Author: Kafian Jirair

HEADS OF "ROYAL ARMENIA" COMPANY ARE ACQUITED AND SET FREE FROM COURT HALL

Noyan Tapan
Jul 17 2007

YEREVAN JULY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The Court of First Instance of the
Kentron and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan with judge Pargev
Ohanian at the head on July 16 made a decision to bring in a verdict of
not guilty for Gagik Hakobian, the co-holder of the "Royal Armenia"
company, and Aram Ghazarian, the Deputy Director of the company,
who were set free from the court hall.

It should be mentioned that this criminal case was filed on March
10, 2005.

Gagik Hakobian and Aram Ghazarian were put under arrest in the
seventh month of the preliminary investigation. The verdict was
envisaged to be published on June 28 this year. However, the court
made a sudden decision to restart the trial of this case in order to
make an additional investigation of the conclusions of examinations
of judicial criminology, judicial accountancy and judicial economics.

According to the decision of the court, the charges of simulating
invoices and purposefully evading the payment of taxes through them,
smuggling, making the incomes received in a criminal way legal, that is
to say, money laundering, as well as that of seizing the property of
the "FIG" ("Federal Investigation Group") company through deception
were brought against the defendants by the criminal prosecution
body on the bases of assumptions. The court found that the deeds the
defendants are charged with have not been proved and are groundless.

In addition to this, the investigation of the originals of the
invoices, as well as of their copies and other documents examined
by the hearing has revealed that there are discrepancies between
the copies of the invoices presented to the investigation by Vache
Petrosian, a representative of the "Federal Investigation Group",
and the data of other documents concerning goods. According to
the court, Vache Petrosian presented not one of the three invoices,
which were given to a person, who transported the load of the "Federal
Investigation Group" company, where the real price and seals of goods
should be seen, but the xerocopies of a version of that document
with changed data. Thus, he created artificial proof in order to
charge the defendants with the committment of especially serious
crimes. Therefore, the court decided to turn to the RA Prosecutor
General with a petition to file a criminal prosecution towards
V. Petrosian, who is a witness of the case, on the indications of the
first, second, and third points of Article 333 of the RA Criminal
Code for giving false testimony and creating artificial proof for
mercenary motives and thus charging the person with a serious crime.

LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE PARTY SAYS IT MAY NOT RAISE QUESTION OF AMBITIONS AND JOIN A COMMON OPPOSITION TEAM

Panorama.am
17:28 17/07/2007

Hovanes Hovannisyan, the leader of the Armenian Liberal Progressive
Party (LPP), told a press conference today the old stereotype of "our
party is the best" is outmoded. Hovannisyan noted that the opposition
has very little time to demonstrate if it has enough political will to
make a serious claim during presidential elections. The party leader
believes the society wants Robert Kocharyan to leave but he said
the alternative must be so visible that people will become ready to
uprise. Hovannisyan said LPP may not raise the question of ambitions
and will be ready to join a common team, which will be formed in the
oppositional wing during the presidential elections.

Iran’s FM due in Armenia: Hosseini

Tehran, July 15, IRNA
Iran-Armenia-Mottaki

Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will pay a visit to Armenia
late this week, a senior official at the ministry said here Sunday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini made the statement
while speaking to reporters at his weekly press briefing.

He pointed to Mottaki’s two-hour visit to Bahrain on Saturday and said
it was a pre-scheduled trip which took place upon an invitation by the
Bahraini foreign minister.

"During the visit, Mottaki held good meetings with the Bahraini foreign
minister and crown prince," he added.

The spokesman said the meeting of Iran-Bahrain Joint Economic
Commission would be held after the holy month of Ramazan (October 12).

He added media groups of the two countries would visit Tehran and
Manama.

Hosseini pointed to Mottaki’s recent visit to Tunisia and said the
Tunisian president once again invited his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad to visit Tunis.

CoE ADOPTS CONVENTION TO PROTECT CHILDREN AGAINST SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE

A1+
[06:43 pm] 13 July, 2007

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted the
Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation
and Sexual Abuse, which represents a major advance in this field.

"There should be no hesitation or complacency in the fight against
sexual exploitation and abuse of children," said Council of Europe
Secretary General Terry Davis when he welcomed the adoption of the
Convention.

"This Convention is a true added value for member states to reinforce
their action to prevent and combat this intolerable violation of
children’s most fundamental rights", continued the Deputy Secretary
General of the Organisation, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio.

This new Convention is the first instrument to establish the various
forms of sexual abuse of children as criminal offences, including
such abuse committed in the home or family, with the use of force,
coercion or threats.

In addition to the offences traditionally committed in this field
– sexual abuse, child prostitution, child pornography, children’s
forced participation in pornographic performances – the text also
addresses the issue of "grooming" of children for sexual purposes and
"sex tourism".

The Convention will be opened for signature at the Conference of
European Ministers of Justice in Lanzarote on 25 and 26 October
this year.

Its adoption is to be seen also in the context of the three-year
Programme run for a year by the Council of Europe "Building a Europe
for and with children".

CONSTRUCTION DONE IN JANUARY-MAY THIS YEAR IN RA INCREASES BY 11.6% COMPARED WITH SAME MONTHS OF 2006

Noyan Tapan
Jul 11 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Construction amounting to 102b 438.6m
drams (nearly 301m USD) was done in January-May 2007 in Armenia,
including construction of production facilities of 53b 032.6m drams. In
the total volume of construction, construction and assembly measures
made 87b 591.3m drams, including construction and assembly measures
of production facilities of 40b 528.6m drams.

According to the data of the RA National Statistical Service,
construction done in January-May 2007 increased by 11.6% compared
with the same period of 2006, including construction and assembly
measures that grew by 18.7%.

37.7% of construction in January-May 2007 was done at the expense of
the population and the rest with the funds of organizations.

VIVACELL IS NOT FOR SALE AND IT PLANS TO PLACE ITS SHARES ON STOCK EXCHANGE, HEAD OF THE COMPANY STATED

Mediamax
Jul 12 2007

Yerevan, July 12 /Mediamax/. General Director of VivaCell mobile
operator Ralph Yirikian refuted today the statements on the possible
sale of the company.

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a news conference in Yerevan today,
which was dedicated to the second anniversary of the company’s work on
the market, Ralph Yirikian compared VivaCell "to an 18-year-old young
lady, who has many worshippers, who want to tie their lives with hers".

However, he noted, "the young lady does not want to get married,
but she wants to realize her plans".

Recently, representatives of Russian mobile operators MTS and "Megafon"
in this or that form stated their interest towards the purchase of
the shares of VivaCell.

Member of the Board of Directors of VivaCell Hussein Rifai noted
that in 2008 the company will place its shares on the Armenian Stock
Exchange.

Ralph Yirikian expressed hope that "many of the 1mln subscribers
of VivaCell will become our share-holders". The number of shares,
which will be placed on the Exchange, is not yet determined.

SCIENTISTS RAISE THE ALARM ON THE DYING BOTANIC GARDEN OF ARMENIA.

arminfo
2007-07-10 14:36:00

The scientific management of the Botanic Institution of Armenia
submitted a package of suggestions to the Armenian Government,
suggesting a range of measure in order to improve the conditions
of the Botanic Institution of Armenia and the botanic garden in
Yerevan. Basic suggestions were moved today during the general meeting
of the Department of Natural Sciences of the National Academy of
Sciences of Armenia.

As Jirayr Vardanyan, director of the Institution, mentioned in his
talk with ArmInfo correspondent, the modernization of greenhouses
and orchard-houses, the reconstruction of the Herbarium Museum,
the installation of a heating system and the irrigation of the
whole garden territory remain a problem still relevant today for
the Institution and the botanic garden. According to him, for
initial work, it will be sufficient to double the volume of budget
funding, which amounts to 50mln AMD. In the Herbarium Museum, where
about half a million specimen were compiled during 70 years, they
lack basic conditions necessary for the preservation of exsiccate,
which are unique and are of great interest for the scientific world,
which examines endemic plants. Besides, none of the greenhouses is
heated. Moreover, glass is broken in all of them, while the apertures
are stuck with polyethylene bags.

The main orchard-house of the garden is in even worse condition. Here
for a decade it is impossible to grow species typical for tropical
climate. The exotic species held here before, have almost completely
died out. Yerevan’s semiarid climate and the broken-down irrigation
system don’t allow taking an adequate care for the plants including
more than 5 thousand species compiled in the Caucasus, North
America, East Aisa and in Armenia. The Director mentioned that
not only 80ha territory of Yerevan botanic garden, but also 10ha
territory of Vanadzor and 5ha territory of Sevan botanic gardens are
in a deplorable situation. During hot season all the misfortunes of
the garden are added by frequent fires, and cowokers are not able to
fight them with their own forces. About a hundred scientific coworkers
of the institution, neglecting their own material problems because
of low salary rates, look forward to certain measures taken by the
Armenian Government.

"It is not only absurd, but it’s also impermissible to lose
such a wealth, which is of great scientific interest of the world
community",-Eleanora Gabrielyan, Doctor of Biological Sciences, member
of the Armenian Botanic Society emphasized, addressing her colleagues.

HOAGLAND IS BUSH’S NOMINEE

A1+
[06:14 pm] 10 July, 2007

Ambassador Rudolf V. Perina arrived in Yerevan and assumed the duties
of Charge d’Affaires a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan as of July
10. Ambassador Perina’s extensive knowledge and experience in Armenia,
and well-established personal and professional relationships with
senior Armenian leaders, will be a great help in sustaining continuity
in our important bilateral relationship with Armenia.

This will not be a long-term assignment, and it does not alter the need
for a permanent U.S. ambassador in Armenia. Ambassador Richard Hoagland
remains President Bush’s nominee for the position of Ambassador to
the Republic of Armenia.

PLANNED MONITORING HELD ON NKR AND AZERI ARMED FORCES’ CONTACT LINE

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
July 10 2007

A current planned monitoring of the Nagorno-Karabagh and Azeri armed
forces’ contact line was held near the settlement of Marzili.

According to the information DE FACTO received at NKR MFA Press Office,
no cease-fire violations had been registered in the course of the
monitoring. From the positions of NKR Defense Army the observation
was held by Field Assistants of OSCE Chair-in-Office’s Personal
Representative Peter Key (UK) and Miroslav Vymetal (Czechia), as well
as by OSCE representative Helmut Napiontek (Germany).

The monitoring passed according to the schedule; no cease-fire
violations were fixed.

>>From Karabagh party the observation mission was accompanied by NKR
MFA and MOD officials.

ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN INVITED SECRETARY GENERAL OF SOCINTERN TO KARABAKH

KarabakhOpen
10-07-2007 10:42:49

NKR President Ghukasyan met with the Secretary General of SocIntern
Luis Ayala (Chile) visiting Stepanakert. During the meeting the
importance of the social democratic movement for a peace settlement of
the Karabakh issue and stability in the region, as well as democracy
in NKR and cooperation were discussed.

Mario Nalbandyan, member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau, ARF
Dashnaktsutyun’s permanent representative to SocIntern, and Kiro
Manoyan, member of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau, participated in
the meeting.