Month: April 2007

CHRISTIANS RETRACE JESUS’ STEPS
By Ben Winograd

Associated Press Writer
Wednesday April 4, 2007 9:01 PM

JERUSALEM (AP) – Thousands of pilgrims retraced Jesus’ footsteps
Wednesday as they celebrated Holy Week at the sites where Christians
mark his crucifixion, death and resurrection.

A decrease in Palestinian-Israeli violence and the overlap of Christian
calendars brought a wave of visitors to the Old City.

Herlind Vermeulen of Belgium, who timed her wedding to her husband,
Wim, for the early spring so they could spend Holy Week honeymooning
in Jerusalem.

"This is the high point," she said.

Tourists had virtually disappeared from Jerusalem when Palestinian
suicide bombers began targeting the city after fighting between
Israel and the Palestinians broke out in September 2000. In recent
years, however, their has been a marked drop in attacks here, and
tourists have slowly returned to the Old City, which holds most of
the holy sites.

Thousands of pilgrims began the celebrations with a Palm Sunday
procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City, retracing Jesus’
triumphant return to the city. On Good Friday, they will mark his
crucifixion and death. On Sunday, they will celebrate Easter, the
holiest day of the Christian calendar, marking Jesus’ resurrection.

The crowds were also larger than usual as five different Christian
sects – wi th their different calendars – celebrated the Holy Week
festivities on the same days for the first time in four years.

Taking a rest in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where
most Christians believe Jesus was buried, Parisians Giullame and
Anne-Marie Blaise said the Old City seemed more crowded than on any
of their five visits since 1963.

Due to the influx, officials established a strict schedules for each
denomination to conduct religious ceremonies inside the Old City,
said the Rev.

Athanasius Macora, a Franciscan priest based in Jerusalem. There
have occasionally been scuffles during disagreements over access to
holy sites.

Among the beneficiaries of the calendar was Said Samakiyan, 49,
of Jerusalem, whose family typically cannot celebrate Easter on
the same day. He and his mother are members of the Assyrian Church,
while his father is an Armenian Catholic, his wife is Greek Orthodox
and his children are Roman Catholics, he said.

Thousands of Palestinian Christians from nearly Bethlehem also come
to Jerusalem during Holy Week.

Inaam Qumseyh, visiting with her daughter-in-law, said she was
lucky to receive one of the visitor permits the Israeli government
distributed to Bethlehem churches. Two of her sons, aged 30 and 32,
were not so fortunate, she said.

Meanwhile, shopkeepers – known as a pessimistic lot – insisted they
had the fewest customers in years and said only a turn in political
fortunes would bring the crowds back.

"When there is peace, the tourists will come," shopkeeper John
Attieh said.

CEC REGISTERS ELECTORAL ROLLS OF 24 PARTIES AND 1 PREELECTION BLOC NOMINATED FOR PARTICIPATION IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS BY PROPORTIONAL SYSTEM

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 4 sitting RA Central
Electoral Commission (CEC) registered the electoral rolls of 24
parties and 1 electoral bloc nominated by proportional system for
the parliamentary elections, which in total included 1314 candidates.

With the exception of the Dashink (Alliance) Party, there were
no objections to registration of electoral rolls of all another
political forces, so, according to the Electoral Code, the latters
were considered as registered without voting.

Felix Khachatrian, representative of Ardarutiun (Justice) faction
in CEC, had objections in connection with Dashink. The objection,
in particular, regarded the certificate of Dashink Chairman Samvel
Babayan’s (he is the first figure on Dashink’s list) permanently
residing in Armenia for five years.

According to the certificate, the candidate lived in Stepanakert in
04.01.1994-11.09.2006 and in Yerevan from 15.09.2006. As F. Khachatrian
affirmed, this is a certificate showing that S. Babayan has not
lived in Armenia over the last 5 years. He proposed the Commission
suggesting that the candidate introduce certificate of the pattern
established for all candidates within 48-hour term established by
the Electoral Code. These objections, as well as his objections made
later in connection with registration of party’s electoral roll were
voted down, so the electoral roll was considered as registered. It
is noteworthy that besides F. Khachatrian, representative of Orinats
Yerkir faction in CEC, Sona Sargsian also voted for his objections.

As CEC Chairman Garegin Azarian stated at the sitting, at present
39 out of 41 district electoral commissions have already registered
candidates for deputacy nominated by majoritarian system, and the
sitting at another one district electoral commission is not over
yet. The deadline for candidates’ registration is April 7, 18:00,
so the list of candidates nominated by the majoritarian system will
be published soon.

And preelectoral agitation of candidates for deputacy is planned from
April 8 to May 10, 24:00.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN MAYOR ESCAPES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

The News – International, Pakistan –
April 4 2007

YEREVAN: A senior Armenian politician survived an assassination attempt
as he travelled home from a meeting to consider his party’s candidate
for the vacant post of prime minister, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Vardan Gukassyan, the mayor of Armenia’s second largest city, Gyumri,
was severely injured in the gun attack while four people travelling
with him were killed, the prosecutor general’s office said in a
statement.

Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan met with his security ministers
and ordered them to do everything possible to find the attackers,
the president’s press service said.

Gukassyan had just attended a special session of the ruling Armenian
Republican Party’s governing council, which agreed to put forward the
acting defence minister, Serzh Sarksyan, as the country’s new prime
minister. His nomination follows the sudden death from a heart attack
last month of Andranik Margaryan.

The mayor, his deputy and their driver were all hospitalised following
the late-night attack while three bodyguards in an accompanying vehicle
died as they travelled home by road from the capital, Yerevan. The
driver later died in hospital.

So far, local authorities have no clear information on who carried
out the attack. In 1999, Armenia’s prime minister, Vazgen Sarksyan,
along with six politicians and officials, were shot dead when gunmen
stormed the national parliament building.

FAMOUS COMPANIES PRESENT BIDS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF NEW TURBINE OF YEREVAN TPP

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The packages of technical and financial
proposals of the companies, which have presented thier bids for
construction of the heat-and-gas turbine of the Yerevan Thermal
Power Plant (TPP) under the 15 bln 917 mln yen (about 150 mln USD)
credit program of the Japanese government, will be opened on April
30. TPP Director Hovakim Hovhannisian told NT correspondent that from
7 companies that presented their bids for participation in the tender,
two consortiums formed from the following companies: Mitsui (Japan), GS
(South Korea), Alstom (Germany) and Siemens (Germany), Samsung (South
Korea) and Sumitomo (Japan) have entered the qualification stage.

According to him, the tender results will be known within 90 days after
the opening of packages. H. Hovhannisian said that foreign currency
rate changes will not affect the cost of the program, becuase the sum
for construction of the turbine is provided in Japanese yens. It is
envisaged to finish the program in September 2009.

He noted that the Yerevan TPP is now operating at only 20% of its
capacity.

MOBILE PHONE COMMUNICATION OPERATORS OF ARMENIA REQUIRED TO SUBSTANTIATE MUTUAL ACCUSATIONS OF ANTICOMPETITIVE ACTIVITY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. K-Telecom company (VivaCell) – the
second mobile phone communication operator in Armenia, must inform
the public and the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission about
every change in its tariffs.

This decision was made at the April 4 sitting of the
commission. K-Telecom was instructed to put information about tariffs
and changes envisaged in them on its official website within a day.

ArmenTel company was instructed to suspend (until the commission takes
the respective decision) the use of the per-minute tariff of 27 drams
for the "Family and Friends" service – with respect to inter-city
calls to the fixed-line phone network.

K-Telecom and ArmenTel companies were instructed to present, within 10
days, proof, substantiation or some other information about existence
or absence of anticompetitive behavior’s signs as a result of the
use of the per-minute tariff of 27 drams for provision of the "Family
and Friends" service.

CONFERENCE ON ARMENIA’S OPPORTUNITIES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES SECTOR HELD IN FRANCE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

ICI-LE-MULINO, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. An international conference
dedicated to Armenia’s opportunities in the IT sector took place in
the French city of Ici-Le-Mulino on March 30 with the participation
of experts and officials from Armenia, France, the US, Belgium and
various international organizations.

The Armenian delegation was headed by the RA Deputy Minister of Trade
and Economic Development Tigran Davtian, who made the main report on
the Armenian government’s policy in the IT sector.

Pierre Gyurjian, Deputy Director of McKinsey (Belgium), one of the
initiators of the Armenia 2020 Project, and Bagrat Yengibarian,
Director of the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, made speeches on
the current opportunities and development prospects of the Armenian
IT sector.

In his speech Deputy Director of Microsoft Corporation Vahe Torosian
appreciated the inpressive progress registerted in the Armenian IT
sector in recent years, underlining the importance of consistent
steps taken by the Armenian government, including the agreement
signed between Microsoft Corporation and the Armenian government
in early February 2007. Yervand Zorian, Deputy Chairman of the US
company Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
and Scientific Director of Virage Logic, spoke about the interest in
operating in the Armenian IT sector that foreign companies have shown.

According to a press release submitted to NT by the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, heads and representatives of nearly 50 French
companies attended the conference. The conference was organized within
the framework of Year of Armenia in France with joint efforts of the
Ici-Le-Mulino mayor’s office, the Armenian embassy in France and the
RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, and with the assistance
of the French-Armenian association G2iA, Items International (France)
and the OSCE Yerevan Office.

CBA REDUCES REFINANCING INTEREST RATE BY 0.25%

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 3 sitting, the Central Bank
of Armenia (CBA) Board made a decision to reduce the CBA refinancing
interest rate by 0.25% to 4.5%, NT was informed from the CBA press
service.

It was noted that a 0.6% price fall was registered in Armenia in
March on February 2007, as a result of which the 12-month inflation
made 4.4%. This index is by 0.7% lower than the index forecast for
the first quarter of 2007.

In the opinion of the CBA Board, inflation pressures from the external
sector have declined considerably, while the current tendencies in
the economy (conditioned by development of the gross demand), have
not formed a basis for an increase in inflation pressures. In this
situation the CBA Board considers it realistic that inflation will
be lower than 4% target inflation index.

The CBA Board does not rule out further changes in interest rates if
the current prospects of economic development remain.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION DECLINES BY 1% IN ARMENIA IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-February 2007, industrial
production of 93 bln 635.1 mln drams (about 260.2 mln USD) was
manufactured in Armenia. Production of 94 bln 154.7 mln drams was
sold, including production of 8 bln 161.9 mln drams in CIS countries
and production of 20 bln 485.9 mln drams – in other countries.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, the industrial
production index made 99% compared with January-February 2006, while
the same index without production and distribution of electricity,
gas and water made 95.5%.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SERGEI LAVROV: ARMENIAN BRANDY IS BETTER THAN FRENCH COGNAC

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian brandy is better than French
cognac.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who went to the Yerevan
Brandy Company (YBC) on April 4 during his 2-day visit to Armenia,
expressed this opinion.

Accompanied by YBC Executive Director Erve Karoff, S. Lavrov and
members of the Russian delegation familiarized themselves with the
peculiarities of production of Armenian brandy. The Russian foreign
minister made a record in the honorary guests’ journal, as well as
left his signature on the "peace barrel", which was filled with cognac
spirit after establishment of a cease-fire on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
contact-line in 1994 and which will be opened on the occasion of the
final solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem. The guests tasted the
25-year-old exclisive "Erebuni" barndy, while S. Lavrov was presented
with a 40-year-old "Sparapet" brandy.

The delegation was accompanied by the ambassadors of the two countries
Armen Smbatian and Nikolay Pavlov, and the RA Deputy Foreign Minister
Gegham Gharibjanian. At the end of the visit, a dinner was given in
honor of the guests, at which the Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian was also present.

SERGEI LAVROV: DIFFICULTIES ARISING IN RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN COOPERATION ARE NOT INSURMOUNTABLE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. "In recent year Russia not only
has retained its position of the leading trade partner of Armenia
but also has established itself as a big investor in the Armenian
economy." The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this at
the April 4 meeting with the teaching staff and students of Yerevan
State University (YSU).

However, in his words, the establishment of ecomomic relations is
impossible without difficulties. Particularly, it was possible "to
breathe life" not into all the Armenian enterprises transferred to
Russia under the agreement "Property for Debt". He said that they
succeeded in regulating the work at only the Hrazdan Thermal Power
Plant out of the enterprises transferred to Russia.

As regards the other enterprises, the minister noted that their
specific character was not fully taken into account because efficient
operation of such enterprises becomes more complicated in market
conditions. "We are not going to recede: both the Russian and Armenian
sides have enough will and resolution to modernize these enterprises. A
special bilateral governmental commission will deal with the the fate
of Mars Plant and all other enterprises," S. Lavrov stated.

He assured those present that difficulties arising in the
Russian-Armenian coopration are not insurmountable, which is also
evidenced by "the qualitative changes in our relations, which have
become possible in many respects thanks to the fact that Russia has
grown stronger economically."

As regards making the control stricter on the Russian-Georgian border
and its impact on Armenia, S. Lavrov said that the reasons for stricter
control are obvious for the Russian side. "We can’t shut our eyes to
Georgia’s unprecedented military preparations which may be aimed at
solution of the South Ossetian and Abkhazian problems by force. We
are doing everything so that the Armenian side will not suffer from
tightened control and all possible negative consequences will be
reduced to a minimum," the Russian foreign minister said.