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EU RAPPORTEUR ON TURKEY DEMANDS THAT ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS BE CONSIDERED "POLITICAL CRITERIA" FOR TURKEY's ADMISSION TO EU MARCH 24. Rapporteur of the European Union on Turkey, the member of the Holland Parliament Ari Ostlander demands that the normalization of the Amenian-Turkish relations be considered the "most important political criteria" for Turkey's admission to the EU in the report to be submitted for discussion and voting to the Foreign Relations Commission.
According to the Turkish newspaper "Star," attending the current EU
Summit in Brussels newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister of Turkey Abdula Gul assessed the report as "biased and not
objective."
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF ARMENIA COMPLETES CONSIDERATION OF APPEAL OF
PRESIDENIAL CANDIDATE AGAINST RESULTS OF FEB 19 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
MARCH 24. The Constitutional Court of Armenia has completed today the consideration of an appeal of the Presidential candidate, Leader of the National Unity party Artashes Geghamyan against the results of the first round of the Presidential election in Armenia. To made a verdict concerning Artashes Geghamyan's appeal, the CC hold a closed discussion. It should be noted that Artashes Geghamyan appealed against the results of the first round of the presidential election on Feb 27, calling them rigged. Geghamyan received 17.7% of the votes. Geghamyan raised the following claims to the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia: the commission exceeded its powers when appointing a runoff election by its resolution dated Feb 20, as it had only preliminary data of the voting; the CEC's another resolution dated Feb 25 confirming its previous resolution was also illegal, as the commission did not studied the numerous grievances received after the first round. Besides, Artashes Geghamyan's representatives are of the opinion that at once 49 articles of the Electoral Code of Armenia were violated in the course of the Feb 19 presidential election, which have had a direct impact on the results of the voting on Feb 19. So, the CEC should have canceled the election and appoint new ones. In the course of the appeal's consideration, the Constitutional Court instructed the CEC to carry out re-calculation of the results at 11 polling stations in the presence of the persons representing Geghamyan and the members of the CC, as well as to find out at what time exactly the Commission received the final protocols of voting from above 6 polling stations on Feb 20. The re-calculation confirmed the results fixed by the territorial electoral commission of the above polling stations. In connection with the fact that the CEC did not allow Geghamyan's representatives to participate in the re-calculation as the persons representing Artashes Geghamyan, but only as observers, they left the re-calculation process, calling it farce violating at once 4 articles of the Electoral Code and an article of the Constitution of Armenia. As regards the exact time that was not mentioned in the 6 protocols of preliminary data, the CC read out a reference today worked out by CEC Secretary Anna Aleksanyan, who explained it by the tiredness after the sleepless night of the election. According to the reference, all the 6 protocols were formed by 14;00 pm. Feb 20, in conformity with the Law.
The Constitutional Court will declare its resolution on Artashes
Geghamyan's appeal tonight.
CHARGE d'AFFAIRS a.i. OF IRAQ TO ARMENIA REFUTES INFORMATION OF
AMERICAN MEDIA ON REVEAL OF PLANT PRODUCING CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN
TERROTIRY OF IRAQ
MARCH 24. Charge d'Affairs a.i. of Iraq to Armenia Tarik Muhammad Ahya refuted the information of the American mass media on revealing a plant producing chemical weapons in the territory of Iraq. Press Secretary of the Iraqi Rep.Office in Armenia told ARMINFO that Tarik Muhammad Ahya said such information is part of American propaganda. It is in the USA's favour to spread such information, he said.
The Iraqi diplomat also refuted information on demonstration of the
bodies of killed American soldiers. He said American militaries
penetrate into the towns of Iraq, capture peaceful citizens, make
them leave their houses by threatening then with arms. The losses of
American soldiers is a counterblow to the penetration of the
anti-Iraqi coalition forces into the country's territory. War is
underway in Iraq, and the victims are inevitable on the both parties.
It is the Law of the War, he said. As regards the POWs, Iraq pledged
to treat them in conformity with the principles of the Geneva
Convention, the diplomat said.-
THERE ARE ALL REASONS FOR ARMEN SARGSSYAN's ARREST: ARMENIAN
PROSECUTOR GENERAL
MARCH 24. There are enough reasons for the arrest of the persons in the case of the murder of the well-known TV journalist Tigran Naghdalyan including the brother of the leader of the "Hanrapetutiun" opposition party Armen Sargssyan, Prosecutor General of Armenia Aram Tamazyan told journalists today. He said the given criminal case is under the proper control of the Prosecutor's Office. The preliminary investigation body collects, study and compare proofs at present. "We should carry out a full and objective investigation in the case," Tamazyan said.
Aram Tamazyan said at present the representatives of the defendants
made petitions for changing the measure of restraint. He did not
mention the response of the preliminary investigation body to this
petitions. "We will consider all the petitions, however, different
resolutions are possible," Aram Tamazyan said. He refused from
commenting on the possibility of new arrests in the case of Tigran
Naghdalyan's murder. We cannot speak abstractly, he said.-
WAR IN IRAQ MAY CAUSE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA
MARCH 24. Explosions of powerful missiles may provoke earthquakes with a radius of up to 1,0000 kilometers.
The Association of Armenian Seismologists reports that the fact of
Armenia's being located only 300 kilometers of Iraq poses a certain
danger of strong earthquakes in Armenia. The National Service of
Seismic Protection is constantly following the activity of the
earth-crust to warn the country's population of the danger as soon as
possible.
CC REJECTS ARTASHES GEGHAMIAN'S CLAIM
MARCH 24. Armenia's Constitutional Court has rejected a claim lodged by the presidential candidate, Chairman of the "National Unity" party Artashes Geghamian. After holding four sittings, the CC obliged the Central Electoral Commission to organize re-counting of votes at 11 polling stations. The CEC also submitted to the CC a reference which accounted for the fact that six protocols of preliminary data received by the CEC on February 20 did not indicate the exact time, namely, carelessness caused by a sleepless night. Nevertheless, the protocols were drawn up before 2:00 p.m. on February 20, that is, in conformity with the law. According to the CC, the violations revealed during the first round of the presidential election did not influence the election results. They remained in force and Artashes Geghamian's claim was rejected. According to the CC, even if the number of inaccuracies were not 2,000 and more, but 11,495, which was claimed by the plaintiffs, that cannot have influenced either the difference in the number of votes received by the two presidential candidates, Robert Kocharian and Stepan Demirchian (49.5% and 28.2% respectively), or the difference in the number of votes received by Stepan Demirchian and Artashes Geghamian, who received only 17.7% of votes. On the other hand, the CC arrived at a conclusion that the CEC's decision to appoint the run-off election without considering the final results of the first round was hasty and legally ungrounded. Nevertheless, even if the CEC had considered the results of the first round of the presidential election in appointing the presidential run-off election, it would not have influenced the election results. According to the CC, Armenia's election and legal system need urgent reforms.
Armenia's CC also has to consider the claim lodged by the
presidential candidate, Chairman of the People's Party of Armenia
(PPA) Stepan Demirchian, who claims the March 5 run off election to
have been rigged. Demirchian lodged his claim on March 17 and,
according to the law, at its March 26 sitting the CC is to appoint
the date of its consideration. That day, three experts of the CE
Venetian Commission are to arrive in Armenia. CC Chairman Gagik
Harutiunian invited them to attend the CC's sittings to ensure more
publicity in consideration of Stepan Demirchian's claim. As regards
Artashes Geghamian, he can "seek justice" at the European Court of
Human Rights in Strasbourg.
ARMENIAN SPY SAYS HE WAS KIDNAPPED BY AZERI SPECIAL SERVICES
MARCH 24.The Armenian citizens Alexander Gasparyan, accused of espionage in favor of the Azeri special services, says he was kidnapped by them. To remind, Gasparyan was accused of high treason, together with his brother, Edgar Filkov, cousin Iveta Filkova, and Edgar's wife Nina Shilina. Today Gasparyan said that he met Nina Shilina in 1996 in Iveta's house in Yeghegnadzor. After learning about Gasparyan's financial problems, Shilina made a "business" offer. She gives him money for organizing fish deliveries to Karabakh and for reselling Georgian tangerines there. While visiting Karabakh on business Shilina obtains data about situation of military units there. Then Shilina and Gasparyan go to Georgia to "meet with friends who will help them in arranging sturgeon business." In Dec 1996 they arrive at Krasny Most (Red Bridge) on the Georgian-Azeri border, where Shilina acquaints Gasparyan with some Alpash. They have a booze and Gasparyan comes around only when heading for Baku in a car, with no documents. There the Azeri special services offer him cooperation and Gasparyan agrees, putting the name "Tokyo" to the contract. He is instructed to obtain information about military units in Karabakh, numbers of the units, the names of their commanders. In exchange he is promised financing and is given $150 in advance. "But I had no intention to fulfill their tasks." "Upon returning to Armenia I did not inform anybody of the incident as I gave no importance to it thinking that nothing threatened me here." Now Gasparyan regrets his not surrendering then. He would not even have had time for doing his task as he was detained a few days after his return to Armenia for another crime and left prison in 2001. Now Gasparyan maintains that he and Shilina were on business terms, while his earlier testimony says they were lovers. He now retracts his words saying "I was simply cross at her then." It should be noted that Gasparyan fought in Karabakh in 1993-1994, was twice wounded. The trial will continue Mar 31. HEADLINES OF 24 MARCH
PACE RAPPORTEUR ON NAGORNI-KARABAKH CONFLICT TOP VISIT AZERBAIJAN ON
MARCH 23-26
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