Author: Kamalian Hagop

ARMENIAN PARTY UNDECIDED ABOUT ITS STANCE FOLLOWING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION

Arminfo
15 May 07

Yerevan, 15 May: The Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun
[ARFD] has not made a decision yet about its place in the fourth
parliament, according to a statement made by the party today.

However, no matter where the party is going to be, it will try to prove
that the problems the country faces can be resolved in a short period
of time if the ARFD has a significant majority in the government,
Armen Rustamyan, the ARFD supreme body representative, said. He also
said that it is unlikely that a ruling coalition will be formed in
parliament because one of the ruling forces, the Republican Party,
has received the absolute majority of the votes and is able to form
a cabinet on its own. Rustamyan said that the ARFD will continue to
cooperate with the RPA but not necessarily as a member of a coalition.

Rustamyan did not consider the parliamentary election outcome – in
particular, the unprecedented success of the RPA – to be unexpected. "I
think that each party received as much votes as it was supposed
to," Rustamyan said. He also said that the party will continue its
cooperation with the president.

Vahan Hovhannisyan, the party’s bureau member and deputy speaker
of parliament, said that because there is a force that enjoys
an absolute majority in parliament, the formation of a collation
will be artificial, and the participation of a political force not
having a majority in that coalition will be formal. "Even if we are
offered as many ministerial posts in the cabinet as we have now,
our participation in a coalition will be merely formal as we don’t
have a decisive number of seats in parliament," he said.

[Passage omitted: Hovhannisyan avoids direct answers on some questions;
Arminfo speculates that the ARFD will be in opposition]

Were those Armenian women?

Gagik Avanesyan
Hadrut
12-05-2007 11:43:08 – KarabakhOpen

On hearing the excited comments on the `adventures’ of the Armenian women
in the village of Shahtakhti, I became convinced that our people are too
naïve. Most people believe reports in the Azerbaijani media.
To detect the far-reaching goal of this report it is enough to remember the
recent past when the government instructed to destroy the khachkars in Djolfa.

And in order to avoid more `trouble’, like in the case of khachkars, the
Azerbaijani government decided to follow their `elder brother’ Turkey which
destroyed almost every evidence to the Armenian civilization in West Armenia
without administrative interference, through a simple method.

They made the local people believe that the Armenians had buried gold in the
walls of churches. The local `explorers’ first dismantled the stones of the
walls and when they found no gold they used the same stones to build other
building, leaving no trace of Armenians who used to live in that territory.
Soon the `gold rush’ will start in Nakhidjevan, destroying every `trace of
Armenians’. In case of a `political scandal’ it will turn out that the monuments
were destroyed by the Armenians. And again the government will have nothing
to do with it.

POTATO PRICE GROWTH IN ARMENIA CONTINUES

YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. A 0.1% price fall was registered in the
Armenian food commodity market in April on March 2007, which was mainly
due to 0.2-2.2% fall in prices of vegetables, granulated sugar, bread
products, coffee, tea and cocoa.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, 26% rise in prices of
potato and vegetales was registered in Armenia in April 2007 on April
2006. In the indicated period there was a growth in prices of carrot
(3.1%), cucumber (3.9%), tomato (4.9%), onion (6.6%), garlic (12.8%),
cabbage (28.3%), chive (42.4%) and potato (61.1%).

2.2% price fall was registered in the commodity group of vegetables and
potato in April on March 2007. Prices of cucumber, tomato, chive,
onion, mangel and garlic fell by 0.1-24.1% in the indicated period. A
growth in prices of carrot (1.9%), cabbage (3.5%) and potato (7.7%) was
registered in parallel with this. The price of granulated sugar
continued to have a downward tendency registered in the previous three
months and the general inflation for 4 months made 8.7%. 1.6% fall in
price of granulated sugar was registered in the country in April on
March.

0.1-0.4% price fall was registered in the commodity groups of bread
products, butter and vegetable oil, coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks in
April on March 2007.

37.5% price growth was registered in the commodity group of fish
products in April 2007 on December 2006, including 8.1% price growth in
April on March 2007, mainly due to 9.1% rise in the price of fresh
white fish. Prices of trout and smoked white fish increased by 5.6% and
5.1% respectively in the indicated period.

In the commodity group of fruit, 33.7% price growth was registered in
April 2007 on April 2006, 2.2% price growth – in April on March 2007,
which was mostly conditioned by a rise in the prices of pine-apple
(3.4%), pomegranate (3.5%), pear (5.5%), orange (7.8%), tangerine
(16.1%). Prices of lemon and grapes grew by 1.9% and 2.1% respectively
in the indicated period.

0.5% price growth was registered in the commodity group of meat
products in April on March 2007, mainly due to a growth in prices of
pork (2.5%) and mutton (2.2%). The growth in beef price made 0.4% in
the indicated period. The 8.7% fall in the price of eggs in
January-March 2007 was followed by 0.2% price growth in April. 0.2%
price growth was registered in the commodity group of milk products in
April on March 2007, while prices in the commodity groups of
confectionery, other foodstuffs, alcoholic drinks and cigarettes
remained at the previous month’s level.

NIBBLING AT THE GREENWAY
By Boston Herald editorial staff

Boston Herald, MA
May 9 2007

Even as the Rose Kennedy Greenway is beginning to take shape, it is
still being nibbled at by those who should be better stewards of this
vast public space. Today the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has
scheduled a public meeting in the North End on a proposed memorial
to the Armenian genocide, which Pike officials insist they are
legislatively mandated to put on the Greenway.

Actually the legislative mandate is that there be such a memorial
somewhere in Boston, and we are all for that. But Parcel 13 of the
Greenway (in the vicinity of Cross Street) is not that place. There
is near universal agreement that the Greenway should be seen as one
wonderful whole – and that most of its planning be done in conjunction
with the respected Greenway Conservancy.

Former Turnpike head Matt Amorello may be gone, but his lack of vision
and his stubborn insistence that a truckload of trees and some grass
seed interrupted by the occasional monument were all that the Greenway
needed lives on. We can and must do better – both for the Greenway
and by finding a more appropriate location for an important memorial.

OSCE SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA ARRIVED IN YEREVAN

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia –
May 10 2007

Yerevan, May 10. /Mediamax/. The OSCE Special Coordinator for the
elections in Armenia, Tone Tingsgaard, arrived in Yerevan today.

Mediamax reports that the Swedish parliamentarian Tone Tingsgaard,
who occupies the position of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Vice President, was appointed Special Coordinator by the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.

As such, she will lead all international short-term election observers
deployed by the OSCE.

"I am delighted to be in Armenia in these important and exciting
times," said Ms. Tingsgaard upon arrival in Yerevan today.

"All the international observers have an important role to play as
the elections are crucial for Armenia and its continued democratic
development. I wish the country and all its citizens success
on Saturday", Special Coordinator for the elections in Armenia
stated.

TRIAL OF DINK’S MURDERERS TO START ON JULY 2

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.05.2007 18:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Istanbul court is to start hearing the case
against 19 men charged with involvement in the murder of prominent
Turkish-Armenian journalist "Agos" weekly editor-in-chief Hrant Dink
on July 2. Among the suspects are 17-year-old immediate murderer
Ogun Samast, Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, who have been accused of
preparing the murderous assault. The Istanbul prosecutor is seeking
life imprisonment for both Tuncel and Hayal, who also face charges of
being a senior member of an armed terrorist group. Since Ogun Samast
has not reached the age of 18, he could face up to 24 years behind
bars for the murder of Dink. The indictment tabled by the prosecutor
also called for various terms of imprisonment for Mustafa Ozturk,
Tuncay Uzundal, Zeynel Abidin Yavuz, Ahmet Iskender, Ersin Yolcu,
Yasar Cihan, Halis Egemen, Salih Hacisalihoglu, Alper Esirgemez, Irfan
Ozkan, Osman Alpay, Erbil Susaman, Numan Sisman, Senol Akduman and
Veysel Toprak on charges of aiding and abetting in the killing of Dink.

Hrant Dink, the editor of the Turkish-Armenian "Agos" weekly newspaper,
was gunned down outside his office in Istanbul on January 19 by
17-year-old Ogun Samast, who is a member of a nationalistic group.

RA STATE BUDGET FULFILLED WITH 17.6 BILLION DRAM SURPLUS IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2007

Noyan Tapan
Mayt 09 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. In the first quarter of 2007, the state
budget of the RA (without inflow of funds under credit programs
financed from external sources) was fulfilled with a surplus of
17.6 bln drams (about 48.7 mln USD). The state budget was negatively
financed by 15.5 bln drams from the domestic sources and by 2.1 bln
drams from external sources of financing.

According to data of the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, the
state budget was negatively financed by 2.1 bln drams at the expense
of treasury bonds (their issue made 9.3 bln drams, redemption – 11.4
bln drams). 433.3 mln drams was allocated from domestic sources of
deficit financing for payment of promissory notes. Available budgetary
resources increased by 12.9 ln drams.

In January-March 2007, 2.1 bln drams was allocated for payment of
external liabilities. In particular, 1.3 bln drams was allocated for
payment of liabilities under World Bank programs, 374 mln drams – for
payment of liabilities under programs implemented with the assistance
of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and
411 mln drams was allocated against the commodity credit provided by
the US.

During the indicated period about 2.1 bln drams was allocated for state
debt servicing, with the quarterly program being fulfilled by 94.5%.

Particularly, 1.2 bln drams was allocated for servicing of the domestic
debt, 848.2 mln drams – for servicing of the foreign debt. State debt
servicing expenditures declined by 15.1% compared with January-March
2006.

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN TO PARTICIPATE IN NORTH AMERICAN DIOCESAN ASSEMBLIES

ArmRadio.am
04.05.2007 15:28

On May 2 and 3, the annual Clergy Conferences of the two dioceses
of the Armenian Church in the United States of America (Eastern
and Western) convened in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and Pasadena,
California, respectively.

Following the conferences, the annual Diocesan Assemblies will take
place from May 4 to 6. The host parishes this year are Sts. Vartanants
Armenian Church in Chelmsford and St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian
Church in Pasadena.

Upon the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Rev. Fr. Khoren Kirakosian
and Rev. Fr. Adam Makarian will participate in the Conference and
Assembly of the Eastern Diocese; and Rev. Fr. Vahram Melikian and
Rev. Fr. Ghevond Mayilian will participate in the Conference and
Assembly of the Western Diocese, as the representatives of the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin. During their stay in the United States, the
Reverend Fathers will also visit Armenian communities and parishes
throughout North America.

INITIATIVE GROUP NAMING MASIS MAYILYAN HELD A MEETING

KarabakhOpen
04-05-2007 10:54:55

The initiative group which named Masis Mayilyan president of NKR
held a meeting on May 3 and passed a decision. About 300 people took
part in the meeting who represent different social groups: doctors,
scientists, freedom fighters, public officials.

Gegham Baghdasaryan, member of the ARF-Movement 88 parliamentary
group, presented the biography of Masis Mayilyan. He said considerable
progress has been reported in the republic over the past few years,
however, new people and new approaches are necessary to face up to
the new challenges.

Masis Mayilyan said he considers the rule of law as a priority. The
best economic and social laws do not work of there is no justice and
equality before the law.

On May 4 the group will submit the documents with the Central Electoral
Commission.

INCOMES TO STATE BUDGET GO UP BY 34.8 PERCENT

Panorama.am
17:54 02/05/2007

In the first quarter of 2007, incomes to state budget totaled 110.7
billion dram and expenditures made up 93.1 billion dram. Incomes went
up by 34.8 percent or 28.6 billion drams against last year.

Armenian ministry of finance and economic press services told
Panorama.am that taxes and dues went up by 19.7 billion drams. Non-tax
incomes increased by 7.2 billion drams and incomes from capital
transaction went up by 2.0 billion dram.

In the course of the first quarter of 2007, incomes to state budget
composed from tax incomes by 81.4 percent. From January-March,
4.5 billion drams were collected from customs duties reporting 22.5
percent rise against last year.