Elections: Lebanon, Europe and Cyprus‏

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"Nothing is settled until it is settled right." Rudyard Kipling

SIX ARMENIANS IN LEBANESE PARLIAMENT

www.lragir.am - The Lebanese parliamentary election on June 7 ended with the victory of the March 14 Alliance. The Hezbollah-headed "March 8" movement lost.
The forces of the "March 14" took the 70 from 128 posts at the Parliament of Lebanon, the Masis Weekly informs.
The Armenian parties were divided into the two camps. The Social Democratic Henchakyan Party and the Ramgavar Azadagan Party were for the "March 14" alliance and the ARF Dashnaktsoutiun was for the March 8.
Two of the posts of the Armenians in the Lebanese parliament went to the Henchagian party, the other two to the ARF Dashnaktsoutiun, one for Ramgavar Azadagan, and the last one to Nshan Chinchinyan.

CYPRUS ELECTS ITS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS

Gibrahayer - Nicosia 7 June - A noble friend of the Armenian people and Artsakh, Dr. Eleni Theocharous, and a Hay Tad friend, Ioannis Kassoulides, were two of the six candidates that Cyprus elected this weekend in the European Parliament.
Their right-wing party, DISY, and left-wing AKEL won two seats each, while Marios Garoyian's centrist DIKO party elected Antigone Papadopoulou.
Cyprus for the first time, also elected a representative in the Socialist block, with Koullis Mavronikolas being elected from EDEK.
Chief Election Officer Lazaros Savvides expressed his disappointment at the low turn-out of 59%, which was similar to the rest of Europe.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS: DID TURKEY GAIN OR LOSE?

PanARMENIAN.Net - Diplomatic sources said Turkey was still evaluating the results but made it clear that the outcome would not cause Ankara to lose its appetite for full membership in the EU. "We are resolutely proceeding on our road," said a Turkish diplomat who requested anonymity.
Conservatives won a decisive victory over socialists in the European Parliament elections, leading to questions about Europe’s direction in the upcoming five-year period. "I am absolutely happy that we did win the elections," Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Turkey rapporteur of the European Parliament, told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review yesterday. Dutch Christian Democrat Oomen-Ruijten will continue drawing up reports on Turkey in the next term: her re-election after the vote will be officially announced Thursday.
She highlighted that the result should not be a source of concern for Turkey. "We are still the largest group in the European Parliament," she said.
"The fact that Social Democrats have lost seats in the European Parliament is not good news for Turkey," Jan Marinus Wiersma of the Socialist Group in parliament told the Daily News. "We have consistent support for Turkey’s ambitions to become a member of the EU. We know it is a difficult track and long process, but we are always in contact with Turkey’s government and the main opposition party."
The center-right European People’s Party secured 267 seats, making it the biggest group in the 736-member parliament, ahead of the socialists on 159 seats, down from 215, according to estimates.

OBAMA OFFICIAL REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE GENOCIDE

Armenian Weekly - President Barack Obama continues to disappoint the Armenian American community. After breaking two promises in a row on key Armenian issues—not acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and proposing reduced U.S. aid levels to Armenia—he appoints Philip Gordon as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs.
Gordon, a former director of the Brookings Institution—a think-tank partially funded by Turkish sources—has written several pro-Turkish books and articles. He has been an opponent of Congressional acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide and a critic of Greek Cypriot leaders rather than the occupying Turkish forces. Gordon served in the Clinton Administration as director for European affairs at the National Security.