ARSHAK SADOYAN: IT IS POSSIBLE TO SOLVE SOME PROBLEMS EVEN UNDER BAD
AUTHORITIES

YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. A NGO to protect the interests of
consumers in the telecommunication sector will soon be set
up. Chairman of the Alliance of National Democrats (AND) Party Arshak
Sadoyan said during the May 12 press conference that it is possible to
solve some problems even under bad authorities. The matter concerns a
recent decision of the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission, which
approved ArmenTel’s proposal to forgive the complaining subscribers
the sums to be paid for international calls made by error while using
the Internet in the period from November 2004 to April 1, 2006. The
company also expressed a willingness to register the already paid sums
as a prepayment for fixed-line phone services. According to A Sadoyan,
such bills sent to subscribers by ArmenTel total nearly 600 thousand
dollars. A. Sadoyan also stated that AND will struggle for the
independence of Armenia’s energy sector. In his words, “in this
sector, no other state should have a monopoly, and all the facilities
transferred should be returned to the Armenian people.”

“WORLD VISION” TO IMPLEMENT IN ARMENIA PROGRAM OF SURGERY OF CHILDREN
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The “World Vision” organization will
organize an official reception on May 17 in the “Winter Garden” hall
of the “Yerevan” hotel to present problems of children with special
needs in Armenia and to get necessary financial means for their
surgery and treatment. According to the information submitted to Noyan
Tapan by the Armenian Office of the organization, the event is
entitled “By presenting whole-heartedly, You Present the World.” A
video material presenting the preliminary stage of surgery of the
children with special needs will be shown during the event, after what
pupils of the Fund after Spivakov will show a music performance. It is
mentioned that the “World Vision” organization implemented a similar
program the last year as well, by private financial resources
allocated from Germany.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT PROPOSES REVISING SOME ISSUES OF PUNITIVE POLICY
YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The amendments to be made in the RA
Criminal Court Procedure Code, the RA Criminal Code, the RA Criminal
Executive Code and the RA Law on Criminal Executive Service are aimed
at making specifications in the punitive policy. Head of the Court and
Legal Reforms Department of the RA Ministry of Justice Nikolai
Arustamian told NT correspondent about it. It is envisaged to make the
main specifications in such punitive measures as fine, as well as
public and corrective labor. Particularly, according to N.
Arustamian, it is intended to replace 2 years’ imprisonment with
public labor at the request of a convicted person. The Criminal
Executive Code currently in force envisages such a possibility in case
of availability of a court act on up to 1 year imprisonment. It is
proposed abolishing corrective labor as a punitive measure, because
studies show that this measure is gradually losing its effect and is
not conducive to solution of the three major problems related to the
use of punishment: restoration of social justice, prevention and
correction of the convicted person. It is also envisaged to abolish
fine as an additional punitive measure: statistical studies indicate
that fine is seldom imposed as an additional punishment, while in case
of its use, some problems arise. In many cases the main punishment is
applied, while the additional one – fine is not. It was noted that
pursuant to the RA Law on the National Assembly By-Laws, the Armenian
government made a decision on May 11 to consider as urgent the package
of the following draft laws: on making amendments to the RA Criminal
Code, on making an addition and amendments to the RA Criminal
Executive Code, on making additions to the RA Criminal Court Procedure
Code, and on making amendments and additions to the RA Law on Criminal
Executive Service.

AMENDMENTS TO BE MADE TO RA LAW “ON EDUCATION”

YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Government approved at the May 11
sitting the draft “On Making Amendments to the RA Law “On Education.”
Making of the decision is conditioned by the necessity of passing to
the 12 years secondary education in the RA. As Norayr Ghukasian, the
RA Deputy Minister of Education and Science informed journalists after
the sitting, the goal of the draft is to create a legislative basis
for passing to the 12 years teaching of the secondary system of
Armenia. According to him, main changes relate to Articles 15 and 18
of the RA law “On Education” in the first of which the age for
starting attending school will be fixed. According to the draft, those
children who will be 6 years old till December 31 of this calendar
year will attend first grade. It was mentioned that while passing to
the 11 years education that age was fixed 6.5 years old. The next
change is classification of levels of the school arising of the 12
years education: elementary school: 1-4 grades, middle school: 5-9
grades. and high school: 10-12 grades. N.Ghukasian mentioned that
according to the draft law, passing to the 12 years education will be
implemented starting from this year. Two types of first grades, of 6
and 6.5 years old pupils, will be formed according to age groups, they
will leave the school correspondingly in 12 and 11 years. The next
year, the 6 years old first grades will attend 2nd grade, and 6.5
years old will attend 3rd grade.
Arising of that, numeration of all grades will increase by one. It was
also mentioned that in 2011 no school-leavers will be in the republic,
what is connected with passing from 10 years education to 11 years one
in 2001. According to N.Ghukasian, 53 thousand first grade pupils
will attend school this year, 16 500 of them are 6 years old, others
are 6.5.

PROGRAM REFUGEES’ REGISTRATION TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN ARARAT MARZ

ARARAT, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The program of refugees’ registration
will take place in the marz of Ararat. The program will be financed by
the Armenian Office of the Norwegian Refugee Council. UN expert Jean
Yves Bouchardy, Arayik Haroutiunian, the Chief of the RA Migration
Agency’s Department for Refugees and Rudolf Zakarian, the program head
of the Norwegian Refugee Council visited the marz on May 11 for that
purpose. It was mentioned during the meeting with Ararat Governor Alik
Sargsian that defining of the final number of immigrated people is
important as many of them, having lived in the marz for some time,
left the republic. According to interlocutors, successful
implementation of the program will be provided by a close cooperation
of the RA Migration Agency’s Department for Refugees, the Norwegian
Refugee Council, public organizations and local self-government
bodies. It was also mentioned that defining of the number of
immigrated people is important for implementation of the “Millennium
Challenge” and Strategic Program on Poverty programs.

STATE PROGRAMS OF IRAN INVOLVE WORKS OF REPAIRING OF TWO ARMENIAN
MONASTERIES IN THAT COUNTRY

YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. At the May 10 meeting with RA Minister
of Culture and Youth Issues Gevorg Gevorgian, Alireza Haghighean, the
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the RA, expressed his
deep condolence on the occasion of the accident of the aircraft
implementing the Yerevan-Sochi flight. The Minister thanked for the
brotherly sympathy and mentioned that the two people support one
another and are united both at moments of sadness and happiness and
victories. An agreement was reached between the sides during the
meeting concerning 2006-2009 cooperation in the sphere of the cultural
heritage among the RA Ministry of Culture and Youth Isses and the IRI
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. Deputy Minister Gagik
Gyurjian, thanking for the Iranian side’s initiative for works of
reconstruction of the Armenian Surb Anna church in the Farsi state of
IRI, presented the Armenian initiative of the researching drafting
works for reconstruction works of the Persian mosque in Agarak.
G.Gyurjian also mentioned that drafts on reconstruction of the roof of
the Surb Tade monastery and the church tower of the Surb Stepanos
monastery complex have already been finished by Armenian
architectures, and the main restoration works are involved in the
state program of Iran.

AMBASSADOR VLADIMIR KARMIRSHALIAN HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO VICE
PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA

BUENOS AIRES, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Armenian
Ambassador to the Republic of Argentina Vladimir Karmirshalian on May
11 handed his credentials to Vice President of Argentina, President of
the Senate Daniel Scioli. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, following the official ceremony, a
conversation took place between the RA Ambassador Karmirshalian and
the Argentinian Vice President Scioli. Congratulating the Armenian
ambassador, D. Scioli expressed a hope that the friendly relations
between the two countries will develop and strengthen during the term
of office of the new ambassador of the Republic of Armenia. The sides
underlined the necessity for giving a fresh impetus to the
implementation of the intergovernmental agreements in economy, health,
science, culture and other spheres. V. Karmirshalian presented the
process of democratic reforms in Armenia and the most important
problems of Armenia’s foreign policy. Vice Prsident Scioli, who is
well familiar with the Armenian community of Argentina and has a high
opinion about the role that the Argentinian Armenians play in the
socioeconomic and cultural life of the country, in his turn stated a
willingness to promote cooperation between Armenia and Argentina, and,
expressing his agreement to a proposal of the Armenian ambassador,
noted that Armenia can indeed become a unique gate for Argentinian
investment in the South Caucasus.

Opposition figure urges Armenian leader to dissolve parliament, sack
government
Mediamax news agency
12 May 06
Yerevan, 12 May: The secretary of the opposition Justice bloc, Viktor
Dallakyan, said today that “the Armenian president should speak on TV
today and say that the coalition does not exist any more”.
Commenting on Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan’s resignation and the
Law-Governed Country Party’s departure from the ruling coalition,
Dallakyan said that the Armenian president should dissolve the
parliament and dismiss the government and the prime minister.
Dallakyan believes that “the speaker resigned as a result of pressure
from the ruling circles”. He did not rule out that “Bagdasaryan
probably encountered the same kind of pressure as the former head of
the presidential administration, Artashes Tumanyan”.
The secretary of the Dashnaktsutyun faction, Grayr Karapetyan, said
today that the Law-Governed Country Party left the ruling coalition
“in the most civilized way”. He also said that each of the three
member parties of the coalition is an independent political force and
has the right to determine its political line independently.

Armenian leader reacts “calmly” to speaker’s resignation, spokesman says
Mediamax news agency
12 May 06
Yerevan, 12 May: The Armenian president’s press secretary, Viktor
Sogomonyan, today said that “the head of the state has reacted calmly
to the Law-Governed Country Party’s departure from the ruling
coalition, as well as to the resignation of the speaker of the
Armenian National Assembly.”
Commenting on the president’s attitude to the latest developments over
the Law-Governed Country Party and its leader Artur Bagdasaryan,
Sogomonyan said that “the changes in the composition of the coalition
are an everyday occurrence in any civilized country”.
“In this case nothing extraordinary has happened, especially, if we
take into account the fact that there have been certain disagreements
among members of the coalition, which should have been exacerbated
during the pre-election period. We have been witnessing this over the
last few months,” Sogomonyan said.
Sogomonyan said with certainty that the recent developments “will not
cause a political crisis in the country”.
“The ‘divorce’ was carried out in an open and civilized manner. The
Armenian Republican Party and Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun will continue to work within the framework
of the political memorandum. The government and the Armenian National
Assembly will continue to work as normal,” Sogomonyan said.

Armenia opens plant to process rocket fuel

Mediamax news agency
12 May 06

Yerevan, 12 May: Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan and OSCE
Secretary-General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut have opened a plant to
process melange near the village of Kaltakhchi in Armenia’s Lori
Region.
A depot with 872 tonnes of rocket fuel components – a liquid oxidizer
called melange – remained in Armenia after the collapse of the
USSR. Melange is a highly toxic and aggressive substance that poses a
treat to the population and environment.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the plant today, Sarkisyan noted
the importance of this event in the context of ensuring environmental
security, Mediamax news agency reports. Sarkisyan pointed out that the
plant is a graphic example of effective cooperation between the OSCE
and the Armenian Defence Ministry.
The plant to process melange will operate until August 2007 and
produce 5,200 tonnes of liquid fertilizers.
Money for the construction of the plant to process melange was
allocated by the USA, Finland, Germany and Canada.