Author: Chalian Meline

AT NA FOUR-DAY SITTINGS
National Assembly, Armenia
March 21 2006
On March 20 NA regular four-day sittings commenced with the endorsement
of the agenda. Only the Ardarutiun/Justice faction-submitted draft on
setting up NA Ad-hoc Committee on Offences committed at the referendum
on Constitutional amendments held in RA on November 27, 2005, which
was to be put on the session agenda, was not endorsed. The MPs passed
the drafts debated at the previous four-day sittings, too. Artur
Baghdasaryan, NA President, informed that the debate of the draft on
Making Amendment to RA Law on Energy is adjourned by the government’s
consent to make up the disagreements on the suggested amendment and
come to an agreement.
The MPs debated the RA government-submitted drafts on Making Amendments
to RA Land Code and Making Amendment to RA Law on the Repressed.
Davit Lokyan, Minister of Agriculture, presented the draft on Making
Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on State Duty.
Manvel Badalyan, Chairman of the Civil Service Council, presented
the draft on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Civil Service.
The MPs also debated the draft on Precious Metals and the related
amendments suggested to other laws, the drafts on Making Amendments
and Addenda to RA Law on Pawnshops and Pawnshop Activity, on Making
Amendment and Addendum to RA Law on Gambling and Casinos, on Making
Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Acts on Civil State, on Making
Addendum to RA Law on Advertisement and Conventions on Cybercrimes
and International Protection of Plants, Development Credit Agreement
Number 4144 (Second Poverty Reduction Support Credit) between Republic
of Armenia and International Development Association.
According to the main speaker Armen Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister
of Trade and Economic Development of the Republic of Armenia, the
draft on Copyright and Co-rights solves the problem of intellectual
property rights’ protection and regulates the rights of the authors
and performers of the works in the sphere of literature, science and
art, of sound-recorder and filmmakers, of broadcasting organizations,
publishers and database makers with regard to their work. The draft
regulates the management of property rights on collective bases, too.
The debate of the draft will be continued at the March 21 sitting.
March 21 2006
Karabakh “will increase investments in military sphere”
In capital of Nagorno Karabakh – the city of Stepanakert two
12-apartment two-storied houses are put into operation for officers
of NKR Defense Army.
As a REGNUM correspondent in Stepanakert reports, presenting officers
with vouchers for apartments, President of NKR Arkady Gukasyan
mentioned that the republican authorities and the military command
should together solve everyday social problems of servicemen.
According to him, the state will increase investments into the
military sphere.
The state gave 750 million drams for construction of serviceman
housing in 2005. The sum totaled 1,200 million drams in 2006.

TURKS USED THE RALLY IN LYON TO DENY THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ArmRadio
21.03.2006 13:40
French-Armenians and the French police complain of the Governor’s
decision to authorize the Turkish rally, which started after the
decision was taken to erect a memorial dedicated to the Armenian
Genocide in the Central Square of Lyon. Not satisfied with the
decision, Turks launched a campaign against the project.
The slogans of Turks denying the Armenian Genocide forced the French
to arrange a demonstration against the Turkish initiative. To get
clarifications about the authorization of the rally, Head of the
European Armenian Federation Hilda Tchoboyan met with the Governor.
Yesterday Hilda Tchoboyan had told “Radiolur” correspondent
Anna Nazaryan that the Governor did not have to authorize such a
rally. It was a severe mistake, since it is known that the French law
prohibits denying the fact of the Armenian Genocide. The Governor
sent an explanatory letter to the Coordinating Council of Armenian
organizations.
The letter notes that the Turks used the rally organized under a
different pretext to deny the Armenian Genocide.
“From now on the fact will be taken into consideration and Turks
will not be allowed to organize similar demonstrations in future,”
the letter noted.

AZERI MILITARY CONVICTED OF “COLLABORATION WITH ARMENIAN SPECIAL SERVICES”
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.03.2006 19:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The investigations showed that junior sergeant
Ruslan Bekirov aged 21 called up by the Shamkir military commissariat
and held captive by Armenians February 15 – May 7, 2005 was “secretly
collaborating with the Armenian special services, reported APA news
agency citing the Azerbaijani Ministry of National Security. It was
found out that February 15, 2005 being mislead by Armenians Ruslan
Bekirov, Hayal Abdullayev and Hikmet Tagiyev committed group desertion
to the detriment of the state security, sovereignty, territorial
integrity and defense capacity of Azerbaijan.”
Bekirov was released with the mediation of the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Immediately after returning he confessed in “collaborating with
Armenians”. However it was cleared up that Bekirov’s testimony was “a
part of the plan elaborated by the Armenian special services”. Later
he said Armenians carried out a purposeful work with him, Abdullayev
and Tagiyev. 7 meetings were held with him after what he was
given pseudonym Ramin. Armenians promised $3000-4000 for each task
fulfilled. Member of the Armenian special services, who introduced
himself as Rudik, instructed Bekirov how to set explosion on the route
of the Azerbaijani President, on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and
in the international airport after Heydar Aliyev as well as how to take
photos of the Azeri strategic objects and then send them to Armenia.
The above mentioned facts were completely proved by the investigation
and court. The Military Board of the Court on grave crimes Bekirov
and Abdullayev were sentenced to 12 years and Tagiyev to 11 years
of imprisonment.

POPE BENEDICT, GREETING ARMENIAN PATRIARCH, RECALLS PEOPLE’S ‘TERRIBLE PERSECUTION’
AP Worldstream
Mar 20, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute Monday to the sufferings of Armenians
because of their Christian faith and recalled their “terrible
persecution,” a reference to the 1.5 million who died in the early
20th century in what Armenia insists was genocide by Turkey.
Benedict recalled Armenians’ history as he welcomed an Armenian
Catholic patriarch, Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, and Armenian pilgrims
to a Vatican audience.
Speaking about the Armenian people through the centuries, the pope
singled out the “sufferings which they underwent in the name of the
Christian faith in the years of the terrible persecution that went
down in history with the sadly meaningful name ‘metz yeghern,’ the
great evil.'”
Benedict was citing the term used by Armenians to refer to what they
say was genocide conducted by Turkey. Turkey vehemently denies that
the deaths were genocide and has harshly criticized countries which
call it as such.
Benedict did not use the term “genocide” in his official remarks. His
predecessor, Pope John Paul II, called the deaths genocide but did
not declare any party responsible.
In 301, Armenia became the world’s first country to declare itself
Christian.

Ukraine concluded WTO negotiations with Armenia and Columbia
ForUm, Ukraine
March 17 2006
Ukraine has concluded talks with Armenia and Columbia relating to the
World Trade Organization bills, RIA Novosti informed Friday referring
to Ukraine Economy Ministry.
“We have concluded the WTO accession talks with Armenia and Columbia,”
Arseniy Yatsenyuk said, adding that there have also been positive
developments in the negotiations with Australia.
The minister said that Ukraine intends to intensify the negotiating
process now when the bilateral agreement with the United States has
been passed.
A presidential administration official previously said that the
country could complete talks on joining the body governing global
trade before the end of March 2006.
Ukraine has signed protocols with the majority of WTO members,
including with the United States on March 2, on mutual access to
commodities and services markets. In mid-February, the U.S. granted
it market economy status after the European Union declared Ukraine
a market economy at the end of 2005.

Thousands of Turks expected for rally in Berlin
Hurriyet, Turkey
March 17 2006
Berlin will hold a rally on March 18 to remember Talat Pasha and to
protest Armenian claims of genocide. Up to 500 Turks are expected to
descend on Berlin to attend the “Berlin, Talat Pasha Movement” Rally.
Among the 500 Turkish nationals will be Labor Party leader Dogu
Perincek, Honorary Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals Vural
Savas, Research & Rescue Team (AKUT) Chairman Nasuh Mahruki, former
rector of the University of Istanbul Dr. Kemal Alemdaroglu, Dr.
Zekeriya Beyaz and Dr. Alpaslan Isikli.
Thousands of Turks are expected to attend the rally carrying the
Turkish flag. The Berlin rally will be led by the former president of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Rauf Denktas. All legal permits
have been obtained for the protest and security measures were taken.

ASSISTANT OF SECRETARY OF STATE NOT BELIEVE THAT PROCESS OF KARABAKH
SETTLEMENT IN STAGNATION
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 16 2006
YEREVAN, March 16. /ARKA/. “I do not believe that the process of
the Karabakh settlement is in the stage of stagnation,” US Assistant
Secretary of the State for Europe and Eurasian countries Daniel Freed
told a press conference. He expressed confidence that discussions
and the negotiations over the Karabakh settlement go on.
“Both parties represent and fight for their interests in the
negotiation process, as it is part of the scope of the public
interests,” Freed said. He pointed out that in spite of the conflicting
parties’ disagreements on approaches and positions to the settlement;
however, they have aspiration to resolve this problem.
“It is of great importance that the OSCE Minsk Group supports this
process,” Freed said. R.O. -0–

RA STATE QUALITY INSPECTION KEEPS POULTRY FACTORIES UNDER CONTROL
Noyan Tapan
Mar 15 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The State Quality Inspection of the
RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development conducts checks at
the Armenian poultry factories at least three times a year. Georgi
Gyozalian, Deputy Head of the Inspection, stated this at the March
15 press conference. According to him, this year checks have also
been conducted at the poultry factories with the aim of checking the
production’s compliance with the requirements of normative documents.
G. Gyozalian said that no cases of violations posing danger to human
life and health have been revealed during the checks. The registered
violations were only related to the requirement of brand name envisaged
by the Law on Foodstuffs Safety, as a result of which the executives
of poultry factories responsible for these violations were fined.
The deputy head of the inspection noted that 300 checks were conducted
at various food production facilities of Armenia this year, as a
result of which about 150 violations were revealed.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, BOLOGNA PRINCIPLES AND OUR EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
By Susana Margarian
AZG Armenian Daily
16/03/2006
The first sitting of the republican committee for Implementation
of Bologna principles was held yesterday. The representatives of a
number of state, international and public organizations, as well as
experts from the educational and banking management spheres, students,
participated in the sitting. Sergo Yeritsian, RA education minister,
chairman of the committee, emphasized the importance of Armenia’s
participation in the Bologna process. He represented the international
experience and stated that educational reforms carried out in Armenia
are aimed to secure professional education that keeps in line with
the international criteria.
The participants of the sitting discussed the draft “On Applying
Bologna Principles in Armenia” during the sitting.

STRAY DOGS DISTURB THE RESIDENTS OF SISIAN.
A1+
03:18 pm 15 March, 2006
By the order of the Mayor of town Sisian, LTD “Cleaning” of Sisian,
Hunters’ Union and Local Police Department with the help of the
veterinary services of the town started to clean the town of stray
dogs.
With this aim the municipality together with the director of the
LTD ” Cleaning” of Sisian worked out a special program: within the
framework of the program a sum has been allotted to the Hunters’
Union to carry out the work. But by words of Hamlet Babayan, lead
specialist of the municipality who is responsible for the work,
in spite of the initial preparation of the Union, the heads of the
Union refused to take participation in the project and raised the
question of the payment for the work carried out previously.
The hunters have been already killing about 3-5 dogs a day for 13
days, but the number of stray dogs remains the same in the town. The
residents of the town complain about it and demand the final solution
of this problem.
TV company of ” Syuni” in Sisian town.