THE OSCE WILL REFER TO THE FIRES ON THE ARMENIAN-AZERI BORDERLINE
A1+
[08:27 pm] 27 June, 2006
Today Masis Mayilyan NKR Foreign Minister received the representatives
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office informs the NKR Foreign Ministry.
The key issues of the discussion were the organizational issues in
connection with the observations held on Karabakh-Azerbaijan border
in close future. Masis Mayilyan announced that the OSCE Office
finds the NKR Foreign Ministry initiation a positive step which is
aimed at holding a survey on the frontier and putting an end to the
Azeri accusations in which they blame Armenians for burning their
territories deliberately.

ARMAN BABAJANYAN WILL BE IN CUSTODY FOR TWO MONTHS
A1+
[09:06 pm] 27 June, 2006
Today the Court of First Instance of Kentron Nork-Marash communities
decided to keep Armen Babajanyan, editor-in-chief of “Zhamanak
Yerevan” newspaper in custody as a prevention means. Judge Gajane
Karakhanyan refused advocate Robert Grigoryan’s mediation to use pawn
as prevention means.
The judge didn’t find the advocates’ arguments that Babajanyan
confessed and regretted for his action and his promises that he
doesn’t avoid and won’t hamper the implementation of the preliminary
investigation convincing. She supported the Prosecuracy’s mediation
and sentenced Arman Babajanyan to two months imprisonment.
Advocate Robert Grigoryan informed “A1+” that he will turn to the Court
of Appeal within 10 days as the Court of First Instance didn’t have
enough grounds to refuse their mediation. And in case there mediation
is rejected their either they will qualify it as a political approach.

PROTEST ACTION LAUNCHED AGAINST THE VISIT OF CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS TO STANBUL ORGANIZED BY TURKISH AUTHORITIES: REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA
Panorama.am
14:16 27/06/06
The scandalous behavior of Turks in connection with the visit of
Catholicos of All Armenians to Istanbul is initiated by the Turkish
authorities, K. Avagyan, the representative of youth wing of Republican
Party of Armenia (RPA) told a press conference today.
In his words, such incidents one more time prove that Turkey is not
ready to repair relations with Armenia.
“It’s a peculiar response to those officials who try to tune relations
with Turkey and make pro-Turkish statements,” K. Avagyan said.
In his turn, the chairman of youth organization “Nikol Aghbalyan”
Ishkhan Saghatelyan said that relations with Turkey may be regulated
only if the latter recognizes the Armenian genocide expressing the
disposition of Armenian Revolutionary Dashnak Party.
Condemning the act of Turkish neighbors, the youth wings of ARDP and
RPA issued a statement saying the myth of europanization of Turkey is
dismantled in the light of intolerance and vandalism. The statement
raises special concern that Turkish mass media educate intolerance
to Armenians and the Christian belief.

ARMENIAN WRITERS PRAY EVERY DAY FOR THEIR BOOKS TO BE SOLD
Panorama.am
14:34 27/06/06
“Our society is oligarchic and materialistic and the role of writers is
more like a free-will suicide,” poet Davit HOVHANNES told a discussion
at Hayeli club today. Nobody needs what the writers produce, he said.
The other guest of the debate – publicist Perj ZEITUNTSIAN also is
sorry that there is no demand for creative art. He says sometimes the
writer takes the books to bookshops on his own and has only a small
part of 500 copies sold. “This is a moral degradation.
If nobody waits for what you write – it is awful,” he said. In
his words, Armenian writers have only to pray that their books be
sol.

CONSUMER ASSOCIATIONS AGAIN FAIL TO SOLVE CONCRETE ISSUES IN WATER MANAGEMENT
Panorama.am
15:14 27/06/06
Public organizations protecting consumer rights have been expressing
their discontent with the recent rise of water fee saying it is
illegal. They continue messaging their dissatisfaction up to today
but it is too late to change anything since the public regulatory
committee has already approved the fee without any estimates based
on only contract obligations. The decision of the committee may be
appealed only 6 months after the decision is made.
Today also Consumer Association has called a discussion inviting
organizations in the field of water management – public services
regulatory committee, General Dez O, water committee and public
organizations. According to association chairman Armen Poghosyan,
the main topics of the discussion are water supply schedules and water
safety. He mentioned that about 20% of population does not receive the
minimal 4 hour supply of water and that victims of low quality water
who suffered in 2003 have not been compensated until today. “We are
not so interested who is to be blamed but how protected consumers are
from similar situations,” the head of association said. They have sent
an open letter to the prime minister on the issues mentioned above.
However Poghosyan was gladly accepting the “rosy” statements made by
water supply organizations saying that water system is undergoing
unprecedented reforms based on contract obligations. They said all
the issues raised have been involved in the contract and will be
viewed as priorities in the coming ten years.
Once against the Consumer Association failed to take up concrete
steps in improving the situation.
Moreover, the representatives of power structure managed to win this
“advocacy” war.
Who knows, may be that was the aim of this discussion?

SELECTION COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL ANTHEM RECEIVED ON PROPOSAL ONLY
Panorama.am
15:16 27/06/06
The selection committee of the Armenian national anthem has received no
more proposals besides the one submitted by Robert Amirkhanyan. The
committee will accept proposals by August 1. A committee member,
poet Davit HOHVHANNES thinks that there will be no miracles and a
new text and music of the national anthem will not be suggested. Perz
Zeituntsian, on the other hand, thinks that Aram Khachatryan’s music
is a valuable piece of art and is worth to be selected as a national
anthem. “If you find any other music that will be better that Aram
Khachatryan’s, I will be for it with both hands,” he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PROGRESSIVE PARTY LEADER SPECULATES ON PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Panorama.am
15:17 27/06/06
“At night I saw a dream that Prosperous Armenia Party have not passed
parliamentary elections,” Tigran Urikhanyan from Armenian progressive
party told his dream to reporters at Pastark Club today. Speaking
about parliamentary elections T. Urikhanyan expressed his assurance
that defense minister Serz Sargsyan will not join any party. He also
did not exclude that the minister may go to parliament on Republican
Party list. The leader of the progressive party does not know yet
which party they will join to form a union.
He is, however, sure that no out-of -parliament force will enter the
National Assembly without unifying with some other party.

FORMER FM SPEAKS ON INTERNAL POLITICS OF ARMENIA
Panorama.am
15:53 27/06/06
Alexander Arzumanyan, former foreign minister of Armenia and a member
of All Armenian National Movement was invited today to Pastark Club
to talk about Armenia’s present-day inter-political developments.
The former minister noted that whatever happens today in Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh is reflected in the foreign policy. Moreover,
A. Arzumanyan is sure that Armenia is isolated from the regional
country and they talk with us with “threatenings.”
Among such the former minister noted OSCE Minsk Group newly elected
co-chairman Mathew Braizay. “The same Braizay says that the Armenian
president can visit Washington only if he implements the same
democratic reforms as Ilham Aliev does. This is an unprecedented blow
in the face,” A. Arzumanyan said.

WWII VETERANS WAITING FOR THEIR VOUCHERS TO TRAVEL
Panorama.am
16:32 27/06/06
While our public officials spend their vacations abroad, the veterans
of WWII are deprived of this opportunity. The ministry of employment
and social affairs has been distributing vouchers with which such
people can travel in NIS once in a year. Though summer is in its midst,
these vouchers have not reached Yerevan from Kiev. The responsible
person on elders at the minister Anahit Georgyan said that they are
waiting for the vouchers day by day. These tickets are valid for 5
years. First class disabled get them free of charge and others pay 50 %
of the cost.
This year, according to Anahit Gevorgyan, only 1000 vouchers are
ordered against 3000 last year. “There are 8-9 thousand people eligible
for this benefit in the republic. The experience shows that only 20
% use the chance since they are over 80 years old. Each year we get
less vouchers,” A. Gevorgyan says.

“INTERNAL AND INDIVIDUAL ACTS OF EMPLOYERS” PUBLISHED IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
16:41 27/06/06
A manual titled “Internal and individual acts of employers” has been
published in Yerevan. The manual contains abstracts from Labor Code
of Armenia.
Contracts are drafted for 43 specializations. June 21 was the
anniversary of the Labor Code of Armenia.
According to the law, all employers were responsible to conclude
contracts with their employees during that time.
In the opinion of one of co-authors of the manual, drafting contracts
has become necessary in Armenia with the adoption of the labor
code. “Everything is done here according to custom whereas the contract
should regulate the responsibilities of the employee,” Poghosyan says.
It should be reminded that this is the second book on the subject. 2
more books are expected to come.