THE ARMENIAN CONSUMER HAS THE RIGHT TO EXPECT AN IMPROVEMENT IN FUEL QUALITY, TIGRAN JRBASHIAN CONVINCED
Noyan Tapan
Jun 16 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian European Policy and Legal
Advice Center (AEPLAC) presented on June 16 the 6th book “European
Fuel Market” of the series “European Integration Market”. According
to the AEPLAC Armenia Office Director Tigran Jrbashian, the book
is concerned with the European fuel market and rules regulating the
sphere. It was noted that the AEPLAC is conducting a research on the
Armenian fuel market as well. In the opinion of T. Jrbashian, the
fuel-related techical regulations approved by the Armenian government,
and the chemical contents of fuel specified based on these regulations
are not enough. A correct minitoring, taking samples and testing
are also necessary. The Armenian society has the right to expect an
improvement in the quality of fuel and brinding it in line to “at
least some standards”. In his words, it is obvious that the concern
about the quality of fuel and an insufficient supervision over the
fuel market urged them to publish such a book.

RA CONSTITUTIONAL COURT RECOGNIZES TWO INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS IN COMPLIANCE WITH CONSTITUTION
Noyan Tapan
Jun 16 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. At the June 16 sitting, the RA
Constitutional Court (CC) recognized the obligations stipulated in
two international documents signed by the Republic of Armenia to be
in compliance with the RA Constitution. The Agreement on Creation of
Favorable Legal, Economic and Orgaizational Conditions For Expansion of
Leasing Activity in the CIS was signed by the heads of the governments
of CIS member states in Moscow on October 12, 2005. It was signed
by Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine (with a reservation), Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Tadzhikistan. The Convention on International
Access to Justice (with a reservation and statements) signed in the
Hague on October 25, 1980 particularly allows the citizens of the
agreement party to be provided the same amount of legal assistance
in the territory of another state as the citizens of the given country.

AEPLAC PUBLISHES 6th BOOK OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION LIBRARY
Noyan Tapan
Jun 16 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian European Policy and Legal
Advice Center (AEPLAC) published the 6th book “European Fuel Market”
of the series European Integration Market. The first part of the book
provides an overall economic description of the European fuel market
with its quantitative and qualitative indices that allow to form a
general idea about trends on this market. The second part contains
general provisions on chemical composition of fuel, as well as the
existing and planned supervisory systems in the European Union, and
national structures that control fuel import and its quality and
ensure compliance with environmental norms of fuel use. The third
part provides information about fuel taxation and European order of
tax privileges.

PUNISHMENT FOR A NUMBER OF ECONOMIC CRIMES REVISED IN RA CRIMINAL CODE
Noyan Tapan
Jun 16 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. At the June 15 special session,
the RA National Assembly passed in second reading the draft law on
amendments and additions to the RA Criminal Code. The draft revises
punshment for a number of economic crimes. Particularly, punishment
is envisaged for deliberate tax or state duty evasion or evasion of
other compulsory payments in large and especially large amounts.
Unlike the draft passed in first reading on the same day, the final
version increased the size of large and especially large amounts. In
the preliminary version, a sum not exceeding 1,000-10,000 minimal
salaries (1 mln – 10 mln drams) at the time of a crime was considered
a large amount, while the final vesrion set it at 2,000 – 15,000
minimal salaries (2-15 mln dram). The preliminary version considered
a sum exceeding 10,000 minimal salaries as especially large amount,
the final version stipulates a sum exceeding 15,000 minimal salaries
(15 mln drams).

ARMENIAN A-320 DISINTEGRATED AFTER HITTING BLACK SEA – PROBE
RIA Novosti, Russia
June 19 2006
MOSCOW, June 19 (RIA Novosti) – An Armenian airliner that crashed
into the Black Sea off Russia’s coast early last month disintegrated
after hitting the water, the Transportation Ministry said Monday.
The Airbus came down in stormy weather on May 3 with the loss of all
113 passengers and crew.
“The flight recorders from the Armavia Airlines A-320 have shown that
the plane did not disintegrate in the air,” a ministry’s statement
said. “The engines were operating until the plane hit the water.”
“The plane had enough fuel to complete the flight safely and the
autopilot was off in the last minute,” the ministry said.
The emergency commission has started decoding and analyzing flight
data recorders, which include modeling the flight on an A-320 trainer.
The commission will conclude on the reasons behind the crash and make
flight safety recommendations, the ministry said.

INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP HELD MEETINGS IN STEPANAKERT
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 19 2006
The International Working Group (IWG) on the Search for the Missing
People, Hostages and POWs in the Karabakh conflict zone arrived in
Nagorno Karabakh on a two-day working visit.
June 19 the IWG members met with the NKR Foreign Minister Georgy
Petrosyan, the leadership of the NKR State Committee on Missing People
and Hostages, heads of the Stepanakert Office of the International
Committee of the Red Cross, as well as with former hostages. In the
course of the meeting the issues referring to activation of search
for the missing and burial places were discussed. The requests of the
state commissions on missing persons and hostages of Nagorno Karabakh,
Armenia and Azerbaijan were considered as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LAWMAKERS FOCUS ON FOREIGN TRADE
By Judy Lin
Sacramento Bee
Monterey County Herald, CA
June 19 2006
SACRAMENTO – California’s foreign trade offices — taxpayer-funded
enterprises disbanded three years ago amid scandal and budget woes
— are staging a comeback despite lingering questions about their
usefulness.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some legislators are once again
trumpeting the value of trade promotion for the sixth-largest economy
in the world. In recent months, the governor has established an
undersecretary for international trade, while lawmakers have proposed
resurrecting outposts in Seoul, South Korea, and Johannesburg,
South Africa.
In coming weeks, the Legislature is expected to take up bills that
call for developing a comprehensive trade strategy and moving the
state back into the business of operating trade offices.
Such a move has raised eyebrows among trade experts who believe former
state offices were mismanaged. Some have questioned whether the state
should even have trade offices.
“Historically, they have not been very successful. In fact,
they have been somewhat disastrous,” said trade consultant Jock
O’Connell. “There’s this feeling in the state Capitol that California
needs to be represented by the state. The real California is superbly
well represented in the form of 57,000 exporting companies.”
California’s 12 trade offices were shut down in 2003 — along with the
rest of the Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency — after critical
news reports and damaging audits appeared.
At the time the state had more than 90 workers spanning the globe,
from Hong Kong to London. Their charge was simple: Help California
businesses sell their products abroad while luring foreign investment
to the state. Last year, the state exported $116.8 billion worth
of goods.
But the legislative analyst’s office and the state auditor’s office
questioned the effectiveness of such offices.
The offices were accused of taking credit regardless of how much
involvement they had in facilitating a deal.
“For instance, an office may only have provided a list of foreign
companies potentially interested in a product developed by a California
business. However, the agency counted the total value of a subsequent
export agreement,” according to one legislative analyst report.
The Orange County Register quantified the overstated benefits at
$44.2 million for one year.
In the end, only one trade office survived. The California Armenia
Trade Office was subsequently transferred to the authority of the
Business, Housing and Transportation Agency, where it remains today.
Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, salvaged the trade office by requiring
that it thrive on private donations. Scott’s district is home to the
largest Armenian community in America.
Scott considers the Armenia office a pilot project that could, perhaps,
become a model for future trade offices. Unlike its predecessors,
the office is funded through $75,000 in private donations, must
file evaluation reports, and will automatically close in 2008 unless
reauthorized by the Legislature.
“We’re learning from mistakes of the past,” Scott said.
But experts say accepting private donations is bad public policy.
Jeffrey Gersick, former managing director of the state’s trade offices
in London, Frankfurt, Johannesburg and Jerusalem, said the state’s
priorities can be muddled by those who “pay to play.”
Rather than putting offices where there’s growth potential, Gersick
and others say the practice could hold the state hostage to special
interests looking to leverage the state’s seal for their own cause,
creating a case of “country du jour.”
The director of the Armenian Trade Office, Arthur Khachatryan,
said he reports to the Foundation for Economic Development, a
non-profit Armenian group based in Glendale, Calif., handling the
state contract. However, the trade office keeps the state abreast of
its work through biweekly phone calls and progress reports.
“The ultimate responsibility rests with the state,” Khachatryan
said. “But on day-to-day questions, of course, we work with the
foundation.”
Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City, said he believes private donations
are the way to go. He is carrying two bills to install trade offices
in Seoul and Johannesburg, both of which are modeled after the Armenia
trade office.
Murray and Scott argue that the private-funding model deserves a
chance before being tossed out.
“If you can generate far more business than the cost of the trade
office, I can’t see how you’d lose,” Scott said.
Lawmakers are now trying to consolidate all trade office bills,
and they hope to develop an overall trade strategy for the state.
Assemblyman Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, chair of the jobs committee,
has written a bill that would give Schwarzenegger’s Business
Transportation and Housing Agency $140,000 to develop an overall
state policy on trade. Assembly Bill 2601 is being supported by
the Republican governor after another bill to give the agency legal
control of trade offices failed.
Concerned that there won’t be enough oversight, Sen. Gloria Romero,
D-Los Angeles, has written a bill that would also develop a strategy
for the state. However, Senate Bill 1513 allows the Legislature to
decide where to put trade offices and requires them to be funded with
through private donations.
Both bills require public disclosure of donations but Romero’s requires
them to be posted on the Internet.
Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Sunne Wright McPeak
said the governor has made trade promotion a priority, citing his
trade missions to Baja California, Japan and China. However, she said
the agency would be reluctant to spend taxpayer dollars.
Instead, McPeak said the agency has begun coordinating with trade
associations and the U.S. Commerce Department as a cost-effective
approach to trade promotion.
Agency officials say that even if the Legislature fails to pass a bill,
the administration intends to develop a trade strategy for the state.
Howard Shatz, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California, a non-partisan think tank, said lawmakers will have to
be careful in formulating a plan with reliable performance measures.
Trade experts say the state should take advantage of existing resources
like the Commerce Department, look to countries with the most growth
potential, and assign trade offices clear mandates, then measure
their achievements accordingly.
“It needs to be done right because they are going to be scrutinized
given the history of trade offices,” Shatz said. “The last thing you
want is another scandal.”

TENTH TRAINLOAD OF RUSSIAN MILITARY HARDWARE PREPARED TO LEAVE GEORGIA
Interfax, Russia
June 19 2006
MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax-AVN) – One more trainload of military
hardware from the Russian military bases, being removed from Georgia,
is prepared to leave the railway station Tsalka, a spokesman for
the Russian Military Force in the Transcaucasus told Interfax-AVN by
phone on Monday.
“The train carrying 47 pieces of anti-aircraft hardware from the 62nd
military base in Akhalkalaki is to depart from the station early
on Tuesday,” the spokesman said, adding that “it will be the tenth
trainload of Russian military hardware to leave Georgia in Russian
military pullout.”
Six trainloads of military hardware from Russia’s 62nd military base
stationed in Akhalkalaki and 12th base in Batumi, traveled to Russia
through Azerbaijan. Three more trainloads were dispatched to Armenia
to and assigned to the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri.
All Russian military bases located in Georgia are to have been removed
from that country during 2008.
For details, see the Interfax Military News Agency wire.

INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP VISITS AZERBAIJANI OCCUPIED TERRITORIES TO INVESTIGATE ISSUE ON AZERBAIJANI POWS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 19 2006
Co-chairs of the International Working Group to search for prisoners of
war, missing and hostages, Pata Zakharashvili and Bernard Klazen have
paid a two-day visit to the Azerbaijan’s territories under Armenian
occupation (APA).
The working group intends to meet the authorities of the International
Committee of the Red Cross Office in Khankendi and former prisoners
of war.
In today’s talks with the authorities of the separatist regime in
Khankendi, the group co-chairs stressed the importance of improving
the finding of the missing persons during the Nagorno Garabagh war
and their graves.
The working group will also make investigations on the basis of
appeals from the Azerbaijani citizens.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES MEET IN BAKU
By Cihan News Agency
Zaman, Turkey
June 19 2006
The 33rd Foreign Ministers meeting of the Organization of Islamic
Conference kicked off in the Azeri capital Baku on Monday.
The foreign ministers of 57 member countries, including Turkish Cyprus,
will take up regional problems including Israel-Palestine, Iraq and
Sudan and will discuss the reconstruction of the organization for
the coming ten years.
The Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the Cyprus problem
are likely to be taken up during the three days of meetings.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is attending
the meeting as an observer, is also among the participants.
For further information please visit