DAIS OF KHOSROW PALACE DISCOVERED
Tehran Times, Iran
June 12 2006
TEHRAN — The team of archaeologists working on the ruins of the
Khosrow Palace near the city of Qasr-e Shirin in the western Iranian
province of Kermanshah discovered the dais of the Sassanid palace
during their current round of excavations, the Persian service of
CHN reported on Sunday.
“The platform was used by the ruler or owner of the palace,” team
director Yusef Moradi said.
“The new excavations and studies on smashed ceilings have determined
that the palace was destroyed as a result of an earthquake. Texts
written by Iranian and Arab historians also mentioned a devastating
quake which destroyed the palace,” he added.
Covering an area of 75,000 square meters, the palace was built by the
Sassanid king Khosrow II for his Armenian Christian wife Shirin. Some
Iranian and Arab geographers and historians of the early Islamic era
called the palace one of the wonders of the world.
Archaeological studies are underway to determine the original
appearance of Khosrow Palace.
“The documents and the texts have given a fairly exact understanding
of the architecture of the palace. It had two sections, private and
official, and studies have been carried out on the latter. The team
will center on this section and the other section in the next phases
of excavations,” Moradi said.
The team of archaeologists also recently discovered ruins of the
ceremonial hall of the palace.
The region was excavated by French archeologist and prehistorian
Jacques de Morgan in the late nineteenth century, British archaeologist
and writer Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell in 1910 and 1911, and
then by Oscar Reuter. Each one prepared architectural plans of the
Khosrow Palace, but the Iranian team believes that none of the plans
are reliable.

LA FAMILLE AVAKIAN VEUT ESPERER MAIS CRAINT LA DESILLUSION
Laetitia Van Eeckhout
Le Monde, France
14 Juin 2006
Nantes Envoyee Speciale
Karina Avakian est lasse. Lasse de vivre dans l’angoisse, de passer
d’espoirs en desillusions, de savoir l’avenir de sa famille hypotheque,
suspendu a une decision administrative. Il y a deux mois, Karina,
Edouard et leurs deux fils, Joseph et Sarkis, ont emmenage dans
un appartement mis a leur disposition par l’association nantaise
L’accueil d’abord. Mais ce reve, après quatre ans passes a vivre
entre la rue et des chambres d’hôtel, a ete aneanti, le 29 mai, par
un courrier de la prefecture de Loire-Atlantique proposant un aide au
retour. Une aide qui ne represente rien d’autre, pour Karina Avakian,
que la confirmation de l’intention de l’Etat francais de les renvoyer,
elle et les siens, vers leur pays d’origine, l’Azerbaïdjan.
Karina et Edouard Avakian sont “proteges” jusqu’a la fin du mois de
juin par la scolarite de leurs enfants. L’annonce par Nicolas Sarkozy
de la regularisation de 720 familles de sans-papiers, le 6 juin,
a laisse la jeune femme sans voix. Ni Joseph ni Sarkis ne sont nes
en France. Mais ils y sont arrives avant l’âge de 13 ans.
Correspondront-ils, au yeux du prefet de Loire-Atlantique, aux critères
definis par le ministère de l’interieur ? Incertitude encore.
“POURQUOI PAS NOUS ?”
Cela fait dix-huit ans que dure l’errance du couple. En 1988, Karina
et Edouard Avakian, azeris d’origine armenienne, sont contraints
de quitter leur pays natal après le declenchement du conflit avec
l’Armenie. En 1993, ils doivent fuir l’Armenie pour l’Ukraine,
Edouard Avakian refusant d’etre enrôle dans l’armee pour combattre
l’Azerbaïdjan. Six ans plus tard, persecutions et rackets les amènent
a nouveau a s’exiler, en France cette fois. Le 2 avril 2002, ils
arrivent a Nantes, avec leurs garcons, alors âges de 9 et 6 ans.
Deboutes du droit d’asile, Karina et Edouard Avakian, 36 ans tous
deux, ont tente tous les recours possibles. En vain : le 19 avril
2004, le tribunal administratif de Nantes a confirme le rejet par
l’Office francais de protection des refugies et apatrides (Ofpra) de
leur demande de reexamen de dossier. Petition, courriers adresses au
prefet par les parents d’elèves de l’ecole de leurs fils : le prefet
est reste inflexible.
“Pourquoi pas nous ?, interroge Karina Avakian. Nous n’avons rien
fait de mal. C’est juste pour que nos enfants aient un avenir que
nous sommes venus.” Dès leur arrivee, elle a tout fait, malgre des
conditions de vie precaires, pour que Joseph et Sarkis s’intègrent
et aient une vie normale. Elle les a inscrits a la bibliothèque, au
centre de loisirs, a des cours de sport, et prend plaisir – d’autant
qu’elle est institutrice de formation – a accompagner les sorties de
classe. “Dès qu’il y a un projet de sortie, mes copains me demandent
si ma mère nous accompagne”, raconte fièrement Sarkis, 10 ans.
Joseph a rattrape son retard scolaire : integre a son arrivee dans une
classe de cours preparatoire, il est entre en septembre 2004, comme
tous les enfants de son âge, en classe de sixième. Parlant aujourd’hui
aussi bien le francais que ses camarades, il reve “d’un avenir simple”,
qu’il n’imagine pas ailleurs qu’en France. “D’un matelas tout sale,
on est passe a une vraie chambre, on a fait pas mal de chemin. Il ne
nous manque plus que des papiers et l’on sera une famille comme les
autres”, dit-il. Il ne se sent “pas different” de ses copains.
La famille vit des 400 euros mensuels d’aide a la subsistance
verses par le conseil general de Loire-Atlantique aux deboutes du
droit d’asile, et de ce que reussit a gagner le père, regulièrement
sollicite par des particuliers pour ses talents d’ebeniste.
Ce sujet, Karina Avakian, rongee par la honte de vivre au crochet
des autres, ose a peine l’evoquer. Son mari serait pourtant certain
d’obtenir un veritable emploi s’il etait regularise. L’Atelier Madec,
une entreprise nantaise de menuiserie, lui a deja fait une proposition
ferme d’embauche.
–Boundary_(ID_jcq3tSWjYlX8mSt8yhvvaA )–

DRAM’S APPRECIATION LEADS TO IMPOVERISHMEMT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AND ENRICHMENT OF A FEW, OYP FACTION MEMBER SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The current trends in development of
the Armenian economy pose a threat to the country’s future. Member of
the RA National Assembly Orinats Yerkir Party (OYP) Mher Shahgaldian
made this statement in the parliament on June 13. In his words, “if
such appreciation of the Armenian dram continues under conditions of
half-finished reforms, a surface fight against corruption (sometimes
an imitation of it), strengthening of banks, elite construction,
small and medium business choking under the burden of taxation, and
the economy’s oligarchization, our economy will be brought to a state
of stagnation in a few years.”
He considered it quite strange that the Armenian dram is appreciating
against both the dollar and the euro, which is not consistent with
international trends: the dollar is depreciating against all other
currencies in the world.
According to the deputy, a significant part of the Armenian
citizens make their daily bread thanks to remittances from relatives
abroad. “Their relatives send a small sum of money, and the current
appreciation of the dram hits their pockets,” M. Shahgaldian said.
According to him, the dram’s appreciation also causes a decline
in exports.
He said that today Armenia’s imports exceed exports by more than
50%, which results in bankruptcy of producers who either close their
enterprises or have to operate in the shadow sector. “Oligarchization
of the economy is taking place. These trends lead to impoverishment
of thousands of people and enrichment of a few,” the OYP faction
member stated.

SPARTAK SEYRANIAN TO COMPLETE STAFF OF NA “ARF” FACTION
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Central Electoral Commission
will register Spartak Seyranian, the editor-in-chief of the party
“Yerkir” official newspaper as an ARF Dashnaktsutiun member on June
14 by the corresponding electoral order. Tsovinar Khachatrian, the
Central Electoral Commission Press Secretary informed the Noyan Tapan
correspondent about it. S.Seyranian will complete the staff of the
“ARF” faction.
To recap, the mandate was vacant as a result of faction member
Vostanik Marukhian’s undertaking post of the State Engineering
University Rector.

ACCORDING TO OPPOSITION’S ESTIMATES, ARMENIAN POPULATION LOSES 300-460 DOLLARS IN YEAR AS RESULT OF DRAM’S APPRECIATION
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. “Economists calculated that 26 mln
USD was stolen from the population in a month as a result of the
dram-dollar operation of the authorities.” The Secretary of the
Justice faction Victor Dallakian stated this in the RA National
Assembly on June 13. By his estimates, the sum amounted to nearly
300 mln USD over a year. “It is a crime against one’s own people,
and all this is going on amidst widespread poverty,” he stated.
According to estimates of the leader of the National Unity faction
Artashes Geghamian, a theft of the sum equivalent to 460 mln USD was
committed in the country as a result of an artificial appreciation of
the dram. He said that last year’s superprofits from import made at
least 220 mln USD, while the population receiving remittances from
abroad suffered a loss of 200 mln USD due to a 16% appreciation of
the Armenian dram.

GYUMRI IN FIRST PLACE BY UNEMPLOYEMENT INDEX
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
GYUMRI, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. 19,700 unemployed persons are currently
registered at the Gyumri territorial job center. 16,111 of them
have the status of an unemployed. Gyumri is in first place among
Armenian cities by the unemployment index. Many of local residents,
who graduated from 1-2 higher educational institutions in the Soviet
time and have all necessary professional skills, are out of work
today. Former directors and engineers have become traders.
Misak Hayrapetian, who worked as a mechanization expert at the
former Lenshintrest for many years, now sells newspapers to support
his family.
“Previously I worked with pleasure, but now jobs are hard to come
by, so I have to sell papers and lottery tickets,” he said, adding
that this occupation does not bring a stable income. “Everything
has changed, prices have gone up, only human life has remained the
cheapest thing,” he noted.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) considers persons engaged
in such activities as the working poor who constitute nearly half
of the world’s working population. According to ILO’s estimates, in
order to reduce their number, states must create 43 mln jobs annually.

5 CRIMINAL CASES ON PANDERING AND TRAFFICKING INSTITUTED IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2006 IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Only in the first quarter of 2006, 5
criminal cases on facts of pandering and trafficking were instituted in
Armenia, according to the materials of which 57 persons were exposed
to sexual exploitation, 53 of which were RA citizens and 4 citizens
of the Ukraine. Police Colonel Karen Babakekhian, Deputy Head of the
Chief Department on Struggle Against Organized Crime of RA Police,
Head of the Department on Illegal Circulation of Drugs and Struggle
Against Trafficking, informed about this at the June 14 meeting with
journalists. 10 of the above-mentioned persons were exposed to sexual
exploitation in RA and 47 abroad (45 in the United Arab Emirates, 2
in Turkey). According to K.Babakekhian, thanks to joint actions with
RF law-enforcement bodies 2 months ago RA law-enforcers prevented
the attempt of moving 4 Armenian women to the United Arab Emirates
from Moscow.
It was mentioned that 13 RA citizens are being searched in the United
Arab Emirates on facts of trafficking. K.Babakekhian mentioned that
the Armenian side is going to apply to the law-enforcement bodies of
the United Arab Emirates for the purpose of returning those searched
to Armenia.
K.Babakekhian called on the population to be careful and not to become
a victim of labor trafficking. Agencies engaged in such actions mainly
register the documents of their victims abroad, which gives them a
possibility to deceit these people. The Police has applied to the
government for the latter to set the order of licensing the agencies
of employment increasing day by day, as well the order of licensing
night entertainment establishments. The Police also proposed that
the night entertainment establishments be moved from the territory
of Yerevan, as this was done with the gambling-houses.
In response to a question of one of the journalists, K.Babakekhian
said that the number of prostitutes who have come to Yerevan from
regions is about 1000, 3-4% of prostitutes is under-aged girls of
15-17 years old. According to him, it is impossible to clarify the
number of under-aged prostitutes working abroad as their passport
data are forged.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PROBLEMS OF MULTISTORIED BUILDINGS’ SEISMIC RESISTANCE SYSTEMS TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON JUNE 15-17
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. An international conference on
problems of seismic resistance systems of multistoried buildings
with the participation of 42 experts from 9 countries will be held
in Yerevan on June 15-17. Mikael Melkumian, chief expert of the
engineering research center at the American University of Armenia,
Chairman of the Armenian Seismic Resistant Construction Association,
announced this during a press conference on June 13.
According to him, Armenia is one of the world’s leaders in the
development and use of seismic-proof rubber-metal systems. The sector’s
development started in 1994. Particularly, Armenia is the only country
where seismic insulation of residential and school buildings was done
during their use without moving residents temporarily to other places
and discontinuation of the edicational process. Besides, the tallest
buildings with seismic insulation in Europe – 16-storey ones are in
Yerevan. Buildings that have more than 16 floors and are provided with
seismic insulation are only in Japan and China. There are 30 buildings
with seismic insulation in Armenia (some of them were previously build,
others are under construction).
M. Melkumian reminded that the 8th world forum on seismic construction
took place in Yerevan in 2003.

CBA CHAIRMAN: WE’LL MAINTAIN FLEXIBLE EXCHANGE RATE IN COMING YEARS
Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. As in the previous years, in 2005 the
monetary and credit policy of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) was
focused on maintaining price stability and the target index of up to
3% inflation. The CBA has no intention to give priority to exchange
rate stability in the future either. The exchange rate regime will
continue being flexible as long as the dollarization degree is high
in Armenia. CBA Chairman Tigran Sargsian stated this at the June 13
sitting of the RA National Assembly when presenting the 2005 annual
report, which was taken into consideration.
According to him, the CBA policy was positively assessed by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and other
financial rating-related international organizations.
As regards the speculation over the sale of gold by CBA, T. Sargsian
said this transaction was conducted in 2003 with a profit of about 3
bln drams (about 6.7 mln USD). He qualified the attempts to mislead
the public as unacceptale. According to him, the gold was sold because
of the necessity to ensure revenues of 3 bln drams and transer this
money to the state budget to incur expenditures. He noted that the
gold reserves make up a small share of the gross foreign assets:
the gross foreign assets currently make 770 mln USD, while gold
reserves – only 15 mln USD. T. Sargsian noted that the countries,
whose foreign debt exceeds their gross foreign assets, do not keep
gold as a means of controlling foreign currency assets, so Armenia
too has no need to accumulate gold in the next few years.

OSKANIAN AND MAMEDYAROV DISCUSS THOSE PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT ON WHICH SIDES HAVE DISAGREEMENTS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 14 2006
PARIS, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. According to the
agreement reached between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in
Bucharest on June 5, Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Vartan
Oskanian’s and Elmar Mamedyarov’s meeting took place in Paris on June
13. Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard Fassier, the OSCE Minsk Group RF and
French Co-Chairmen on Nagorno Karabakh Conflict Settlement and Andrzej
Kasprczik, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
were present at the negotiations.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and
Information Department, those principles and approaches put on the
negotiation table were discussed at the meeting round which the sides
have disagreements.
An agreement was reached to continue negotiations addressed to making
positions closer.