STATE TO COMPENSATE COMMUNITIES
Panorama.am
17:43 22/06/06
>From now on for any changes, especially reductions in land tax,
property tax or any other taxes going to community budget, the state
will make a compensation for 3 years continuously to the community
budgets.
According to Law on Local Self-governments in case NA adopts a
law that reduces community revenues, the state has to compensate
the losses. According to the law, the compensation should be made
according to order stipulated by law and not by government decree,
for example. However, until this date there was no law regulating
the order of making this compensation.
Concurrently, changes have been in a number of laws, including on
Property Tax, according to which the rate has been reduced from 0,3
to 0,6. This has negatively influenced community budgets but because
of no regulations on making compensations, no compensation were made.
Yesterday the government approved such regulations which will be
submitted to National Assembly. In a briefing followed the government
session, vice minister of finance and economy Pavel Safaryan said
that the communities, which have suffered losses, will be reimbursed
for three years continuously starting next budget year.

MORE THAN 2000 ARTISTS TO TAKE PART IN FESTIVAL ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE
Panorama.am
18:01 22/06/06
About 2000 artists from 22 countries will take part in the second
pan-Armenian festival “One nation, one culture,” Levon Abrahamyan,
Director of Producer Center Alfael told a press conference today. In
the words of the organizers, some stylistic changes have been made in
the festival. According to Armen Manukyan, art director of the fund,
in the past the festival was blamed of being too focused on dance.
This time films, circuit programs and theater performances are included
in the program. Another innovation is FestClub for reporters and guests
from diaspora which will be open from 11pm to 2 am. This will be a
place to talk and receive information on the festival.

TIGRAN TOROSYAN TO LEAVE FOR …. ANTARCTICA
Panorama.am
18:02 22/06/06
NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan told a press conference today that Council
of Europe Parliamentary Assembly monitoring committee will hold a
session in October in Yerevan. Asked about his visits to regions and
abroad, the speaker noted that no visit should be end it itself. “If
there is a need to visit regions, we will pay that visit. If there
is a need to visit Antarctica, we will visit Antarctica. There is
not need to make a visit which will be an end in itself,” he said.
The reporters asked if the visits paid by the former speaker were
as an end in itself, the speaker answered, “the relations which have
been so far will remain the same. The attitude displayed to Mr.
Baghdasaryan will be the same.” The relations between the former and
present speakers are based on respect and tolerance, Tigran Torosyan
assured.

MINE EXPLOSION DAMAGES TWO SERVICEMEN
Armenpress
Jun 22 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS; Two servicemen in a military unit in
the southern province of Syunik were hit by fragments of a mine that
exploded on June 21.
The 20 year-old servicemen, one from Yerevan, and the other from
Tavush province, were taken to hospital, where the doctors had to
amputate the foot of one of the soldiers.
The other soldier did not sustain serious wounds and was soon
discharged. There is no yet exact information about the cause of the
incident but most likely one of the servicemen hit against the mine
that had been planted in the earth near the village of Pelasar in
early 90-s.
From: Baghdasarian

431 CIVIL SERVICE POSITIONS STILL VACANT
Armenpress
Jun 22 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: Manvel Badalian, the chief of the Civil
Service Council, told a news conference yesterday that out of overall
7,100 positions in the civil service 431 were still vacant.
He said though competitions had been held to fill in these vacancies,
no winners were declared as none met the requirements.
“We need skilled accountants, lawyers, financiers to fill in these
expositions, but they all are in the private sector,” Badalian said.
He said 330 officials, many holding rather high positions in the
presidential administration, Yerevan municipality and regions, were
sacked because of failing to certify. He said another 200 were sacked
for possessing faked documents. Overall, he said, since the inception
of the Civil Service Council, 3,493 competitions were held for 22,000
applicants and only 6,592 were recognized winners.

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER PREDICTS INFLUX OF PETITIONS TO CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
Armenpress
Jun 22 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: The recently elected Armenian human
rights defender Armen Harutunian predicted in influx of Armenian
citizens’ petitions to the country’s Constitutional Court after July
1 when an amendment giving this right to them enters into force.
The amendment was part of a package of constitutional reforms that
were adopted in last November’s referendum. Under the amendment,
Armenian citizens can seek justice at the highest court of the country
after they fail to find it in all lower level courts. Harutunian
commended the amendments describing it ‘as a very positive change.” He
also welcomed another amendment that now allows one fifth of the
overall number of parliament members to apply to the Constitutional
Court. Previously only a petition signed by one third of all members
of the parliament was valid.
He said the new system of containments and counterbalances, stipulated
by the revised Constitution, is going to become effective next year
only following the parliamentary elections when the powers of president
and the National Assembly and the way the government is formed will
be reshaped.

OTE RECEIVES OFFERS FOR ITS 90% STAKE IN ARMENTEL
Armenpress
Jun 22 2006
ATHENS, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: The Hellenic Telecommunications
Organization (OTE), the full-service telecommunications provider,
told Armenpress today it received a total of 10 non-binding offers for
its 90% stake in ArmenTel, the incumbent telecommunications operator
in Armenia.
OTE said after reviewing the bids, it has invited the following
parties to participate in the next phase of the sale process: Russian
Vimpelcom and Mobile Telesystems (MTS), as well as the consortium of
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (ETISALAT) / Istithmar PJSC
/Emergent Telecom Ventures (ETV) and the VTEL Holdings / Knightsbridge
Associates.
OTE could not say when exactly the next phase of the sale process
may take place saying preparations for it may take weeks.

DROUGHT HITS HARD ARMENIAN AGRICULTURE
Armenpress
Jun 22 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: According to preliminary calculations
of authorities in the Armenian province of Gegharkunik the persistent
drought there has caused some 47 billion Drams damages to the region’s
agriculture.
Experts say wheat crops have been affected so strongly that they are
good now as only fodder. Potato and winter crops are also endangered
together with hay. Cattle-growers in the province stored every year
about 380,000 tons of hay for winter, this year they will hardly be
able to store 30,000 tons of hay.
Veterinarians say droughts are able to cause outburst of foot and
mouth and other diseases.

RAGIP ZARAKOLU IS “NOT CULPRIT”
Jean Eckian
Relayed Erol ONDEROGLU (BIA News Center), and belge international
publishing house
June 22, 2006
Endless Trials of Publisher Zarakolu
Belge Publications owner and journalist Ragıp Zarakolu now faces upto
13.5 years imprisonment if found guilty for printing and distributing
the Turkish translations of two books related to Armenians in Turkey.
Zarakolu appeared in court once again this week, this time on trial
for the Turkish language publication of Prof. Dr. Dora Sakayan’s book
“Garabed Hacheryan’s Izmir Journal: An Armenian Doctor’s Experiences
” and George Jerjian’s ” The Truth Will Set Us Free: Armenians and
Turks Reconciled”.
The prosecution demands 7.5 years imprisonment for the Turkish
translation book “The Truth Will Set Us Free” for which the court
has assigned Korkmaz Alemdar and Cafer Yenidogan of the Galatasaray
University and Prof. Dr. Emin Artuk of Marmara University as expert
witnesses. They are to read and analyse the book for an expert report.
“Garabed Hacheryan’s Izmir Journal: An Armenian Doctor’s Experiences”
promises Zarakolu up to 6 years imprisonment if he found guilty of the
charges but the court decided this week that statements taken were
fulfilling and an additional expert witness report was not required
for this publication.
Zarakolu: Court should interview author Sakaryan
Appearing before Istanbul’s number 2 Court of First Instance on
Wednesday and defended by attorney Osman Ergin, Zarakolu submitted
a petition to the bench where he explained that author Sakaryan was
a lecturer at the Mc Gill University in Canada and that his book put
on trial in Turkey had been translated into nine different languages.
Zarakolu said Sakaryan had been honours by the German Presidency for
his eminent services in recognition to 50 years of his contributions
to the German language.
He said that Sakaryan was author of the most comprehensive work on
the “Western Armenian” spoken in Turkey and requested the court to
interview the author for his views.
Judge Sevim Efendiler adjourned the case until June 21.
Charges based on controversial articles
Zarakolu faces 6 years imprisonment for the Turkish translation
publication of Sakaryan’s book on grounds that he violated the law
by publishing context that “degraded Turkisism” and “insulted and
ridiculed the Army”.
He faces 7.5 years imprisonment for Jerjian’s book on charges of
“insulting and ridiculing the State and Republic” as well as “Insulting
the memory of Ataturk”.
The two consecutive hearings on Wednesday were held in the presence
of International PEN representative Eugene Schoulgin, International
Human Rights Federation (FIË~YDH) deputy chairman Akın Birdal,
Pencere publications executive Muzaffer Erdogdu, Aram publications
editor Fatih Tas and author Oner Eyuboglu who attended the court in
support of Zarakolu.
Note: April 25, 2005, Ragip Zarakolu received hands of the mayor of
Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, the Medal of the town of Paris.
–Boundary_(ID_Wgoa5cBbvn2wHFWQ3fFS/w)–

FILM & MUSIC: JAZZ, WORLD, FOLK
Robin Denselow
The Guardian – United Kingdom
Jun 23, 2006
CD releases: The Rough Guide to the Music of Iran (Rough Guides/World
Music Network) pounds 9.99
Iran is a complex country where music has continued to flourish
even since the Islamic revolution of 1979, when western pop was
initially banned, and this wide-ranging guide is an eye-opening
introduction. There are gently sturdy classical performers, folk
musicians, virtuoso instrumentalists, and even rock bands such as
the laid-back Barad or upbeat O-Hum, whose lyrics somehow range from
contemporary angst to a beefed-up treatment of ancient Sufi poetry.
Then there are the regional bands like the sturdy and stirring Kamkars
from Iranian Kurdistan, famous for their Kurdish and Persian classical
styles played on long-necked lutes, fiddles and dulcimer. There are
Iranian Armenians such as virtuoso lute-player Hossein Alizadeh, and
black Iranians descended from African slaves, such as the Jahle band,
whose soulful, hypnotic Lullaby is one of the high points on a timely,
intriguing set.