Author: Mamian George

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT SIGNS LAW "ON HUNT AND HUNTING GROUND"

Arka News Agency, Armenia
May 16 2007

YEREVAN, May 16. /ARKA/. Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan signed
a Law "On hunt and hunting ground", the RA President’s press service
reported.

The law aims to provide security, preservation, reproduction and
stable use of hunt animals in the territory of Armenia, as well as
improvement of hunting ground, protection of hunting rights of ground
owners and regulation of relations in the hunting sphere.

He pointed out that the law defines the facilities and hunt
participants, as well as regulates the issues connected with the use
of hunting resources, protection, preservation and stability of hunt
animals, grounds, powers of state and local bodies.

The law states the principles of giving hunting license, and defines
permitted and prohibited types of hunting. In the hunting grounds
special attention is paid to the preservation of fauna facilities,
state monitoring and introduction of cadastre of hunt animals.

VEDANTA RIDES ASIAN METALS WAVE
By Toby Shelley

FT
May 16 2007 08:50

Vedanta Resources, the UK-listed metals group, continued to ride the
wave of surging Chinese and Indian demand for metals as it reported
on Wednesday a 166 per cent rise in annual pre-tax profits to £2.48bn
on revenue up 76 per cent at £6.5bn.

Anil Agarwal, chairman, signalled that the current year would bring an
acceleration of Vedanta’s buyout of minority partners, particularly in
the booming aluminium and zinc business, which was Vedanta’s strongest
performer in 2006.

He said: "I believe significant opportunities lie ahead of us in
respect of out buyouts of the minority stakes in Balco, KCM and
HZL. I look forward to reporting progress on these initiatives during
the year."

Mr Agarwal added that Vedanta would exercise its option to acquire
a further 20 per cent of Indian iron ore producer Sesa in July. Late
last month, it took a 51 per cent stake in Sesa for some £500m.

Since September 2003, Vedanta has boosted its share of attributable
profits from joint ventures to 51.5 per cent from 36.7 per
cent. However, short-term operational reasons meant minority interests
in subsidiaries actually rose in 2006 with the greater contribution
of the aluminium and zinc business.

The rise in turnover and profits came from a combination of higher
prices and volumes, and control of operating costs. The aluminium
business, which doubled its contribution to turnover as the new
Korba smelter in India came online and ramped up output faster than
expected. The emphasis now is on raising sales of higher value-added
products.

The copper business accounts for over half of revenue and 30 per
cent of operating profits from operations in India, Zambia and
Australia. Production at Konkola in Zambia fell short of expectations
although Vedanta said measures were in place to remedy this.

Zinc revenues more than doubled along with prices on the London Metal
Exchange, making this segment of the business the biggest contributor
to operating profits, accounting for more than half of the total.

Last August, Vedanta acquired a majority stake in Sterlite Gold,
a Toronto-listed miner with assets in Armenia, previously owned
by Mr Agarwal. However, the entry into gold production has proved
problematic, with production being suspended in the last quarter of
2006 due to a legal spat with the Armenian government.

Vedanta said on at Wednesday it was looking options to quit the
business if there was no progress in talks.

The group said it had completed a $2.2bn investment programme on time
and within budget and was now implementing a further $5.3bn programme.

The final dividend is proposed at 20 cents, taking the full-year
dividend to 35 cents, a rise of 75 per cent.

Analysts said the results were broadly in line with expectations.

In early London trading, Vedanta shares rose 1.46 per cent to £14.14.

–Boundary_(ID_vRfJzMwRRf/WXct ZV9exMw)–

HILLARY CLINTON: TURK LOBBYISTS SHOULD WORK HARD

NEW YORK, MAY 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. American Senator
Hillary Clinton in her conversation with Turkish businessman Sadettin
Saran expressed an opinion that the resolution on Armenian Genocide
will not be adopted at the Congress.

According to Turkish press, during the conversation held after the
dinner organized in New York in honor of Hillary Klinton, touching
upon the issue of Armenian Genocide, S. Saran said: "We are very
sensitive in this issue. You saddened us very much when you started to
support the resolution on Armenian Genocide."

In response, H. Clinton said: "Armenian lobbying has been negotiating
with me for that bill for nearly three years. But the Turks have not
tried to speak to me over that issue at all. You should carry out
long lobbying activity and not leave everything to the last moment. It
is necessary that you work hard in this issue. But don’t worry, I
think this resolution will not be adopted."

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS ESTIMATE ELECTIONS AS "MAINLY" MEETING
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS, NEVERTHELESS, MENTIONING SOME UNSOLVED
PROBLEMS

YEREVAN, MAY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the preliminary conclusions
published by OSCE and PACE monitoring missions, RA NA May 12, 2007
parliamentary elections were mainly held in line with the commitments
of holding democratic elections assumed towards OSCE and CE and other
international standards. The conclusion published on May 13 mentioned
that RA authorities undertook steps for overcoming the existing
shortcomings, but were not able to be completely consistent in their
intention, that is, to hold the elections in line with international
standards, and a lot of unsolved problems remain. At the press
conference held the same day the representatives of observation
mission also expressed the hope that it will be possible to solve
these problems before the presidential elections scheduled for 2008.

NO "INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MONTH" TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA THIS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
May 10 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. No IT Month will be held in Armenia
in 2007.

Ara Hakobian, member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Board,
advisor to the Armenian prime minister on IT issues, said this at
the May 9 press conference.

In his words, there is no need to repeat something already
held. A. Hakobian said that currently information is being collected
for organizing IT events in the future. Some events are being initiated
by the Armenian government.

"Taking last year’s experience into account, we’d like these events
to be coordinated and supported by the state," he noted, responding
to a question of NT correspondent.

The program of IT Month held in 2006 was approved at the sitting
of the IT Development Support Council. The council was created in
2001 under a presidential decree. The Armenian prime minister is the
chairman of the council.

To recap, in 2006 over ten events: international conferences,
exhibitions and programming contests took place within the framework
of IT Month.

TURKISH PARLIAMENT APPROVED BILL ON UNIVERSAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.05.2007 18:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish parliament has approved amendments to
the Constitution providing for a universal presidential election. The
bill will then be submitted to the President’s approval.

If incumbent Turkish President Ahmed Necet Sezer vetoes the bill
the issue will be put on a national referendum which may be held
July 22 simultaneously with the pre-term parliamentary election,
RIA Novosti reports.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE ARMENIAN CHURCH PARTICIPATES IN THE
WCC ECUMENICAL OFFICERS’ MEETING

The Ecumenical Officers’ meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
was held on May 7-8 in the WCC headquarters of Geneva. The Armenian Church
was represented in the meeting by Rev. Fr. Hovagim Manougian (Ecumenical
Officer of the Catholicosate of All Armenian in Etchmiyadzine) and Bishop
Nareg Alemezian (Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia). Bishop
Alemezian was also elected as a member of the meeting’s executive committee.

Mrs. Teni Simonian, a WCC senior official, participated in the meeting on
behalf of WCC.

The meeting brought together about 45 participants from various churches
across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Northern America and the Middle
East. The delegates, both religious and non-religious, discussed a number of
local, regional and international ecumenical issues. They first focused on
grasping the new working system adopted by the WCC and the imperative of
cooperation with churches and then examined the possibilities of cooperation
between all the structures involved in ecumenical relations.

The members of the newly formed Youth Committee also participated in the
discussions of the second day of the meeting. The committee includes from
the Eastern Prelacy, Nayiri Baldjian representing the Armenian Catholicosate
of Cilicia.

Bishop Nareg introduced the major aspects of the Catholicosate of Cilicia’s
ecumenical and inter-faith work and emphasized that His Holiness Aram I pays
great attention in this respect to the active participation of the youth and
their good formation.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

KAPAN RESIDENTS SAVE PUBLIC PARK FROM DESTRUCTION

ARMENPRESS
May 08 2007

KAPAN, MAY 8, ARMENPRESS: The Environmental and Public Information
Center, established by the OSCE Office in Armenia’s Kapan, which
is the administrative center of the southern province of Syunik,
foiled the attempts of the local authorities to allow destruction
of a public park in the central part of the town to make room for
construction of garages.

The public park, created forty years ago, has tens of decorative trees
and bushes, which have been saved from being logged. After high-profile
debates organized by the Center, which acted on the residents’ signals,
the authorities had to backpedal on their decision, thought the town’s
revised master plan allows construction of garages in the area. The
municipality had to retreat after the pressure of residents and local
non-governmental organizations.

HANRAPETUTIUN, ZHARANGUTIUN, NOR ZHAMANAKNER AND IMPEACHMENT HAVE HIGHEST RATING, ARAM MANUKIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
May 09 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The rating of the Republican Party
of Armenia and Bargavach Hayastan Party is very low: they together
will not get over 5% barrier even in spite of financial abilities
of the two parties." Aram Manukian, member of Board of Armenian
National Movement, stated at the May 9 discussion. He said that he
drew such a conclusion at electoral district N 4 where, by the way,
he is voted on by majoritarian system, on the basis of sociological
surveys conducted by him.

A. Manukian said that personally he has visited 3 thousand apartments
and found out that people have no willingness to vote for these two
parties. In his words, the Impeachment bloc, the Nor Zhamanakner (New
Times), Hanrapetutiun (Republic), as well as Zharangutiun (Heritage)
parties have rather high rating.

Another participant of discussion, leader of National Consent Party
Aram Haroutiunian gave assurance that the turnout of the upcoming
elections will be very low, as the people is disappointed not only
in the authorities, but also in the opposition. Not agreeing to this
opinion, A. Manukian said that people’s attitude towards RPA, BH and
opposition forces shows that the public is in a rebellious condition
and possibly, it will not disregard the elections.

As regards the arrest of former RA Foreign Minister Alexander
Arzumanian, in A. Manukian’s opinion, this is a political
persecution. A. Haroutiunian also condemned such step towards the
former high-ranking official.

NON-PERMIT OF ENTRY OF TURKISH OBSERVERS INTO ARMENIA IS STIPULATED FOR ABSENCE OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN YEREVAN AND ANKARA

Arminfo News Agency
2007-05-08 12:36:00

Non-permit of entry of Turkish representatives of OSCE monitoring
mission into Armenia is stipulated for the absence of diplomatic
relations between Yerevan and Ankara, acting spokesman of RA FM
Vladimir Karapetyan told the Public TV of Armenia.

Commenting on the statement of OSCE monitoring mission representatives
saying Armenia should follow the European standards in decision-making,
V. Karapetyan emphasized that these standards should be observed,
first of all, by Turkey, which blocks Armenia’s borders and refuses
to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan.

To note, there are 42 OSCE observers in Armenia within the frames of
a long-term monitoring mission. Total of 300 OSCE observers should
arrive in Armenia to carry out a short-term monitoring mission on
May 12 parliamentary election.