ARMENIAN OPPOSITION IN RA PARLIAMENT INTENDS TO INITIATE DISCUSSION OF HEARING IN PARLIAMENT FOR PROBLEM OF COUNTRY’S CIVIL AVIATION
Yerevan, May 22. ArmInfo. The Armenian opposition in the RA
Parliament intends to initiate the discussion of hearing in the
country’s Parliament for the problems of country’s civil aviation,
the Secretary of the “Justice ” oppositional bloc Viktor Dallakyan
said today in the RA Parliament.
According to him, the opposition included the legislation about
Civil Aviation in the Parliament agenda earlier which was, however,
failed by the country’s ruling coalition. After the tragedy of the
Armenian airbus A-320 in the Black Sea, the issue became more actual,
Dallakyan said, having called up the deputies to put their signatures
under the opposition’s initiative.

“NORTH AVENUE” GAINS REAL SHAPES
Yerevan, May 22. ArmInfo. The “North Avenue” Project starts to gain
real shapes. As the Vice Mayor of Yerevan Karen Davtyan said, this
is the first big city planning Program in Armenia in the post-Soviet
period. The Program is complex and, taking into account its scale, it
is unprecedented for the capital. The total territory of construction
is 70-80 thsd. sq. m. The construction is carried out since 2003. The
idea of the “North Avenue” belongs to the author’s group headed by the
former Chief Architect of Yerevan Narek Sarkissyan. Separate buildings
were included in the initial Project later. In addition to tenement
houses and commercial objects, underground complex constructions, which
had never been before in the capital, are also built. For example,
an underground two-high car park, which will allow to considerably
mitigate the functioning capacity of the Yerevan streets by cars. A
foot-street is also built, as it is customary in many cities of
the world.
It is scheduled to complete the “North Avenue”, which is conventionally
divided in three sections, at the end of 2007. Eleven builders are
involved in the Project implementation. Particularly, the “Local
Developers”, “Aykapal”, “Has Profit”. Among the foreign builders,
a good work of the “Moscow House”, “AVO FM”, “Nazaret Berberyan”
Ltd. and “Garni Group” companies was especially noted.

OSCE CHAIRMAN IN OFFICE ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IN 2006
Yerevan, May 23. ArmInfo. In an interview to RFE/RL OSCE Chairman in
Office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht says that he is not
pessimistic but is not excessively optimistic about the possibility
of the Karabakh conflict settlement this year.
He says that the OSCE is doing its best to bring the sides to
agreement. Sometimes the hope is strong sometimes not. De Gucht urges
Armenia and Azerbaijan to do all they can to reach agreement. All
depends on them while the OSCE and Belgium, as OSCE Chairman in Office,
can only help them in the matter.
De Gucht says that often there are some side obstacles to the
resolution of frozen conflicts. One of such obstacles to the Karabakh
peace process is the closed Armenian-Turkish border.
De Gucht is still optimistic in the matter. He says that unless one
is optimist he has nothing to do in the politics.

GEGHAM MANUKIAN TO JOIN RA NA “ARF” FACTION STAFF
Noyan Tapan
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Central Electoral Commission
will register Gegham Manukian, an ARF Dashnaktsutiun member, the
head of the information and political programs of the “Yerkir Media”
TV company, the deputy by the NA proportional electoral order at
the May 22 sitting. He will be given the deputy’s mandate on the
same day. CEC Secretary Hamlet Abrahamian informed the Noyan Tapan
correspondent about it. To recap, the ARF mandate by the proportional
electoral order was vacant as a result of elected by the party list
Levon Mkrtchian’s having been appointed on May 17 the RA Minister of
Education and Science and having ahead of time stopped his deputy’s
commissions for this reason.

HRAYR KARAPETIAN TO HEAD NA ARF FACTION
Noyan Tapan
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Former ARF Secretary Hrayr Karapetian
will head the ARF faction of the RA National Assembly from now
on. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Tigran Torosian made this decision
of the faction public at the May 22 sitting of the Parliament. To
recap, Levon Mkrtchian who was appointed the RA Minister of Education
and Science on May 17, occupied the post of the ARF faction head.

HAMLET HOVSEPIAN DISCHARGED POST OF YEREVAN MALATIA-SEBASTIA COMMUNITY PROSECUTOR
Noyan Tapan
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian signed
a decree on May 20 on discharging Hamlet Hovsepian from the post
of the Prosecutor of the Malatia-Sebastia community of the city
of Yerevan. Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the President’s
Press Office.

ULP TO HOLD SOME VACANT POSTS IN EXECUTIVE POWER
Noyan Tapan
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The United Labor Party (ULP) will
transfer 5 mln drams (over 11 thousand USD) to the account opened
especially for the purpose of providing assistance to the families
of those who died in the accident of A-320 plane. As Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed from party head Gurgen Arsenian, such
a decision was made at the May 20 sitting of the party political
board. According to him, the issue of the posts that remained vacant
in the executive power after the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law)
party’s leaving the coalition was also discussed. In particular,
the most active members of the party will assume the posts of Deputy
Minister of Labor and Social Issues, Deputy Governors of Lori and
Shirak regions. According to our unofficial checked information,
the party was also given the right to be nominated for the post of
the Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs: it will be assumed by
non-partisan Hasmik Poghosian, current Chairwoman of the Armenian
Company of Cultural Ties and Cooperation. As for vacant ruling posts
at the parliament, G.Arsenian refused to provide any information
considering it non-expedient to speak about nominations on the vacant
posts for the present.

ROBERT SIMMONS HIGHLY ESTIMATES PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF NATO-ARMENIA IPAP
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Robert Simmons,
Special Representative of NATO Secretary General on South Caucasian
Issues, paid a visit to Armenia on May 22. The same day he was
received by Arman Kirakosian, Deputy RA Foreign Minister. Summing
up the working meeting of NATO representatives and members of the
Interdepartmental Commission on the Armenian Individual Partnership
Actions Plan (IPAP) held on May 18-19, the Special Representative of
NATO Secretary General highly estimated the process of implementation
of NATO-Armenia IPAP mentioning that in a short period Armenia has
passed a considerable way in the issue of carrying out the IPAP program
provisions. As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press
and Information Department, Arman Kirakosian said that cooperation
with NATO and participation in IPAP and Partnership for Peace is
one of the important components of the Armenian security system. In
this respect he attached importance to extension of the political
dialogue with NATO and to implementation of the respective reforms in
the country’s defence sphere, including working out the conception
of the national security. The sides also attached importance to
notification of wide circles of the society about NATO’s goals and
policy, in particular, about Armenia-NATO cooperation. RA Deputy
Foreign Minister in general outline presented the last developments
in the direction of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and
the current state of Armenia-Turkey relations. After the meeting with
Arman Kirakosian Robert Simmons took part in the regular sitting of
the Interdepartmental Commission created by the order of RA Prime
Minister for the purpose of implementation of IPAP. Simmons briefly
presented the commission members the preliminary results of the IPAP
implementation intermediate estimation visit.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HEAD OF GENERAL HEADQUARTERS OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES TO PAY TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA ON MAY 24
Noyan Tapan
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 24, the delegation led by
Colonel-General Sergei Kirichenko, Commander-in-Chief and Head of
the General Headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, will pay a
two-day official visit to Armenia.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, RA Defence
Minister’s Spokesperson, meetings with Mikael Haroutiunian, Head of
the General Headquarters of RA Armed Forces, First Deputy Minister of
Defence, and Tigran Torosian, RA NA Vice-Speaker, are planned within
the framework of the visit.
The delegation will visit the memorial of the Armenian Genocide,
the Humanitarian Mine-clearing Center, the Military Institute
after RA Defence Minister Vazgen Sargsian. The delegation headed
by S.Kirichenko will also visit the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin,
where it will be received by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin
II. Late in the evening of May 24, a ceremony of signing documents
will take place at the Reception House of RA Defence Ministry, which
will be followed by the joint press conference of the Heads of General
Headquarters of the two countries.

IN ALL PROBABILITY, RPA AND ULP CANDIDATES TO BE NOMINATED FOR NA VACANT RULING POSTS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 22 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. For the present,
the National Deputy MP group is not inclined to assume any post in
the executive and legislative bodies that are or will be vacant as a
result of the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) Party representatives’
resignation from their posts. Group member, MP Hakob Hakobian
from Echmiadzin electoral district N 26, said this in response to
Noyan Tapan correspondent’s question. According to him, it is not
expedient to assume responsibility for the things done or not done
by their predecessors in the short period before the forthcoming
parliamentary elections. The parliamentary opposition, the Ardarutiun
(Justice) and National Unity factions, have already made decisions
not to take part in the nomination of candidacies and voting for the
vacant parliamentary posts. The two parliamentary coalition forces,
the ARF Dashnaktsutiun and the Republican Party of Armenia, as well
as the United Labor Party prefer not to disclose the agreements on
nominating candidacies for the vacant parliamentary posts for the
present motivating this by the fact that the discussions are not over
yet. According to unofficial information, an agreement has been reached
on nomination for the NA Speaker’s post: it was reserved for RPA, which
intends to nominate the candidacy of NA and party Vice-Chairman Tigran
Torosian. Recently some MPs discontent with this nomination did not
exclude that against the agreement they will nominate and will support
the candidacy of RPA faction head Galust Sahakian. But in response
to journalists’ question on May 22 G.Sahakian said that in case of
such development of the events he will withdraw his candidature.
In case of T.Torosian’s election as RA NA Speaker the post of RA NA
Vice-Speaker will also remain vacant. Besides, the parliament should
elect Chairmen of Standing Committees on Defence, National Security
and Internal Affairs, as well as on Social, Healthcare and Nature
Protection Issues. In the coming days both of these posts will be
announced vacant when the resignations of OYP members Mher Shahgeldian
and Gagik Mkheyan are considered accepted. According to our reliable
information, an agreement has been already reached on nomination of
ULP faction candidate for the post of the Chairman of NA Standing
Committee on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs. The
candidacy of Artur Petrosian, member of the above-mentioned faction
and committee, will be nominated for this post. The ARF Dashnaktsutiun
does not aspire to the leading positions at NA and intends to remain
loyal to the agreements to be reached finally.