11 ARMENIAN BANKS ACQUIRE 11% STAKE IN ARCA
ARMENPRESS
Aug 30 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS: Eleven Armenian commercial banks have
acquired 50.1 percent of shares of ARCA Credit Reporting company. The
deal came as a follow-up of protracted talks with the Union of
Armenian Banks.
Earlier two Armenian banks- Converse and Armeconombank- had bought
each 1 percent of shares of ARCA Credit Reporting. Now more than 52
percent of ARCA’s stake belong to Armenian banks.
Presently 14 out of 21 commercial banks in Armenia which hold in total
76 percent of all bank assets and 75 percent of all bank credits,
own shares in ARCA or are its members. Another 7 big credit and 2
micro-financing organizations are members of ARCA.
Armenia’s Central Bank is expected to acquire shares in ARCA.
ARCA credit bureau was established in 2004 by a US-based Credential
Inc. and an international Dan and Bradstreet companies.

ITALIAN MATSARELLA CHEESE TO BE PRODUCED IN ARMENIA
Panorama.am
13:04 30/08/06
Ashot Tamrazyan, founder of Dili Farm Manufactory, is going to produce
Italian Matsarella Cheese in Armenia.
He says the prices will be five times lower than currently sold at
the elite shops. Tamrazyan assures that the cheese will be made from
fresh milk since he says it is not possible to produce Matsarella
from powder milk. Some 120 German cows are imported to Dilijan,
Armenia for the production purposes. In Tamrazyan’s estimates, it
will be possible to receive 3000 liters of milk in two years. Dili
manufactory was founded on $2 million investment.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT’S PRESS SPOKESMAN SAYS EARLY TO MAKE DOCUMENTS PUBLIC
Panorama.am
15:15 30/08/06
Speaking about Matthew Bryza’s statements, President press spokesman
Viktor Soghomonyan told a press conference today that if they make
documents on the talk table public, many things will become clear.
“I, sincerely, do not believe that I will have the honor to make
those documents public. I believe that such documents become public
after all, even if after 100 years,” the spokesperson said.
However, Soghomonyan promised that they are going to unveil all
documents in case they become public in part in future. “Judging
from unrealistic statements of official Baku, I can say this is not
the right time to do so,” He also said it is early to speak about
the next meeting between the presidents of the two countries since
an arrangement is reached for the meeting of foreign ministers only
recently.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN AGAINST DRASTIC CHANGES IN ELECTION CODE
ARMENPRESS
Aug 30 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS: Viktor Soghomonian, a spokesman for
Armenian president Robert Kocharian, said today the president was
against a drastic change in the election law that would eliminate
the so-called majoritarian or single-mandate election system.
Soghomonian singled out two major reasons to explain why Kocharian
was against a system when all parliament members are elected under
the so-called proportional system or by party lists.
The first reason is that members of the ruling coalition had agreed
to retain the current system when 41 seats of the 131-member National
Assembly are contested by contenders in single-mandate constituencies
and 90 seats by parties. He said Kocharian is against revision of
this sort of agreements.
Soghomonian said the second reason stemmed from the imperfect political
system of the country. He said Kocharian believes that it would be
wrong to cut electors from the candidates and constituencies.
Soghomonian also downplayed media speculations about tension between
Kocharian and his defense minister Serzh Sarkisian, saying also there
is no tension between the Republican Party of prime minister Margarian
and the Prosperous Armenia, which are seen as the two major rivals
in 2007 parliamentary polls.
Soghomonian said also Kocharian was not mulling joining a political
party. He said neither he nor any other member of Kocharian’s staff
were going to join a party as long as the president remained not
affiliated.

AZERI, ARMENIAN MINISTERS FAIL TO MEET IN SLOVENIA – AGENCY
Azerbaijani news agency APA
29 Aug 06
Baku, 29 August: Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Elmar
Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanyan, have not met to discuss a settlement
to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict at the international conference
Caspian Outlook 2008 Strategic Forum in Slovenia, a source in the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. The reason is that the co-chairmen
of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is designed to mediate a solution to
the conflict, Bernard Fassier (France) and Yuriy Merzlyakov (Russia),
were not in Ljubljana. Only Matthew Bryza, the US co-chairman of
the group and the US deputy assistant secretary of state, joined the
conference, but he did not suggest that the ministers meet.
The head of the press and information policy department of the Foreign
Ministry, Tahir Tagizada, has told APA that Mammadyarov met Bryza
to discuss the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict on the day of his arrival
in Slovenia.
A new round of talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers as part of the Prague process [which envisages a
stage-by-stage solution] are expected to take place in a European
country in mid-September.

ITALIAN MUSLIM LEADER URGES DEBATE ON ANTI-SEMITISM VS. ANTI-ISRAELI VIEWS
Corriere della Sera website, Milan
25 Aug 06
Text of interview with Union of Islamic Communities and Organizations
in Italy (UCOII) spokesman Roberto Hamza Piccardo by ‘V. Pic.’, in
Rome, date not given, entitled “Spokesman Piccardo: ‘I am not signing:
It is not an unrepeatable event, ask the Armenians'”, published by
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera website on 25 August; first
paragraph is the newspaper’s own introduction:
Rome: But will the UCOII [Union of Islamic Communities and
Organizations in Italy] sign [Interior] Minister [Giuliano] Amato’s
Charter of Values that specifies the uniqueness and non-repeatability
of the Holocaust? Roberto Hamza Piccardo, spokesman of the UCOII,
is uncertain. And he gives a hint of a bitter smile: “You would have
to ask the Armenians that. Maybe they think differently.”
[Corriere della Sera] So?
[Piccardo] So one cannot take Nazism as a watershed.
[Corriere della Sera] Why?
[Piccardo] Because the Holocaust is not unique or non-repeatable. I
wish it were. Mankind, unfortunately, has stained itself with appalling
tragedies throughout its history. Ever since Cain killed his brother
Abel. There was the extermination of the Apaches, that of the American
Indian populations, of the black people. “Of the 20 million who died
in Russia during World War II, 18 million died of hunger, because the
Germans were requisitioning food to send to the labour camps. What does
it mean to sign that this never happened and will never happen again?
[Corriere della Sera] You would not sign?
[Piccardo] I, Hamza Piccardo, no. Unless… [ellipsis as published]
[Corriere della Sera] Unless what?
[Piccardo] Unless it were not just a hope. But it would mean thinking
that mankind has understood. Instead, that is not the case.
[Corriere della Sera] Would you sign a charter against anti-Semitism?
[Piccardo] Yes, but then we would have to debate.
[Corriere della Sera] About what?
[Piccardo] Whether those who criticize the state of Israel, as we
have done, albeit in a wrong way, are also anti-Semitic. We are not
angry with the Jews, unless one wants to say that the state of Israel
represents all the Jews.
And that is not the case.
[Corriere della Sera] They say you are among those who want to erase
it from the map.
[Piccardo] I would like it to be a democratic state. Where
Jews, Muslims, Palestinians, atheists can live. Without religious
characteristics. Instead, it is in the hands of a military lobby that
draws its strength from war.
[Corriere della Sera] The Jewish Community Union did not propose your
expulsion. Do you appreciate that?
[Piccardo] We are touched.
[Corriere della Sera] The mayor of Colle Val d’Elsa declared yesterday
that if you are expelled from the Council, the construction of the
biggest Islamic centre in Italy is at risk.
[Piccardo] They caught him by surprise.
[Corriere della Sera] The Shi’is are also asking to join the Council.
[Piccardo] Of course, why not? Given that among the members there are
also those who, up until a short time ago, busied themselves only
with bridge. But why is the Muslim community not allowed to elect
its own representatives? Even those who are not from our association
would vote for UCOII. For that reason we make people afraid. And for
that reason they attack us.

RUSSIAN LEADER REPORTEDLY AGAINST ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S SUCCESSOR
Iravunk, Yerevan
29 Aug 06
Text of I. H. report by Armenian newspaper Iravunk on 29 August
entitled “Putin is against but Serzh is for”
[Armenian President] Robert Kocharyan and [Russian President] Vladimir
Putin have recently met in Sochi. They discussed domestic political
developments in Armenia. Russian diplomatic sources say that Vladimir
Putin spoke directly about Robert Kocharyan’s alleged legal successor.
According to our source, it was a surprise even for Kocharyan that
Putin spoke directly without [observing] diplomatic norms: “Russia
does not see and accept [Armenian Defence Minister] Serzh Sarkisyan
your legal successor”.
According to the same source and a source close to the Armenian
president, this opinion of the Russian president was conveyed to Serzh
Sarkisyan. He was called to weigh pros and cons. However, as our source
said, Serzh Sarkisyan said that he had made up his mind long ago.

PRESIDENT, SERGE, BARGAVACH HAYASTAN AND REPUBLICAN PARTY ACCORDING TO SPEAKER
Lragir.am
30 Aug 06
On August 30 Victor Soghomonyan, the speaker of the president of
Armenia met with news reporters. It should be noted that this is
an extraordinary event, considering that the speaker gives such
news conferences once in several months. If the speaker meets with
journalists once in several months, it is pointless to speak about
the president. It is hard to remember when Robert Kocharyan last met
with the media of Armenia freely, that is not selectively, and freely
answered their questions. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration
to say that the news conferences of the president or his speaker are
a certain present for the media. It is notable that the speaker of
the president offered this present on the eve of Robert Kocharyan’s
birthday. And the media used the opportunity to get an idea of the
president’s opinion on the home political developments, at least to
the degree that the speaker’s competence allows. They tried to ask
him if it is true that in Sochi Vladimir Putin told Robert Kocharyan
that Serge Sargsyan is not preferred as the successor of the president.
“You see, I have not discussed this kind of publications with the
president for a long time now, because very often the efforts to find
relations between the foreign, home policies of different countries
with the home policies of Armenia sound absurd, and I think it is
pointless to discuss,” says the speaker of Robert Kocharyan. The
speaker of the president disagrees to the word successor in general.
“At the moment I cannot say anything definite about the successor. In
other words, the word successor is not the right word to use in
this context, I think. Perhaps, it would be better to say the next
president of the Republic of Armenia. This is quite another point
of view,” says Victor Soghomonyan. Besides the characterization
of Serge Sargsyan’s succession there is another characterization
for the defense minister – “misunderstanding”. This is connected
with the statement of the minister he made before the extraordinary
assembly of the Repubican Party, saying that the head of state is not
against his membership to this political party and soon the president
or the speaker would express their opinion. It was perceived as an
instruction to Robert Kocharyan, especially after the statement of
the speaker of the president that Robert Kocharyan has a positive
attitude to the membership of Serge Sargsyan to the Republican Party.
Using the opportunity of the meeting with the speaker, the journalists
tried to find out how it happened that the “instruction” of the
defense minister was immediately carried out.
“There was a misunderstanding. When these publications appeared in
the media, there was a misunderstanding, because the defense minister
expressed his opinion that if the president wished to express his
attitude concerning his membership, he or his speaker would state,
which is quite natural. In other words, as far as I know, nobody else
expressed the opinion of the president. And I fulfilled my duty,
I expressed my opinion on the event, which was in the focus of the
political sphere and the Republic in general. If there is something
strange about it, please do explain it,” says Victor Soghomonyan.
There is nothing strange and there is no conflict, says the speaker
of the president. He means a conflict between the president and
the defense minister. The journalists enquired about it, and Victor
Soghomonyan answered this question. The question, however, referred
not only to the president and defense minister personally but Bargavach
Hayastan Party and the Republican Party.
“As to Bargavach Hayastan Party and the Republican Party, I must say
there is no conflict either. There are and there can be controversies,
as I can see from news reports, different speeches, which I think is
natural because if there are no controversies and disagreement, then we
are not speaking of two different forces,” says Victor Soghomonyan,
saying that otherwise the two political parties could join into
one. Victor Soghomonyan cannot see “anything dramatic” about the
controversies between Bargavach Hayastan and the Republican Party.
In fact, there is nothing dramatic, but there are a lot of illogical
things about it. It appeared that the speaker of the president would
answer questions concerning the president, and answering about the
controversies between Bargavach Hayastan and the Republican Party is
not his competence. Especially that formally Robert Kocharyan is not
related to any of these political parties. It would be logical if
the speaker of Robert Kocharyan declined to tell anything about the
controversy between these political parties saying that this question
concerns the parties only. However, for some reason the speaker
announced definitely that there is not a conflict and there are only
separate controversies. How does he know there is no controversy?
Maybe he really does know but formal awareness is concerned, for Victor
Soghomonyan states himself that he can express only the official
opinion of the president. Is the Bargavach-Republican relationship
the competence of Robert Kocharyan?

ROBERT KOCHARYAN WILL NOT FOLLOW SERGE SARGSYAN’S PATH
Lragir.am
30 Aug 06
Armenian president Robert Kocharyan will not become member of any
political party. He announced this through his speaker in a news
conference at the residence of the president August 30.
“First, at the moment there is no consideration that the president
is likely to become member of one political party or another, if you
heard his speeches, he has never stated that he is going to become
member of any political party,” stated Victor Soghomonyan, speaker of
Robert Kocharyan. He also said as long as Robert Kocharyan is the head
of state, the president administration will not join political parties.

ANOTHER REQUEST FOR FACTS
Lragir.am
30 Aug 06
It appears that more and more people are demanding facts on the
administrative and criminal consolidation in Armenia. Besides Tigran
Torosyan, the speaker of the National Assembly, the speaker of
President Kocharyan is also demanding evidence of the criminal. In
the press conference he disagreed that the government in Armenia is
joining the criminal contingent. Like Tigran Torosyan several days
ago, Victor Soghomonyan announced August 31 that everyone is speaking
about the criminal but nobody offers facts or names as evidence of
existence of the criminal.
Considering that the speaker of the president presents the viewpoint
of the president only, as he confesses, it means that Robert
Kocharyan needs facts on the criminal. In other words, either Robert
Kocharyan does not consider as criminal what the public considers
criminal or Robert Kocharyan is not aware of the situation and is
not informed. Both variants are possible, but the situation can be
corrected. Therefore, it is necessary that the president come in touch
with the public more often than with the people who are considered
criminal by the public, and in this case he will not need facts on
the criminal. The public will offer him the facts for free.
However, only in case the public becomes convinced that these facts
are not for covering up as it has been the case so far but for taking
action on. At the procuracy, of course.