Author: Chmshkian Vicken

TARIFFS OF SERVICES DELIVERED TO POPULATION IN AUGUST DECLINE BY 0.2%
Noyan Tapan
Sept 04 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The tariffs of services delivered
to the population in August declined by 0.2% compared with July,
which was mainly conditioned by a 1.7%, 0.5% and 0.2% decline in
transport (due to a 5.2% decline in air transport fares), cultural
and communication services respectively.
According to the RA National Statistical Service, in the indicated
period, the tariffs of public catering, consumer and medical services
grew by 0.1-0.2%, while those of housing, utility, educational,
recreational, legal and banking services remained at the previous
month’s level.

Armenia remain in the hunt
Saturday, 2 September 2006
Armenia revived their chances of reaching the UEFA European Under-21
Championship play-offs as a first-half goal from Tigran Gharabaghtsyan
proved enough to defeat Norway in a Group 1 fixture in Yerevan.
Final fixture
The result left Samvel Petrosyan’s side level on three points with
Bosnia-Herzegovina – who had beaten the Armenians 3-2 in the section’s
first fixture last month – with the match between Norway and the
Bosnia-Herzegovnians to come on 6 September. The latter need a point
to progress to the play-offs, while Armenia will qualify should Norway
win by one goal.
Opportunist Karabagtsyan
The home team had a number of early opportunities at the Republican
stadium with Artur Yedigaryan missing the target when well placed, but
the breakthrough arrived in the 24th minute when Boris Melkonyan’s
pass gave Alexander Petrosyan an opening and, although Rune Jarsyein
parried, Karabagtsyan was on hand to put away the rebound.
Norwegian opening
Samvel Melkonyan then headed wide, but Norway had chances of their
own, Magnus Myklebust twice being crowded out while Alexander Tettey
tried his luck from distance on several occasions without
success. Tomasz Sokolowski shot over for the visitors after the break
before Myklebust hit the post from close range after a great cross
from Tore Reginiussen. Armenia held out, however, and must wait and
see whether they will be involved in the play-off draw on 8 September.
uefa.com 1998-2006.

Turkish PM: Turkey will withdraw its soldiers from Lebanon if they are
asked to disarm Hezbollah
AP Worldstream; Sep 02, 2006

Turkey’s premier on Saturday said his government will withdraw Turkish
soldiers from Lebanon if they are asked to disarm Hezbollah, as public
concern runs high that Turkish soldiers could end up clashing with
their fellow Muslims once deployed in Lebanon.

The government on Friday submitted a resolution to parliament to send
peacekeepers to Lebanon as part of an expanded U.N. mission, despite
public opposition to the deployment. The parliament is expected on
Tuesday to vote on authorizing a one-year deployment of an unspecified
number of troops

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured Turks the soldiers would
only be protecting peace and helping with humanitarian aid, not
disarming Hezbollah militants.

“When such a thing is requested from our soldiers, then we will
withdraw our soldiers from there. I’m saying this very openly,”
Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Saturday.

The Turkish contribution to the U.N. mission would include a naval
task force to patrol the eastern Mediterranean and prevent arms
smuggling.

According to the resolution, Turkish forces would also help train
Lebanese army troops and provide sea and air transport in support of
other national contingents in the U.N. force.

Europe, the United States and Israel are all eager to see peacekeepers
from Muslim Turkey in Lebanon, in the hopes that strong Muslim
participation would avoid any impression in Lebanon that the
U.N. peacekeepers are primarily a Christian, European force.

PanARMENIAN.Net
U.S. Ambassador Never Discussed Armenian Genocide Issue in Yerevan
01.09.2006 16:24 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Peaceful and fait settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict will have a positive impact on the investment climate in the
South Caucasus, U.S. Ambassador John Evans, who is completing his
mission in Armenia, stated in an interview with RFE/RL. In his words,
the publication of a number of documents by the OSCE MG Co-chairs was
a positive step which led to public discussion of the
problem. `Neither of the parties can have all it desires. But one
thing is inadmissible. This is the resumption of hostilities. I know
that the mediators are unanimous on this issue. They do not exert
pressure, agreement should be achieved via talks between Yerevan and
Baku,’ Evans underscored.
As for his position on the Armenian Genocide, Amb. Evans said, `This
is not a subject that I have ever discussed here in Armenia. All what
I have ever said can be found on the Embassy’s website. The State
Department has determined no precise diplomatic term for this
country. I myself sent in my resignation from diplomatic service,’ he
said.
To note, Richard Hoagland, currently the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to
Tajikistan, will to all appearance replace Evans at the post.

Panorama.am

12:43 01/09/06

HHK REFUSES TO SUPPORT CANDIDACY OF ITS MEMBER’S SON
The session of the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) decided yesterday
not to support the candidacy of Arman Sahakyan, son of HHK block
leader Galust Sahakyan, during the elections of Ajapniak community
head. `The party has no obligations to support its members in
everything,’ Serz Sargsyan, HHK board chairman said.
Earlier Galust Sahakyan made statements that not only HHK but also all
political forces are going to support Arman Sahakyan’s candidacy. It
may be inferred that HHK board undergoes disagreements among its
members, which will blow out in time. HHK has reached no decision to
support anyone’s candidacy, Sargsyan continues, also saying, `If the
party board decides to support anyone’s candidacy, you will be
definitely informed.’ /Panorama.am/

8 WRESTLERS TO PROTECT SPORTING HONOUR OF ARMENIA IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Noyan Tapan
Aug 29 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The Youth Championships of Greco-Roman
and free-style wrestling will be held successively in Guatemala from
late August to early September. Greco-Roman wrestlers will be on the
floor on August 29-30. Representatives of Armenia Khosrov Melikian
(60 kg) and Hrachia Hovhannisian (66 kg) from Gyumri, Arsen Julfalakian
(74 kg) from Yerevan and Artur Tovmasian (84 kg) from Etchmiadzin are
among them. Free-style wrestlers will start the struggle for prizes
from September 1. Representatives from Yerevan Artur Arakelian (60 kg),
Suren Adyan (60 kg), Edgar Yenokian (84 kg) and Khachik Amroyan from
Martuni (74 kg) will protect honour of the sporting flag of Armenia.

GOVERNMENT JUSTIFIES ITS SONS
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
29 Aug 06
The Armenian government is a surprising thing. It never forgets what
it needs, but it often forgets about things that the society needs.
Or it does not know what is necessary most of all for the society
in Armenia. It is law, or as it is accepted to say, only say, the
rule of law. It is when everyone is equal before what was written
and accept what was written. But lo and behold, the government does
everything to create inequality before the law. The purpose is clear.
By placing equal categories of people on different hands of the
scales of the law the government insures itself. The point is that
by dividing the society the government justifies, “legalizes” its
separation from the law.
The examples are many and there is no need to look for them because
these are offered to the public almost every day. So we have a
fresh example, which is a month old but seems to have just become a
subject of public debates. It is the government decision on deferment
of military service in three universities in Yerevan, the Slavic
University, the French University and the European Regional Academy.
The government did not forget what it needs and returns to the idea of
drafting students. This idea, which is 2 years old, occurred to the
head of the Ministry of Defense. At that time all the universities
were affected, the graduate students, which gave rise to a surge of
protest among students. The government had to give up the idea of
drafting students in the middle of their studies, because in the same
period the opposition was also very active, and there was danger that
the students would spark a movement of the opposition.
This time they seem to have decided part by part, not the whole
at once. But the problem is the phenomenon, which is unclear and
simply unfair. The point is that the students of three universities,
in fact, appear to have unequal rights compared with the students of
the other universities. In other words, the suspension of the right to
defer military service breaks the Constitution because the basic law
obliges the government to provide for equal economic competition. The
government may say that there are other universities where military
service is not deferred. Of course there are, and this affirms that
either military service should be deferred in all the universities
or not deferred at all.
The next unfair thing is a connotation of the decision of the
government, which allows making a number of suggestions. In the
Slavic University, the French University and the European Academy
the right to defer military service was not taken away fully. The
Slavic University is given 200 places, the French University 70 and
the European Academy 30. In other words, even in this case there
is no equality. Why? Is that because the Slavic University is a
Russian university and the other two are European? But our relation
with France is no less “strategic” than with Russia. Consequently,
we deal with another motive.
The government gives one reason – the army. And it could not give
another reason. It is beyond doubt that the army needs soldiers. But
it appears that especially the soldiers of the abovementioned three
universities are appreciated highly by the defense ministry. In fact,
it is rather pleasing for the students of these universities that
the defense ministry appreciates them as future soldiers, but these
students will also ask why only them. Or for instance why the defense
ministry does not appreciate the sons of public officials, generals and
other officials of the Command as future soldiers. Aren’t their sons
for military service, or does the defense ministry consider military
service a “low mission”, not worthwhile for sons of generals? The
government should answer these questions, otherwise many other
questions occur. It is necessary to explain why the legal demand for
military service is distributed unevenly to everyone, including the
students of Yerevan State University, the University of Economics and
other universities. Is this an effort to justify the unequal state
of their sons?

LETTER PASSED TO UN SECRETARY GENERAL
Yerkir.am
August 25, 2006
Hakob Bagratuni, Member of the Lebanese Parliament, visited on August
20 the UN office in Beirut to meet with UN representative in Lebanon
George Nasr.
Bagratuni passed to Nasr a letter for the UN Secretary General from the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee of Lebanon. Nasr
promised to passed the letter to Annan as soon as possible.
Bagratuni detailed the reasons why the Armenian community of Lebanon
is against the deployment of Turkish forces in the southern Lebanon.

RA PRIME MINISTER SENDS MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE ON OCCASION OF TU-154
PLANE CRASH
YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
sent messages of condolence to Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Mikhayil Fradkov and Prime Minister of Ukraine Victor Yanukovish,
on the occasion of the crash of the Tu-154 plane implementing the
Anapa-Saint Petersburg flight. The crash took place in the marz of
Donetsk As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Government’s Information
and Public Relations Department, on behalf of the RA Government
and himself, Andranik Margarian expressed symphathy to families and
relatives of those died in the consequence of the disaster.

RA NA SPEAKER SENDS TELEGRAMS OF CONDOLENCE TO RF PARLIAMENT
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian sent
telegrams of condolence to Boris Gryzlov, the RF State Duma Speaker,
and to Sergey Mironov, the Chairman of the Council of Federation
of the Federal Assembly, on the occasion of the crash of the Tu-154
plane implementing the Anapa-Saint Petersburg flight. As Noyan Tapan
was informed by the NA Public Relations Department, on behalf of
the National Assembly and himself, T.Torosian expressed symthaphy to
families of the people died in the consequence of the plane crash.