Month: June 2005

Venice Commission examines media freedom in Italy, constitutional reform
in Armenia and electoral reform in Azerbaijan
Strasbourg, 09.06.2005 – The Council of Europe Commission for Democracy
through Law (“Venice Commission”), which this year marks its 15th
anniversary, will hold its 63rd plenary session in Venice on 10 and 11
June (Scuola Grande di San-Giovanni Evangelista).
On the session agenda are the examination of a number of important legal
texts from different countries, and the adoption of several opinions.
The Commission will, for example, adopt its second interim opinion on
constitutional reform in Armenia, and discuss the amendments to the law
on the procedure for conducting rallies and demonstrations in this
member country. An exchange of views is foreseen with Tigran Torossian,
Vice-President of the National Assembly of Armenia.
Joint opinions of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the
revised draft amendments to the electoral codes of Armenia and
Azerbaijan will also be adopted.
Another point on the agenda is the adoption of an opinion, drawn up by
the Commission at the request of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe, on the compatability of the Italian “Gasparri” and
“Frattini” laws with the Council’s standards concerning freedom of
expression and media pluralism, with particular reference to the case
law of the European Court of Human Rights.
Finally, opinions will also be adopted concerning the question of
de-certification of police officers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the
federal law on the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation, and
the amendments of 8 December 2004 to the Constitution of Ukraine.
A press briefing will take place on Saturday 11 June at 12.45 (Scuola
Grande di San-Giovanni Evangelista).
All adopted opinions will be available on the Commission’s website,
following the session:
Contacts in Venice:
Tatyana MYCHELOVA, Secretariat of the Venice Commission
Mobile: + 33 6 76 72 04 02
Roberto TUMBARELLO, Council of Europe Press Correspondent for Italy
Mobile: + 39 335 69 38 216
Press Release
Council of Europe Press Division
Ref: 312a05
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
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A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to
promote democracy and human rights continent-wide. It also develops
common responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 46
member states.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian pro-government parties join centre-left alliance
Arminfo
8 Jun 05
YEREVAN
The Armenian Progressive Party and the Justice Party have joined a
political alliance of centre-left forces, the leaders of the
aforementioned parties, Tigran Urikhanyan and Artur Baloyan, said
today at a joint press conference.
The Armenian Renewed Communist Party and the Women’s Party of Armenia
joined the alliance of the centre-left forces earlier.
A declaration published today on the occasion of the unification of
the two parties said that socialist forces are joining the
alliance. The alliance’s main tasks are to achieve social justice,
find a settlement to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict that will be
favourable for Armenia, return hundreds of thousands of emigrants who
left Armenia and achieve international recognition of the 1915
Armenian genocide. The aims of the alliance are also to establish
stability and peace in the country, ensure progressive development,
carry out constructive reforms, take justified and lawful joint
actions, the declaration said.
Another two or three centre-left forces are expected to join the
alliance in a few weeks, the leader of the Progressive Party, Tigran
Urikhanyan, told the press conference. Furthermore, talks will start
with right-wing forces of which at least 10 parties and organizations
will join the alliance.
At the end, the alliance will turn into a mighty political union that
will take part in the next parliamentary elections. “We are for
dialogue and unification of all the forces that share our views. We
are not on the same path with the supporters of revolutions who are
calling for the change of the government, which will inevitably lead
to destruction and public disturbances,” Urikhanyan said.
He also confirmed that the Armenian Progressive Party intends to back
Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan’s candidacy in the next
presidential elections “if he expresses the wish to run for the
presidency, if not, we shall make a decision before the elections”.
Justice Party leader Artur Baloyan asked in his speech at the press
conference not to confuse his party with the opposition Justice bloc
led by Stepan Demirchyan. “Our party was established in 1999 when
Stepan Demirchyan’s bloc did not even exist. According to official
figures, we polled 0.6 per cent of the vote in the 2003 parliamentary
elections and consider ourselves to be a serious and independent
political force,” Baloyan said.

Armenpress
US EMBASSY GRANT TO HELP COMMUNITIES REPAIR THEIR FACILITIES
YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS: Communities in Yerevan, Ararat, Gegharkunik,
Lori, Shirak and Kotayk provinces will make their input to a generous
$190,000 grant of the US embassy in Armenia for repair of schools,
kindergartens, bridges and irrigations systems.
US deputy ambassador Anthony Godfrey said the program is important as the
US government investments are adapted to communities’ potential and efforts.
Around 185 companies and firms applied to participate in a tender for
implementation of overall 13 projects announced in 2004. Godfrey said the
selection of the communities was made based on their urgent needs. The
program will be implemented by Save the Children charity organization and
supervised by USAID. The program is the third stage of a wider program
called Community Self-Assistance Fund, which was incepted in 2003 November.
During the two previous stages some 20 projects worth $250,000 were carried
out

A1plus
| 19:26:29 | 08-06-2005 | Politics |
`KOCHARYAN WILL NOT RETURN LANDS’, THE OPPOSITION ANNOUNCED IN THE NATO
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
During the last session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring session
the Armenian delegates had to counter-attack the Azeri delegation suchlike
comments, `We highly appreciate the latest constructive meeting
Kocharyan-Aliev where the issue of the return of the 7 territories has
actually been solved’.
What is most interesting is that the counter-attacker was not a coalition
deputy but the secretary of the opposition party National Unity Alexan
Karapetyan. In answer to the `trouble making policy of the Turks’ he said
that there is not a single arrangement about the return of the territories
and it is absolutely excluded. Alexan Karapetyan has made this announcement
proceeding not from clear-cut information but from his own conviction, `I am
sure that Robert Kocharyan will sooner resign than return any lands’. The
head of the delegation Mher Shahgeldyan has informed the Azeri in a more
reserved way that there is no such arrangement and absolutely no such
approach to that problem.
In the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session the Azeri delegation has made an
attempt to discuss the Karabakh conflict from the very beginning, starting
from 1988. In answer to that Mher Shahgeldyan said that in that case we must
start the discussion from the referendum and not forget about the Baku and
Sumgayit massacres. But the PA President has prevented the discussion put
forward by the Azeris.
The session has also discussed South Caucasian issues about ethnic
minorities, non-governmental organizations, religion and others. By the way,
in the report of the main speaker the facts about Armenia were rather
violated. Particularly, according to Mher Shahgeldyan, it was announced in
the Assembly session that in Armenia the Law on Alternative Military Service
has not yet been adopted, and that in Armenia the Church has a special
status. But during the session Mher Shahgeldyan has given explanations and
informed those present that the information of the Assembly is a result of a
misunderstanding.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 20:55:13 | 08-06-2005 | Regions |
CEMENT POWDER OF ARARAT TOWN CAUSES ILLNESSES
Today the Caucasian region ecological center organized in Ararat a
conference with the theme `Environmental Protection For the Welfare of the
Coming Generations and Steady Development’. The aim of the conference was
create a field of cooperation and experience exchange between Ararat and
other regions in Armenia and the highlight the ecological problems of
Ararat.
According to Dshkhuhi Sahakyan, expert of the Ararat local environment
activities program, the town of Ararat has serious problems connected with
air and water pollution. Particularly, the problem is connected with the
Ararat cement factory. It has caused lung illnesses in many people.
According to the local residents, many people have been poisoned by the
water polluted by the gold extraction plant. Mrs. Sahakyan said that they
had offered to install filtering equipment in the cement factory, but they
were told that the equipment will be too expensive.
Head of the association «Principles of Steady Development» Karine Danielyan
referred to the food problems. According to her, many different types of
food with genetically changed components are imported into Armenia. The
reason of this, according to her, is the poor social conditions, as Armenia
imports these types of foods without detailed investigation.

Pan Armenian News
KAZIMIROV: «PRAGUE PROCESS FINE NAME FOR RARE MEETINGS OF TWO FMs»
09.06.2005 04:32
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ «Terms do not alter the essence of the problem. Prague
process is a fine name, just like the Minsk Group which is called that way
in spite it has never been to Minsk, You may call this process the way you
wish. You may call it a «Mozambique process» if you want, stated former
Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov, Day.az reported.
`Touching upon the Prague process I can say that several meetings were
really held in Prague, then – in Frankfurt, London. It is already evident
now that the attractive label of the `Prague process’ is invented by the
parties to calm down the domestic audience. Meanwhile, there are merely rare
meetings of two Foreign Ministers with participation of the OSCE MG
Co-Chairs, who are per se commissioned to hold talks between all parties to
conflict as soon as possible,’ the Russian diplomat remarked. In his words,
the Minsk process never brought the negotiating parties to an OSCE
conference on Nagorno Karabakh. It is not clear what the `Prague’ process
will bring to yet. It is not ruled out that another capital will appear,
thus marking the next stage of the endless procession, he noted. «Success
attained during the settlement process is not that of the MG. The
cease-fire, which is maintained during 11 years is the exclusive achievement
of Russia. Just owing to Russia the agreement on the cease-fire was made in
Bishkek in spite of some obstacles some MG partners put on our way,»
Kazimirov summed up.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN-JAPANESE BUSINESS FORUM TO BE HELD ON JUNE 24 IN MOSCOW
YEREVAN, June 9. /ARKA/. Armenian-Japanese business forum is to be
held on June 24 in Moscow, Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
said at a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Junichiro
Koizumi. According to Armenian Government’s Press Service, the sides
expressed their satisfaction with the reached agreement, which will
give an impetus to bilateral business contacts activation. The heads
of Armenian and Japanese Governments’ heads voiced hope that this
event, where Armenian businessmen and Japanese companies having their
offices in Russia will participate, can lay another ground for getting
a direct idea about economic capacities of these countries,
establishing business contacts, promoting investments and widening
trade and economic ties. In the course of forum, a round-table
discussion is also to be held at the initiative of Japanese Business
Club in Moscow, Armenian Foreign Ministry and also some economic
organizations of Armenia. M.V. -0–

A1plus
14:23:23 | 09-06-2005 | Culture |
ARMENIA CHARMED BURGAS
The other day Andranik dancing group of the national aesthetic center of
Gyumri returned from the 5th children’s festival of national dance held in
the Bulgarian town of Burgas.
Among 13 participant-states Armenia was represented by the Gyumri children
only. They returned with the diploma For the Best Performance. To note, a
dancing group from Georgia was also awarded with the same diploma.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1plus
| 14:10:25 | 09-06-2005 | Politics |
TRAFFICKING OF PEOPLE IN ARMENIA DOES NOT STOP
According to the data provided by the UN, about 1000 Armenian women work as
prostitutes in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, at that most of them
fell victims to trafficking. The Armenian government attempts to achieve the
standards of extirpation of the trafficking of people, however not very
successful so far.
Last year Armenia was included in the 2-ng category of states under
observation. To note, Article 132 of the Criminal Code calls for 4-8 years
of imprisonment for the trafficking of people. However last year 15 out of
16 verdicts were passed in accord with Article 262, which calls for light
punishment. And only once the accusation for trafficking was charged.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UN AND OSCE TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON WHOEVER RESUMES WAR IN KARABAKH
YEREVAN, JUNE 9. ARMINFO. UN and OSCE will impose sanctions on whoever
first resumes war in Karabakh, former OSCE Minsk Group co-chair
Vladimir Kazimirov said at a seminar in Baku.
If Azerbaijan does this first it will lose its geo-political
importance. One can win this war if he is enjoys overwhelming
prevalence over his enemy – this will require 5 years at least. For
both Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed war means vast human and material
losses, new flows of refugees, economic stagnation. No Blitzkrieg
should be expected in the coming 5 years. It is easy to start but hard
to stop war.
As to the peace talks Armenia’s return 7 districts to Azerbaijan will
require multi-stage guarantees. Azerbaijan should first make specific
commitments – for it is more inclined to force than peace. The other
two parties to the conflict Armenia and Karabakh should also undertake
specific commitments while the co-chair states and UN and OSCE should
guarantees that the conflicting parties will not resume war after the
peace treaty is made. With no such guarantees there will be no
peaceful solution to the conflict. If Azerbaijan resorts to force it
will fail says Kazimirov.