THE LISTS OF THE ARMENIAN CRIMINAL IS MADE
Lragir.am
9 Aug 06
We have learned that the establishment of the anti-criminal pact in
Armenia is underway, and the initiators are likely to conduct a highly
systematized survey of the structure and activities of the criminal
contingent of the Armenian government. We have learned that the
anti-criminal pact will have different task forces, which will study
the past and the present of the criminal. In particular, the university
diplomas and the ways they were acquired will be investigated.
The pact will also deal with the property of the administrative
criminal resource, the history of its formation, its activities in the
past, facts of cooperation with the police in relations with criminal
authorities, nicknames. We have learned that the anti-criminal pact
will also study the army-criminal and criminal-universities relations.
Our source informs that the anti-criminal actions are not confined
to a single pact. We have learned that similar organizations are set
up inside different political parties. Almost all the anti-criminal
movements consider their prime problem to clarify the list of the
criminals to reach a nominal and clear investigation. The initial
list of the criminal in the government is ready. It is interesting
that the lists of all these anti-criminal lists basically overlap.
Our source also informs that certain circles of the Republican Party
support the idea of joining the anti-criminal, though not openly
but practically, because they have also started to dislike that the
Republican Party is becoming a shelter for the administrative-criminal
resource.

CONSTRUCTION GROWS BY 31.8% IN ARMENIA IN FIRST HALF OF 2006
Noyan Tapan
Aug 09 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-June 2006, construction
work of 165 bln 624.9 mln drams (about 373.1 mln USD) was done in
Armenia, including construction of production facilities of 57 bln
767.8 mln drams. Building and assembly work amounted to 138 bln 242
mln drams, including that of production facilities of 33 bln 797.5
mln drams. According to the RA National Statistical Service, the
construction work done in January-June 2006 exceeded the respective
index of 2005 by 31.8%, the building and assembly work – by 35.3%. In
the first half of 2006, 271 new residential buildings of the total
area of 165,417 sq.m. were put into operation at the expense of the
population’s and organizations’ resources, or by 58.4% more than the
index of the same period of last year. In January-June 2006, fixed
assets of 120 bln 778.9 mln drams were built, including production
facilities of 31 bln 997.6 mln drams. In the period under review, 18
comprehensive schools were repaired in Armenia with all sources of
finance. Particularly, 13 comprehensive schools were repaired with
state budget resorces. Construction worth 5 bln 482.6 mln drams,
or 3.3% of the total construction in Armenia, with all sources of
finance with the aim of construction, restoration and repair of
residential buildings, social and production facilities, was carried
out in the earthquake zone in January-June 2006, including construction
of production facilities of 3 bln 411.5 mln drams (5.9%).

WELL-KNOWN UNDERWORLD LEADER BY NICKNAME “HAY-HOOY” KILLED
Yerevan, August 8. ArmInfo. A well-known underworld leader, one of the
leaders of the Armenian organized criminal gang of Moscow Alexander
Givoyev by nickname “Hay-Hooy” was killed on highway Ashtarak-Gyumri
at 1:30p, today.
Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office official web-site says A.
Givoyev was driving from Yerevan to Gyumri with his family. When
he stopped his “Grand Cherokee” to make purchases in a nearby shop,
a red VAZ32109 with unknown state number plate approached the Jeep
and fired at A. Givoyev with a machine gun. Givoyev died in the place.
Accidentally, the seller Gyulnara Karapetyan was also killed.
Investigation is underway. A criminal case on the articles 104.2 and
235.1 was initiated.
To be noted, in 2002 A. Givoyev presented his candidature for the
office of Yerevan’s ‘Center’ community. In his pre-election program
he promised to solve all the social problems of the community and
later, of Armenia in general, due to organizing donations of Russian
Armenian businessmen. Alexander Givoyev was born in Yerevan, 1954,
and in the middle 1990’s was one of the renowned leaders of the
Russian organized criminal underworld. He had close relations with
certain Armenian underworld leaders, particularly ex-president of the
so-called ‘Armenian Assembly’ Serge Jilavian, opponent to the first
President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BELARUS NOT TO BE “ONLOOKER” IN CIS SECURITY BLOC, PRESIDENT SAYS
Belapan news agency
8 Aug 06
Minsk, 8 August: The Collective Security Treaty Organization [CSTO,
made up of Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan] has become a full-fledged member of the international
security system. Official information sources quoted [Belarusian
President] Alyaksandr Lukashenka as saying this at a conference with
newly appointed Belarus’s representatives to interstate bodies on
8 August.
“Our interests and our participation here are the Belarusian-Russian
group of forces in the western direction. This is our area of
responsibility in the CSTO. It is here where we will take efforts
to ensure security of the CSTO member states,” the head of state
said. However, he added, Belarus will not take the attitude of an
“onlooker as far as it concerns other events in other regions –
in Asia, Russia, etc – that do not contradict our constitution”.
Lukashenka said that the ability of the member states to adopt a
common approach and take coordinated actions is vital to the CSTO’s
efficiency. “That is why we expect our representatives to the CSTO
to work actively to further increase the level of coordination of
foreign political activities,” the head of state said.
He emphasized the importance of pre-emptive response tools in the
present-day situation in the world. Therefore, the improvement of
information and analytical work within the CSTO framework should
become one of the main elements for the organization’s development,
Lukashenka said.
The head of state also named the creation and development of a system
of emergency response and military and technical cooperation as the
organization’s priority tasks.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

USD EXCHANGE RATE FALLS LOWER AMD 400
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 8, 2006
YEREVAN, August 8. /ARKA/. The USD exchange rate on Armenia’s
foreign-exchange market has fallen lower than AMD 400/$1 thereby
passing one more psychological minimum. Some Armenian banks and
exchange offices have set the following exchange rates: AMD 393-397/$1
(purchase) and AMD 397-405/$1 (sale).
This caused stock-jobbing on the country’s foreign-exchange market.
Most exchange offices are closed for lack of sufficient cash as well
as because of uncertainty. Long queues have formed in front of working
exchange offices.
The CBA-set USD average exchange rate is AMD 406/$1 CBA experts
believe that the US dollar will continue its fall even down to AMD
350/$1 before the end of next week if the CBA does not interfere and
start buying up dollars.
Other experts and dealers believe that the USD would be falling at
a higher rate but for the auctions on the Armenian Stock Exchange,
which at least allows the developments on the foreign-exchange market
to be followed and possible exchange rate on the following day to be
forecast. All funds deposited with the stock exchange by banks have
run out.
According to experts, the main factor of the USD behavior is huge
USD flows into the country. The matter concerns not only transfers
for individuals, but also funds of enterprises.
Also, to maintain the foreign-exchange position, banks are selling
US dollars on a large scale.
Experts consider the fall in the EUR exchange rate normal, connecting
it with the AMD revaluation against the USD and with international
trends in the EUR/USD ratio.
9.79% USD depreciation against the AMD has been recorded in Armenia
since the beginning of 2006, with 2.41% EUR depreciation.
It is noteworthy that the current exchange rate is almost equal to
that 11 years ago: in 2005 the USD/AMD exchange rate was $1/AMD 406 at
the beginning of the year down to $1/AMD 402 at the end of the year,
while in 1995 it was $1/AMD 405.88.
During 13-tear history of the Armenian national currency, the highest
MD exchange rate was recorded in March 2003 – AMD 591.76/$1 at the
CBA-set nominal exchange rate. Since them, the Armenian dram has
actually revaluated by 45.76%, whereas the USD has devaluated against
the AMD by 31.39% or by AMD 185.83.

KOCHARIAN ORDERS TAX EXEMPTION FOR ARMENIAN FARMERS
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Armenia
Aug. 8, 2006
Most Armenian farmers will be exempt from a 20 percent sales tax for
agricultural products to be introduced in 2009 in line with Armenia’s
commitments to the World Trade Organization, President Robert Kocharian
said on Tuesday.
The value-added tax (VAT), levied from sales of all non-agricultural
goods, has long been the Armenian government’s’ single largest source
of revenues. Yerevan pledged to extend it to the agricultural sector
when it was admitted to the WTO in February 2003 after a decade of
membership talks with its more than 140 member states.
With agricultural production making up approximately one fifth of
Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product, a broader enforcement of VAT would
give a sizable boost to the government’s tax revenues. However, most
Armenians living in rural areas are subsistence farmers that already
struggle to eke out a modest living and pay a separate tax on their
land. Very few of them receive can count on government compensation
for hail, droughts and other adverse weather conditions that regularly
wreak havoc on Armenian agriculture.
Kocharian was quoted by his office as telling Agriculture Minister
David Lokian to ensure that farmers whose annual turnover does not
exceed 8 million drams ($20,000) do not have to pay VAT when it comes
into force in January 2009. The vast majority of villagers will almost
certainly not pass this income threshold.
A statement by the presidential press service also said VAT will be
set at an average of 10 percent for less vulnerable rural households
with a turnover of between 8 million and 12 million drams. Other,
wealthier farmers will have to pay the tax in full.
The tax breaks will presumably require corresponding changes to
Armenian tax legislation. It is not clear if they might put Armenia
at loggerheads with longtime WTO members like Australia and Canada
that set specific conditions for its entry into the organization
setting rules on international trade. The Armenian government agreed
in particular to scrap a 10 percent duty on some imported foodstuffs
and limit its agricultural subsidies to just $40 million a year.
Some local manufacturers feared that WTO membership and the resulting
further liberalization of Armenia’s trade regime could reflect
negatively on their businesses. But those fears seem to have been
misplaced so far, with Armenian exports growing more rapidly than
imports between 2003 and 2005.

ARMENTEL MONOPOLY BLAMED FOR INTERNET FAILURE IN ARMENIA
By Anna Saghabalian
Radio Liberty, Armenia
Aug. 8, 2006
Armenia’s leading Internet service providers blamed the ArmenTel
telecommunications monopoly on Tuesday for a four-day effective
disruption of the country’s Internet connection with the rest of
the world.
The connection was cut off on Friday and was extremely slow in the
next three days due to what ArmenTel officials described as two
separate accidents on a fibro-optic cable that handles virtually all
of Armenia’s external Internet traffic. The Greek-owned company, which
has a controversial legal monopoly on the service, said the cable was
seriously damaged in neighboring Georgia and off the Russian Black
Sea coast and will not be fully repaired at least until the end of
this week.
A company spokeswoman, Hasmik Chutilian, told RFE/RL that the Internet
communication, which remained erratic on Tuesday, will be carried
out through reserve channels running across Georgia and Iran until
the repairs are over.
Service providers claimed, however, that the bulk of the Armenian
Internet traffic was rerouted to Turkey via Georgia. They also slammed
ArmenTel for its failure to put in place an alternative satellite link
that would end Armenia’s reliance on a single cable that regularly
gets damaged on Georgian territory.
According to Grigor Saghian of Arminco, Armenia’s largest Internet
provider, there have been at least two dozen such accidents since the
beginning of last year. “I am surprised that they are not creating
a reliable and fast satellite connection. It will cost them only
$100,000 or so,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Armenian government obligated ArmenTel to
issue licenses to those providers that are willing to launch satellite
links and pay the telecom operate for using them. “ArmenTel is still
not giving those licenses,” said Saghian.
Albert Tonoyan, deputy head of the Web.am provider, said his company
applied for a license several months ago and is still awaiting a
reply from ArmenTel. “The monopoly does not make ArmenTel interested
in finding quick solutions,” he told RFE/RL. “They are only keen
to make money. They act as slowly as possible and invest as little
as possible.”
The ArmenTel monopoly, a key term of the company’s 1998 takeover by
Greece’s OTE telecom giant, has long been blamed for the poor quality
and relatively high cost of Internet connection in Armenia. Analysts
consider it a serious obstacle to the development of information
technology, one of the new and most promising sectors of the Armenian
economy. The Armenian government has declared the sector’s expansion
a top economic priority.
The government has reportedly decided that the new owner of ArmenTel,
which was put up for sale by OTE last spring, will not inherit the
Internet monopoly from the Greeks. The latter are expected to announce
the winner of an ongoing international tender for ArmenTel by the
end of this month.
In the meantime, the providers are counting substantial losses which
they claim to be incurring as a result of the Internet disruption. In
Saghian’s words, it made a dent not only in their finances but
Armenia’s image in the international IT community.
“A single accident like this may have nullified several years of
work to promote IT in Armenia,” said the Arminco executive. “There is
hardly any other country in the world that declares IT a top priority
but may have no Internet connection for several days.”

TURKISH MP TURHAN CHOMAZ: GARABAGH DRAMA MAY BE REPEATED IN LEBANON
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 8, 2006
“Lebanon is suffering tragedy of humanity now. About 35,000 houses
have been devastated and 60,000 have become impossible to live in.
One of every three persons have become refugee in Lebanonm which has
4 million population,” Turkish parliamentarian from Balikasir from
AKP party Turhan Chomaz, who is in the Lebanese capital, Beirut now,
told the APA’s Turkey bureau.
The parliamentarian said more than $3 billion is needed to restoration
of the infrastructure-destroyed electric station, water reservoirs,
roads and bridges in Lebanon.
“As a state, Lebanon has fallen down. There is an irresistible chaos
in the country. People are desperate and furious in Beirut. Israeli
raids on civilians are horrible.
If the world community fails to end the fighting in Lebanon, the
Middle East will suffer great unrests and chaos in coming ten years.
It is duty of all intelligent states to settle this conflict. I
feel very sad and worry about the developments in Beirut. I wish the
fighting ended as soon as possible,” Mr. Chomaz said.
The AKP member underlined the United States and Great Britain are
responsible for ending the war stressing these states should interfere
in the processes immediately.
“However, Turkey, as the successor of a state, which was in power
in this geography for four centuries, is also to do much in this
situation. I expect the Azerbaijani government’s support, Azerbaijani
brothers’ sensitivity to the steps and policy that Turkey will take
soon. Everyone should do its utmost to render humanitarian aids.
There is a need to take a strong state policy and to make more severe
demands in order to prevent Israeli attacks. I believe Turkey will
take these steps soon. And we expect support from an mportant Turk
state, Azerbaijan and brotherly people to these steps,” he underlined.
Responding to the question “Do you see any similarities between the
current developments in Lebanon and our occupied territories, refugee
problem,” the Turkish parliamentarian described the Garabagh problem
as a chronic injury.
“Our compatriots displaced from Nagorno Garabagh cannot get used to
the troubles they have long been suffering. I am afraid the drama
of our brothers from Garabagh will happen to Lebanon. There will be
irresistible, new chronic injury here. Therefore, the conflict in
Lebanon should be immediately solved to prevent this. In this context,
the two brotherly states-Turkey and Azerbaijan should pursue a joint
policy and say “end” these bloody attacks,” Chomaz said.
He also commented on the probability of the spread of the war in
the region.
“If efforts to achieve permanent peace fail, Israel will continue to
bomb the southern Lebanon deporting civilians to the north. I think
first Syria and then Iran will interfere in this process. Israel’s
current position and US secret support for it is leading the Middle
East geography to chaos. I am afraid the fire in the heart of the
Middle East will catch the entire geography soon. We are obliged to
prevent this.
I convey my love to Azerbaijani brothers from Beirut. They must not
forget that our hearts are always with them. I’ll dedicate my next
visit program to Garabagh,” Chomaz concluded.

AZERI FOREIGN MINISTER HOLDS MEETINGS IN SWEDEN
Author: A.Ismayilova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug. 8, 2006
On August 8, the foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov
who is in Stockholm with an official visit held a meeting with the
state secretary of Sweden, deputy minister of industry and trade
Sven Erik Seder. Besides, talks were held in the Trade Council of
Sweden and Russian-Swedish Trade Chamber, Trend reports quoting the
press-center of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Mammadyarov met with
the vise-president of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the member of
Swedish parliament Ms. Ton Finskard.
In the second half of the day, the Azerbaijani foreign minister is
expected to meet with the president of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,
special envoy of the organization on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Karl
de Guhtom.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJANI WOUNDED IN ARMENIAN CEASEFIRE VIOLATION IN AGDAM
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 8, 2006
Armenian armed forces fired on Efetli village of the Azerbaijani
region of Agdam in different directions from occupied Azerbaijani
territories. At present shootings are heard in the contact line.
APA’s Garabagh bureau reports that Armenians continued to fire on
the village until early morning. As the result of Armenian cease-fire
violation, Efetli resident Hasanova Sevinj was wounded on the leg.
Agdam region central hospital doctor Kamil Hasanov said to the APA
bureau the bullet remained in the born of the patient. The wounded
was taken doctor’s control.