Month: November 2006

FROM JANUARY 1, 2007, MINIMAL SALARIES TO TOTAL TO AMD 20,000

AZG Armenian Daily
28/11/2006

>From January 1, 2007, the minimal salaries will amount to AMD
20,000. As compared with the data in 2006, the increase will make
AMD 5,000. Aghvan Vardanian, RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs,
stated this at RA National Assembly. He said that the minimal salaries
will rise by AMD 5,000 and in the course of the coming 3 years they
will amount to AMD 30,000.

This process may be accelerated subject to the existence of necessary
funds, he said. According to him, AMD 505 million will be allocated
from RA state budget for the settlement of the given problem. About
7500 employees will be involved in the given program in total.

PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS TO WORKERS OF TV AND RADIO
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
28/11/2006

President Robert Kocharian awarded medals and titles to the workers
of TV and radio on the occasion of 80th and 50th anniversaries of
the TV and radio respectively. Armen Amirian, executive director of
the National Radio, Spiridon Hambardzumian, coordinator of Haylur
news program and Marat Ordian, deputy director of the Public TV were
awarded Movses Khorenatsi medals.

Raisa Mkrtchian, soloist of TV and radio’s symphonic orchestra, was
bestowed the honorable title of People’s Artist, Mark Petrosian, the
author of Classic Channel program of the Public TV and Suren Rshtuni,
chief director of the TV.

The title of merited journalist was awarded to Artur Bakhtamian,
Haylur’s senior news announcer, Tatevik Baghdasarian, author of the
Night Channel program of Public Radio, Sargis Najarian, program
director of Stereo-studio Karen Vardanian and news presenter of
Radiolur, Varouzhan Olkinian.

"WHERE ARE YOU, WOMEN?"

A1+
[05:03 pm] 27 November, 2006

On November 25 a number of young people with candles and posters walked
from the Cascade to the Republic Square, towards the Foreign Ministry,
and read an open letter to the RA Foreign Minister. The participants
of the march wanted more women specialists to participate in the
process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

"It can play a major role in the settlement of the conflict",
said the members of the women’s coalition "Women for peace in South
Caucasus". They reminded Vardan Oskanyan that in 1991 the RA ratified
the convention eliminating all the forms of discrimination against
women. The participants of the march asked the Foreign Minister to
support the women in having their contribution to the settlement of
the conflict.

By the way, both women and men participated in the march. They
distributed leaflets to the passers-by which said, "The voice of the
women should be heard", "Not only warriors, but peace-keepers are
needed for long-lasting peace", and "Where are you, women?".

KOCHARYAN TO LEAVE FOR MINSK

A1+
[05:20 pm] 27 November, 2006

On November 28 Robert Kocharyan will leave for Minsk in order to
participate in the recurrent session of the Presidents of the CIS
countries.

The sitting of the council of the CIS country heads will be opened
with the meeting of the Presidents.

Later on the plenary session will take place in which the Foreign
Ministers will also participate. The main issue to be discussed is
the report about raising the CIS efficiency and the perspectives of
its development.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANOTHER ACT OF CIVIC DISOBEDIENCE

A1+
[07:39 pm] 27 November, 2006

more images "Shame on you", "Leave, traitors"…

These were what the victims of "state needs", the former residents
of the center of the city said while walking from the Parliament
building to the Constitutional Court where the participants of the
civic disobedience movement were waiting for them. By the way, the
participants of the protest action carried brooms which have already
become their symbol.

As far as today is the first anniversary of the Constitutional
referendum, the residents of Kentron had gathered to express their
discontent with the members of the Constitutional Court. "Last
year the Armenian nation boycotted the farce. Today we have come to
express our discontent with the members of the Constitutional Court
who close their eyes to the illegal actions of the authorities. At
present they are adopting an anti-constitutional law about alienation
of property", said founder of the Civic Disobedience movement, former
Foreign Minister Alik Arzoumanyan.

He called on those present, "This movement will become more and
more powerful day by day. Our only demand is that Kocharyan and
his criminal group should leave. We will not wait for the recurrent
illegal elections".

Arkadi Karapetyan, head of the NKR "Erkrapah" Union, said, "We
protected this country during war. Today we are ready to protect it
in peace too".

Residents of both the city and the regions participated in the protest
action. Elmira Kostandyan, owner of Dalma gardens, held a broom in
her hands and promised to sweep everything unclean in the country.

Another old man from the regions demanded, "Let’s take an ax and put
an end to this situation".

After the speeches the participants of the action moved on to the
Parliament building again as the deputies were discussing the RA Law on
"Alienation of property for state and needs".

By the way, the founders of the movement were the first the leave
the site.

A YEAR AFTER THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

A1+
[08:17 pm] 27 November, 2006

"With the Constitutional Referendum the authorities tried to prove once
more that they are the owners of the country", said leader of the New
Times party Aram Karapetyan in the National Press Club exactly a year
after the referendum. He noted today that the Armenian nation made sure
once more that it is impossible to change the authorities by the simple
way – throwing a ballot into the ballot box. He said that society
followed the advice of the opposition and boycotted the referendum.

"And the authorities fabricated the referendum; after that it was
not a complicated thing to fabricate the other laws", said Aram
Karapetyan. By the way, he announced that the constitutional "reforms"
did not good to the 90% of the society.

Secretary of the political council of Liberal-Progressive party of
Armenia Edward Antinyan informed that the only positive reform was
the every citizen can turn to the Constitutional Court. But speaking
about the reform, Mr. Antinyan said, "While the citizen passes through
all the instances and reaches the CC, his house is leveled to earth"
and an elitist building is constructed instead.

Representative of Justice bloc in the Central Electoral Committee
Felix Khachatryan reminded that in two electoral areas there had been
more than 1800 flaws, whereas the Committee stated there had been 1576
flaws in the whole republic. He also reminded about the 10 thousand
ballots which were printed and simply "lost" from the printing house.

RA first Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan also participated in the
meeting. She noted that since 1995 all the elections have used
so-called "black technologies".

Representatives of the Republic Party and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun were
also invited; but none of them showed up.

OSKANIAN TO MEET WITH CE AND NATO SECRETARIES GENERAL IN DECEMBER

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.11.2006 13:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ December 5 Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian will leave
for Brussels, where he will take part in the session of the Council
of OSCE FMs December 4-5, reports the Press Office of the RA MFA.

December 6 the FM will leave for Strasbourg, where he is scheduled
to meet with CE Sec. Gen. Terry Davis and other CE high-rank
officials. December 7 Oskanian will return to Brussels to meet with
NATO Sec. Gen. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. December 8 the Armenian FM will
head for Paris to take part in events marking the 100th anniversary
of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). December 17 Oskanian
will pay a working visit to Iran.

ONLY PUTIN CAN CONVEY IMPULSE TO KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.11.2006 13:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There is minimal probability for the meeting of
the Armenian and Azeri Presidents to end in signing of a document,
Azeri political scientist Rasim Musabekov believes. In his words,
"there is no hint for agreeing upon the language of such a document
by the FMs." "To the contrary, the statements of I.

Aliyev and R. Kocharian on the eve of the Minsk meeting are not
optimistic, as they evidence that it will be hard to bring the
positions of the parties to a common point," he remarked. "Thus, it
would be good if upon completion of the meeting the Presidents come out
together in order to join journalists and state that the talks were
productive. While statements that it was managed to make positions
of the parties over disputed elements closer and that the two FMs
are later commissioned to hold an additional round of talks, taking
into account the progress made during the meeting of state leaders –
this should be considered success," Musabekov said. He also remarked
that "though Belarus President Lukashenko hosts the CIS Summit, while
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is the Chair of the Council of
CIS Heads at present, only Russian President Vladimir Putin is capable
to convey certain impulse to Aliyev-Kocharian talks." "Another point
is whether he would like to do it and to whose benefit he will direct
his influence and what he will demand in exchange," the political
scientist stated, reports Day.az.

The meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Presidents within the settlement
process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be held in Minsk within
the Summit of the CIS Heads November 28.

DRAFT LAW ON ALIENATION OF PROPERTY ADOPTED

Panorama.am
13:17 27/11/06

The deputies of National Assembly decided on the fate of the law
"On alienation of property for public and state needs." The law was
adopted on 70-in favor and 2- abstained vote. The opposition did not
part in the voting. The opposition earlier said they will appeal in
Constitutional Court in case the bill passes.

PARTIES CRITICIZE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Panorama.am
14:01 27/11/06

"Nothing positive has taken place in Armenia followed by the
constitutional reform," Aram Karapetyan, leader of New Times party,
told reporters today during a discussion dedicated to one of referendum
on constitution.

In his words, the authorities once again proved that they are the
owners of the country. Karapetyan believes the only positive thing
was that people boycotted the referendum. "More than 350,000 voters
did not take part in the referendum," Karapetyan pointed out. He said
again everything was pre-decided at the top levels.

Eduard Antinyan, secretary of polit board of Liberal Progressive
party of Armenia, said normal elections and referendum are impossible
to conduct under the conditions of distrust. "After constitutional
reforms we have not witnessed democratization. Moreover, basis of
democracy were not created in the country. On the contrary, people
started to trust the authorities less," he said. He also noted that the
positive thing is that citizens can now on apply to the Constitutional
Court.