WHERE ARE THE 350 LOST SOLDIERS?
A1+
[02:04 pm] 11 April, 2006
“We are sure that your sons are alive and they will return by all
means. We beg you not to lose your last hope,” the high-rank officials
of the Defense Ministry have told the relatives of the missing soldiers
these words for 12 years in Erablur. The same words could be heard
today on the international day of Unknown Soldier and war prisoners.
The chairman of the “Unknown soldiers’ relatives’ council” Rima
Arakelyan spoke for the unknown soldiers’ mothers today, “We become
comforted when our sorrow and grief become universal.” This is a
quotation from Mrs. Arakelyan’s official speech. In fact the relatives
of missing soldiers have no comfort today. “We haven’t lost our
hopes. But it is already 14 years since my son lost, and I haven’t
heard from him all those years. We get information from non official
sources. We mustn’t betray our sons and we must confess; the country
does not take adequate measures to find our sons. We have nobody to
turn to and get a definite answer,” said Mrs. Arakelyan. They agree
that the country faces serious problems today but it mustn’t forget
the people who contributed to its victory.
According to the data of the “Unknown soldiers’ relatives’ council”
there are about 350 missing soldiers in our country the majority of
which got lost after the war while serving in the army. The efforts
of the relatives to find the missing soldiers haven’t had positive
results either. “The mothers of the Azeri lost soldiers also face the
same problem but they forget their grief when speaking of 20 percent
territory and demand it from us. This attitude is incomprehensible
for us,” assumed Rima Arakelyan.
Anyway, the Azeri women said during the meeting of Armenian and Azeri
lost soldiers’ mothers that there is at least one Armenian war prisoner
in Azeri homes in certain regions of the country. The question whether
this datum is warranted or not can’t be answered so far as Azerbaijan
declares that there are no war prisoners in their country. “The efforts
of finding missing soldiers are at a deadlock,” said the vice chairman
of “Community and Right” Suren Hovhannesyan. The missing soldiers’
mothers are sure that the measures of finding their sons will not have
their positive results unless there is a state approach to the matter.

THE SIGNATURE TAKING PROCESS WAS A FAILURE
A1+
[02:49 pm] 11 April, 2006
The deadline of taking signatures on the formation of a temporary
committee on the estrangement of the Hrazdan power station and the gas
price increase initiated by the party “Justice” expired at 12:30 today.
Only 20 deputies joint the signature taking process; the parties
“National Conciliation” and “Justice,” and 3 free deputies Emma
Khudabashyan, Manuk Gasparyan and Hmayak Hovhannesyan. “Being an
illegal body the Coalition avoids forming committees to control
the lawfulness of any deal. The Coalition is aimed at establishing
shadow activities,” said the secretary of the party “Justice” and
the initiator of signature taking Victor Dallakyan.

THE SITUATION IS THE SAME IN THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
A1+
[02:29 pm] 11 April, 2006
The central meetings of the 7th round of the Chess European individual
championship mainly ended in a draw. Ivanchuk, Zdenko and Predrag
have the top scores with 5.5 points in the fixture table. Armenian
grand master Ashot Anastasyan shares the 4th place with 8 other chess
players having 5 points.
Artashes Minasyan and Tigran Kotanjyan reached the places from 13 to
35 with 4.5 points. Arman Pashikyan and Tigran Petrosyan have bottom
places with 3.5 points.
The same can be said about women contest where 3 participants are
leading the table with top scores of 5.5 points. Elina Danielyan
reached 3 – 11 places with her 5 points. Lilit Lazarian has 4 points,
Siranush Andreasyan and Nelly Aghinyan have 3.5 points.

THE DEPUTY DID NOT ORGANISE AN ENCROACHMENT
A1+
[03:27 pm] 11 April, 2006
Today the Armavir deputy Nahapet Gevorgyan who rarely appears
in the Parliament was present in the session after a long
absence. According to the data of the mass media the latter is
suspected in the organization of encroachment on the Chairman of
the “Erkrapah-Kamavor Alliance” (“Alliance of Volunteer-Defenders”)
of Armavir Rustam Gasparyan.
Let us remind you that Rustam Gasparyan was taken to hospital
with serious bodily injuries. There are certain versions on their
hostility; some sources say that they had business affairs with
each other and their conflict is connected with the so-called market
“Sadakhlu.” Others say that Rustam Gasparyan is going to the Parliament
but their territory already has a deputy – Nahapet Gevorgyan.
Today answering the question of the correspondent of “A1+” Nahapet
Gevorgyan refuted the accusations addressed to him and said, “I have no
connection with the encroachment, and all the accusations are false.”
Asked why he doesn’t sue the people spreading such rumors he answered,
“I am not inclined to such things.
Everything is aspersion; I have nothing in common with it.”
While answering the question of “Aravot” newspaper whether he ever
had any problems with Rustam Gasparyan the deputy said, “No, never.”

PURPOSE OF HRAZDAN TPP 5th UNIT’S DEAL IS TO MITIGATE SOCIAL SITUATION UNTIL UPCOMING ELECTIONS, AAM BOARD STATES
Noyan Tapan
Apr 10 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Under the name of measures aimed at
mitigating the gas price increase consequences, the ruling regime is
taking a next in turn step that seems to please the people, while
actually endangers the RA national security and has the purpose
of maintaining and reproducing its own power.” This is said in a
statement issued by the board of the Armenian All-National Movement
(AAM) in connection with alienation of the 5th power unit of the
Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant (TPP) to a Russian state company. It
is noted in the statement that conceding the whole energy sector of
the country to another state constitutes a loss of one of the most
importrant foundations of the country’s political independence and
pursues a “purely transient consumer” goal, as a result of which
the real loss incurred by the whole people will exceed multifold the
seeming economic benefit. The AAM board pointed out that no social
problem is solved by this deal, since the compensated sum will mainly
go to the well-off sections of the society – the owners of the gas
consuming production, the oligarchs making the entourage of the ruling
regime.”This shameful deal has one goal – to allay a possible social
indignation until the upcoming elections,” the statement reads. It
is notheworthy that the board of the Human Rights 96 Party also
expressed its concern over the 5th unit’s deal. According to it,
“since there is no information about the normative legal act, under
which this decision was made, it remains to hope that these are not
provisions of the RA Law on State Property Privatization as they were
completely violated by the coaltion ministers.”

NO HOUSE NO PROBLEMS
A1+
[04:19 pm] 11 April, 2006
There are no more dwelling houses in the adjacent part of Amiryan
and Buzand streets. Some of the former dwellers could get flats;
others found a shelter at their relatives’ and acquaintances’. And
what about the Buzand residents? They informed us that they are
waiting for the answer of the Constitutional Court.
“If they don’t start the trial next week we shall continue
our hunger-strike. But this time we shall do it in front of the
Constitutional Court instead of the Human Rights Protector’s Office. We
don’t organize strikes in front of the Government premises as we
find it senseless. Our matter can be solved only by the court,” says
the former inhabitant of Buzand Nuneh Varduni. Another inhabitant of
the same street Sedrak Baghdasaryan assumes that they will establish
justice due to the Constitutional Court, “And why not; one day our
country will become a country of law.”
The majority if the residents still continue their strikes and will
continue, as they say, “Our officials declare without pondering that
90% of the dwellers are interested in the compensation. But it is
not true.
Judging from their words one can say we are ready to sell the country
if we are given more money. Money is not vital, it is secondary. If
there is no law in the country and the law is only for ordinary people
that country is doomed to fall.”
Let us remind you that the Human Rights Protector Armen Harutyunyan
lodged a claim to the Constitutional Court on the issue of Northern
and Main Avenues inhabitants but so far his claim hasn’t been upheld.

PM REMINDS ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTION ON REELECTION
Lragir.am
10 April 06
During the meeting of the presidium of the NAS Academician Emil
Gabrielyan, member of the presidium of the National Academy of
Sciences, proposed that the right of the president of the NAS for
reelection to be restricted.
“The head of state can be reelected once, but there is not such a
restriction for the president of the NAS,” says Emil Gabrielyan,
proposing two five-year terms of office for the president of the NAS.
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan approved this proposal. It is
especially notable that Andranik Margaryan reminded about the
corresponding article of the constitution referring to government
offices only. “Under the Constitution the right of members of
parliament and members of community councils for reelection is not
restricted, there is restriction on all the others,” Andranik Margaryan
considered it necessary to remind.

275 LIBRARIES CLOSED DOWN SINCE 1990
Lragir.am
10 April 06
However, the existing libraries fail to operate normally. The Library
Week held by the Armenian Association of Libraries for five years
now helps to have a closer look at the problems of libraries. Visits
to the regions revealed that besides bad conditions of premises,
shortage of books and low salary many libraries do not open for days
because there are no readers. Davit Sargsyan, President of the AAL,
Director of the National Library, thinks the solution of the problem
is government care. There is no law on libraries, which would raise
the problems of libraries.
The deputy director of the National Library Rafik Ghazaryan suggests
that the government should allocate funds from the state budget to
solve the problems of libraries.
The purpose of the library week is to return readers to books, and
make the library a place of civilized communication. The initiators
are satisfied with this year’s Library Week. About 18 events were held
at Khenko Apor Children’s Library, 200 events were held in the regions.

WILL NEW PRESIDENT TACKLE OLD ABUSES?
Lragir.am
10 April 06
On April 10 Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan told news reporters
that he agreed to the conclusion of the commission that monitored
financial management of the National Academy of Sciences. The
commission investigated the accusations of abuse put forward by
Academician Henry Nersisyan, Director of the Fundamental Library of
the NAS, against the leadership of the NAS.
“I read the conclusion, I agree to the conclusion, because a commission
worked, there was a meeting of the presidium, and the academicians
expressed their attitude towards the presidium, to which I agree. Again
there are drawbacks, which are mentioned in the evaluation of the
commission. The new president and the leadership of the Academy will
try to eliminate these drawbacks,” stated Andranik Margaryan. He also
added that Fadey Sargsyan’s removal from office was not determined
by accusations of financial abuse.

PRESIDENT OF LITHUANIA TO PAY AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
10.04.2006 17:14
Late April or early May President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas
Adamkus will pay an official visit to Armenia. President’s Spokesman
Viktor Soghomonyan informs that the exact date of the visit is still
being corrected.