Author: Nalbandian Albert

KARABAKH CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 10

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 07 2006

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 7, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By Nagorno Karabakh
Republic President Arkady Ghukasian’s decree, the constitutional
referendum will be fixed for December 10. NKR National Assembly
Vice-Speaker Rudik Hyusnunts informed radio Libery about it.

As he affirmed, on June 15, the President will give the draft
Constitution to the Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulian and the document’s
discussion will start in September.

Nagorno Karabakh has no Constitution by now.

The Nagorno Karabakh referendum of independence took place on December
10 1991.

ARMENIA TO INSTALL ADMINISTRATIVE COURTS IN 2007

Armenpress
Jun 07 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS: Justice minister David Harutunian told
reporters on June 6 that administrative courts will be established
next year to deal with disputes between citizens and government
agencies. Harutunian said administrative courts are a very important
component on the country’s road to building a true country of law.

Experts of the German Technical Cooperation Company (GTZ) are holding
now a seminar for Armenian judges and administrative officials. During
the first seminar Armenian officials are having an opportunity to
discuss a set of sensitive issues, to learn German experience.

REDUCTION OF DOLLARIZATION TO BE STRATEGY OF ARMENIAN CB IN NEAR 3 YEARS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006

YEREVAN, June 6. /ARKA/. Reduction of dollarization in the country
will become the strategy of the Central Bank of Armenia in the near
three years, Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan
told reporters.

According to him, dollarization of economy decreases Armenia’s credit
rating. “One of the signals to reduction of dollarization will be
AMD revaluation. That is why economic entities and Armenian citizens
should give preference to AMD,” he said.

According to Sargsyan, reduction of dollarization of economy will
result in the improvement of Armenia’s economic situation and growth
of the independent credit rating of the country.

At the same time, Sargsyan pointed out that the Central Bank of Armenia
urges Armenian citizens to plan incomes and expenses in AMD and watch
the prices, not the exchange rate.

“The thinking of the Armenian population is extremely dollarized. We
need radical changes. We need to understand: if we keep our savings
in USD it means that we support the US economy,” he said.

Sargsyan said that the fact that the Armenian population does not
keep their savings in AMD means delaying the country’s economic growth.

4.35% AMD revaluation against USD was recorded in Armenia in May
2006. During the first five days AMD increased by more 0.28%. As of
June 5, the CBA set USD 1 – AMD 426.37 exchange rate.

As compared to the beginning of 2006 AMD revaluated by 5.75%.

ISAGULYAN TOLD MORE

Lragir.am
06 June 06

The May 20 press conference of Garnik Isagulyan, the adviser to the
president of Armenia, at the Azdak Club remained unnoticed against
the background of outrageous home political developments in Armenia.

Whereas Garnik Isagulyan made a rather significant statement that
President Robert Kocharyan would not run for a third time. Isagulyan
had also denied that the president would try to become prime
minister. Garnik Isagulyan had announced that “in the course of time
it would become clear that these analyses are not true.”

However, the adviser had made another important statement on the
future political career of Robert Kocharyan. Isagulyan announced
that after leaving office he would go on to have great influence on
the Armenian political thought, with a higher status than the post
of prime minister. Isagulyan added that he did not mean a political
post. Besides, the adviser to the president of Armenia announced that
the next preferable presidential candidate is Serge Sargsyan as the
best-prepared figure in the political sphere of Armenia.

Some statements by Garnik Isagulyan are said not to have been
approved by President Robert Kocharyan, and he reprimanded Garnik
Isagulyan. Garnik Isagulyan is said to have broken the initial
arrangement to state only that he would not run a third time. Our
source informed that Robert Kocharyan had authorized his adviser
to announce that he would not run a third time to put an end to the
uncertainty on his further actions in the political sphere. However,
Garnik Isagulyan has, in fact, announced more than he had arranged
with the president of Armenia. This was the cause of irritation of
Robert Kocharyan.

A MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE FOR BIG FEUDALISTS
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir.am
05 June 06

In 2006 Armenia will get the first tranche of the U.S. 235 million
dollar grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The Armenian
government is therefore busy solving the procedural problems to get
the first millions in 2006. The technical problems have almost been
settled, the managing board of the Millennium Challenge-Armenia Program
of 11 members has been set up, including 5 representatives of NGOs and
6 representatives of the government. Despite being fewer in number,
the representatives of NGOs have the right to veto. This is intended
to diminish the risk of corruption, of course, if it works.

In the meantime, there is enough ground to suggest that it will not
work. The reason is not that most Armenian NGOs are as corrupt as
government agencies. And the reason is not that most NGOs have been
set up and work on the order of the same government either. Although
it should be noted that the principle of clash of interests, underlying
the managing board, may disappear at all, considering the peculiarities
of the non-governmental sector. However, the managing board also
has peculiarities. 4 out of the 6 government representatives to the
board are ministers, 1 is prime minister. The board includes Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan. Minister of Finance Vardan Khachatryan,
Minister of Territorial Management Hovik Abrahamyan, Minister of
Agriculture Davit Lokyan and Minister of Transport and Communication
Andranik Manukyan. The sixth member is Vahram Nersisyants, adviser
to president. The staff includes officials from the spheres that
are directly related to the Millennium program. At first sight,
this senior-official-level staff is also an indicator of reduction
of corruption and great responsibility for the task. And this is
true, in fact, but the problem is which task they treat with great
responsibility.

Would it be possible to include officials of lower ranks in the board
than the prime minister and ministers? Surely, it would be possible,
especially that a junior official would be more flexible than a
busy (?) minister or prime minister. Now imagine a situation when a
decision is made during the meeting of the board, which contains a
high risk of corruption. One of the five members of the board, who
are representatives of NGOs, notices it and wants to use the right
to veto. This situation can occur in two different settings: in the
first one, the representatives of the government are junior officials,
in the second we have the present prime minister-minister-level staff.

If the government representatives to the board were lower-rank
officials, even deputy ministers, the NGOs would feel easier to
express their opinion. When the meeting of the board is conducted
by the prime minister, and four ministers are present, it is very
much doubted that the NGOs would dare to veto anything. It is true
that even with junior officials included in the board the same prime
minister and minister could indirectly deal with the same NGOs to
have them lift the veto. This would tarnish the “crystal” belief in
the Millennium Challenge-Armenia program, however.

Most probably, however, there will undoubtedly be crystal pureness,
because it concerns the reconstruction of infrastructures of rural
communities. The government would hardly rob itself. Most government
officials of Armenia are at the same time big feudalists, and own big
farms in the same rural communities. And the reconstruction of rural
infrastructures will promote their own business, irrigation of their
land and successful transportation of their production to the city.

Finally, there is no doubt that the program will be implemented
conscientiously. After all, it is not tarmac and anyone walks on it.

It is land, it is “cash.” Therefore, the government will be craving
for the effective implementation of the program for the prosperity of
the land. Therefore, there was no need for any NGO to become member
of the managing board. The ministers would control everything better
than anyone. After all, it is not accidental that the board is headed
by the prime minister, and includes ministers. In order not to allow
junior officials implementing the program to consider supporting their
families at the expense of the prime minister and ministers. For if
the land dries out, cash will dry out too.

Child clothing made in China can cause cancer

ArmRadio.am
03.06.2006 14:55

It turns out that child clothing made in China can cause different
kinds of oncological diseases. The matter, which the clothes are made
of, can result in cancer in case of long contact with the
skin. Armenian market is also flooded with Chinese production.

`The Armenian Union of Consumers has received not complaints from
Chinese production,’ President of eth Union of Consumers of Armenia
Armmen Poghosyan told `Radiolur.’ In his words, there is no
laboratory in Armenia that will provide the opportunity to draw
technical conclusions about the quality and safety of clothes.

Armenian parliament elects commission chairmen

Mediamax news agency
2 Jun 06

YEREVAN

Non-party MP Aramais Grigoryan today was elected chairman of the
parliamentary standing commission on defence, national security and
internal affairs of the Armenian National Assembly.

Grigoryan’s candidacy was nominated by the parliamentary faction of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun.

[Passage omitted: Grigoryan’s a biography]

MP Mnatsakan Petrosyan was elected chairman of the standing
parliamentary commission on issues of social, health and nature
protection of the Armenian National Assembly today. The parliamentary
faction of the United Labour Party put forward his candidacy, Mediamax
reports.

[Passage omitted: Petrosyan’s a biography]

ARMENIA HAS HIGHEST POINT IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF WB PROGRAMS,
WB REGIONAL DIRECTOR SAYS

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia has the highest point on the
rating scale of implementation of the World Bank (WB) programs and
steps aimed at improving the business and investment climate. The
World Bank Regional Director for Europe, Central Asia and the South
Caucasus Dona Dowsett Coirolo stated this during a meeting with the
Armenian President Robert Kocharian on May 31.

According to the RA President’s press service, during the meeting, at
which the WB Yerevan Office Director Roger Robinson was also present,
the sides discussed the existing problems and work to be done in a
number of spheres. Robert Kocharian noted that serious steps are
being taken in order to make customs and tax functions more public, an
attempt is being made to reduce customs officer – economic entity
contacts to the minimum. The sides also addressed problems of the
fight against corruption. The Armenian President said that an active
process of reforms is underway in the court and legal system,
anticipating the World Bank’s advisory assistance in this respect as
well.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 2 2006

BLACKMAIL – NOTHING MORE

The Committee for English-Turkish Dialogue in Britain has prepared a
bill on the recognition `of a genocide committed by the Belgian
government in Congo’. The bill has already been inscribed on the
agenda.

`The facts of extermination of the millions of people by the
governmental forces of Belgium in 1885 – 1908 in Congo that was
Belgium’s colony at that time are reflected’ in the bill,
PanARMENIAN.Net reports quoting the Anatoly Information Agency. The
bill’s authors request that `the Belgian government should apologize
for the genocide in Congo before the country’s citizens and the
international community’.

To note, current month the Parliament of Belgium will adopt a law on
one year imprisonment of those who do not recognize the Armenian
Genocide. The bill Turkish lobby has submitted for the discussion at
the British Parliament is a sort of reply to the step undertaken by
the Belgian Parliament. The Committee for English-Turkish Dialogue
stated the Parliament of Belgium should either deny the adoption of
the law or recognize the fact of `the genocide in Congo’ and apologize
before the international community for killing millions of citizens.

TIGRAN TOROSYAN IS THE SOLE CANDIDATE

A1+
[02:20 pm] 01 June, 2006

The NA deputies will elect NA Speaker today.

Despite all predictions and expectations, two candidates were put
forward from the Republican party – Tigran Torosyan and Galoust
Sahakyan.

Galoust Sahakyan proposed NA deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan’s candidacy
for the NA Speaker, and the candidacy of Galoust Sahakyn was put
forward by Hakob Hakobyan, member of the “National Deputy” faction.

Galoust Sahakyan’s candidacy was proposed for a few minutes as he
announced rejection to his nomination.

He didn’t want to bring grounds for his decision and promised to
divulge the motives later on.

According to the NA agenda-regulation Tigran Torosyan presented his
program and answered the questions of the deputies. The NA parties
and factions will share their opinions on the elections in an hour.