Author: Harutyunian Christine

PLURALISM, "POLITICAL HOUR" AND "DIRECTOR IS NOT IN HIS PLACE"

KarabakhOpen
13-03-2008 13:19:22

In the meeting of parliament on March 12 the president of the Public
Television and Radio Board Vardges Bagiryan made a report on the
activity of the Public Television and Radio in 2007.

He informed that in 2007 the government spent 164 million drams on the
Public TV and Radio, a few series of programs were produced most of
which stopped in 2008. Of the last year’s programs only two remain:
Rural Panorama and Classic Wave.

After listening to the report, the members of parliament asked the
head of the Board sharp questions. In particular, Member of Parliament
Gegham Baghdasaryan reminded Vardges Bagiryan that last year during
the report the ex-president of the board said it is necessary to set
up talk shows and debates but there are no such programs on the public
television yet.

"What are you going to do to have the full spectrum of opinions on
the public TV?" asked Gegham Baghdasaryan. In answer Vardges Bagiryan
noted the importance of holding discussions and providing pluralism but
the possibilities of the TV company are not sufficient for this. He
said such an effort has been made recently but the quality of the
footage was bad due to bad sound. "We have discussed this with the
president and considered several options, including a new studio,"
Vardges Bagiryan said.

During the meeting of parliament Davit Babayan’s program "Political
Hour" was criticized heavily. Speaker Ashot Ghulyan said the program
is not interesting, neither the format nor the topics, and advised
to reconsider the approaches.

Member of Parliament Romella Dadayan was categorical regarding the
issue of the executive director of the Public TV and Radio. She
underlined that the person in this position should be a professional
who is able to ensure normal activities of the structure. "The
executive director is not in his place," Romella Dadayan.

ARMENIA PREPARING TO CHARGE EX-PRESIDENT: MINISTER
by Mariam Harutunian

Agence France Presse
March 10, 2008 Monday

Armenia is preparing to lay criminal charges against opposition leader
and ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian for stoking post-election unrest,
the Armenian justice minister told AFP Monday.

"Today law-enforcement agencies conducting the investigation already
have sufficient evidence to instigate criminal action against Levon
Ter-Petrosian," Justice Minister Gevorg Danielian told AFP in an
interview.

"The investigation will show which exact charges will be brought
against him. He has crossed from the political sphere to the criminal
sphere."

The Armenian capital Yerevan is under a state of emergency until
March 20 following clashes between riot police and anti-government
protesters on March 1 that left seven civilians and one police officer
dead. Dozens more were injured, many from gunshot wounds.

Danielian defended the state of emergency as necessary and said it
was imposed based on evidence that protesters were armed.

"The decision to impose a state of emergency was taken when it became
clear that the protest did not have a peaceful character," he said.

"Incidents of violence, arson, destruction of vehicles and disorder
that took place cannot be qualified as political actions. There
was a huge concentration of weapons and ammunition in the hands
of protesters."

The unrest was sparked by police efforts to disperse thousands
of protesters who had rallied for 11 days against the results of
a February 19 presidential election won by Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisian, outgoing President Robert Kocharian’s handpicked successor.

The opposition claims the election was rigged to secure victory for
Sarkisian over Ter-Petrosian, who came a distant second. Foreign
observers, however, said the vote had by and large met international
standards.

Danielian said the state of emergency may be lifted early or prolonged,
based on an investigation into whether illegal weapons remain in the
hands of opposition supporters.

Some restrictions, including a ban on political party activity,
were lifted on Monday, but major restrictions on public gatherings
and censorship of the media remained in place.

Danielian said media censorship was required "to avoid further pressure
on the situation" and "to avoid the distribution of provocative
information that does not correspond to reality."

About 60 people have been charged in connection with the unrest.

Danielian denied opposition claims that authorities are carrying out
politically motivated arrests of Ter-Petrosian’s supporters.

"Nobody among Levon Ter-Petrosian’s supporters has been arrested for
political appeals. They have been arrested for carrying out criminal
offenses," he said.

SITTING OF PfP POLITICAL MILITARY STEERING COMMITTE WITH PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIA HELD AT NATO HEADQUARTERS

Noyan Tapan
March 11, 2008

BRUSSEKS, MARCH 11, NOYAN TAPAN. A sitting of the Political Military
Steering Committee of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Program with
the participation of Armenia took place at the NATO Headquarters on
March 10.

Armenia’s Partnership Goals for 2008, which were developed under the
Planning and Review Process (PARP), were discussed at the sitting.

The Armenian delegation was composed of the deputy defence minister A.

Nazarian, the head of Armenia’s mission in NATO S. Mkrtchian, the
head of the defence ministry’s international military cooperation and
defence programs department D. Tonoyan, the military representative
of Armenia to NATO M. Israelian and some others. The director of the
NATO’s Defense Policy and Planning Department Frank Boland presided
over the sitting.

Prior to the sitting, the Armenian delegation met with the Special
Representataive of the NATO Secretary General to the South Caucasus
Robert Simmons. During the meeting, the sides spoke about the internal
political developments in Armenia in recent days and the reforms in
the defence sector.

R. Simmons was provided information about the legal and other grounds
for the steps taken by the Armenian authorities. At the same time, the
Armenian side stated that the process of defence reforms will continue.

R. Simmons expressed a hope that the situation will be normalized
in the shortest possible time. He expressed a willingness to promote
and expand the relations between the NATO and Armenia.

European Report
March 7, 2008

EU-ARMENIA AVIATION AGREEMENT

On 3 March, the EU Council of Ministers adopted a decision approving
the signing and provisional application of an aviation agreement
between the EU and Armenia. As with all similar horizontal
agreements, it is a question of bringing into compliance with
Community law the bilateral aviation agreements concluded between EU
member states and this country. In particular, the horizontal
agreement will allow all EU airlines to offer services to Armenia
from any member state which has concluded a bilateral agreement with
it. This is not possible today due to the nationality clauses
contained in the bilateral agreements. (ISM)

Armrosgasprom’s capital to reach $1bln by 2010

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. The ArmRosgasprom Company’s capital is to
reach $1bln by 2010, Armrosgasprom Board Chairman and Director General
Karen Karapetyan told reporters.

He said that the company plans an additional issue of shares, which
implies the involvement of all the three stockholders of ArmRosgasprom.

Among the ArmRosgasprom stockholders are the stockholders being Gasprom
(57.59% of shares), RA Ministry of Energy (34.7%) and ITERA (7.71%).

`If one of our stockholders applies for participation, it may change
its share in the capital, which will dependent on which one of the
stockholders is more active in making investments,’ Karapetyan said.

On February 15, the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission permitted
the Gasprom public corporation to purchase 19mln ordinary registered
shares issued by Armrosgasprom at a nominal value of 5,026.5 AMD each.

The additional issue was aimed at the replenishment of the company’s
authorized capital with 95.5bln AMD (about $309.4mln).

The ArmRosgasprom Company holds a monopoly of supply and distribution
of Russian gas in Armenia. Gas is transited to Armenia through Georgia.

The company was founded in 1997, the stockholders being Gasprom (57.59%
of shares), RA Ministry of Energy (34.7%) and ITERA (7.71%). `0–

HOMAGE TO VAZGEN SARGSYAN’S MEMORY

armradio.am
05.03.2008 12:26

RA Prime Minister, President of the Republican Party of Armenia Serge
Sargsyan, members of Government, representatives of other executive
bodies of the republic and members of the Republican Party Council
visited Yerablur Pantheon today on the occasion of Vazgen Sargsyan’s
birthday to pay homage to his memory, Information and Public Relation
Department of RA Government informed.

IFEX – News from the international freedom of expression community
________________________________________ _________________________

ALERT – ARMENIA

3 March 2008

Opposition news agency sealed off; journalist arrested; non-government
broadcasts to be severely curtailed, Internet and satellite reception cut,
under state of emergency

SOURCE: Human Rights Watch

(HRW/IFEX) – The following is an abbreviated version of a 2 March 2008
Human Rights Watch press release:

Armenia: Police Beat Peaceful Protesters in Yerevan
State of Emergency Restricts Civil Liberties and Free Press

(New York, March 2, 2008) – Armenian police on March 1 used excessive force
and violence to disperse demonstrators protesting peacefully against recent
election results, Human Rights Watch said today. Following the crackdown on
demonstrators, President Robert Kocharian decreed a state of emergency in
Yerevan, the capital, until March 20, 2008. There was a heavy police
presence overnight in central Yerevan.

According to Arminfo news agency, the police have surrounded and sealed off
the opposition news agency A1+, preventing its employees from entering or
leaving the building.

"The Armenian government should refrain from using violence and make clear
that it won’t tolerate excessive use of force by police," said Holly
Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "A
political crisis doesn’t give the government carte blanche in how it
responds to demonstrators."

Several witnesses told Human Rights Watch that at 6.30 a.m. on March 1,
Armenian special police forces violently dispersed a rally protesting
against alleged electoral fraud that had entered its 11th day on Yerevan’s
Freedom Square, beating demonstrators with truncheons and iron bars. Some
were fleeing when police attacked them. Dozens are reported to have
sustained severe injuries and more than 100 protestors were arrested.
Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosian, who was the main opposition
challenger in last month’s presidential poll, remains under effective house
arrest as police cordoned off his home. Also on March 1, at least six
opposition leaders were detained for organizing illegal demonstrations.

Kocharian’s press office reported that under the state of emergency public
gatherings and strikes will be banned and freedom of movement as well as
non-government public broadcasts will be severely curtailed. Internet and
satellite reception has been cut in Yerevan.

Later in the morning, protesters gathered in front of the French Embassy in
downtown Yerevan. Their numbers grew substantially during the day, as did
the police presence. A demonstrator told Human Rights Watch that police
were equipped with rubber truncheons, electric-shock devices, and water
cannons. The rally was still continuing in front of the embassy when the
state of emergency was announced after police were reported by news
organizations to have fired in the air to disperse the demonstrators.

Opposition demonstrations followed the February 19 presidential election,
after the Central Election Commission declared Prime Minister, Serzh
Sargsian the winner with 53 percent of the vote. According to official
tallies, opposition challenger Ter-Petrosian won 21.5 percent of the vote.
Tens of thousands of Ter-Petrosian supporters took to the streets in
downtown Yerevan on February 20 to protest the declared election results
and what they believed to have been electoral fraud (
28.htm ). The protests
continued peacefully on Freedom Square for the next 10 days, with some
demonstrators camping out on the square in tents (. . .).

At about 6:30 a.m. on March 1, a few hundred opposition supporters were in
their tents when police arrived and started to disperse them. Information
about approaching interior troops began to reach demonstrators shortly
after 6:00 a.m. A 30-year-old eyewitness, who requested anonymity for fear
of retribution, told Human Rights Watch that several rows of Special Forces
in riot armor, with helmets, plastic shields and rubber truncheons, started
approaching from the left and right sides of Freedom Square. The witness
said that police, without prior warning, sprayed water and descended on the
demonstrators, using rubber truncheons and electric prods (. . .).

The police operation lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes, but as news about
it spread, more people started heading towards the square. At least two
eyewitnesses described separately to Human Rights Watch how police
attacked, beat, and detained groups of 20 to 30 people who attempted to
gather near the square (. . .).

Postanjian told Human Rights Watch that in one case a journalist, Gagig
Shanshan, was arrested and held in Zeitun district police station in
Yerevan, but several hours after his arrest his lawyer still had no access
to him.

"Even in a state of emergency, those in detention and facing criminal
charges are entitled to due process rights, and should have access to a
lawyer," said Cartner.

Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and
Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Armenia is a
party, set out the safeguards which should accompany those deprived of
their liberty, and access to a lawyer is one of those safeguards.

Government information sources showed police footage of arms stockpiles
that allegedly were discovered at Freedom Square after the demonstration
was dispersed, including truncheons, guns, grenades, and gas capsules. The
report was vehemently denied by the opposition.

"The Armenian government prides itself on having a democratic image," said
Cartner. "Beating peaceful demonstrators is inconsistent with that image
and violates its obligations under human rights law."

For the full text of this press release, see :
89.htm

To read Human Rights Watch’s news release on election-related violence in
Armenia, please visit:
ni18128.htm

For further information, contact Giorgi Gogia (Georgian, Russian, English),
Tblisi, mobile: +995 77 42 1235; Rachel Denber (English, Russian, French),
New York: tel: +1 212 216 1266, mobile: +1 917 916 1266; or Human Rights
Watch, 350 Fifth Ave., 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3299, U.S.A., tel: +1
212 290 4700, fax: +1 212 736 1300, e-mail: [email protected], Internet:

The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of Human
Rights Watch. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit Human Rights Watch.
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Armenia president declares state of emergency
Saturday 01 March 2008

France24, France
March 1 2008

Pres. Robert Kocharyan, battling to contain rising opposition protests,
declared a state of emergency in the capital on Saturday. At least
one death was reported; eight police officers were wounded.

YEREVAN, March 1 (Reuters) – At least one person died and many others
were injured on Saturday evening after Armenian police fired tracer
bullets to break up opposition protests in the capital, an opposition
demonstrator said.

"He was killed by a tracer bullet which must have ricocheted as
police were shooting in the air to disperse an opposition rally being
held nearby," the opposition activist told Reuters on condition of
anonymity. "We know of many wounded people."

"The opposition is still controlling the square near the mayor’s
office," he added. He said there are Italian, French and Russian
embassies nearby. "The man who was killed died near the Russian
legation."

ANOTHER TWO ECOTOURIST ROUTES TO BE AVAILABLE IN "DILIJAN" NATIONAL PARK THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Feb 29 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. Major work on restoration of two
ecotourist routes (Dilijan-Parz Lich – 10 km, Parz Lich-Goshavank 8
km) in "Dilijan" national park will start in late March. During the
restoration work, guide and information signs will be placed along
the ecotourist paths and picnic places will be built, NT correspondent
was informed by Arevik Kyokhian, PR coordinator of the USAID-financed
Competitive Armenian Private Sector (CAPS) program that assists with
implementation the "Dilijan" national park development program.

According to her, the restoration of tourist routes in "Dilijan"
national park began in 2007 when two routes were cleaned and provided
with guide signs. There are over 1,000 plant and animal species,
various historical and architectural monuments in the park but there
is still much to be done to make the park more attractive to tourists,
offer high-quality services and infrastructures and train guides.

A. Kyokhian said that on February 28 nine tourist guides from Dilijan
were certified as guides meeting the standards of the World Federation
of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA). The courses and certification
process were organized by the the Guild of Armenian Tourist Guides
and "Dilijan" national park with the assistance of the CAPS. Four of
these guides already work in the national park. 13 people attended
the courses.

ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT TO BE SHUT DOWN AFTER EXHAUSTING RESOURCES, PRESIDENT SAYS

ARKA
Feb 29 2008

YEREVAN, February 29. /ARKA/. The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)
will shut down after exhausting its resources, RA President Robert
Kocharian said today during his meeting with Yerevan State University
(YSU) students.

The president pointed out that Armenia was committed to close down the
Armenian NPP in 1992-1993 after signing an agreement with the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the construction
of the fifth unit of the Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant (TPP).

Only after this, the country has changed its attitude to the shut
down of the NPP.

"I believe the Armenian NPP will shut down only in 2012-2014,"
Kocharian said. "We should see to the construction of a new NPP which
will become irreplaceable with oil prices constantly increasing."

The NPP started to operate in 1976 (the second unit started to operate
in 1980).

Only the second power unit of the plant with a Russian nuclear reactor
is operating at present.

The unit generates about 50% of Armenia’s electric power.

In the coming five years, the Armenia NPP will be under the trust
management of the INTER RAO UES CJSC, subsidiary of RAO UES Russia
(60% of the shares) and the ROSENERGOATOM Trust (40%).

According to specialists, the Armenian NPP in Metsamor can operate
until 2016.

About $2bln will be allocated for the construction of the new unit
of the Armenian NPP, the RA Minister of Energy.