisian's first four months in power which the opposition leader believes have produced no positive change and been marked by a `total persecution of dissent.' He also dismissed Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian's ambitious
reform agenda, saying that the latter lacks the muscle to change Armenia's `vicious' system of governance and combat corruption.

`The only thing that Serzh Sarkisian did well during his 100 days in power is a further restriction of democratic freedoms and a systematic violation of human rights, as a result of which the confrontation between the regime and the public has reached its climax,' Ter-Petrosian charged before leading his enthusiastic supporters on a march through the city center.

As was the case during the previous opposition rally, scores of police escorted the crowd but made no attempts to disperse it.

Ruling Party Leader Blames U.S. For Armenia Unrest By Anna Saghabalian

A leading member of the governing Republican Party (HHK) on Friday accused the United States and other `foreign powers' of having a hand in Armenia's dramatic post-election developments.

Galust Sahakian, an HHK deputy chairman, claimed that opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian and his associates acted at the behest of external forces hostile to the Armenian state.

`In many foreign powers there are organizations that are used by those powers,' said Sahakian. `Those are mainly American forces, not the American state, and some [Masonic] lodges based in France.'

`Of course the state is behind them,' he told a news conference.

Sahakian is not the first pro-government politician to blame the West and the U.S. in particular for the deadly post-election unrest in Yerevan that led to the imposition of a 20-day state of emergency and mass arrests of Ter-Petrosian supporters. Hamlet Harutiunian, a parliament deputy from the HHK, likewise alleged an `international conspiracy against Armenia' in the aftermath of the March 1 street battles between security forces and opposition protesters.

The allegations were echoed by Hrant Markarian, the top leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), a junior partner in the country's HHK-led governing coalition. Opening a Dashnaktsutyun congress in Yerevan in May, Markarian said Ter-Petrosian's post-election demonstrations were part of a U.S. plan to foment a `color revolution' in Armenia.

The external conspiracy theory also appears to be part of the ongoing criminal investigation into what the Armenian government has called an opposition attempt to stage a coup d'etat following the disputed presidential election of February 19. The Special Investigative Service, a law- enforcement agency leading the probe, claimed in a recent statement that Ter-Petrosian's bid for regime change was `organized by one center' and `financed from abroad.' It did not elaborate.

Shortly after the March 1 the SIS chief Andranik Mirzoyan instructed regional prosecutors to round up local participants of the opposition demonstrations in Yerevan and find out `what was said at the rallies about the assistance from foreign states' and `whether rally participants spoke about ending Russia's presence in Armenia.'

Speaking to journalists, Sahakian also complained about U.S. criticism of Armenian elections. `Unlike Europe, the USA and its various
organizations claimed the elections were not administered well in
Armenia,' he said. `We responded to that and they shut up because in our
[last] two national elections there was not a single observer from the
United States.'

The U.S. State Department has described the Armenian presidential ballot
as `significantly flawed.' The vote's assessment by the European Union
has been more positive.

FIRST ARMENIAN DELEGATION OFF TO BEIJING FOR OLYMPIC GAMES
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 31, the first Armenian delegation is
departing for Beijing to participate in the 29th Summer Olympic Games,
said Natella Hovasapyan, spokesperson for the Armenian National
Olympic Committee. "The initial delegation included judoists and
rifleman Norayr Bakhtamyan. The other sportsmen will leave for the
Chinese capital from August 1 to 7," she said.

The Armenian delegation totals 60 members. 25 sportsmen - rifleman,
swimmer, weightlifters, wrestlers, boxers, judoists and athletes -
will represent our country. The delegation is led by Gagik Tsarukyan,
President of the Armenian Olympic Committee.

"The Olympic Games open on August 8. Rifleman Norayr Bakhtamyan,
judoist Hovhannes Davtyan and boxer Andranik Hakobyan will start
competition on August 9," Ms. Hovasapyan said, Novosti Armenia reports.

Armenia, Azerbaijan Hold More `Constructive' Talks
By Emil Danielyan

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met on Friday in Moscow
for the third time in as many months to again try to bridge the two
countries' differences over a framework peace agreement on
Nagorno-Karabakh proposed by international mediators.

Reports from Moscow cited Eduard Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov as
saying that they are satisfied with the results of the talks and will
meet again next month. But they stopped short of announcing a
breakthrough in the long-running negotiation process.

A statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry said the talks focused on
the basic principles of a Karabakh settlement that were formally put
forward by the U.S., Russian and French mediators last November. It said
they tried to `bring the parties' positions on the remaining unresolved
issues closer to each other.'

"The meeting was useful, we agreed to continue negotiations, but we are
still far from making a breakthrough," Mammadyarov said, as cited by
Interfax news agency.

`The meeting was very constructive,' the chief Russian negotiator, Yuri
Merzlyakov, said, according to the Itar-Tass news agency. `Both
ministers are satisfied.'

But neither Merzlyakov, nor his American opposite number, Matthew Bryza,
would be drawn on chances for the signing of the framework peace accord
in the coming months. Bryza said only that the mediators have done a
`good job' lately.

The mediators' hopes to broker such a deal before the end of this year
were all but dashed by the post-election turmoil in Armenia and a
renewed exchange of hostile rhetoric between the conflicting the
parties. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and his newly elected
Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, seem to have revived those hopes
during their first face-to-face meeting in early June. They instructed
their ministers to continue the difficult search for a mutually
acceptable peace formula.

DARCHINYAN CLAIMS NEW BOXING WORLD TITLE
Sydney Morning Herald
Aug 3 2008
Australia

Vic Darchinyan has joined the ranks of Australia's greatest boxers by
demolishing Russian Dimitri Kirilov to win a world title in a second
weight division.

[Darchinyan was born in Vanadzor]

The Sydney-based power puncher dominated the fight with his harder
shots and knocked the champion down twice in the fifth round.

The Armenian-born fighter, who relocated to Sydney in 2000 after the
Olympics, improved his professional record to 30-1-1 with 24 KOs.

Darchinyan said he was always confident he would win at least one
professional world title after joining the paid ranks.

Kirilov, 29, couldn't continue after the second knockdown and suffered
his fourth defeat in 34 professional fights, dropping to 29-4-1.

He simply could not match the power of the 32-year-old Australian who
added the IBF super flyweight crown to that organisation's flyweight
title which he won in 2004.

A delighted Darchinyan became only the second Australian citizen
to win a world title in more than one weight class, following Jeff
Fenech who captured championships in three different divisions.

A modest Darchinyan said he didn't consider himself to be on the same
level as Fenech or Australia's former undisputed junior welterweight
world champion Kostya Tszyu, but hoped to be ranked alongside them
by ultimately unifying the super flyweight division.

The ambitious Australian reiterated he also wanted to eventually move
up in weight and win a title in a third weight class.

He said his main target now was WBA and WBC super flyweight champion
Cristian Mijares.

Mexican Mijares, 26, is scheduled to defend his titles against
Thailand's Chatchai Saskul in Monterrey, Mexico on August 30.

Fighting under his very first trainer from Armenia, Darchinyan said his
plan had been to work the jab early before throwing in some uppercuts
in the fifth round.

Darchinyan said he thought he was always in control of the fight.

"Everyone is saying it is one of my best performances," Darchinyan
told AAP.

"Showtime (USA cable television network) is very happy with me and
so is my American promoter Gary Shaw.

"I think it is one of my best performances."

He will travel to Armenia for a break before returning to Australia
in September.

Following a fight with Mijares, Darchinyan wanted to unify the division
by dethroning Mexico's WBO titleholder Fernando Montiel and then look
at moving up in weight.

ARMENIA: FRUITS AND VEGETABLES GO DOWN IN PRICE
Agricultural Marketing Project
Aug 1 2008
Ukraine

Prices for food decreased by 4.8% on an average on the consumer market
of Armenia in July, 2008, reported RBC-Ukraine.

At that, the most significant fall of prices is noted exactly in the
segment of fruits and vegetables. According to the National Statistics
Committee of Armenia, prices for vegetables and potato reduced by
31.2% (as compared to July, 2007 - by 17.2%), fruits - by 20.4%
(as compared to July, 2007 - by 17.8%).

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