HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST PESSIMISTIC
Victoria Abrahamyan
A1+
| 13:11:32 | 15-10-2005 | Politics |
“It is not important when a person deposited money in a bank. This is
his property and the failure to return these funds is a grave violation
of human rights”, human rights activist Vardan Harutyunyan considers.
As for the statements of the political forces on returning the
deposits, V.
Harutyunyan welcomes them. However he noted, “What does not mean to
return little but now or later but much. These sums are the result
of work of people. This country has announced itself the assignee of
the previous one.
Thus it is obliged to return the money in the amount it was
deposited. The process of returning the deposits should not be
conditioned by the will of the incumbent leadership.”
In his opinion the sums should be returned in relation with the
factor of paying capacity. “For example, what could one buy with 5
000 rubles in 1984-87? One could by a Zhiguli car with 6 000. Economy
is a precise science and does not allow optional deeds”, he stated.
As for the depositors, who are not alive at present, in Vardan
Harutyunyan’s opinion, the funds should be returned to their heirs.
As for the opinions on the creation of a schedule of returning the
deposits V. Harutyunyan said. “People conveyed their property to the
state and have the right to have it back at any moment. The state
failed to create such a system. However it is obliged to return the
deposits”, he resumed

BENEFIT INSTEAD OF DEBT
Lena Badeyan
A1+
| 12:20:14 | 15-10-2005 | Politics |
In the opinion of economist Eduard Aghadjanov, the program of returning
the deposits is not an economic but a populist step and the decision
has all the chances to remain on paper.
The budget for 2006 provides for a sum of $140 million to be allocated
for the reimbursement of the deposits. “I was always surprised how
inattentiveness of our authorities towards this issue”, he says. In
his opinion the government will not be able to return the deposits
with the means of donor organizations. The economist also noted that
in 14 states the deposits have been already returned.
The soon return of deposits seems unreal Eduard Aghadjanov, however
he is not pessimistic. The authorities have undertaken a serious
step forward.
According to his calculations shadow economy in Armenia makes
50%. He thinks that the authorities decided to arouse the issue on
the threshold of the constitutional referendum.

WOMAN DIED DURING ELECTIONS
A1+
| 15:48:16 | 17-10-2005 | Politics |
October 16 during the elections in Vanadzor Adela Poghosyan born in
1936 died in the electoral area N 30/27.
She had come with her family to participate in the elections of Mayor
in Vanadzor. The workers of the Committee did not find her name in
the electoral roll and sent her to the court to re-establish her
suffrage. She was informed in the court that her name is included
in the electoral rolls and she was sent back to the electoral area
where the workers of the Committee failed once again to find her name.
On the whole Adela Poghosyan went to the court and back three
times. The last time when her name was not found in the list she
became too nervous and died right in the electoral area.
By the way, only after her death did the workers of the Committee
find her name in the roll. After the incident the elections were
stopped for some time in the area.
The head of the Local Electoral Committee informed our correspondent
that they are not responsible for the errors in the electoral rolls. He
also hinted that if the woman had a weak heart, she did not have to
come to the area. It is noteworthy that Mrs. Adela’s husband claimed
that her wife did not have health problems.

PLANS IN BUZAND FULFILLED BY 163%
A1+
| 14:20:31 | 17-10-2005 | Social |
According to the information of the Yerevan Municipality Emergency
Department on October 10-16 there have been 35 power incidents in
the capital 10 of which were fire alarms. The information was given
by the Yerevan deputy mayor Vano Vardanyan during the usual briefing.
The deputy mayor also represented the course of the construction works
in the capital mentioning that they have been carried out according
to schedule by at least 110% each. For example the cleaning of the
Buzand and Arami streets have been carried out by 163%, the works in
Davtashen and Kievyan bridges – by 103%, etc.
Referring to the works concerning the central heating system Vano
Vardanyan mentioned that for the coming winter the system will operate
in 60 buildings instead of last year’s 20.

REFERENDUM TO BE FORGED
A1+
| 13:08:07 | 17-10-2005 | Social |
“What do you think the result of the Constitutional Referendum
will be?”
This was last week’s poll question of the internet site “A1+”. 307
readers have participated in the poll. According to the results, more
than half of the readers are no optimist. The results are as follows.
The pack will not receive enough votes but the authorities will forge
the results – 57.0%
The pack will be adopted – 24.8%
The pack will be rejected – 13.4%
Undecided – 4.9%
This week our poll question will be ” What mechanisms of returning
the bank deposits made in the soviet period do you prefer? “. Let us
also remind you that you can read articles about the poll theme in
the corresponding section of our site.

NOVELIST DENIES ‘GENOCIDE’ CLAIM
The Guardian, UK
Oct 17 2005
Orhan Pamuk, a best-selling Turkish novelist facing trial for speaking
out about the 1915 mass killings of Armenians, moved at the weekend to
soften his controversial remarks, insisting that he did not describe
the episode as genocide.
Pamuk could face up to three years in prison for reportedly telling
a Swiss newspaper that “30,000 Kurds and 1 million Armenians were
killed in these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it”. But
on Saturday night, he went on CNN-Turk television to say: “I did
not say, we Turks killed this many Armenians. I did not use the word
‘genocide’.”
Armenians say that 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks, which Armenia and several other countries recognise as a
genocide. Turkey denies the genocide claim, saying that the death
toll is inflated and that Armenians were killed in civil unrest as
the Ottoman empire collapsed. Asked about the numbers of deaths he
referred to in his newspaper interview, Pamuk said that they were
“spontaneous remarks”.
His comments on the Kurds were no less controversial, referring to
Turkey’s 20-year conflict with Kurdish guerrillas seeking autonomy,
branded a terrorist group by the US and EU. “There are martyred
Turkish soldiers among those 30,000 to 35,000 killed people. Let’s
express our respect to them,” Pamuk said, complaining that he had
become a victim of a “defamation campaign”.
The case could embarrass Turkey as it seeks to demonstrate to
Europe that its laws and practices are capable of meeting European
standards. The EU has said it will be watching when the case starts
on December 16.
Pamuk’s books, which include the internationally acclaimed Snow and
My Name is Red, have been translated into more than 20 languages and
the novelist has received many international awards.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HEAD OF THE PROTOCOL SERVICE WAS DEAD
Panorama.am
11:54 17/10/05
On October 15, late in the evening head of the protocol service
of president staff, 32 years old Mamikon Tonoyan has died in a car
accident. As the department for emergencies informed, M. Tonoyan’s car
crashed with another machine near the restaurant “Belagio”. M. Tonoyan
has died immediately and his passenger Hasmik Galstyan was sent to
hospital with number of injuries.
On October 16 according to doctors, her health situation was very bad.

ABSENCE OF RESULTS IN PEACE TALKS DIMINISHES DIPLOMATIC PROGRESS – ALIYEV
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 15 2005
Baku, October 14, AssA-Irada
President Ilham Aliyev has cited diplomatic progress in talks with
Armenia on settling the long-standing Upper Garabagh conflict but
said the lack of results diminishes this progress.
“There is certain diplomatic success in the process, as
‘positive changes’ have occurred in the positions of international
organizations. But all these achievements are worthless in the absence
of any results.”
The President said that the negotiating process will continue as
long as its potential is not exhausted. “But our patience is not
inexhaustible. How long will this situation persist?”, he said.
“I am absolutely confident that if we want to return our [occupied]
land on the basis on fair peace, we should attach great importance
to army building”, Aliyev said.
The President noted that Azerbaijan’s military budget will reach the
overall budget of Armenia in the future and the occupied territories
will be liberated.
Whereas the country’s military expenses made up $175 million in 2004,
the figure will reach $600 million in 2006.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LEFT FOR LITHUANIA
A1+
| 16:04:36 | 17-10-2005 | Official |
Today the RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan left for Lithuania on
a two-day official visit.
During the visit the Minister will meet the President of the country
and the Foreign Minister.
On October 19 Vardan Oskanyan will leave for Brussels to joint the
delegation of Robert Kocharyan will visit the European structures on
an official visit.

SKATING FROM NOVEMBER
Panorama.am
14:01 17/10/05
As the vice-mayor of Yerevan Vano Vardanyan informed, at the end of
October the reconstruction works of the lake Karap will be finished. So
the field for skating will receive its clients from November 15.
“It will be an extraordinary building. Nobody has ever seen such kind
of building”, said the vice-mayor proudly.
As for other water buildings in Yerevan, V. Vardanyan informed that
from overseen 105 million drams, 85 million will be spent for other
city pools.
He also added that this winter they are going to obtain 2000 ton
technical salt and more than 5000 ton sand.