Month: March 2007

FIRST PART OF "AREVORDI" ECOLOGICAL FESTIVAL TO BE HELD ON APRIL 1-12 IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The first part of the "Arevordi"
first regional ecological festival will be held on April 1-12 at the
same time in 6 settlements of Armenia, Garni, Goght, Dilijan, Gyumri,
Urtsadzor and Yerevan, on the initiative of the Fund for Protection
of Wild Nature and Cultural Values in Armenia. As Hasmik Hovhannisian,
the festival Programs Director informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
on April 11, last but one day of the ecological events in April,
a march-action from Matendaran to the Azatutiun (Liberty) square
will take place in Yerevan with participation of representatives
of ecological public organizations and schoolchildren arrived
from marzes. Children participating in the march will prepare
starling-houses for birds to place them in parks, will prepare
sculptures from plastic dishes, will paint posters.

Authors of the best works will be awarded. In H.Hovhannisian’s words,
the "Arevordi" festival consists of two parts: exclusively ecological
events, tree planting, cleaning will be implemented in the first part,
April 1-12, and a festival in which representatives from Turkey,
Georgia, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan will participate, will be held
in the second part, from October 6-10. In that sense, there are
already concrete agreements with similar Turkish organizations,
and the negotiations are still in process with the Azerbaijani side.

In Hasmik Hovhannisian’s words, the festival has a goal to fix the
society’s attention on the ecological problems existing in the region,
create a neutral field rounding regional conflicts and tension, which
will assist finding new and effective solutions. To arise interest
among schoolchildren towards the ecological problems, ecoclubs were
founded in schools of marzes with the efforts of the fund. Ecological
films, shot with the efforts of the fund are also involved in the
educational programs being taught there. In H. Hovhannisian’s words,
children most actively respond these trainings, proposing solutions
concerning this or that problem. H. Hovhannisian also mentioned that
no film festival on the ecological theme has ever been held either
in Armenia or in whole region.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM OF ARMENIA TO HOLD EURO-2008 PROGRAM MEETING WITH TEAM OF POLAND ON MARCH 28

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting of the teams of Armenia
and Poland will take place in the city of Kielce, Poland, on
March 28, by the program of the group tournament of the "Euro-2008"
elimination stage. It is envisaged to broadcast the game by the Public
Television. Trainers Vardan Minasian and Armen Gyulbudaghiants will
accompany the team of Armenia to Poland on March 26. Team coach,
Scotsman Ian Porterfield, who underwent an operation these days,
will not leave for Poland.

SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN: "AFTER ELECTIONS OPPOSITION TO BE MORE UNITED, AND AUTHORITIES TO BE CONTRARY"

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. To secure own success at the May
12 parliamentary elections, it is necessary for the authorities of
Armenia that the people’s participation in the elections is rather
passive. Shavarsh Kocharian, the Chairman of the National Democratic
Party (NDP), a deputy of the National Assembly expressed such an
opinion at the March 22 press conference. In his words, to keep bulks
striving for system changes far from the electoral process, the ruling
forces fostered a special strategy, that’s, to assure the society
that results of the elections are already decided beforehand. In
Sh.Kocharian’s words, those numerous offices and posters of the
pro-ruling parties, with which all the marzes and streets of the
republic "are full," prove that strategy. In the NA deputy’s opinion,
the very extended character of the mentioned offices makes think that
"the elections results have also been all-embracingly solved." In
Sh. Kocharian’s words the way of thinking as if the opposing forces’
success is provided only by unification is sown only in the Armenian
people’s consciousness. Whereas, in the NDP Chairman’s words, on the
eve of the revolution in Georgia the opposing leaders did not present
themselves with a joint block: their unification took place already
after the elections. Sh. Kocharian expressed an opinion that though
the Armenian opposition does not jointly go to the NA elections, as
a result of them, however, "the opposing forces will be more united,
and the authorities will be the contrary."

"INTERPRINT EXPO-2007" SECOND INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZED EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON MARCH 23-25

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Interprint: Polygraphy,
Advertisement, Design, Packing EXPO-2007" second international
specialized exhibition will be held in Yerevan on March 23-25. Its
goal is to involve high-quality specialists of that sphere as well
as to strengthen the tie among producers and design-studios. Veronika
Tsarukian, the head of the "LOGOS EXPO Center" Information Technologies
and Polygraphy, the organizer of the exhibition informed the Noyan
Tapan correspondent about it. In her words, companies promoting
printing and publishing activity, involved in the spheres of packing
industry, advertisement and design will be presented according to theme
parts at the exhibition being held with the official assistance of the
RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Union of Manufacturers
and Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia, National Association of
Publishers of Armenia and Writers’ Union of Armenia.

THREE SCIENTIFIC CENTERS OF CHEMISTRY SECTOR DEMAND REVIEWING GOVERNMENTAL DECOSION ON CREATION OF SECTORAL SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGICAL CENTER

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Directors of three institutes
subordinate to the RA National Academy of Sciences – the Institute
of Fine Organic Chemistry (IFOC), the Institute of Organic Chemistry
(IOC), and the Molecular Structure Research Institute (MSRI) – have
sent letters to the president and the prime minister of Armenia
with the request to review the October 12 governmental decision on
establishment of the Scientific Technological Center of Organic and
Pharmaceutical Chemistry. This was stated at the March 21 press
conference convened at the IFOC by the management of the above
mentioned scientific centers. According to Vigen Topuzian, acting
director of IFOC, the governmental decision was made without taking
into account the opinion of the staff of these institutes. He said
that after the decision, some well-founded proposals on review of
the decision have been sent to the government. It was noted that
formation of the center through unification of three scientific
centers is artificial: the fact these three institutes represent
different scientific directions was not taken into account. MSRI
director Harutyun Karapetian said that the creation of the center is
an initiative of the Presidency of the RA National Academy of Sciences
(NAS), which, however, is only an imitation of reforms in science. In
his words, during the March 13 extended sitting of the natural sciences
department of the RA NAS it became clear that the heads and members
of this department have no idea about the scientific directions and
administrative-economic structure of the new center, as well as about
criteria that a candidate for the post of the center director must
meet. According to the letter, taking all this into consideration,
at the joint sitting of scientific councils of the three institutes
a decision was made to recall the candidates nomunaited for the post
of director of the Scientific Technological Center of Organic and
Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

ACNIS PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF A POLL ON KEY GLOBAL ISSUES

ArmRadio.am
22.03.2007 17:57

The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
today convened a roundtable discussion to present the results of the
second in a series of reports based on a poll of worldwide opinion on
key global issues. The report was devoted to labor and environmental
standards in trade agreements.

The meeting brought together citizens, members of environmental and
international trade organizations, analysts, and media representatives.

ACNIS director of research Stepan Safarian delivered opening
remarks. "As improvements in trade laws become international norms,
Armenia will be compelled to make similar adjustments," he said. "Even
though Armenia’s economy cannot be compared with that of developed
and developing countries, its general public opinion is well within
their average. As a result, we must now prepare ourselves for the
new conditions to be introduced in trade agreements." ACNIS analyst
Syuzanna Barseghian then presented the survey results.

Strong majorities in developing nations around the world support
requiring countries that sign trade agreements to meet minimum labor
and environmental standards, a multinational poll finds. Nine in 10
Americans also support such protections.

The leaders of less developed nations have generally opposed including
language mandating minimum standards for working conditions and
environmental protections in trade deals, arguing that such rules are
protectionist and would undermine their ability to compete in major
markets such as Europe and the United States.

Nonetheless, majorities in four developing countries in Asia–China,
India, Thailand and the Philippines–and two middle income countries
in Latin America– Argentina and Mexico–agree that trade agreements
should require governments to maintain "minimum standards" for working
conditions or for the protection of the environment.

Large majorities in three eastern European countries–Poland, Armenia
and Ukraine–also favor such protections as do an overwhelming majority
of Israelis.

"It has often been assumed that when leaders of developing countries
argue against including labor or environmental standards in trade
agreements they represent the wishes of their people," said Steven
Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org. "However, it appears that
these publics would like to see the international community put
pressure on their governments to raise their standards."

These findings are part of multinational study by The Chicago Council
on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org, in cooperation with
polling organizations around the world. The larger survey includes
17 countries–China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Russia,
Thailand, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Mexico, South Korea, the Philippines,
Australia, Argentina, Peru, Israel, Armenia– and the Palestinian
territories.

This is the second in a series of reports based on the survey analyzing
international attitudes on key international issues. Not all questions
were asked in all countries.

The US public is nearly unanimous in its support of requiring that
both labor (93%) and environmental standards (91%) be included in
trade agreements.

The Bush administration has opposed the inclusion of such rules in
the past, fearing that they would complicate trade negotiations and
might force the United States to change some of its own labor laws.

"The American public is clearly concerned that trade agreements fail
to protect either workers or the environment," said Christopher
Whitney, executive director for Studies at The Chicago Council on
Global Affairs. "This strengthens the hand of those in Congress who
share this apprehension, particularly as the White House increases
its willingness to negotiate these issues with Congress in advance
of the June expiration of the President’s Trade Promotion Authority."

RA FM: US DEPARTMENT OF STATE ADMITTED FALLACY OF ITS FORMULATIONS

Arminfo
2007-03-21 22:40:00

US Department of State has Admitted the fallacy of its formulations,
RA FM Vardan Oskanyan said at today’s press-conference in the Regnum
IA’s Yerevan Office, commenting on the US State Department’s report
on Human Rights in Armenia. To remind, the authors of the report had
mentioned Nagorno Karabakh as territories occupied by Armenia.

According to him, the Armenian side has already addressed the
American one and the Department of State admitted the incorrectness
of the report formulations. "It is an apparent mistake and the
Department of State admits that this was an incorrect formulation",
RA FM said. According to the Minister, it is difficult to correct the
report after its publishing for purely bureaucratic reasons, however,
the American side has promised to introduce some clarities.

It is yet unclear how it will be done. Along with it, the Minister
reminded that the report has no legal effect. In V. Oskanyan’s
opinion, the attitude of the report authors and not that of the State
Department is reflected in the report. "The report does not reflect the
US policy in this issue.", having added that there are no reasons to
operate this subject. "If Azerbaijan decides to operate this subject,
it will demonstrate its weakness and absence of other reasons". RA
FM said. He reminded that the report concerned the human rights in
Armenia and not in Karabakh.

RICE AVOIDS ANSWERING QUESTIONS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Yerkir
22.03.2007 17:27

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday
the U.S. should not be involved in a dispute between Turkey and
Armenia over whether the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians almost
a century ago constituted genocide, AP reported.

Under questioning the sponsor of a House resolution that would
declare that Turkey’s Ottoman predecessor state committed genocide,
Rice avoided answering whether she believed there was any basis for
historical debate on the matter.

"What we’ve encouraged the Turks and the Armenians to do is to have
joint historical commissions that can look at this, to have efforts
to examine their past, and in examining their past to get over it,"
she told House Appropriations subcommittee.

"I don’t think it helps that process of reconciliation for the United
States to enter this debate at that level."

"Madame Secretary, your comments that there should be some kind of
debate or discussion about the genocide suggests that you have a
question about whether genocide occurred," said the resolution’s
sponsor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

The Bush administration, which has heard threats from top Turkish
officials that passage of Schiff’s resolution would damage relations,
has been trying to quash it.

"I believe that this is something that the Turks and Armenians are best
to address," Rice told Schiff at the hearing on the State Department’s
spending for foreign operations.

Later in the day, Shciff said that the US has to press Turkey to
recognize the undeniable fact of the Armenian genocide.

COURT REFUSES APPEAL OF "ALTERNATIVE" INITIATIVE GROUP TO RECOGNIZE INVALID MAYOR’S DECISION PROHIBITING MASS MEETING IN AZATUTIAN SQUARE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The Court of 1st Instance of Yerevan
communities of Kentron and Nork-Marash refused on March 22 the appeal
of Nikol Pashinian and Petros Makeyan, members of the "Aylentrank"
(Alternative) initiative group against the Yerevan Mayor. The claimant
side demanded to recognize invalid Mayor Yervand Zakharian’s 13.03.2007
decision on prohibiting the mass meeting of "Aylentrank" in Azatutian
(Liberty) square. The court at the same time found that the report
informing about the decision and the notification sent to the claimant
side was carried out with violation of the order and term fixed by
the law what, however, can not have essential meaning to satisfy the
appeal. In the words of Arsen Amian, the Mayor’s Office Representative,
Law Department Deputy Chief, the mass meeting was prohibited for the
reason that "Garun-2007" festival must be held in Azatutian square
on the same day, at 17:00-19:00, March 23. The organizer of the
festival, as it became known from explanation of the Mayor’s Office
Representative, is the Mayor’s Office.

Representative of the claimant side Vahe Grigorian in his turn stated
that the court had not been independent and impartial when carrying
out the legal procedures. He particularly complainted that the court
refused the mediations on inviting Mayor’s authorized representative
Gagik Baghdasarian as an evidence as well as on demanding copies of
registers, by what it would be proved that the decision was not made
and was not sent within that period of time as it is mentioned in the
documents. The claimant side also found that A. Amian had no proper
commissions to represent the Mayor, he represented the Mayor’s Office.

Responding the last statement, A. Amian mentioned that the Mayor’s
Office staff is called to secure implementation of the commission
preserved for the Mayor by the law. As the Noyan Tapan correspondent
was informed by the "Aylentrank" office, the claimant side intends
to appeal the court decision at the Appeal Court on Civil cases.

RA NA DOES NOT MANAGE TO START WORK OF PLENARY SITTINGS ON MARCH 22, AGAIN BECAUSE OF ABSENCE OF QUORUM

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA NA did not manage to
start work of the plenary sittings on March 22 as it was on the
previous day. Though 66 deputies were registered, having a quorum,
but NA Speaker Tigran Torosian, presiding the sitting, stated that
the registration picture does not correspond to the reality. The
picture did not change after re-registration and even after the
stated 30-minute break, so the NA Speaker stated that according to
the regulations-law of the parliament, the 3-hour condition fixed
for registration starts functioning. In the case of not having a
real quorum during the mentioned period of time, the sitting will be
announced closed. To recap, most probably, sittings of the last day
of the parliament four-day will also fail as the majority of the 43
deputies really present there left the parliament building after the
NA Speaker’s statement, and there were no new registrations during
2 hours.