NO MORE TORTURE IN RA
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[02:43 pm] 22 June, 2006
The Facultative Protocol to UN Convention against Torture will be
put into effect on June 22, 2006.
This Protocol on international human rights has also a great historical
significance for RA as on May 31, 2006 RA NA ratified the UN Convention
against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment. By
this step RA becomes a member country of the Protocol and thus takes
the Protocol provisions for granted.
According to Article 17 of the Protocol each member country of the
Protocol is to set up an independent national body within a year
aimed at torture combating on home level.
The national mechanisms of combat will be in force in any
establishment; prisons, police stations, psychiatric hospitals, etc.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIANS PREFER THAILAND
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[03:06 pm] 22 June, 2006
As it turns out it is not only pleasant but also available to have
a rest in Thailand. For instance, one of the Yerevan tour agencies
offers a 7-day rest in Antalia per a person for 7 – 8thousand USD
whereas 15-day rest in Thailand – for 1500 USD. According to Arpine
Martirosyan, manager of the tour agency the prices are determined
by the cheapness of hotel system; the services of Turkish hotels
are comparatively more expensive which has its direct outcome on
ticket price.
The busiest travel lines as usual are Turkey (Antalia) and
Bulgaria. The number of travelers to Croatia and Montenegro has also
increased this year. Anna Davtyan, head of another tour agency claims
that mainly people who got acquainted with the wonderful nature of
those places during the Soviet period leave for these countries. But
while developing tourism in these directions they counter certain
obstacles. The main obstacle is the low level of the hotels. By the
way, all the tourist agencies unanimously claim that the number of
travelers increases year by year. Most travelers are from medium and
high strata of the society.
According to their data 30% of Armenians buy tickets to local rest
homes. The most striking is that it is more expensive to rest in
Armenia than on the shores of the Black or Mediterranean Seas.

THE GOVERNMENT IGNORES THE STRIKERS
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[05:58 pm] 22 June, 2006
Today the residents of Main and Northern Avenues and the Dalma
gardeners as well as a group of citizens supporting them organized
a rally opposite the government building.
Meanwhile a session was convened with the participation of all
ministers in the government premises. As usual the strikers’ attempts
were in vain; they were ignored by our high-rank officials.
The strikers kept on shouting, “Go away, thieves!”
According to Vachagan Hakobyan, who deals with the problems of Northern
Avenue they came to get an answer to their letter. “The government sent
us to the Municipality, and the latter sent us to the Prime Minister,”
complains Vachagan Hakobyan.
Not achieving any results the strikers headed to the UNO Yerevan
Office. They call on the UNO to protect their rights. “We twice
released letters to them but they answered that the matter is beyond
their liabilities and they are not entitled to interfere.
Today they told us to present application once more.
If they don’t respond to our demand this time either we shall apply
to Kofi Anan,” ended Vachagan Hakobyan.

HERE ARE THE 4 COMPANIES INTERESTED IN “ARMENTEL”
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[07:34 pm] 22 June, 2006
Today the Greece company OTE made public the names of the 4 companies
which will have a chance to participate in the 2nd phase of the tender
to buy the 90% shares of “ArmenTel.”
The statement of the Greece company says, “Taking into consideration
the orders placed by them OTE sent invitations to the following
companies to participate in the tender of the “ArmenTel” shares.” Two
of them are Russian companies, Vimpelcom and Mobile Telesystems
(MTS). Another participant of the tender is ETISALAT- Emirates
Telecommunications Corporation /Istithmar ETV -Emergent Telecom
Ventures, a group of telecommunication companies located in Persian
Gulf.
As for the 4th company, VTEL Holdings / Knightsbridge Associates,
Dimitri Tselepis, representative of OTE didn’t want to tell the RFL/RE
any distinct information and even refused to say in which country it
is located.
“That is not a secret, but everything we wanted to say is put down
in our statement. We know what company it is but I repeat once more
everything is put down in our statement,” the representative of
OTE ended.

ARIDITY IN SISIAN REGION
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[07:07 pm] 22 June, 2006
150 hectares lands out of 672 hectares of Aghitu community in Syunik
marz are autumn sowing areas and 210 hectares are spring sowing areas
of barley and spelt.
Hrachik Hayrapetyan, regional head claims that peasants took
agricultural credits to sow their lands.
But at present they don’t have any expectations to get rich harvest
and repay their debts because of the regional aridity. It is noteworthy
that it hasn’t rained for two months.
According to the Sisian meteorological centre the air temperature
surpassed the normal index. No rains fell in June and the temperature
went up by 5 degrees. The grain cultured plants are already yellowing
because of the high temperature and absence of humidity. Many fields
cannot be reaped at all because of the corn shortness.
The on-going aridity may have serious outcome on the regional
budget. The regional heads are also concerned about the cattle
preservation. The on-going aridity may arouse the problem of fodder
accumulation. The pastures deprived of humidity have their negative
impact on the milk-yield index. Bee-keeping is also in terrible state
in Sisian.
TV Company “Syuni,” Sisian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TOROSYAN’S “BURDEN IS HEAVY”
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[08:29 pm] 22 June, 2006
TIGRAN TOROSYAN IS LOOKING FOR A SUBSTITUTOR
NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan wants to resign from the post of the PACE RA
delegation head as he thinks there are “certain problems the solution
of which is connected with his stay in Armenia.”
Then he adds that “there is another matter of serious concern;”
4 reports on Armenia will be heard in the PACE, starting from the
NKR conflict and ending with the issue of our liabilities. “We must
realize whom we appoint and who is to take that heavy burden on his
shoulders.” By the way, the head of the delegation is appointed by
the NA Speaker that’s to say by Tigran Torosyan.
No question connected with Armenia will be discussed during the June
session of PACE but as Torosyan claims “the Azerbaijanis will somehow
connect the matters concerning them with Karabakh and Armenia.” “It
is their business, but we must be ready for everything,” said NA
Speaker Tigran Torosyan during his first press release. The issue
of the Azeri liabilities will be discussed at the coming session in
connection with the May parliamentary reelections. The session of
Standing Committee on the Karabakh issue will be convened during the
PACE June session during which Torosyan’s suggestion to change the
format of the committee will likely be affirmed and the committee
members will be reduced as a result.
TURKS WILL BE TURKS
“Turkey doesn’t respect the principles professed by the country and
on the bases of these principles the country wants to integrate into
the European family completely,” maintains NA Speaker. An excellent
testify to it is yesterday’s incident when eggs were thrown at the
cars meeting the Catholicos of All Armenians in Istanbul.
“The issue of religious freedom will be put on the agenda of the
forthcoming PACE session and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoghan is to make a speech. I wonder how he will comment on this
situation. This action characterizes the Turks and has nothing to do
with the supreme Patriarch of All Armenians.”
TOROSYAN PREFFER SOCHI
None of the RA NA deputies will be present at the seminar organized
by Rose Road on “Russia- NATO; security issues in South Caucasus”
in the scope of NATO which will be convened in Sochi on June 22 – 24.
In Tigran Torosyan’s words this is conditioned by Mher Shageldyan’s
resignation from the post of the RA delegation head in the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly. At first NA Speaker learned about the
resignation from the newspapers and then he got Mher Shageldyan’s
application. The latter informed through the media that his
resignation is to certain extent determined by the fact that Tigran
Torosyan hindered his visit to the USA in the framework of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly.
Today Mr. Torosyan informed that he attaches greater importance to
the Sochi seminar as it will refer to the Karabakh issue.

THE UNEMPLOYED GOT A TEMPORARY JOB
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[12:17 pm] 23 June, 2006
Since June 1 reconstruction work has been carried out in the
communities of Getatagh, Hatsavan, Vaghatin, Balaq, Shaghat,
Spandaryan, Bnunis, Mutsq and Tolors and in the town of Sisian within
the framework of the program “Paid social work”.
The ten programs realized have been discussed and approved by the
Syunik regional Committee of employment support. The state budget
has allotted 18 million 300 thousand AMD for the realization of
the program.
About 347 unemployed people are participating in the works. Their
daily wage is 1200 AMD. The whole period of the work will be recorded
in their work-books.
TV Company “Syuni”, Sisian

WOMEN PAY VISITS TO WOMEN OFFICIALS
Panorama.am
16:01 22/06/06
The newly established Union of Women paid a visit to newly appointed
vice minister of employment and social security Tamara GEVORGYAN who
has been in her office for 1 month.
Gevorgyan was nominated to the position by United Working Party. The
vice minister told her guests that she is in charge of social security,
pensions, charity and international relations. “We have a lot of
challenges in these fields and I think we can do a lot together,”
she said, adding that family, women and children affairs are within
the authority of another vice minister. The Union member Tsovinar
GEVORGYAN expressed her opinion that women and children should be
dealt by a woman vice minister. Aida TOPUZYAN, chairwoman of Women
Voters’ League suggested the vice minister to mediate them to meet
the minister Aghvan Vardanyan and present their problems. The vice
minister promised to do so. Besides, she said she is going to regularly
meet reporters and make her work transparent.

MURDER IN YEREVAN IN DAY LIGHT
Panorama.am
16:40 22/06/06
At 14.47 today Yerevan police duty department received an emergency
call saying that shootings are heard near 29 Sebastia street. The
operative group which reached the place of incident has discovered the
body of Sedrak Zatikyan killed in gun shot. Sedrak Zatikyan was the son
of freedom fighter Vahan Zatikyan and was a member of elders in Malatia
Sebastia community. The gun shootings also killed a passer-by – Karine
Sargsyan. A criminal case is instituted on the incident.

STATE TO COMPENSATE COMMUNITIES
Panorama.am
17:43 22/06/06
>From now on for any changes, especially reductions in land tax,
property tax or any other taxes going to community budget, the state
will make a compensation for 3 years continuously to the community
budgets.
According to Law on Local Self-governments in case NA adopts a
law that reduces community revenues, the state has to compensate
the losses. According to the law, the compensation should be made
according to order stipulated by law and not by government decree,
for example. However, until this date there was no law regulating
the order of making this compensation.
Concurrently, changes have been in a number of laws, including on
Property Tax, according to which the rate has been reduced from 0,3
to 0,6. This has negatively influenced community budgets but because
of no regulations on making compensations, no compensation were made.
Yesterday the government approved such regulations which will be
submitted to National Assembly. In a briefing followed the government
session, vice minister of finance and economy Pavel Safaryan said
that the communities, which have suffered losses, will be reimbursed
for three years continuously starting next budget year.