NKR PRESIDENT GRANTS PARDON TO 6 CONVICTS
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 9 2006
NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan has signed a decree on granting pardon
to 6 people, MEDIAMAX agency reports. Another 10 people have been
granted partial pardon.
NKR President’s Press Office informs that applications of 15 prisoners
have been denied, “taking into account the heaviness and nature of
the crimes, previous convictions and negative references from the
place of detainment.”

OSCE ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION MISSION TO START THE WORK ON NKR TERRITORY
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 9 2006
The OSCE mission, carrying out environmental evaluation of the fire
consequences, will start the work in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
MEDIAMAX agency reports.
October 6 NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent a note to the
Coordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, where
it expressed willingness to assist the OSCE Mission and guarantee
the security of its members.
October 5 the OSCE Mission, featuring NKR experts, started the work
on part of the contact line under Azerbaijani control.
Earlier Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
Bernarad Snoy had applied NKR MFA with the request to assist the
members of the mission and provide security guarantees.

ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS CRITICIZE A NUMBER OF ART WORKERS, WHO DISPUTE “RESTORATION” OF SOVIET ARMENIA’S HYMN MUSIC
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
“I am sure the attempt to impose the present state hymn “Our
Motherland”, alien to the Armenian history and traditions, on our
people will have no success”, the first secretary of the Central
Committee of the Armenia’s Communist party, Ruben Tovmassyan,
told ArmInfo.
According to him, one can already unambiguously say about a sabotage
against the most likely winner of the state contest for a new state
hymn of RA on the music of the great Armenian Soviet composer Aram
Khachaturyan. “The public unambiguously trends the music of the Soviet
Armenia’s hymn, written by A. Khachaturyan and it was disgusting
to see the last month’s orgy, arranged by some modern art workers”,
R. Tovmasyan said.
“All this anti-Khachaturyan campaign is inspired by a number of
political forces, which suffer from a morbid of love to the “Song of
the Italian Girl” as to the present hymn of the country”, R.
Tovmassyan added. “I have nothing against Mikael Nalbandyan,
a well-known revolutionary-democrat of 19th century , but he had
devoted this song to Italy and Austria and it has nothing in common
with Armenia”, he said.
To be reminded, upon results of the first round, the Governmental
contest Commission has chosen five versions out of over eighty ones,
which also include the new hymn by A. Khachaturyan’s music. The present
hymn “Our Motherland” has received two voices of the Contest Commission
and did not pass to the second round. According to ArmInfo source data,
the results of the second decisive round of the contest for Armenia’s
hymn will be announced this week to be afterwards submitted for the
RA Parliament’s approval.

STATE ENTERPRISES IN ARMENIA INFLICT DAMAGE TO COUNTRY RATHER THAN BRING PROFIT TO IT
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
The state enterprises in Armenia inflict damage to the country rather
than bring profit to it.
The Armenian State Property Department press-service told ArmInfo that
the monitoring of 424 enterprises having government shares in the
second quarter of 2006 showed that 112 of these enterprises worked
with damage and the total volume of the damage caused was 1.868
billion drams. 277 enterprises worked with profit for the period
under review. The total profit made up 1.294 billion drams.
It is not the full picture of the activity of state enterprises.
1,039 enterprises are registered in Armenia in which the government’s
share is 50% and more. 153 of these enterprises are in the process
of liquidation. The others are monitored by the Ministry of Finance
and Economy of Armenia.

PROSPECT OF MASS MEDIA FREEDOM ASSURANCE IN ARMENIA STIPULATED FOR AVAILABILITY OF POLITICAL WILL
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
A prospect of Mass Media freedom assurance in Armenia is stipulated
for availability of the country authorities’ political will, the
President of the Yerevan press club, Boris Navasardyan, told ArmInfo
correspondent.
According to Navasardyan, the laws can be infinitely improved, however,
their insufficient application indicates a lack of a political will
of the country’s authorities. “Without understanding the importance
of the freedom of speech for the society development, one can hardly
figure on something”, Navasardyan said. He added the mechanisms are
to be presented both in the RA Constitution and in the Law on TV
and Radio, to assure a sufficient volume of educational, cultural
and information programs, which is insufficiently reflected in both
the present Law and in amendments. He expressed hope the Ministry
of Justice, being the Legislation author, will organize extended
discussions with participation of representatives of the interested
sides, Mass Media and professional journalists of organizations, before
the Parliament decides to vote again for the bill on TV and Radio.
According to Navasardyan, there was always a lack a conceptual approach
in Armenia to the press freedom development problems.
“That’s why we try, together with the representatives of the
Government, Parliament, Mass Media, to organize a number of discussions
to enable us to understand in which direction the Legislation and
policy in Mass Media should be developed “, he said.

ARMENIAN-GERMAN BUSINESS-FORUM OPENED IN YEREVAN
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
.ArmInfo. The volume of German investments to the Armenia’s
economy makes up $130 mln, RA deputy Minister for Trade and
Economic Development, Tigran Davtyan, said at the Armenian-German
business-Forum, opened today in Yerevan.
According to him, there are 61 enterprises in Armenia with
participation of the German capital. The biggest investor is the
German “Cronimet Mining” Company, which had acquired 60% of shares of
“Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Industrial Complex” CJSC in December,
2004. the deputy Minister noted the German investments are not
diversified and today’s business-Forum is called up to extend and
deepen the two countries’ cooperation. According to him, Armenia
pins great hopes on Germany since the latter is the biggest state of
Europe. Davtyan hopes the projects for creation of joint enterprises
and the Armenians production entry the German market will be discussed
during the Forum.
As the adviser for cooperation with CIS countries of the Ministry of
Economy and Technologies of Germany, Peter Lorenc, informed, a problem
of regional cooperation exists in Armenia, though the “problems with
neighbors will not be discussed” during the German delegation visit. He
noted that good bilateral relations are established between Armenia
and Germany.
Seventeen enterprises, including the German Investment and Development
Agency (DEG), Alcatel Deutschland Gmbh, AREVA Energietechnik, Siemenc
AG, ABB AG and others, represent the German delegation at the Forum.

ARMENTEL SOLD FOR $600 MLN: UNCONFIRMED INFORMATION
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
ArmenTel telecom company has been sold for $600 mln, report sources
close to the Armenian Government. They say that of the 4 contenders –
two Russian and two Arab companies – the owner of 90% of ArmenTel’s
shares, OTE (Greece), has selected the Arab consortium Emirates
Telecommunications Corporation (ETISALAT) / Istithmar PJSC / Emergent
Telecom Ventures (ETV).
To remind, OTE started receiving price offers in early Oct and the
Arab consortium is said to have offered the best price.
To remind, in 1997 OTE paid for Armentel $142.5 mln and has invested
almost $300 mln since then. In late 2005 the number of ArmenTel’s
fixed telephony subscribers totalled 600,000 and of mobile phone
subscribers 260,000.

IN STRASBOURG, LEADER OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION DEMANDED PUNISHING ORGANIZERS OF ELECTORAL FRAUD IN 2003
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
While speaking at the PACE monitoring committee meeting in Strasbourg,
I stressed that international observers have repeatedly pointed to the
availability of necessary legislative basis for the conduct of free
and democratic elections in Armenia and that the Armenian authorities
should meet the CE requirements for punishing the organizers of
the electoral fraud of 2003 and for providing A1+ with TV air, says
the leader of the Justice opposition bloc, member of the Armenian
delegation to PACE Stepan Demirtchyan.
The Armenian authorities must take specific steps rather than
just speak about improving the Electoral Code. “We do need good
Electoral Code, but what we need the most is the political will of
our authorities who have huge resources to influence elections,”
says Demirtchyan.
He notes that the committee rapporteurs told him about the results of
their last visit to Armenia and pointed to serious deficiencies during
the Nov 2005 constitutional referendum. “In my speech I mentioned
these facts and pointed out that one can’t attain democratic goals
by non-democratic means,” says Demirchyan.

EARTHQUAKES IN ARMENIA AND GEORGIA
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
Earthquakes took place in Armenia and Georgia. The National Seismic
Protection Service of Armenia, reported to ArmInfo that an earthquake
in Armenia took place 8 km North-East of Spitak on October 9 at 17:49
(local time). The magnitude made up 2 points and the underground
tremors force make up 3 points.
The earthquake in Georgia took place 12 km North-East of the
Ninotsminda city at 17:49. The magnitude made up 2.7 points and the
underground tremor force made 4 points.

IT IS NOT LIKE 2001 THIS TIME
Yeni Safak , Istanbul,
Oct 8 2006
Turkish foreign minister warns France not to pass Armenian genocide
bill
Foreign Minister Gul has spoken to Yeni Safak. His reaction to France’s
[proposed] law punishing anyone who denies the “Armenian genocide”
is tough: France acknowledged the genocide in 2001. This time is not
the same as it was five years ago. This time you will lose Turkey!
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has spoken out strongly against the
bill proposed for passage by the French parliament to make denial of
the Armenian genocide a crime and make anybody who denies liable to
face up to five years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. Gul said:
“France acknowledged the genocide in 2001 but the reactions back then
fizzled out quickly. We are not making threats but the attitude today
is different from what it was in 2001. The French will lose Turkey.”
Gul spoke on the telephone to France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Phillipe Douste-Blazy yesterday morning ahead of 12 October, when the
bill is expected to be put to the vote. Gul asked his counterpart to
try harder to prevent the bill from being passed.
Speaking to Yeni Safak, Gul said: “What we want is for these kinds
of problems never to occur between two countries or between Turkey
and Europe. However, if things continue to unfold as they are doing,
it is inevitable that both the government and society in general will
react to this.” Explaining that he had told Minister Blazy: “There
are political and commercial relations between the two countries,
including the military sphere. If the bill is passed, there is no way
these relations will not suffer.” Gul added, “I told him this two weeks
ago and I also asked him to convey our representations to Chirac.”
Recounting the conversation he had with his counterpart, Gul said:
“Of course we are not making threats but it is going to be hard this
time to keep the public’s outcry against France in check. This time
the reaction will not be like the reaction to the laws passed in
2001.” The minister also warned, “Naturally it will no longer be
possible to work with France in the area of nuclear energy.”
Saying, “France will lose Turkey if it accepts this bill,” Gul added,
“It shows once again the folly of letting political decisions interpret
historical events.”