Author: Mamian George

EIGHT DEAD IN ARMENIA UNREST

ITN News
March 2 2008
UK

Eight people have been killed and 33 police injured in riots in the
Armenian capital.

The worst unrest in the central Asian former Soviet republic for
a decade was sparked by protests against a presidential election
opposition groups say was rigged.

Police fought pitched battles with opposition supporters who have been
protesting since prime minister Serzh Sarksyan was elected president.

Crowds began to thin after the army was mobilised, but a group of about
2,000 protesters stayed on in a square in the centre of Yerevan armed
with metal rods and Molotov cocktails as army trucks headed towards
the capital.

They dispersed after a message was read out from Levon Ter-Petrosyan,
a former president who was defeated in the election, saying: "I do
not want any victims and clashes between police and innocent people."

Outgoing president Robert Kocharyan declared a state of emergency
banning demonstrations and imposing censoreship.

He accused demonstrators of firing weapons and grenades and planning a
coup d’etat. The opposition rejected this, saying police had attacked
a peaceful protest.

Sarksyan’s opponents accuse him of winning last month’s poll by
ballot-rigging and intimidation but he denies this and Western
observers said the vote was broadly fair.

The violence was the worst in the country of 3.2 million since 1998,
when a mass uprising forced Ter-Petrosyan to resign.

Violence on the part of law-enforcement bodies continues

A1+ , Armenia
March 1 2008

At this moment the Mashtots Avenue and the area adjacent to the Opera
Theatre [in central Yerevan] are full of police. People, however,
continue to chant "Le-von, Le-von [ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan]"
as a sign of protest, and the police are cruelly beating the protesters
before the eyes of everybody. Hospitals are full of injured people.

The policemen confiscated all video recorded by A1+ cameramen and
other TV crews. The special police squad representatives, who arrived
on a Ford vehicle, have just now arrested two sons of Manuk Gasparyan
[leader of the Democratic Path Party] at the junction of Mashtots
Avenue and Tumanyan Street.

At the moment, the house of Ter-Petrosyan is cordoned off by the
police. Ter-Petrosyan himself is in his house at the moment.

[translated from Russia]

POLICE OF ARMENIA CALLS FOR OBSERVING REQUIREMENTS OF STATE OF EMERGENCY

Lragir
16:16:12 – 02/03/2008

The RA Police issued a statement which runs: "From midday March 1
the crowd near the City Hall was becoming uncontrollable, and in the
evening their actions turned into destruction and robbery.

During mass disorders which lasted for several hours small and big
bandit groups occasionally separating from a crowd of about 7 thousand
set to fire over twenty private cars, as well as police cars, even
ambulances, crashed buses and trolley-buses. The House of Moscow,
the nearby shops and offices were ruined and robbed, the windows of
the City Hall and the administrative office of Viva Cell were smashed.

The drunken gangs attacked the police force and police officers. 33
servicemen and officers of the RA Police went to hospital, including
11 with shrapnel wounds, 13 with different traumas, 8 poisoned from
gas. 7 police servicemen, including 4 with shrapnel wounds, received
fast aid and are receiving further treatment at the military unit. The
exact number of the hospitalized is being found out. According to
the ministry of health, at the moment of the incident 8 got killed,
and the circumstances of their death are being investigated by the
Office of Prosecutor General of RA.

Disorders continued, and only after the RA president signed a decree
on declaring a state of emergency in the capital, under the pressure
of the coordinated actions of the police, national security service
and army the riots retreated, stopped mass disorders and left.

Actions are taken to identify the organizers and participants, reveal
and punish in accordance with the law.

The RA Police appeals to the citizens for alertness and restraint, obey
the requirements of the state of emergency, assist the law-enforcement
agencies in elimination of consequences of mass disorders."

02.03.2008

GENERAL MANVEL GRIGORIAN UNDER HOUSE ARREST

Noyan Tapan
Feb 29 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. It is already a few days
Lieutenant-General Manvel Grigorian, the Chairman of the Union
of Defenders of the Land and the RA Deputy Minister of Defence,
has been under house arrest. Reporting this, Aravot (Morning) daily
mentions that the assistant of the Deputy Minister (nickname "chut")
is detained. "According to romours, the authorities are punishing
the general, who "has betrayed" them this way," the daily writes,
adding that in response to their question, Seyran Shahsuvarian, the
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence, who is in Georgia these days
with the Minister, has said: "As long as I was in Armenia, there was
no such thing. I have no such information."

NSS WARNS THAT ANY ATTEMPT TO HAMPER DISCHARGE OF ITS DUTIES WILL BE PUNISHED

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.02.2008 20:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Security Service circulated
Thursday a statement calling on demonstrators on Liberty Square not
to impede legal activity of its members.

"We warn that any attempt to hamper discharge of its duties will be
punished," the statement says.

"Owing to efforts of its employees, the NSS confiscated large quantity
of weapons and explosive assemblies. Criminal cases in compliance
with article 300 of the RA Penal Code (usurpation of state power)
were initiated against six people."

"The NSS acts for the welfare of our nation and ensures security
of all citizens including those who participate in the rallies,"
the NSS statement says.

ARMENIA, KAZAKHSTAN TO STIMULATE MUTUAL INVETSMENTS

ARKA
Feb 25, 2008

YEREVAN, February 25. Armenia and Kazakhstan will stimulate mutual
investments, according to the agreement "On Stimulation and Mutual
Protection of Investments" signed between the two governments and
ratified by the RA National Assembly on Monday.

"The two countries signed the agreement to increase the volumes
of mutual investments and raise the level of their protection. The
document fully corresponds to Armenian Government’s policy on foreign
investment attraction," RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Nerses Yeritsyan told the Armenian parliament members.

The Minister stressed that the agreement increases the level of
legal defence of investors’ rights and interests, it also creates
a favorable atmosphere for free investment movement, as well as for
fair solution of investment disputes.

Yeritsyan said the ratification proceeds from Armenia’s state interests
and will stimulate the country’s further economic development.

The agreement "On Stimulation and Mutual Protection of Investments"
was signed between Armenia and Kazakhstan on June 6, 2006.

Mediamax, Armenia
February 20, 2008 Wednesday

CRIMINAL CASE OPENED INTO IRREGULARITY AT POLLING STATION IN ARMENIAN
CAPITAL

Yerevan, 20 February: The Prosecutor-General’s Office of Armenia has
instigated a criminal case into thehindering of the work of the
observers, MPs from the [opposition] Heritage party Armen
Martirosyan, Vardan Khachatryanand Zaruhi Postanjyan, and
[opposition] Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper journalist Lusine Barseghyan
during the 19 February presidential election.

The hindering of the work of the observers and the journalist took
place at polling station No 13/16 in Yerevan andwas accompanied with
violence used against the mentioned people, the press service of the
Prosecutor-General’sOffice told Mediamax.

The investigation of this case is being carried out by the Special
Investigatory Service of Armenia.

State Department Documents and Publications
February 22, 2008

Europe and Eurasia: Armenia: Presidential Election

STATE DEPARTMENT PRESS RELEASE

Europe and Eurasia: Armenia: Presidential Election
Thu, 21 Feb 2008
Press Statement
Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
February 22, 2008

Armenia: Presidential Election

We congratulate the people of Armenia on the active and competitive
presidential election of February 19 and note the preliminary
assessment of the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR) and Parliamentary Assembly that the election was
"mostly in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and
standards for democratic elections." At the same time, we also note
that international monitors identified significant problems with
electoral procedures. Armenian election authorities have responded
with the positive step of recounts in a number of jurisdictions. We
urge the Government of Armenia to ensure these recounts are conducted
comprehensively and transparently, investigate all allegations of
irregularities, and implement steps to improve future elections. We
also urge all political forces to continue observing the rule of law
and to work peacefully and responsibly for a democratic Armenia.

OVER 19 MILLION PIECES OF PROCESSED LEATHER EXPORTED

IRNA
Feb 26
Tehran

Iran-Leather-Export

Over 19 million pieces of processed leather were exported abroad in
the current Iranian year to March 20.

Announcing this on Monday, head of Tehran veterinary department noted
that the processed skin has been exported to the countries of Italy,
Turkey and Pakistan.

"Some 4,500,000 intestine units have been exported to Germany during
the same period this year," Seyyed Asqar Baraei Nejad said.

He also noted that over 21,900,000 pieces of processed skin also
was exported to the same countries during the previous year (ended
March 2006) and over 436,000 units of processed intestine exported
to Germany last year.

Baraei Nejad underlined that over 7,000 tons of eggs also were exported
to Iraq and Armenia during the current Iranian year.

"Veterinary products can play a pivotal role in boosting of non-oil
exports," he concluded.

Each intestine unit is 91.6 meter.

THERE IS MUCH TO BE DONE IN TRADE AND SERVICE SECTOR OF YEREVAN, KAREN GEVORGIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 25, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. There is much to be done in the
trade and service sector of Yerevan, especially in terms of regulating
the street trade, the head of the Trade and Service Department of
Yerevan mayor’s office Karen Gevorgian said at the February 25 press
conference.

In his words, the studies done by the mayor’s office show that 80%
of wholesale trade points are located in Kentron, Malatia-Sebastia,
Erebuni and Ajapniak communities of the city. According to
K. Gevorgian, the scarce opportunities for trade of agricultural
products in the remaining communities are the cause of street trade. A
number of measures will be taken this year to deal with this problem.

K. Gevorgain said that this year the mayor’s office will try to solve
the problem of improvement of the cemeteries and control of the trade
in funeral items, as well as the problem of night clubs located in
residential buildings.