Month: March 2007

NON-FOOD COMMODITY PRICES DECLINE BY 0.3% IN ARMENIA IN FEBRUARY

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. A 0.3% price fall was registered in
the Armenian non-food commodity market in February 2007, which is
mainly conditioned by 0.7-2.2% fall in prices of cultural goods,
jewelry, gasoline abd diesel fuel.

According to the RA National Statiatical Service, prices of detergents
declined by 0.1% in February, while prices of carpets, cosmetics,
building materials, textiles, horticultural items, domestic electric
appliances, footwear, clothing, medicines and furniture grew by
0.1-0.4% in February. Prices in the other commodity groups remained
at the previous month’s level.

PRICES OF GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL DECLINE BY 1.2% ANS 2.2% RESPECTIVELY IN ARMENIA IN FEBRUARY

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. A 1.2% and 2.2% decline in prices of
gasoline and diesel fuel respectively was registered in Armenia in
February 2007.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, gasoline price
fell by 14% in February 2008 on the same month of 2006 and by 10.2% –
on 2005. A 0.2% price fall and 1.2% price growth was registered with
respect to diesel fuel over the indicated periods.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUNNER SEVAK YEGHIKIAN TO REPRESENT ARMENIA IN EUROPE WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP OF ATHLETICS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Europe Winter Championship
of Athletics will start in Birmingham on March 3. Sevak Yeghikian
(Gyumri) will perform in the championship from Armenia. He is the
champion of Armenia at 3 thousand metre running track.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT DO NOT WANT TO BRING BROADCASTING LEGISLATION IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH PRINCIPLES OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, YEREVAN PRESS CLUB FIXES

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Yerevan Press Club made a statement
on the occasion of the RA National Assembly’s adoption on February
26 the drafts "On Making Amendments to the RA Law "On Television
and Radio" and "On Making Amendments and Additions to the RA Law
"On Television and Radio National Committee Conception." According to
the Yerevan Press Club, adoption of those drafts proves that neither
the Armenian Government which prepared those drafts nor Parliament
are ready or want to improve the legislation on broadcasting, to
bring it in correspondence with modern principles of the liberty of
expression and international standards. "We again collide with secret,
"underground" preparation of drafts relating to the sphere of the
freedom of expression and their quick discussion and votion at the
National Assembly in the style of military levy," is mentioned in
the statement.

According to the statement authors, the argument, as if the
demand of brining the law in correspondence with the amended
Constitution dictated the quickened procedure, does not stand up to
any criticism. It is mentioned that more than a year passed after
making amendments to the RA Constitution, and both governmental
and parliamentary structures had enough time to hold discussions,
hearings, study the presented proposals, get experts’ estimations. And
as it is mentioned in the Yerevan Press Club statement, leading
the law-making process to simple stamping of legal acts serving to
political juncture of the moment does not at all speak about evidence
of their faithfulness to principles of democracy proclaimed by the
Armenian authorities and process of the European integration.

It is then said in the statement:

"The Yerevan Press Club and partner organizations many times
spread statements in 2005 that the principles of the draft to the
Constitutional amendments relating to the sphere of information,
particularly, to broadcast mass media do not create favourable
conditions for reformation of the legislation on the mass media sphere,
proposed alternative variants of amendments. But the parliamentary
majority pushed forward personal formulations with a obstinacy worth
being used on other occasions. The future development of events proved
our estimations’ being motivated: the amended Constitution essentially
limited prospects of the law-making process securing independence of
the body coordinating activity of television and radio.

At the same time, the amendments to the legislation on broadcasting
sphere adopted on February 26 do not use even that positive that exists
in the corresponding principles of the amended Constitution. First of
all, it is possible by these amendments to reach correlation of members
of the regulating body (of Television and Radio National Committee),
being appointed by the President and members being elected by the
Parliament, fixed by the Main Law only in 2011, after the fact when
the Television and Radio National Committee would have already held
a whole series of competitions for giving frequencies. The second,
the amendments do not secure the public-political variety of the
Television and Radio National Committee staff: the parliamentary
majority will make the decision on the National Assembly’s electing
Television and Radio National Committee members according to
the procedure being proposed. The parliamentary majority, as the
political practice of Armenia shows, is always in the same camp
with the President. In other words, the coordinating body, as it was
previously, will be formed exclusively from political forces being at
the wheel of power, and in this sense, amendment of the legislation
does not introduce anything new. The third, as it was previously,
the society’s participation in formation of the Television and Radio
National Committee and transparence of making decisions by it are
not secured. The forth, separation of the TRNC members into ones
being paid (constantly working TRNC Chairman and Deputy Chairman) and
ones not being paid, what causes big breach among their commisions
and violates the principle of collegiality of making decisions. The
fifth: widening of the sphere of TRNA commissions and involving public
broadcasting in it, what is envisaged by the amended Constitution,
is not followed by definition of mechanisms of regulating activity
of the Public Television and Radio Company by the National Committee.

The possibility was again lost to completely improve the law "On
Television and Radio," liquidate those numerous faults which existed
in it from the moment of adoption in October, 2000, and not only to
be limited by only those principles which contradicted the amended
Constitution.

The whole process of working out and adoption of the drafts "On
Making Amendments to the RA Law "On Television and Radio" and
"On Making amendments and Additions to the RA Law "On Television
and Radio National Committee Conception" showed obvious and cynic
ignoring of the journalist society’s opinion by the government and
parliamentary majority. No proposal of public organizations presented
to the expert’s conclusion in the way of final, ready draft to
the conception of reforms to the broadcasting legislation did not
deserve attention. Only separate observations, which pointed out
obvious technical mistakes of the official document, were taken into
consideration. It is a pity, the authorities’ demonstrative refusal
from discussing anything with interested sides becomes a tradition
in the Armenian legislative practice.

The call of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly addressed,
to the RA authorities, concerning holding consultations with EU experts
before making amendments to the law "On Television and Radio" as well
as instructions of the OSCE Representative’s Office on Freedom of Media
and the proposal to hold expert examination of draft amendments were
ignored by the February 26 vote at the National Assembly. Formation
of the legislation on broadcasting corresponding standards of the
Council of Europe was one of the obligations undertaken by Armenia
when becoming a Council of Europe member, and the necessity of its
improvement in future was mentioned in numerous documents of that
international organization. But that process remains the evidence of
standing up to democratic reforms in the country.

The position of the parliamentary factions representing the ruling
coalition in this issue is still possible to explain by mutual
political obligations: even if draft amendments were presented just
by the coalition government. And it is even shameful to comment upon
behaviour of separate deputies considering themselves as "opposing" or
"independent," but voted for the drafts and assisted their adoption
just by it. Just they continuously protest against control of the
authorities over mass media being broadcast, while they strengthen
the existed situation by their vote."

All these, as it is mentioned in the Yerevan Press Club statement,
arise anxiety not only because of adoption of the two drafts, but,
taking into consideration, in general, the country’s public-political
state on the threshold of the parliamentary elections. According
to the statement authors, there are too many signs of the fact that
instead of stating political forces’ faithfulness to some values, the
expected electoral campaign threatens with turning into demonstration
of cynism, regressive moods and cult worship of time-serving.

PRICES FOR SERVICES IN ARMENIA GO UP 0.6% IN FEBRUARY

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The 0.6% additional rise in prices
registered in the shere of services served to the population in
February was mainly provided by 0.1-2 additional rise in prices
for flat-communal services, organization of rest, education system,
medical services.

According to data of the RA National Statistical Service, tariffs for
public subsistence, cultural sphere, transport services reduced 4-0.1%
in February, and tariffs for communication of communal character,
legal and banking services remained unchanged as if compared with
the previous month.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY SAYS IT WILL NOT RUN FOR PARLIAMENT

Arminfo
28 Feb 07

Yerevan, 28 February: The National Democratic Union [NDU] led by Vazgen
Manukyan will not participate in the 12 May parliamentary election,
according to a decision made at the party’s council meeting on 28
February.

"The National Democratic Union will not participate in the
parliamentary election under the first-past-the-post and proportional
systems. The party’s leader, Vazgen Manukyan, will not be included in
a list of any other party," NDU press secretary Gohar Veziryan has
said. She said the party will hold a news conference at the party’s
headquarters in the coming days to announce the NDU statement and
explain the motives.

ARMENIAN MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTY TO RUN SEPARATELY IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

Arminfo
28 Feb 07

Yerevan, 28 February: The council of the [opposition] People’s Party
of Armenia [PPA], led by Stepan Demirchyan, took a final decision
today to run in the 12 May parliamentary election without forming
blocs with other parties.

"The party’s proportional list of candidates consists of 73 people.

Everybody, except for the number two person on the list, is a member
of our party," Ruzan Khachatryan, the party’s press secretary and a
member of the council, has said. She said that party leader Stepan
Demicrchyan, National Revival Party leader Albert Bazeyan, and PPA
council secretary Grigor Harutyunyan lead the list. They are followed
by council secretaries Stepan Zakaryan and Stepan Minasyan and press
secretary Ruzan Khachatryan. Currently, the list of candidates to
run under the first-past-the-post system from the party is being made.

It is already known that Stepan Demirchyan will not be nominated
under the first-past-the-post system. However, Vardan Lazarian,
a secretary of the party’s council, will run in District 12 of Yerevan.

The required documents for registering political parties and blocs for
the election should be submitted to the Central Electoral Commission
by 1800 [1400 gmt] 3 March.

ARMENIAN-GREEK JOINT SEMINAR CONCERNING ELECTORAL LEGISLATION STARTS WORK IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The two-day seminar entitled "Comparison
of Armenian and Greek Legislations concerning Electoral Right" started
at the RA Court of Cassation on March 1. It was organinized on the
initiative of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Public
Law Center and RA Judicial School, with the financial assistance of
the RA Court of Cassation.

Panagiotis Danias, the judge of the Court of Administrative Instance of
Greece, presenting the Greek experience of improvement of the electoral
legislation, informed that, according to the Constitution adopted in
1975, the Chairmen of the central and district electoral commissions
of Greece are representatives of the justice sphere. In P.Danias’
words, this circumstance does not give cause for displeasure to the
pro-governmental and opposing parties as "it supposes that judges
must be impartial and objective."

And Erna Hayrinian, the judge of the Civil Chamber of the RA Court of
Cassation mentioned that the principle of the law on involving judges
in Armenia in the electoral process caused indignation of opposing
forces, as a result of what it was qualified anti-constitutional by
the decision of the RA Constitutional Court. In E.Hayriyan’s words,
judges of Armenia "are even pleasant that they got off with additional
obligations like the process of control of elections."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY’S PRESSURE ON AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY CONCERNING RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS HEIGHT OF CHUTZPAH

Arminfo
2007-03-01 14:35:00

Turkey’s pressure on the American Jewish community concerning the
resolution on the Armenian Genocide is the height of chutzpah, the
editorial staff of the Jewish press daily writes. We are certainly not
insensitive to the significance of Turkey’s support of Israel. But
the Turkish government’s attempt to capitalize on that support by
pressing the American Jewish community to oppose a Congressional
resolution that condemns as "genocide" Turkey’s murder of a million
and a half Armenians during World War I strikes us as being the height
of chutzpah.

As The New York Sun reported, on February 5 the Turkish foreign
minister met with representatives of several major Jewish groups
and "made a hard sell" against House Resolution 106, which now has
176 co-sponsors. The Turkish official reportedly appealed to the
participants by noting – outrageously, we think – the uniqueness of the
German genocide against the Jews. The Turks do not deny that between
1915 and 1917 they conducted a devastating military campaign against
the Armenians and that thousands of Armenians were killed on forced
marches. They claim, however, that the hapless Armenians were a fifth
column, often armed and working on behalf of the Russian army in World
War I. But the American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the time,
Henry Morgenthau, wrote in his memoir, "I am confident that the whole
history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this."

The orders for the deportations of the Armenian families in 1915 "were
merely giving a death warrant to a whole race," he wrote. Anyone who
seriously and objectively considers those events cannot but conclude
that there was a calculated and purposeful effort to exterminate
the Armenians. After all, approximately 1.5 million perished. That
said, we understand that opposition to House Resolution 106 does not
necessarily signify lack of sympathy with the victims, or, indeed,
sentiment against the concept itself. Not buying into an initiative
on someone else’s schedule is not always an indicator of nefarious
motives at play. We also have no doubt that some would argue the
Jewish community should oppose the resolution if only to preserve the
aura of uniqueness surrounding the destruction of European Jewry in
the Holocaust. And this, perhaps, was the point the Turkish foreign
minister was trying to make in his presentation to Jewish leaders.

But acknowledging as genocide the systematic murder of a million and a
half human beings of a particular ethnic heritage in no way detracts
from recognition of the Holocaust as a uniquely monumental evil in
the blood-soaked annals of human history.

FORMER ORINATS YERKIR MEMBERS PREVAIL IN THE TICKET OF PEOPLE’S PARTY

Arminfo
2007-03-01 18:16:00

Today People’s Party led by the director of ALM-Holding TV company
Tigran Karapetyan applied for participation in the May 12 parliamentary
elections in Armenia.

On top of the party’s ticket are Tigran Karapetyan and Petros
Kazaryan. They are followed by former members of Orinats Yerkir
party: MP Samvel Shahgaldyan, the owner of SAS shops Artak Sargsyan,
MP Mekhak Mkhitaryan and ex Urban Development Minister Ara Aramyan.