Author: Felekian Ara

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: WE SHOULDN’T BE TOLERANT TO BUREAUCRACY OF STATE MACHINE IN WORK WITH BUSINESS

ArmInfo
2009-02-10 15:30:00

ArmInfo. "We shouldn’t be tolerant to bureaucracy of the state
machine in the work with business",- Armenian Prime Minister Tigran
Sargsyan said during presentation of the annual reports of heads
of governmental departments. The prime minister also pointed out
the drop of Armenia’s position in the Doing Business 2009 rating,
where Armenia held the 44th place as against the 41st place in
2008. To recall, the Doing Business rating reflects the degree of
business conduct easiness in the country. "One shouldn’t close eyes
to the weak sides of the state machine. Various types of bureaucratic
"wires" formed due to the shortcomings in legislation and in practice
can and should be removed. If our neighbor countries can do this,
we also can do it. The example of Azerbaijan demonstrated that one
can gain considerable results over a year and improve one’s position
in the Doing Business rating.

Certainly, by reforming this sphere, we’ll face resistance – not
everybody can and want to change the established thinking. However,
this shouldn’t stop us, otherwise we’ll gain nothing",- the prime
minister said.

According to him, to settle the problem, which is one of the most
important ones for the country, it is necessary to exert every type
of effort over several months. The finance ministry was instructed
to directly control the reforms.

TURKS SEND LETTER TO OBAMA, URGING HIM NOT TO RECOGNIZE FACT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan

Feb 9, 2009

ANKARA, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The Turks sent a letter to the
newly-elected US president Barack Obama, urging him to reconsider
his promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The author of this initiative is the chairman of Turkish Forum
website Kayaalp Buyukataman who has handed the letter to the advisor
on political issues of the US embassy in Ankara.

During a three-hour meeting at the US embassy, the chairman of Turkish
Forum declared that they are optimistic about the initiative, adding:
"Only the facts that US archives also have will stop Obama".

By the way, in the words of K. Buyukataman, the copies of some archive
documents, which are related to the Armenian Question and have been
unknown to the public so far, were enlosed with the letter.

The letter quotes B. Obama’s promise to the Armenians and
indicates that Obama is now not a presidential candidate but the
president. According to the authors of the letter, they anticipate
dialog and peace from President Obama, as well as his assistance with
more voluminous research and work on the historical events.

IRAN: CASE STILL OPEN AGAINST RELEASED CHRISTIANS

Compass Direct News
Feb 9 2009
CA

Charges still unknown; another convert faces possible ‘apostasy’
accusation.

LOS ANGELES, February 9 (Compass Direct News) – Arrested on Jan. 21
in Tehran, converts from Islam Jamal Galishorani and his wife Nadereh
Jamali have been released on bail with an open case, though charges
against them are still unknown, sources told Compass.

Authorities released Galishorani yesterday, and officials at Evin
Prison freed his wife last week. Iranian Christians and international
human rights agencies have feared that they could be charged with
"apostasy," or leaving Islam – potentially punishable by execution
in the Shia Islamic republic.

A third Christian also arrested in Tehran on Jan. 21, Armenian Hamik
Khachikian, was released after one week without charges.

The Galishoranis and Khachikian are members of Tehran’s Assemblies
of God Church, an officially registered church, and were said to have
held Bible studies in their home. The arrests of the Galishoranis and
Khachikian, according to a source, are just part of the government’s
increased harassment of Iran’s Christians.

"The pressure is continuous," the source said. "In the past it came
and went with waves."

Possible Apostasy Charge

Sources told Compass that Mahmoude Azadeh, a 55-year-old Christian
who has been incarcerated in Mashhad since last August, could face
charges of apostasy.

He is expected to learn of exact charges, which also could include
forming a Christian house group and propagating Christianity, at a
Mashhad court hearing on Thursday (Feb. 12).

Azadeh has been in jail since security agents raided his house church
in Nishapur; five others arrested with him were released shortly
after. Azadeh has spent two months of his time in jail in solitary
confinement, the sources said.

He was first arrested in June 2007 in Nishapur for two days, and
after he and his family moved to Isfahan, authorities arrested him
there in September of the same year, a source said.

In 2008, there were 73 documented arrests of Christians in Iran. A
source working closely with churches in Iran expects there to be more
arrests this year. A high-profile church leader was also taken into
custody this year, the source said, and is still being held.

"With elections coming this year, there will be more arrests," the
source said. "The regime rules through fear, and they want Christians
to be afraid."

In addition to the approaching spring elections, the source said,
exaggerated estimates of conversions by well-intentioned ministries
outside of Iran may be contributing to reasons for the government’s
increased scrutiny of the church.

"One minister in America claimed that in 2008 alone, 800,000 Iranians
came to Christ," the source said, adding that the government viewed
such a high number of converts as a genuine threat to its rule and
began to clamp down on churches.

The source noted that many Iranians wear Zoroastrian symbols and
crucifixes merely as acts of rebellion against the government. "This
doesn’t always mean that they are true believers," he said.

The recent spate of arrests also included Baha’is.

As many Iranian Christians are either in prison or awaiting trial,
the government continues to debate the adoption of a proposed penal
code that would mandate the death penalty for apostates. The Iranian
Parliament approved the new penal code last September, and the Guardian
Council has yet to rule on it.

The council is made up of six conservative theologians appointed by
Iran’s Supreme Leader and six jurists nominated by the judiciary and
approved by Parliament. In the past, death sentences for apostasy were
issued only under judicial interpretations of sharia (Islamic law).

The proposed legislation in the Iranian Parliament would make the
death penalty mandatory for male apostates, while women convicted of
apostasy would receive life in prison at most.

Many Iranian Christians believe the arrests in January mark the
beginning of a renewed crackdown.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN WILL NOT CHAIR PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY

Panorama.am
11:57 10/02/2009

Viktor Soghomonyan, the head of the former Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan’s office, rejected the rumors that R. Kocharyan is going
to chair "Prosperous Armenia" party.

Remind that according to the rumors R. Kocharyan is going to chair
the party and later to be appointed as the Prime Minister.

Viktor Soghomonyan told "Mediamax" agency that it is difficult to
explain what the reason is to spread such information.

FALL IN PRICE: NO BUYERS

A1+
[12:55 pm] 09 February, 2009

Butchers outnumber buyers in GUM, a market in downtown
Yerevan. Butchers say they sell 20kg meat a day while this time last
year they sold at least 80 kg.

"We are at a loss as we don’t know what to do: to pay for the place,
for the animal or to keep a family?" said butcher Arkadi.

"Trading is stagnant today. Sometimes we have to lower the price by
200-300 drams as it is neither macaroni nor pastry to keep for a long
time," say salespeople.

They are surprised that even the fall in meat price doesn’t attract
buyers. On the other hand, they understand that the economic crisis
has greatly affected people’s budgets.

"We don’t want to lose any client, therefore bear their caprices,"
say salespeople. Butcher Vardan says they have no way out. Many go
out of business as trading has become slack.

Note that a kilo of pork is sold at 3000 drams, ham- at 2000 and beef
-at 1700 drams.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PROMISES TO ASSIST LAND USERS WITH SALE OF SURPLUS POTATOES

Noyan Tapan

Feb 5, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Large amounts of potatoes have
accumulated in farms, and there are problems with their sale,
the member of "PAP" faction Hrant Madatian said at the February 4
sitting of the National Assembly. According to him, in Gagharkunik
marz (province), the potato surplus makes 70 thousand tons, and the
farmers expect the state to assist them with its sale.

The RA minister of agriculture Aramayis Grigorian said that no VAT
is imposed on the export of up to 2.5 tons of potatoes, which is a
privilage for those who export small amounts of potatoes. Besides,
the government is conducting negotiations with Georgia on this
issue. In the words of the Georgian minister of agriculture, their
country needs potato seeds, and their amount is now being determined.

A. Grigorian announced that the prime minister had met with those
engaged in the processing sector, and an agreement had been reached
to take steps for solution of the indicated problem. He added that
previously the government urged farmers to sell potatoes for 75 drams a
kilogram – at a lower than market price, but the latter did not agree.

ARMEN RUSTAMYAN: WE SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR SAY AT THE NEXT SITTING OF THE MONITORING COMMITTEE
Shakeh Avoyan

"Radiolur"
05.02.2009 17:22

"It was declared at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) that Armenian authorities demonstrate
a political will and are willing to fulfill the commitments before the
Council of Europe. However, time is short and we need to rush up to
implement the legislative changes and complete the work by April,"
MP, member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction Armen Rustamyan told
reporters today.

"We have a distinct and short period of time before the sitting of the
Monitoring Committee to be held in Valencia (Spain) on March 30-31,
where we should have a clear say," Armen Rustamyan said.

According to him, the working group set up to draft the amendments to
Articles 225 and 300 of the Armenian Criminal Code has convened its
first sitting today. Two members of the group have met with members
of the Venice Commission. There have been initial discussions, since
these legislative changes should correspond to the international
experience. Resolution 1643 states also that the amendments should be
worked out as a result of working discussions with the Commissioner
for Human Rights and members of the Venice Commission.

ARMENIA TO ENTER NEW STAGE OF FINANCIAL ECONOMY

Panorama.am
18:45 03/02/2009

"We have already entered a new stage of financial-economic crisis,
but we should not get in panic because of that. To overcome the crisis
we should act together and implement certain steps," said Vardan
Ayvazyan the chairman of NA standing committee on economic affairs.

According to him definite steps should be implemented. In that case,
according to the chairman, Armenia could even have benefit.

The NA Deputy says he is happy Armenia managed to overcome the first
wave of the crisis without having serious impact on country’s economy.

WITNESSES DIDN’T COME TO COURT

A1+
[07:08 pm] 03 February, 2009

The Yerevan Criminal Court postponed today the trial of three people
charged with hooliganism and murder at the "Odnoklassnik" club.

Injured Abel Mikayelyan and Anahit Movsisyan, who is the legal
successor of Abel Mikayelyan, did not show up to court. Movsisyan
reasoned that she has moved to a new house and that she had to be
informed earlier because she just received the notice today. Her
notice, as well as the notice of former editor of the"Radiolur"
program on Public Radio Artur Sahakyan and Abel Mikayelyan were taken
back. The last two were not in court because they were out of town.

Accused Sahak Azizbekyan are charged with the 1st section of the 3rd
part of article 258 of the RA Criminal Code [hooliganism by a group
of people or an organized group], while Armen Sargsyan and Samvel
Alikhanyan are charged with the 3rd part of article 258 and 14th
point of the 2nd part of article 112 [damage health intentionally
that leads to death of the injured].

The incident at "Odnoklassnik" club took place on September 21, 2008
at 1:01 a.m. The three mentioned came to the club to get revenge on
Artur Sahakyants, who allegedly tried to commit rape. In the end,
Andranik Babayan died.

Attorney Garegin Markaryan told journalists:

"There is an article and a sanction is fixed by that article. For
example, five years for hooliganism, 5-10 years for murder. Of course,
I would like respect for my position and a short term. I can’t say that
I have hopes that I will reach the minimum term in these conditions."

Is it hard to defend those whose charge is evident? In response to
that, Markaryan said that each citizen of Armenia has the right to
defense regardless of the weight of the crime.

"I implement that by the contract, which I have signed with the
relatives of my clients," added Markaryan.

The trial was postponed until February 19 at 2:00 p.m.

DO NOT DISCRIMINATE, GUL

Hurriyet
Feb 4 2009
Turkey

ANKARA – President Abdullah Gul warned the public not to turn the
criticism of Israeli policy in Gaza into an anti-Semitic campaign
and called for respect for Turkey’s Jewish citizens.

"I am addressing all my citizens from here. Do not
discriminate. Everyone has equal rights." Gul said to reporters
yesterday before departing for Saudi Arabia.

"Turkish Jews are equal citizens of Turkey. They can be elected
lawmakers and president. There cannot be a stance taken against them,"
he said and then repeated the statements made by the prime minister who
said his criticism targeted the Israeli policy in Gaza, not the Jews.

"Citizenship is the essence of our Constitution. In every society,
there might be those who make mistakes but they should be warned,"
Gul said.

In response to a question about bilateral ties with Israel, Gul said,
without elaborating, that the statements made by both Israeli and
Turkish officials were clear and warned that speculations should not
be given attention. After Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s heated
confrontation with the Israeli president at a Davos panel last week,
Israeli officials called for calm and Turkey’s government spokesman
Cemil Cicek said Ankara wants to preserve ties with Tel-Aviv.

The president also answered the comments made after the government’s
strong rhetoric against Israel that Turkey lost its credibility as an
honest peace broker in solving regional conflicts. "Why should Turkey
be concerned? Turkey is not benefiting from mediation. If there is
a problem, the parties in the dispute will lose," he said.

Gul also defended Turkey’s policy of recognizing Hamas as a legitimate
interlocutor. "Hamas must be involved in the political process. Some
say this openly and some during our private meetings. Turkey has
acted responsibly from the very beginning, met with Hamas on the
days when they won the elections (in 2006) and warned them about the
consequences when they resorted to the wrong paths," he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey, who held an almost
one-hour meeting with Erdogan yesterday, said they discussed Middle
East peace. Speaking to reporters in Turkish following the meeting,
Jeffrey said Turkey and the United States were two strong democracies
and allies. When asked about concerns that the Jewish lobby in the
United States may not support Turkey if the alleged Armenian genocide
bill is discussed in the Senate, he said the United States had good
relations with Turkey, adding that the two were working together
despite occasional problems.

When asked if there is hope for a solution in Gaza, he said; "There is
hope. That’s why (U.S. special envoy for Middle East) George Mitchell
visited the region. But this is an important issue so we’re in constant
contact with both Turkey and the countries in the region."