WHAT CAN THE DECISION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT GIVE RESIDENTS WHO LOST THEIR HOUSES?

Lragir.am
27 April 06

The present and potential victims of development of the city center
of Yerevan are coming together. The residents of Kozern neighborhood
and Dalma Gardens joined the residents of Buzand Street and North
Avenue. Their weapon is the decision of the Constitutional Court,
which assesses the government decisions on development of the City
Center, depriving the residents of their property, unconstitutional.

In a press conference on April 27 at the office of the People’s
Party the residents and their lawyers presented the opportunities of
restoring their rights, enabled by the Constitutional Court.

Lawyer Arthur Grigoryan states that there are two options, which
are determined by the “status” of a resident. The chances of
residents whose houses have been pulled down are not big. “In fact,
the decision of the Constitutional Court cannot have a practical
effect for them, because their houses have been wildly demolished,
bulldozed, and their houses do not exist any more. If the decision
of the Constitutional Court is used to review those decisions,
their houses cannot be returned to them. For payment of damages,
the decision of the Constitutional Court might involve the problem
that the legislative and the executive decide the regime and size
of compensation,” says Attorney Arthur Grigoryan. At any rate,
the residents should claim for compensation. The first ombudsman of
Armenia Larissa Alaverdyan believes that the residents demand payment
of moral damages apart from material damages.

The decision of the Constitutional Court may favor the citizens
whose houses have not been pulled down yet but the orders are already
there. Attorney Arthur Grigoryan says these people can go to court
again, because the decision of the Constitutional Court is a new
circumstance. “In this case the citizens keep the immunity of their
property if no procedures are established on the basis of new legal
acts,” says the lawyer.

“We will go all the way until we win. We live in this country, we
are the masters of this country, not the robber, pardon, government,”
says Vachagan Hakobyan, the leader of the residents of North Avenue.

Attorney Arthur Grigoryan says the government, the City Hall or
the agencies dealing with development cannot go to court and get a
ruling on eviction of residents, if the legal acts, recognized as
unconstitutional are made to comply with the Constitution. “If such
acts are applied, if it is ever reported that the court accepted
a similar claim, I announce that such a decision would be a vivid
example of voluntarism,” says Arthur Grigoryan.

NOBODY STRUGGLES AGAINST CORRUPTION

Lragir.am
27 April 06

There is no struggle against corruption in Armenia. 79 percent of
readers who participated in the poll of Lragir.am think so. This does
not suggest, however, that the rest of participants think there is
struggle against corruption in Armenia. Our poll lasted for a week,
and over this period not a single reader of Lragir.am replied “yes”
to the question “Is there real struggle in Armenia?” Besides the 79
percent who answered “no,” 14 percent of the readers of Lragir.am,
who voted, find that the struggle is biased. 7 percent chose the answer
“partly.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN ARYAN UNION EXPECTS RESOLUTE MEASURES FROM RF PRESIDENT AND STATE DUMA FOR PUTTING AN END TO “ANTI-ARMENIAN HYSTERIA”

Noyan Tapan
Apr 27 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian Aryan Union sent a letter
to RF President Vladimir Putin and to the State Duma, in which it calls
attention to the increase of the wave of murders and violence towards
Armenians in Russia and especially in Moscow, in St Petersburg, in the
Krasnodar territory. “What is taking place in the state headed by you
by means of the so-called skinheads, causes serious anxiety. These
skinheads, being guided by Hitler Nazi (that has nothing in common
with the Russian nationalism) ideas receive state assistance from
certain (known to us) forces and purposefully and with impunity commit
terrible crimes. In the recent years the target of these gangs become
especially Armenians, and we resolutely protest against it and express
our indignation,” the document read. The Armenian Aryan Union also
cannot understand some steps, which are far from being pro-Armenian,
undertaken by RF authorities, the “unintelligible and non-friendly
treatment to the Republic of Armenia – the “property for debt”,
the uzurpation of the energy system through raising the tariff for
gas, the political “ban” on making the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
transit. “We express the hope that resolute steps aimed at putting an
end to the anti-Armenian hysteria will be undertaken, otherwise we do
not exclude that willy-nilly, maybe by the instigation of a third side,
an anti-Russian wave will rise in Armenia that will endanger not only
the interests of Russians of Armenia but also those of RF general
policy,” the Armenian Aryan Union declares. As the party affirms,
such a policy will also question the necessity of existence of the
Russian military bases, “which cannot be considered as a reliable
structure in the context of these anti-Armenian manifestations”.

RA PARLIAMENTARIANS WILL PROMOTE THE PROCESS OF ELABORATION OF NKR CONSTITUTION

ArmRadio.am
27.04.2006 17:40

The two-day sitting of the Parliamentary Cooperation Commission of
Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh came to an end.

Head of the Press Service of the NKR National Assembly Mickael
Hajyan informed that Vice-Speaker of Parliament Rudik Hyusnunts
spoke about the role of cooperation of Armenian and NKR Parliaments
in the development of the NKR Constitution. Head of the Armenian
delegation, RA NA Vice-Chairman Tigran Torosyan confirms that RA
Parliament will assist its colleagues in the process of elaboration
of the NKR Constitution.

The Armenian delegation headed by Tigran Torosyan comprises Galust
Sahakyan, Mnatsakan Petrosyan, Gagik Avetyan, Areg Ghukasyan. The
Deputies will meet also NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan.

SHELL THROWN BY AZERBAIJANIS BLOWS UP ON ROOF OF ONE OF HOUSES IN VOSKEPAR: PERISHED FREEDOM-FIGHTER’S FAMILY SAVED BY A MIRACLE

Noyan Tapan
Apr 27 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. On the Commemoration Day of the
Armenian Genocide, April 24, fire was opened from the positions
of Azerbaijan in the direction of the village of Voskepar, Tavush
region. At about 11:30 am, the shell of the grenade thrower hit the
house of perished freedom-fighter Hrachik Alaverdian. The perished
freedom-fighter’s wife with her two under-age children was at home
at that moment. Fortunately, they did not suffer.

KIRO MANOYAN: FUTURE GENERATIONS HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMAND TERRITORIAL COMPENSATION FROM TURKEY

ArmRadio.am
27.04.2006 18:00

“The recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Osman Turkey has not
only a moral, but also a political aspect: Turkey has committed a
crime and it should respond for its results,” said Kiro Manoyan,
member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau.

In his words, Turkey would have recognized the Genocide long ago if
it knew it would have no political implications.

“Despite the fact that Armenia has recognized the current Turkish
borders and the issue of territorial reimbursement is not included
in the agenda of official Yerevan, it does not mean that our next
generations cannot demand compensation for the Armenian Genocide in
the future,” Kiro Manoyan declared.

According to him, today’s policy of official Yerevan in the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide yields its results.

“It has been recognized by 18 countries already, the European
community is exerting pressure over Turkey regarding this question,”
Kiro Manoyan mentioned.

85th ANNIVERSARY OF MOUNTAINOUS ARMENIA MARKED ONLY IN SYUNIK REGIONAL CENTER

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 27 2006

KAPAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April 26, Syunik
Governor Surik Khachatrian and other high-ranking officials, Chairman
of Board of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Kapan territorial
organization Romik Sargsian, Chairman of the Syunyats Artsivner youth
NGO Khachik Asrian visited Garegin Nzhdeh’s memorial complex in Kapan
where they laid flowers and wreaths paying the tribute of their respect
to the memory of the Mountainous Armenia’s founder and marking the 85th
anniversary of the Mountainous Armenia. The 2nd Zangezur Congress held
on April 26 1921 in Tatev proclaimed the autonomous Syunik independent
renaming it Mountainous Armenia. Zangezur, Vayots Dzor (Daralagyaz)
and Nagorno Karabakh were included in it. The town of Goris became
the capital of the Mountainous Armenia. Sparapet Garegin Nzhdeh was
elected the Prime Minister and the right to appoint the members of
the new government was reserved for him.

PETROL PRICE UP IN ARMENIA

Regnum, Moscow
27 Apr 06

Petrol prices have gone up by 10 per cent in Armenia over the past
few days, Russian Regnum news agency reported on 27 April.

The hike is caused by the rising oil prices in the world. If the
situation continues, petrol prices will keep growing in Armenia,
the agency said.

The agency quoted the Flesh company, which covers about 30 per cent
of the country’s petrol market, as saying that domestic petrol prices
might go up by more than 2-3 per cent in the next 10 days if the
world prices kept growing.

If hostilities begin in Iran, petrol prices in Armenia might reach
1.5 dollars per litre, the agency quoted one the largest Armenian
companies, Max Group, as saying. However, the company said Armenia
imports petrol from Europe, not Iran.

RA PRESIDENT EXPECTS NA SPEAKER’S EXPLANATIONS OVER THE LATTER’S STATEMENTS ABOUT ISSUES OF FOREIGN POLICY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 27 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the “Haykakan Zhamanak”
newspaper, the sitting of the coalition council that recently takes
place at President Robert Kocharian’s office will also touch upon
the issue of Armenian National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian
soon. According to the daily, Kocharian got indignant with NA Speaker’s
statement in his interview to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”
German newspaper, that Armenia is going towards NATO and RF should
not stand in this way. And RPA has been angry with Artur Baghdasarian
since the previous four-day session because of the stir made by him
around the 2001-2003 privatization report. And all together will
demand an explanation from Artur Baghdasarian over his expression
that if the coming elections are falsified like the previous ones,
serious changes are awaited in Armenia. In his interview to the
“Golos Armenii” newspaper Robert Kocharian commenting upon Artur
Baghdasarian’s statement about joining NATO said: “Armenia is not going
to join NATO. Membership to the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO) and the current high level of military-technical cooperation
with Russia solve the issue of providing the country’s security to
the suifficient extent”. According to the President, today Armenia
prepares for closer cooperation with the European Union within the
framework of the New Neighborhood policy but “we do not set the issue
of joining EU, either. Armenia’s Euroatlantic ambitions are balanced
and realistic, they are positively perceived by the European structures
and do not give rise to problems in relations with Russia. We voice
our position in Moscow, in Brussels and in Washington,” the President
said. Kocharian also mentioned that NA Speaker is received by him every
week and “it was strange to learn about such viewpoints expressed by
him from the German newspaper”. Besides, according to the President,
the legal-contractual bases of Armenian-Russian relations in the
military-technical sphere, as well as the agreement on membership
to CSTO were ratified by the Armenian parliament, which expresses
Armenia’s position in the sphere of defence. “All officials are obliged
to respect this position,” the President said and emphasized: “By the
way, the country’s foreign policy, according to the Constitution,
is determined by the Armenian President. The Speaker’s statement,
possibly, expresses his changed viewpoint. I think we need to wait for
his explanations over this issue,” the Armenian President emphasized.

AZERI PRESIDENT, US OFFICIALS DISCUSS REGIONAL ISSUES, KARABAKH

Lider TV, Baku
27 Apr 06

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a meeting with US Director
of National Intelligence John Negroponte in Washington on 26 April,
Azeri Lider TV reported on 27 April.

The two men discussed the current developments in the region. The
main point of the discussion was that the two countries should develop
cooperation, the TV said.

President Aliyev visited the US Congress the same day. The TV said that
Aliyev had held “very important talks” about the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict the with the speaker of the US House of Representatives,
members of the House of Representatives commissions on energy and
international relations, the chairman of the US Senate state, foreign
operations and related agencies subcommittee and the chairman of the
US Senate foreign relations committee.

Earlier that day, Aliyev held a meeting with US NGOs, such as IREX
(International Research and Exchanges Board), Soros, Freedom House
and Human Rights Watch.

At his meeting with 15 representatives of “an influential Jewish
organization”, Aliyev thanked the Jewish community for supporting
Azerbaijan in many issues, the TV said.

Aliyev also had a meeting with Gen Brent Scowcroft, national security
advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, the TV said.