Month: June 2005

VIVACELL, THE SECOND MOBILE COMMUNICATION OPERATOR IN ARMENIA,
ANNOUNCES CONSUMER PRICES OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION
ARKA News Agency
June 29 2005
YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. VivaCell, the second mobile communication
operator in Armenia, has already set up consumer prices of mobile
communication. Difference in prices is due to hours when a call is
made. Rush-hour calls are those made over a period between 7:00 and
23:00, and common hours are between 23:00 and 7:00. Alo preliminary
payment card costs AMD 7thnd. AMD 3.7thnd of free conversation of
a 60-day validity (all the prices are presented with taking into
account 20-percent VAT).
A number of services such as conveying brief SMS messages, voice
mail, international porting, multi-customer communication, coming
calls identification, calls readdressing are to be rendered to those
possessing Alo cards without preliminary payment and with monthly
payment.
For Alo card users, rush-our calls within VivaCell customer network
will cost AMD 90 per a minute, while per-minute price at the rest time
of day is set at AMD 80. Price for calls to ArmenTel, Karabakh-Telecom
(NKR) and Nagorno-Karabakh cable phone communication customers at
rush hours is AMD 110, and over the rest time – AMD 90.
Prices for Alo cards of reloading are AMD 2thnd (20 days), AMD 4.5thnd
(55 days), AMD 7thnd (100 days), AMD 9.5thnd (150 days) and AMD 18thnd
(300 days). Alo cards will be on sale in Armpost, Ardshininvestbank,
Converse Bank and other centers.
Payment for attaching Classic customer card to the network is set at
AMD 4.5thnd and monthly customer payment is AMD 4thnd. Prices for calls
to VivaCell other customers and Armenian cable phone communication
customers are AMD 48 at rush hours and AMD 44 at the rest time. Calls
to ArmenTel and Karabakh-Telecom (NKR) cellular customers are AMD 55
and AMD 48 accordingly. Free services are also envisaged for Classic
card users. Calls identification, regime of waiting, call readdressing,
SMS messages sending, voice mail, multi-customer communication and
international porting are among them. New paid services such as data
conveying, bill detailing, phone number concealing in case of sending
SMS massages, calls blocking, double SIM-card and international roaming
are also included in the list of the services to be rendered by the
company. Alassic cards will be on sale in the company’s offices in
Yerevan. Their addresses: Kievyan Str.11/1, Argishti Str. 4/1 and
Erebuni Str. 18.
VivaCell also offers corporative Business, Business+ and Optima cards
intended for 5 to 20, 21 to 100 and 100 and more lines accordingly.
Prices for calls within the corporative network will make AMD 40, 38
and 36 accordingly. Calls to other VivaCell’s customers and to cable
phones in Armenia will cost accordingly AMD 46, 44 and 42 at rush
hours and AMD 42, 42 and 40 at the rest time. Prices for rush-hour
calls to ArmenTel and Karabakh-Telecom (NKR) mobile customers as well
as Nagorno-Karabakh cable phones make AMD 52, 50 and 50 accordingly
and at the remaining time AMD 48.
International calls for Alo, Classic cards and corporative packages
users to Russia and Georgia will cost AMD 235 and 165 (rush-hour and
not), to other CIS countries AMD 285 and 200, to the U.S.A., Canada,
Europe, Australia – AMD 430 and 300 and to the Middle East countries
AMD 350 and 245. VivaCell’s all customers will be able to send local
SMS messages at AMD 20 and international ones at AMD 55. The company
also announced that Sunday calls within VIvaCell and cable networks
will make AMD 44. The company’s free hot line number is 111. ($1 =
AMD 442.85). M.V. –0-

AGREEMENT FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DUAL TAXATION SIGNED BETWEEN THE
GOVERNMENTS OF ARMENIA AND SYRIA
ARKA News Agency
June 29 2005
YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. An agreement for the avoidance of dual
taxation was signed between the governments of Armenia and Syria by
Deputy Ministers of Finance of two countries Tigran Khachatryan and
Mohamad Hader Alseid Ahmad. The agreement aims at exclusion of dual
taxation of income and tax discrimination between the sides, which is
a necessary condition for compliance with other economic agreements and
reached understanding. According to Syrian Deputy Minister of Finance,
the agreement testifies to the intensive development of relations
between the countries. He added that the agreement consisting of
29 articles, regulates tax field and refers to tax on profit and
income-tax. Hamad expressed his belief that the agreement will become
the stimulus for the Armenian and Syrian investors and businessmen
to make investments in two countries. He added that the parliament
of Syria will ratify the document in the shortest possible time period.
In his turn Khachatryan noted that the agreement will become one
more step on the way to economic cooperation. According to him,
the document specifies the work environment for the households,
and in separate cases it provides for softer terms of taxation than
local legislations provide for. “Signing of the agreement will give
stimulus to households of two countries, and after it comes in force
it will yield the results already next year”, he said. Khachatryan
expressed his belief that the agreement will be ratified by the
Armenian parliament already in autumn 2005. A.H.-0–

SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT, CANADIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSS PROSPECTS
OF DEVELOPING BILATERAL RELATIONS
ARKA News Agency
June 29 2005
YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. Speaker of the Armenian Parliament
Artur Baghdasaryan and Canadian Ambassador to Armenia Christopher
Westdal discussed prospects of developing bilateral interstate and
Interparliamentary relations. During the meeting, Speaker Baghdasaryan
informed the Canadian side of the constitutional and legislative
reforms in Armenia, as well as of democratization.In his turn,
Ambassador Westdal pointed out the Armenian Parliament’s important
role in the ongoing processes and stated political achievements and
economic growth open up new prospects for Armenia’s development. He
also stressed his country’s willingness to contribute to Armenia’s
economic development as well as to Armenian-Canadian scientific,
educational and cultural cooperation.
During the meeting the Canadian Ambassador re-affirmed the invitation
to pay an official visit to Canada extended to Speaker Artur
Baghdasaryan. P.T. -0–

EU Sticks by Plans for Turkey Talks
Deutsche Welle, Germany
June 29 2005
It will take a while before Turkey’s flag finds a place in Brussels
The EU’s executive vowed Wednesday to “stick to its word” to Ankara
and start entry talks in October despite the bloc’s current turmoil,
while stressing there is no guarantee of eventual EU membership.
Just as the EU’s enlargement chief, Olli Rehn, went before the press
to talk about the intense debate over Turkey’s possible EU membership,
a storm broke out over Brussels. The satellite connections were cut,
computer screens went dark for several minutes.
Some took it as an omen. But Rehn reinforced the EU’s continuing
support for negotiation talks with the vast, largely Muslim country
with the goal being accession, but not before 2014.
He said despite the turbulence the European bloc currently finds itself
in after failed referendums on the EU constitution and financial
squabbles, Turkey should be given the chance to demonstrate that it
can fulfil the obligations for membership, even if the road ahead is
a long, meandering one, and membership is not guaranteed.
Presenting a roadmap-style plan for the talks, Rehn also underlined
that the vast mainly-Muslim country faces a huge task of reform if
it ever is to join the bloc.
“We stick to our word … the negotiation process will encourage
implementation of reforms and give a strong impulse to those who want
more democracy and more human rights in this country,” he said.
“It will certainly be a long and difficult journey, but the journey
will be as important as the destination,” he added.
Differences of opinion ahead
Rehn was more than two hours late for the news conference announcing
that the Commission had adopted the draft mandate to start
negotiations. He told reporters: “We had a lengthy, argumentative
and also very political debate.”
He called the negotiating framework “rigorous” and emphasized the
demand that Turkey improve relations with its neighbors, particularly
Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974 into Greek and Turkish
Cypriot communities, and Armenia, with which it has no diplomatic
relations and a sealed border.
Ankara is also under pressure to carry through on economic and
political reforms as well as expand its customs union with the EU to
include all ten new member states, including Cyprus.
Cyprus, however, threatens to be a sticking point. Turkish officials
are still talking about an additional declaration to the “Ankara
Protocol” on customs union stating the document does not entail
Turkish recognition of Cyprus.
Talks to start in October
The 25-member bloc’s leaders agreed in December to start accession
talks with Ankara on October 3 provided the country meets a number
of conditions, including signing an accord with the divided island
of Cyprus.
On Wednesday, the commission agreed on a proposed “framework for
negotiations,” setting out its technical plans for how the talks
should proceed.
In any case the talks to join the EU — which underwent a “big bang”
expansion from 15 to 25 members last year, with a handful more waiting
in line apart from Turkey — are expected to last at least a decade.
But the commission proposals reiterated terminology agreed by EU
leaders in December, notably that the talks are “an open-ended process,
the outcome of which cannot be guaranteed beforehand.”
“If Turkey will not be able to (join) we must ensure that she is
fully anchored in the European structures,” said Rehn, who forecast
that talk of a “privileged partnership” with Turkey rather than full
EU membership will likely feature in the debate on the issue.
And the EU’s constitution crisis has clouded the issue even further.
Opposition to Turkey’s EU hopes was seen as a key factor behind the
“no” votes, and EU leaders have pledged to react by listening more
to ordinary Europeans.
A “hold” on enlargement?
More fuel was adding to those burning issues on Monday by interior
minister and presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy who called for
EU enlargement to be put on hold to give time for its internal
institutions to be “renovated.”
“Enlargement must be suspended at least as long as the institutions
have not been renovated. Europe must have borders,” he said. “Not
all countries have a vocation to be in Europe.”
A growing number of center-right leaders in western Europe, including
the likely next German chancellor, Angela Merkel (photo), oppose
Turkish entry and favour the “privileged partnership” option.
Turkey has kept up pressure for the EU to stick by its commitments.
On the eve of the EU proposals, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan called on the bloc to show that it is a not a “Christian club”
by admitting his country as a member.
“If you really think the EU is not a Christian club, you must arrange
it so that Turkey joins you,” he told a seminar Tuesday night. “We
hope that the EU becomes a crossing point where civilizations can
find one another,” he added.
EU commission head Jose Manuel Barroso, while insisting that talks
are due to start in October, has also acknowledged that the EU needed
to “discuss seriously” public concerns about the country’s possible
membership.
“It will be a complete mistake not to look at this issue seriously,” he
said last week. “We need the support of member states and citizens in
our member states for the enlargement of the European Union,” he added.

EU adopts rigorous negotiation rules for Turkey
EU observer, Belgium
June 29 2005
29.06.2005 – 18:14 CET | By Elitsa Vucheva EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS –
The European Commission adopted on Wednesday (29 June) the guidelines
on which accession negotiations with Turkey will be based, with
enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn defining them as the most severe
adopted so far by the EU executive.
The document confirms that the goal of the accession negotiations
remains full membership of the EU for Turkey.
However “these negotiations are an open-ended process, the outcome
of which cannot be guaranteed beforehand”, the text says.
If “a serious and persistent breach” is noted in Turkey as regards
democracy, respect for human rights and freedoms, and the rule of law,
negotiations may be suspended.
And “if Turkey is not in a position to assume in full all the
obligations of membership it must be ensured that Turkey is fully
anchored in the European structures through the strongest possible
bond”, according to the draft.
The framework for negotiations with Turkey is “the most rigorous
framework presented so far”, by the Commission, as it will propose
benchmarks for opening and closing the 35 chapters of the document,
the commissioner insisted.
“We [the EU] focus less on words and more on deeds”, he said.
The document also confirms that decisions concerning the establishment
of freedom of movement of persons should be mostly up to the member
states.
Not a member before 2014 Turkey is urged to respect the principle of
good neighbouring relations – a veiled reference to the Republic of
Cyprus and to Armenia, before becoming an EU member, however.
Ankara has not officially recognised Cyprus as a state yet, and it
also declines to describe the Armenian killings during World War I
as genocide.
“We expect Turkey to continue the normalisation of relations with the
Republic of Cyprus…and to be constructive in searching a settlement
in the reunification of Cyprus”, commissioner Rehn told journalists.
He also confirmed that “Turkey will not become a member of the EU
today or tomorrow”.
And the document states that as the country’s accession could have
“substantial financial consequences”, negotiations could only be closed
after the next financial framework – starting in 2014 – is agreed.
“The EU will do very badly if we are not able to settle our budgetary
problems before Turkey fulfils the criteria of becoming a member
state”, the enlargement commissioner underlined.
A lively debate The document was agreed only after a “lengthy,
argumentative and very political debate” of the EU commissioners,
said Mr Rehn to explain the two-hour delay of the press conference
announcing the agreement.
“There is no denying that privileged partnership with Turkey [instead
of a full membership] was brought up in the debate”, he admitted.
The commissioner said he could not remember how many of his colleagues
had spoken up in favour of the idea, and declined to cite names.
Lately, Austria has voiced preference for a “privileged partnership”
with Turkey, and the Christian-Democrat opposition in Germany has
made similar noises.
In France, interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who is also tipped to
be the next French president [in 2007], has always favoured the idea.
But it had not been brought up by European commissioners so far.
Asked if, politically speaking, it was realistic to envisage that the
framework will be approved by member states by unanimity, as it has to
be, commissioner Rehn said that the governments of all 25 EU members
had agreed that Turkey should start membership talks on 3 October –
something that was settled during the European Council in December
2004, and confirmed in June this year.
That is why “I have no reason to suspect that EU leaders would
not stick to their word”, he said, adding “the EU is a community
of commitments”.
If member states do approve the draft, and if Turkey signs the protocol
extending a customs agreement it has with the EU to the ten new member
states, including Cyprus, accession negotiations should be started
on 3 October.
Turkey is expected to sign the protocol within a few weeks,
commissioner Rehn said, and member states should discuss the framework
– with a possibility to modify it – in July or September.

Azeri, Armenian Presidents to meet in Kazan
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 29 2005
Baku, June 28, AssA-Irada — Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian will hold their next meeting on
August 26 on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) informal summit in Kazan, Russia, Kocharian said in a meeting
with Armenians studying at universities in Moscow. Armenian media
quoted Kocharian as saying that he does not expect final results
from the meeting. “Our positions significantly differ. We believe
that returning Upper Garabagh its previous status is impossible.”*
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MP says Armenians’ possible visit to Baku ‘not important’
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 29 2005
Baku, June 28, AssA-Irada — It is currently uncertain whether or
not Armenian parliamentarians will participate in the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe Monitoring Committee meeting in
Baku early in July, says head of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE,
MP Samad Seyidov. He said that Azerbaijan has invited representatives
of the Committee, which includes Armenian MPs, to Baku.
Seyidov emphasized that a possible visit by Armenians to the Azeri
capital represents no importance for Azerbaijan. “The important thing
for us is to organize the event on a high level,” he said.
Some 100 parliamentarians represented at PACE are due to attend the
Baku meeting.*
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia expects no proposals from intermediaries
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 29 2005
Baku, June 28, AssA-Irada — Armenia does not expect international
intermediaries to come up with new proposals on the Upper Garabagh
conflict resolution, its foreign minister Vardan Oskanian has said.
“We do not expect any proposals from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
either during their visit to the region in mid-July or at the meeting
of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham
Aliyev late in August”, Oskanian told a news conference on Tuesday.
“The subject of our talks with Azerbaijan on the Garabagh conflict
settlement is on the negotiating table. But if the sides reach an
agreement on a specific issue, it can be expressed in writing”,
the Armenian minister said.*

Islamic Countries to Convene for Structural Reform
By Suleyman Kurt
Zaman, Turkey
June 29 2005
Islamic countries will be convening in Yemen’s capital Sana’a in order
to undertake a more effective role in the international arena and to
better express Islam to the West.
The foreign ministers meeting for the Organization for Islamic
Conference (OIC) starts today. The historic transformation within
the organization and the reform issues will be the main point on
the agenda during the meeting, in which Turkey will be represented
by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. He will draw a framework for the
reform efforts in Islamic countries during his opening speech at the
meeting that will continue for three days. The Minister will emphasize
that internal dynamics should be activated for reform efforts, and
should be sustainable and based on a real process. A call will be
made for the abolition of the isolation on the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and to bring the situation of the Karabagh
occupation to the agenda are also among the points that Gul will
make. Ministers will also attend an exhibition of Ottoman documents
relating to Yemen. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi chose
the historic Ottoman Barracks for a luncheon that he will host.
Three reports prepared by sixteen specialists from Islamic countries
within the framework of reform efforts initiated after the election
of Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu as OIC secretary-general will be
discussed during the meeting. Proposals regarding changing the title
of the organization will also be debated. A suggested new title
for the organization will be either the “Organization for Islamic
Countries” or “Organization for Muslim Countries” it was revealed.
The reports focus on problems faced by the Islamic world in the 21st
century and alternative solutions required to combat these problems.
A “security council” similar to that of the United Nations (UN) will
be formed in the structure of the organization. The OIC will also
fight against anti-Islamism though science and more productive and
open explanations of Islam to the West. In this respect, a concept
of “enlightened moderation” will be prompted, think tanks will be
formed and Islamic media will be strengthened. Contributions for the
development of democracy, human rights and civil society will be held
in member countries.
The reports stress the motivation of Muslim countries for democratic
norms and values, decreasing the gap between governors and the
governed and principals like self-determination of the people. A
center is planned to be opened to provide women the opportunity to
have effective roles in daily life and governance. The three-day OIC
meeting will discuss issues like increasing the authorization of
the organization’s secretary-general, strengthening its financial
structure and forming socio-economic funds, solving disputes among
member countries and establishing centers for Muslim minorities.

Commission to approve framework for Turkey talks
Euractiv, Belgium
June 29 2005
In Short:
The scheduled 29 June Commission approval of a negotiating framework
for Turkey will be the latest act in Ankara’s quest for EU membership
talks. However, upcoming elections in Germany may make this less
than certain.
Background:
Turkey’s decades-old quest for membership of the EU turns into the
finishing straight when on 29 June the Commission reveals its draft
road map for accession talks with Ankara. The document will set out
the principles, procedures and issues for the planned negotiations.
Issues:
The negotiating framework will have to be approved by all 25 EU
member states in order for talks to start on schedule on 3 October.
Following discussions at member state level, the national governments
are not likely to meet on the issue before September. Analysts point
out that the same month is likely to see elections in Germany. The
widely predicted election victory there of the conservative Christian
Democrats might muddy the waters since it would mean the replacement
at the country’s helm of the pro-Turkey Chancellor Schröder with the
CDU’s Angela Merkel, who believes that Ankara should not join the
Union as a full member.
Failure by the 25 member states to approve the road map may mean that
the 3 October date will have to be pushed back.
According to EU sources, the terms laid down in the Commission’s road
map for Turkey will be markedly tougher than those that applied to
the ten new member states that joined in 2004. In general, Turkey –
and also Croatia – will be expected to not only promise reforms but
also to implement them during the negotiations, which are expected
to last way over a decade.
The negotiating framework will also call on Ankara to “normalise”
its relations with all EU member states, including continued efforts
to reach a settlement in Cyprus, and to maintain good neighbourly
ties with neighbouring Armenia, Greece and the Kurds.
Positions:
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is firm in his stance
that Ankara will not renegotiate anything over its EU membership bid.
“If you impose new things on countries from one day to the next,
especially at a time when negotiations are about to start, that would
not be right. We are used to honest politics, that’s what we expect
and want,” he said.
In Erdogan’s opinion, “If they [the EU’s leaders] intend to preserve
the EU as a Christian union, they should say so. This would, of course,
mean the rejection of their current Constitution. We are here because
we see the EU as a union of common political values. If Turkey doesn’t
join, the EU will become an ineffective Christian group,” he said.
In a recent interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica, Commission
Vice President Franco Frattini said that “It would be a wrong choice
to break commitments. Then we’ll be sending a message the EU doesn’t
want the Islamic world. We’ve been calling on Turkey for years to
continue its reforms. […] Depriving Turkey of the opportunity to
start negotiations with the EU as scheduled is a mistake that we
should avoid,” said Frattini.
“We have to suspend enlargement at least until the institutions have
been modernised,” French Interior Minister and presidential hopeful
Nicolas Sarkozy has said. “Europe cannot enlarge indefinitely.”
“Sweden wants the start of membership talks with Turkey on 3 October
in accordance with the 17 December decision of EU leaders,” said the
speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Björn von Sydow.
In an article published by the German daily Bild, Polish President
Aleksandr Kwasniewski has said that it would be an “extremely narrow
policy” for the EU to close its doors on Turkey. “What will we say to
Ukraine, the Balkan countries and Turkey? How can we persuade these
countries to move ahead towards democracy and a free market economy?”
he queried in the article.
“We have to halt the negotiations with Turkey,” argued former
Commissioner Frits Bolkestein in the Belgian weekly Humo.
European Socialist Party President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen has told the
Austrian daily Der Standard that, with Turkey, “membership talks are
set to start on 3 October, and the date cannot be changed, but the
accession will surely be shifted to a later date […] A generation
has to pass. That is, 20 or 25 years need to pass, so by 2025 or 2030”.
According to Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, there will be no
delay in the opening of his country’s accession talks.
Latest & next steps:
On 29 June 2005, the Commission is scheduled to approve the negotiating
framework for Turkey By the end of September, the framework must be
approved by all 25 member states On 3 October 2005, accession talks
are scheduled to be opened with Ankara
–Boundary_(ID_bWEiW8+7EcjQxMwMJLLftw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress