RA PRESIDENT SIGNS DECREE ON HOLDING SPRING CALL-UP AND DEMOBILIZATION
OF 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 27, RA President Robert
Kocharian signed a decree on holding the spring call-up and
demobilization of 2006. In April-June 2006 the persons of human sex of
RA who have turned 18 before the conscription day, as well as citizens
who have lost the right of deferment from the compulsory military
service received before are called up to the army.
As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA President’s Press Service, in
April-June 2006, servicemen who have done the military service in the
fixed term will be demobilized.

EUROPEAN COURT CONSIDERS ACCEPTABLE COMPLAINT OF “GERAGUYN KHORHURD”
CLUB RELATING TO 2003 ELECTIONS

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Court of Human Rights
considered acceptable the complaint of the “Geraguyn Khorhurd”
(Supreme Council) deputies’ club about violation of its observer’s
rights in 2003 NA elections. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the club,
the corresponding chamber of the court made a decision on April 11 to
infrom the RA Government about it, proposing to express in written
form its attitude relating to that complaint till July 6 of this year.
From: Baghdasarian

“NOR ZHAMANAKNER” PRESIDENT STATES THAT CLIENT OF ATTACK ON HIS GUARD
IS COUNTRY PRESIDENT

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. “Nor Zhamanakner” (New Times) party
Chairman Aram Karapetian characterizes the April 21 attack on his
guard as a “political brigandage.” As he stated at the April 27
meeting with journalists at the “Pastark” club, such a line of actions
is characteristical to “third-rate” countries and has a goal to
frighten a politician and his surrounding. Unlike other countries,
where the police is used for similar cases, in this case, according to
Karapetian, the elite detachment of the National Security Service was
put in operation. “I would not like to speak about the professionalism
of the people implementing the action, as by it, we’ll give possibility
to real terrorists to understand defects of our anti-terrorism
sphere,” the “Nor Zhamanakner” Chairman mentioned. Karapetian stated
that according to his data, the client of the attack was the political
heads of the country. According to him, after watching the videotape
shot by the National Security Service, President of the country Robert
Kocharian said that “Aram Karapetian is a difficult case.” According
to the latter, such actions of the authorities “are a consequence of
the political agony and may raise only laugh of serious politicians.”
Responding the question if he did not organize the above-mentioned
case, Aram Karapetian mentioned: “If I may buy Serge Sargsian’s decree
and the whole administration of the National Security, then I must
only implement inauguration.” On the occasion of the guard members’
body injuries got as a result of the case the party addressed to the
forensic doctor. The latter demanded to present a corresponding apply
from the Prosecutor’s Office. But they did not manage to get such an
apply from the Erebuni community, Yerevan city as well as RA
Prosecutor’s General Office. The “Nor Zhamankner” party had to shoot
the consequences of the case and send it on laser disk to foreign
embassies.

SPRING SOWING NOT DONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCHEDULE IN KOTAYK MARZ

HRAZDAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. This spring, only 1,000 ha was sown
with grain out of the planned area of about 10,000 ha in low-lying
lands of Kotayk marz. The sowing of other cultured plants is also
behind the schedule, while in mountainoues area it has not been
started at all. The reason is bad weather, mainly continuous rains.

FOREIGN INFLUENCE MAY CREATE NATIONAL PROBLEMS IN IRAN
Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. The Iranian Azeris can hardly be involved
in the actions against Tehran, says the senior research worker of the
Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian
Academy of Sciences Alexander Krylov The 20 mln Iranian Azeris are
deeply integrated in the social-political life of Iran and have their
representatives in the top echelons of the Iranian authorities. But
the political processes in the world show that foreign financial and
military influence may create national problems even in places having
no such problems before.

TURKEY’S DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS ARE AIMED AT REPLACING RUSSIAN BASES IN
GEORGIA BY ITS OWN ONES
Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. If one looks at what is going on around
Iran, one can see that Turkey has intensified its diplomatic dialogue
with Washington: Ankara is trying to derive as much profit as possible
from the situation and the Americans are interested in Turkey, says
expert of Turkey Ruben Safrastyan.
He says that Turkey’s efforts are aimed at replacing the Russian bases
in Georgia by its own ones. In 2001-2002 the Americans decided to act
in the region on their own rather than through Turkey and it was then
that they sent their instructors to Georgia, says Safrastyan. But
things may change. The US needs Turkey in its actions against Iran and
so the Americans may allow the Turks to intensify their activities in
the region

NEW TIMES PARTY HOLDS RALLY AND MARCH OF PROTEST
Yerevan, April 28. ArmInfo. The New Times party held today a rally and
a march of protest towards the buildings of the Police and the
National Security Service. The leader of the party Aram Karapetyan
said that he and his supporters protest against the interference of
the police and the NSS in the internal political processes. These
structures should serve the state rather than small cliques. “We have
nothing against the Police and the NSS, we are against their chiefs
who serve the interests of the regime,” Karapetyan said.
The police did not interfere in the rally and just cordoned off the
target buildings. The ralliers – some 500 people – marched there and
Karapetyan asked to give the party’s written appeal to the chiefs of
the police and the NSS.

a/2006/04/28/MNG4RIH93T7.DTL
Friday, April 28, 2006 (SF Chronicle)
Five members of Congress arrested over Sudan protest
Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writer
(04-28) 08:51 PDT WASHINGTON – Five members of Congress, including Rep.
Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo) were arrested today when they blocked the front
entrance at the Embassy of Sudan in Washington, D.C. Their protest and
civil disobedience was designed to embarrass the military dictatorship’s
ongoing genocide of its non-Arab citizens.
All told, 11 people were arrested outside the Sudanese embassy on
Massachusetts Avenue, including six activists as well as representatives
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston), Jim McGovern (D-Worcester, Mass.), Jim
Moran (D-Virginia) and John Olver (D-Massachusetts). They were held in a
jail cell for about 45 minutes and then released.
“If you’re looking for lack of international morality, Darfur encompasses
all aspects,” Lantos said before his arrest. “Here we see the slaughter of
innocent black women, children and men by a monstrous regime.”
Lantos, 78, was first elected to Congress in 1981. Two years later, he
founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. As the only Holocaust
survivor ever to serve in Congress, he has pressed the Bush administration
to take steps to deter the state-sanctioned murder and rape of hundreds of
thousands of people in Sudan’s Darfur region.
“We have been calling on the civilized world to stand up and to say,
‘Enough,’ ” Lantos said. “The slaughter of the people of Darfur must end.”
Lantos’ arrest comes as a diverse coalition of human rights activists is
planning to stage major Sudan-related rallies Sunday in Washington, D.C.,
San Francisco and other cities here and overseas. In recent months, the
deteriorating situation in Sudan has become a dilemma for the Bush
administration, which formally declared the killings in Sudan genocide in
September 2004. Now, activists are trying to put pressure on the White
House.
A crowd of about 60 demonstrators cheered as the members of Congress and
other activists were arrested by U.S. Secret Service officers. They were
taken in a van to a local D.C. Police Station where they were each charged
with disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor.
“We cannot stand aside while hundreds of thousands of innocent people are
being slaughtered,” Moran said before his arrest.
“Words are no longer enough. It is time for action,” McGovern said. “This
is the first genocide of the 21 st century. The world has said, ‘Never
again.’ Those words must mean something.”
Lantos said it was the first time he has been arrested.
The situation in Sudan appears to be getting worse. Relief workers say
that about 200,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the past
three months. United Nations officials say that Sudan’s tenuous
humanitarian aid network could soon break down, triggering the deaths of
100,000 people a month from starvation.
“This is an acceleration of violence, and some aid agencies are being
forced to leave,” said Alex Meixner, a legislative coordinator for the
SaveDarfurCoalition of 164 religious, humanitarian and human rights groups
that are sponsoring the Washington rally. “The Khartoum government is
starting to increase the tempo of this genocide.”
“What we did was symbolic and simple and basically pain-free,” Lantos said
via cell phone after his release.
“I’m back in my car with my wife, Annette, and our dog, living our life,
but the people in Darfur are living a 24-hour nightmare.”
E-mail Jim Doyle at [email protected]
Copyright 2006 SF Chronicle

PRICES OF APARTMENTS GROW
Lragir.am
28 April 06
The average price of apartments in Yerevan grew by 24.5 percent in
2005. The news agency ARKA received this information from the National
Statistics Service. According to the National Statistics Service, 65.1
percent of 14 098 of apartments purchased or sold in Yerevan are in
blocks of apartments. The highest prices were reported in the City
Center and Arabkir communities, 157.3-435.9 thousand drams and
112.3-314.6 thousand drams per square meter respectively. The lowest
price was reported in the community of Nubarashen – 53.9-112.3
thousand drams per one square meter. In the regions the growth was
25.9 percent.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALEXANDER ISKANDARIAN POINTS OUT EXISTENSE OF WEAK AUTHORITIES IN
ARMENIA AND ABSENCE OF OPPOSITION

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. “The year of 2005 was in essense
continuation of the tendency in Armenia that may be called the death
of the Armenian opposition,” Alexander Iskandarian, the Director of
the Caucasus Media Institute, stated at the April 28 international
conference “Caucasus-2005” organized by the Caucasus Media
Institute. According to him, the rating of the opposition continued to
decrease in 2005 what was especially brightly releaved after the
referendum on the constitutional amendments when very few people
attended rallies of the opposition: “Talks about the revolution in
Armenia bored, and it became clear after the events followed the
referendum.” In A.Iskandarian’s opinion, Armenia needs appearing of
new opposing forces and re-formation of the old opposition. “The
innerpolitical situation of Armenia may be characterized in the
following way – weak authorities and no opposition,” he stated.
According to him, among factors of the foreign policy, the greatest
influence on the situation in Armenia and South Caucasus in general
was left by the involvement of those countries in the European
Neighborhood Policy, start of taking the Russian military bases from
the territory of Georgia and rise in gas prices by Russia. As for the
processes that took place the last year round one of the most
important elements of the Armenian foreign policy – settlement of the
Karabakh conflict, according to Iskandarian, the course towards the
conservation of the conflict was continued by the conflicting sides.