Author: Toganian Liana

SINCE APRIL 2 ARMENIAN CITIZENS CAN FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH REGISTER OF VOTERS AT CEC WEBSITE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 09 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, NOYAN TAPAN. In accordance with the schedule of main
events on preparation and holding of the parliamentary elections on
May 12, the register of voters of the Republic of Armenia (by polling
stations) was placed on the website of the RA Central Electoral
Commission (CEC) on April 2. The RA Police Passport and Invitation
Department which registers citizens in their places of residence is
the body that compiles and keeps electoral rolls.

Citizens who have the right to elect but are not registered may submit
an application for being included in the electoral roll to the head
of their community until April 21, or to the head of the authorized
body ot its territorial subdivision – until April 27.

In order to correct inaccuracies in an electoral roll, to be included
in an electoral roll or be removed from it, citizens may submit an
application to the community head until May 5, or to the authorized
body – until May 7.

The lists of policemen who are on duty at a polling station on the
voting day, as well as lists of citizens, who undergo in-patient
treatment and want to participate in the voting and have the ekectoral
right, must be submitted to the head of the authorized body or its
territorial subdivision until May 9, 2 pm.

The final version of an electoral roll will be put up at a noticable
place of the election center on May 10.

Arguments regarding inaccuracies in an electoral roll may be disputed
in a court of first instance, whose decision is final and not subject
to dispute.

Decisions on applications for removing inaccuracies in electoral rolls
or for being included in a roll during 5 days prior to the voting and
on the voting day shall be made within a period allowing the voter to
participate in the voting. Additions in electoral rolls based on the
above mentioned decisions are made by the respective district electoral
commission through compiling additional lists on the voting day.

Voice of America
April 8 2007

Christians Celebrate Easter in Jerusalem

By voanews

Christians celebrated Easter Sunday in Jerusalem with services in
Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher and at other sites in the
Holy Land. VOA’s Jim Teeple reports that for the first time in four
years, five different Christian sects celebrated Easter on the same
day.

Jerusalem’s Armenian Patriarch led a solemn procession of Armenian
monks into the basilica of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site
where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. The
Armenian procession was just one of several that celebrated Easter
Services in one of Christianity’s holiest sites on Sunday.

This year for the first time in four years, five different Christian
sects celebrated Easter at the same time.

Father Jerome Murphy-O’Conner is an Irish Dominican priest who has
lived in Jerusalem for more than 50 years, teaching New Testament
studies at Jerusalem’s Ecole Biblique, a graduate school of theology.

Father Jerry, as he is known, says with the convergence of the
Orthodox and the Western calendars this year, space is at a premium
in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

`This year, it happens every five or six years, the Orthodox and the
Western church all celebrate Easter on the same day,’ he said. ‘What
it means in practice is that schedules have to be kept very tight.
People cannot hang around after a service. They have to leave to make
room for the others, and of course if they are in a state of
spiritual exaltation and delay then there can be trouble
unfortunately.’

Unlike previous years, there were no clashes reported between
followers of different Christian sects. Tobias Raschke, from Munich,
who attended Easter Services at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
said he was impressed by how all the different sects and
nationalities mixed together.

`We got up at three in the morning to hold a German Easter liturgy
and now we have come to the Church to see what is happening here,’
said Raschke. ‘This is a crazy place because somehow now they have an
Armenian service and then after one hour they have a Catholic
service. It is fascinating to see the key to the church is in the
hands of a Moslem and the Israeli police making sure that nothing
happens. I think it is great the job Israel is doing here, making it
safe so people can come here from different faiths and denominations
and pray here and everything is safe.’

With an easing of security fears this year, the convergence of the
Western and Orthodox Christian calendars and weeklong Jewish Passover
observances occurring at the same time, Jerusalem hotels reported
full occupancy rates for the first time in years.

Father Jerome Murphy-O’Conner says with thousands of Jewish and
Christian visitors in Jerusalem this year some will probably leave
the city disappointed.

`The city is really crowded with pilgrims. The basic meaning of
pilgrimage is to go pray at a place,’ he said. ‘You go because you
believe somehow that prayer there is will be somehow easier or real
because a holy person has sanctified it. People who have that
unconscious expectation then find themselves in a huge crowd being
pushed and shoved and they feel they are being robbed of space to
recollect themselves.’

Israeli security forces sealed off the occupied West Bank at the
beginning of Jewish Passover observances last week, preventing most
Palestinians, except those granted special visitors passes, from
visiting Jerusalem.

Thousands of Palestinian Christians, mostly from the nearby city of
Bethlehem are granted the passes but security restrictions exclude
many, especially young men from visiting.

Israeli authorities say the restrictions are necessary to prevent
suicide bombings against targets in Israel.

Panorama.am

16:37 07/04/2007

SURVEY SAYS THERE IS NO `BEST’ POLITICAL FIGURE IN ARMENIA

Club Hayely made a survey among women reporters to identify the best
political figure and the best businessman. The survey findings say
women reporters did not name any `best’ political figure. Most named
Khachatur Sukiasyan and Hrant Vardanyan as the best businessmen.

Both businessmen admit women are underrepresented in
business. Instead, they claim that there are relatively more women in
the governance system. `To become a business woman, one needs a lot of
experience and time,’ Sukiasyan said. Anyway, the `winners’
congratulated women reporters and rendered their best wishes.

Source: Panorama.am

THE RATIO OF THE ARMENIAN BANKING ASSETS TO THE GDP MADE 19.7%

Mediamax, Armenia
April 5 2007

Yerevan, April 5 /Mediamax/. As of January 1 of 2007, the ratio of
the Armenian banking assets to the GDP made 19.7%.

Mediamax reports that the given data are presented in the aggregate
indices of the development of the banking systems of the CIS, prepared
by the "Interfax-CEA" Agency.

The ratio of the banking credits to the GDP in Armenia made 8,6%
and the ratio of the banking capital to the GDP – 4,5%.

The ratio of the Georgian assets to the GDP made 30,9%. The ratio of
the banking credits to the Georgian GDP made 19,1%, and the ratio to
the banking capital to the GDP – 6,6%.

The ratio of the Azerbaijani banking assets to the GDP made 17,8%.

The ratio of the banking credits to the Azerbaijani GDP made 10,9%,
and the ratio of the banking capital to the GDP – 3,0%.

OPENING CEREMONY OF NEW HEAD OFFICE OF HSBC BANK ARMENIA HELD IN YEREVAN

Arminfo
2007-04-04 19:48:00

The opening ceremony of the new head office of the HSBC Bank Armenia
in a high-class new building at Teryan 66 was held in Yerevan,
Wednesday. Present at the event were Head of the Central Bank of
Armenia Tigran Sargsyan, representatives of banking and business
organizations, the diplomatic corps accredited in Armenia and the
clients of the HSBC Bank Armenia.

In his speech, Chief Executive Director of the HSBC Bank Armenia
Tony Turner noted that the new head office will partially solve the
problem of high demand for the bank’s services. In this connection,
the bank is going to open three more branches in Yerevan and the
regions of the country, as well as to increase the number of bancomats
to 44. Yet, Head of CBA Tigran Sargsyan noted with humor that not only
the employees of the HSBC Bank Armenia, but also the CBA were looking
forward to the opening of the new office. He added that the HSBC’s
promises to open three more branches are not enough as "we hope that
the bank will not only continue growing in the territorial meaning, but
also actively introduce new banking services in the Armenian market".

To note, in 2006 the HSBC Bank Armenia demonstrated the highest level
of net profit – 2.856 bln AMD, or $7.9 mln. The bank holds the leading
position by the volume of mortgage credits portfolio. The bank also
showed the highest rate of banking retail growth. At the moment, $39
mln out of the $98 mln of total volume of credits are retail credits.

According to the Ranking of Armenian commercial banks prepared by
the Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo), by January 1,
2007, the amount of the total capital of the bank was $19.8 mln
(5th position), the assets – $220.6 mln (1st position), the total
provision of crediting – $85.0 mln (3rd position). By the natural
persons’ deposits, the bank holds the 1st place – $103.4 mln.

FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR PENALIZING NEGATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2007 14:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Segolene Royal, candidate to the election for
the French Republic’s presidency, indicated to be favorable to the
penalizing negation of the Armenian Genocide, specifying that "it will
be the position" of her Foreign Minister if she is elected, independent
French journalist Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net. "Negationnism
is an attitude, a perversion of the spirit which makes me horror
personally. And this, whatever the circumstance, whatever the
genocide," she explained in an interview to the French review Nouvelles
d’ Armenie Magazine.

Last year French National Assembly adopted a bill, which penalizes
negation of the Armenian Genocide.

Currently, this clause is on standby to be endorsed by Senat. On
the other hand, Ms Royal declared to be favorable to entry of Turkey
in the European Union, contrary to the other principal candidates:
Nicolas Sarkozy, Francois Bayrou and Jean-Marie Lepen.

SERGE SARGSYAN TO BE NOMINATED FOR RA PRIME MINISTER

ArmRadio.am
03.04.2007 12:48

The Political Council of the Republican Party of Armenia unanimously
voted to nominate RA Acting Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan as Prime
Minister of Armenia, Speaker of the National assembly of Armenia,
Vice-President of the Party Tigran Torosyan told the journalists after
yesterday’s meeting of the Political Council of the Republican Party.

In his words, in compliance with RA Constitution, on April 3
RA President Robert Kocharyan must hold consultations with the
parliamentary majority, but according to an earlier agreement Serge
Sargsyan will be appointed RA Prime Minister. "I think on April 4 the
President will sign a decree on appointing Serge Sargsyan the Prime
Minister of Armenia," Tigran Torosyan underlined, reminding that in
compliance with the current legislation, Serge Sargsyan must submit to
the parliament an action plan and the staff of the new government. In
the Speaker’s words, "considering the current realities, changes in
the staff of the government are hardly possible."

RA MOD REFUTES THE RECURRENT MISINFORMATION OF AZERBAIJAN

ArmRadio.am
03.04.2007 14:38

The Armenian Ministry of Defense has refuted the recurrent reports of
Azeri media on the violation of the cease-fire regime. Press Secretary
of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan told ArmInfo
that the information does not correspond to reality.

Referring to the Press Service of the Azeri MOD, Day.az reported
on April 2 that the cease-fire regime was violated at the contact
line of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan. "On April 2
the Armenian armed divisions deployed near Shavarshavan village
in Noyemberyan region of Armenia opened fire in the direction of
Azerbaijani positions near Farahli village in Ghazakh region, "
the sourse writes. In this regard Seyran Shahsuvaryan reminded that
the divisions of the Armed Forces are deployed at the contact line,
and not the " armed divisions."

JEWS IN ARMENIA CELEBRATE EASTER ACCORDING TO TRADITION

Panorama.am
21:09 02/04/2007

May Pesakh be according to tradition and happy! This is how the Jews
throughout the world congratulate each other with Easter. The Jews
in Armenia are now celebrating the Easter in one of Yerevan hotels.

Before sitting at table, they prayed. Until today, women and men pray
separately according to Jewish tradition.

In the course of one week before Pesakh, Jews do not eat pastry or
bread prepared with yeast. On the day, they do not drink water and
drink only grape juice.

Gersh Burshtein, Jewish community head, told Panorama.am that Jews
eat only matsa (bread prepared only with flour and water). "Bread with
yeast contains a lot of air, whereas matsa is made of only flour. The
truth is one and it is dense like this bread. When we feed ourselves
with air, truth becomes secondary. It hold us back from getting close
to God," the community head said.

NEW-YORK LOCAL BODY OF "HAYASTAN" ALL-ARMENIAN FUND DONATES TWO-WHEEL
WALKERS TO ARMENIA AND NKR

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Hayastan" (Armenia) All-Armenian
Fund New-York local body donated two-wheel walkers for medical
institutions, military hospitals and elderly homes of Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh. According to the information submitted to Noyan
Tapan by the Public Relations Department of the Fund, the two-wheel
walkers are envisaged for elderly people and those with loco-motor
apparatus problems.