Ombudsman Presents Statistical Data on Activities of Her Office

ARMENIA’S OMBUDSMAN PRESENTS STATISTICAL DATA ON ACTIVITIES OF HER
OFFICE

YEREVAN, JULY 6. ARMINFO. Ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia
presented Wednesday the statistical data of the activities of her
office for 6 months of the current year.

ARMINFO was informed in the department on information and public
relations of the administration of the human rights campaigner, over
1,450 complaints were addressed to Larisa Alaverdian, out of which 849
– in written form.

110 of the written complaints concerned the police, 103 – ministry of
labour and social affairs, 95 – courts, 73 – municipality of Yerevan,
65 – local self-government bodies, 55 – prosecutor’s office, 46 –
ministry of justice, 44 – ministry of defence, 36 – regional
administrations, 34 – cadastre of real estate, 22 – department on
migration and refugees, 16 – state social security fund, state
committee of water economy – 12, ministry of education and science –
9, ministry of trade and economic development – 9, ministry of health
– 8, ministry of transport and communication – 7, ministry of
town-planning – 6, government – 3, ministry of energy – 3, ministry of
finances and economy – 2, others – 47.

“Cilicia” Armenian Vessel Was Solemnly Welcomed in Marseille

“CILICIA” ARMENIAN VESSEL WAS SOLEMNLY WELCOMED IN MARSEL

YEREVAN, JULY 6. ARMINFO. “Cilicia” Armenian vessel was solemnly
welcomed in France on July 3, 2005.

As ARMINFO was informed in the Press and Information Department,
Armenia’s Ambassador to France Eduard Nalbandyan, heads of the Marsel
municipality, senators, deputies and more than thousand
representatives of the Armenian Diaspora were presented at the
reception.

Nalbandyan in his welcome speech stressed that Marsel has been a
hospitable landing place for Armenians from time immemorial and “the
saving coast for those saved by a miracle”.

The crew of “Cilicia” will be in Marsel till July 6 giving residents
of Marsel an opportunity to visit the vessel. In 2005, “Cilicia” will
visit Barcelona, Kartakhena, Kadis, Lisbon, La-Corunya, San-Sebastian,
La-Roshel, Brest, Korke, Dublin, Portsmouth, and Amsterdam. The second
stage of the cruise started on May 5, 2005 will last four months,
afterwards the crew plans to wait till spring in Amsterdam.

Amendments To The Law on Social Cards For Citizens Refusing Them

AMENDMENTS TO BE INSERTED INTO LAW ON SOCIAL CARDS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
INTERESTS OF CITIZENS NOT WISHING TO GET THEM

YEREVAN, JULY 6. ARMINFO. Some amendments will be inserted into
Armenia’s law on social cards, taking into account interests of those
citizens not wishing to get them. The agreement was reached during a
meeting of Armenia’s Minister for Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan
Vardanyan with Kh. Stamboltsyan and A. Grigoryan.

As ARMINFO was informed in Ministry’s press-service, the law should
specify that the individual data of citizens collected in the
information data-base of social cards will be limited enough. The law
also supposes to register the absence of connection between the social
cards system and citizens’ religious views, as well as to register a
provision according to which the figure printed on the social card
will be its number. According to Ministry’s representatives, all the
reasons for discontent will be eliminated as a result of the mentioned
amendments.

People in Marseilles Getting Ready For Year of Armenia

PEOPLE IN MARSEILLES GETTING READY FOR YEAR OF ARMENIA

YEREVAN, JULY 6. ARMINFO. About 50 Armenian organizations of France
took part in the public meeting in Marseilles on july 2, the objective
of which was preparation of the French public for the Year of Armenia
in France.

ARMINFO was informed in the department of press and information of
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, Ambassador of Armenia to France Edward
Nalbandian informed the participants about the preliminary programs
and main directions of the planned arrangements. During the
discussions participants made many new proposals and new ideas, which
will be submitted to the state commission for organization of the Year
of Armenia. They stressed that the decision to hold a Year of Armenia
in France shows the high level of Armenian-French relations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BAKU: European envoy tells Azeri officials he is not “stupid” – TV

European envoy tells Azeri officials he is not “stupid” – TV

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
5 Jul 05

[Presenter] The co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the PACE
on Azerbaijan, Andreas Gross and Andres Herkel, held a press
conference on the results of today’s meeting of the committee. They
focused mainly on the pre-election situation.

[Correspondent over video of the press conference] I have never said
that the opposition should be given 25 seats in parliament, Gross
said. He said he would like to see the opposition in the parliament,
but it would be wrong to say something like this ahead of the
elections.

[Gross shown speaking to reporters in English with Azeri voice-over] I
have said the opposition should take at least 25 per cent of seats in
the parliament. A parliament where the opposition has less than 25 per
cent of seats is not a good one. Both the government and opposition
should be represented in parliament. But I have never said they [the
opposition] should be given 25 seats. I do not know why my words were
misinterpreted. I am not a stupid man, do not show me as such.

[Correspondent] Gross said he was not happy with the amendments to the
Electoral Code. He said he had told parliamentary officials about this
during a closed meeting.

Gross again expressed his dissatisfaction with the way electoral
commissions are formed. He expressed the hope that the elections would
be free and fair.

Andres Herkel spoke about their planned visit to five districts
tomorrow to see whether the peoples’ right to free assembly is being
exercised.

[Herkel, in English with Azeri voice-over] Azerbaijan does not consist
only of Baku. So we want to visit the districts and see whether people
there are free. I thing that although the peoples’ right to free
assembly has recently been secured in the capital, I regret that this
is not the case in the districts.

[Passage omitted: Herkel welcomed the acquittal of several opposition
leaders and expressed regret that public TV has not yet been formed,
CE rapporteur on Azerbaijan David Atkinson said the Azerbaijani and
Armenian parliaments should also be involved in peace talks]

BAKU: Daily Predicts More US Pressure on Authorities Ahead of Polls

Azeri daily predicts more US pressure on authorities ahead of polls

Yeni Musavat, Baku
6 Jul 05

Excerpt from Elsad Pasasoy’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni
Musavat on 6 July headlined “Pressure on Ilham Aliyev expected to
increase” and subheaded “Sulhaddin Akbar: ‘US policy in the near past
makes us take cautious approach'”

A warning to the Azerbaijani authorities from an influential member of
the US Congress, Christopher Smith, against the falsification of the
[November parliamentary] elections can be considered yet another
indicator of Washington’s current attitude to the government of
[President] Ilham Aliyev.

To recap, Smith was one of the Congressmen who criticized the wrong
position by the USA during the 2003 [presidential] elections. Smith
then expressed his strong protest at the White House’s decision to
turn a blind eye to irregularities and the mass repression. He even
said that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism or terrorism was possible
in Azerbaijan in the wake of injustice of this kind. Smith warned the
US officials that should such terrible events happen, then they must
look for the reasons of their wrong policy on Azerbaijan.

Granted, the Azerbaijani authorities then “blacklisted” Smith and even
tried to stigmatize him as “pro-Armenian”. However, it is obvious now
that, as a result of efforts on the part of Smith and other similar
advocates of truth, democracy is again a priority in the USA’s foreign
policy. There is no doubt that President Bush’s promise of democracy
to all freedom-loving peoples and the faith that Washington will stay
loyal to its policy have encouraged the congressman to speak bluntly
with Azerbaijani MPs.

Describing fair elections as “the main condition” for a stable and
successful future of Azerbaijan, Smith openly said the following: “The
2003 elections in Azerbaijan were a far cry from international
standards. This must not be repeated.”

[Passage omitted: background information on Smith]

A deputy chairman of the Musavat Party, Sulhaddin Akbar, believes that
these statements have to be considered within the context of the
significance attached to the Azerbaijani elections by the USA, and
generally by the international community.

“This shows again that the US Congress and administration, as well as
the public, are very interested in free and fair elections in
Azerbaijan. They correctly assess the situation in the country,
especially in the wake of the 2003 elections. They understand that it
is impossible to achieve a long-lasting stability in Azerbaijan
without free and fair elections. The US government realizes that an
Azerbaijani elite which does not share the Western values may not suit
the Western interests properly. Washington definitely needs a reliable
partner in Azerbaijan who shares the Western values and interests of
Azerbaijan, especially at the moment when some very significant
regional events are expected. Therefore, the tone of statements made
by the USA, the European Union, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and
the others has become harsher,” Akbar said.

The deputy chairman believes that Smith’s message regarding the
Electoral Code is grounded. “The absence of changes to the Electoral
Code signals the real intentions of the authorities. That is, the
government is preparing not for free and fair elections, but for
another falsification. They are well aware of this and it is not too
difficult to predict the consequences,” Akbar said.

He said that he expects the pressure from the USA to increase. At the
same time, however, Sulhaddin Akbar believes that it is not right to
fall into euphoria and make unequivocal statements. “It is impossible
to say now exactly which measures will be taken because the policy
displayed by the international organizations and the USA in the near
past makes us take a cautious approach. I am a cautious optimist,” he
said.

Sulhaddin Akbar also said that there will be a resolution of the US
Congress on Azerbaijan, but did not specify the date.

Armenian ombudsman accuses authorities of pressure

Armenian ombudsman accuses authorities of pressure

Arminfo
5 Jul 05

YEREVAN

“The pressure the Armenian law-enforcement agencies are exerting on me
is the authorities’ painful reaction to the annual report about my
work,” Armenian ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan told our correspondent
while commenting on events related to the Armenian ombudsman’s
institute.

She said that the authorities of any state should stimulate the
ombudsman’s work which is aimed at protecting citizens’ rights. The
situation is quite paradoxical in Armenia. Instead of helping me, the
authorities started putting pressure on the institute after the
ombudsman’s report was published.

“I expected a sharp reaction, but I did not expect that it would be so
painful, especially as people named after classics of Russian
literature (meaning human rights champion Pushkin Serobyan who accused
Alaverdyan of inaction) are involved in the process.

Alaverdyan believes that her institute “is working the way it worked
before and practically nothing has changed”. As for the issue of
whether her employee Serob Antinyan had taken a bribe or not, this
should be decided by the court, the ombudsman stressed.

It must be remembered that on 26 May the Armenian National Security
Service [NSS] arrested an employee of the Armenian ombudsman’s office,
Serob Antinyan, on charges of extortion and bribery. Alaverdyan also
expressed her confidence at today’s news conference that the country’s
parliament will re-elect her to the post of ombudsman after the
approval of a package of constitutional amendments in a nationwide
referendum. “And then I will be able to work normally,” the ombudsman
thinks.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Iranian governor, Armenian minister discuss expanding economic ties

Iranian governor, Armenian minister discuss expanding economic ties

Arminfo
5 Jul 05

YEREVAN

The governor of Iran’s Hormozgan Province, Ebrahim Derazgisu, who is
paying a visit to Yerevan at the head of a trade-economic delegation
of this province, and Armenian Transport and Communications Minister
Andranik Manukyan have held a meeting in Yerevan.

Discussing the prospects for the development of trade-economic
cooperation between Hormozgan Province and Armenia, Derazgisu and
Manukyan noted good tendencies in the development of Iranian-Armenian
relations and the great potential of bilateral cooperation, an IRNA
new agency correspondent has reported.

During the meeting, the Armenian minister expressed Yerevan’s interest
in using the Bandar-e Abbas seaport for cargo transportation. Manukyan
also pointed out friendly and good-neighbourly relations between
Yerevan and Tehran and stressed the importance of the swift
construction of a second Iran-Armenia road.

In turn, Derazgisu pointed out the high transport potential of
Hormozgan Province and spoke out in favour of expanding cooperation
between Armenia and the Iranian province on the sphere of cargo
transportation. He stressed that Iran’s transport potential and
especially the seaports and free economic zones of Hormozgan Province
are a good basis for developing cooperation between Iran and Armenia.

It must be noted that the average daily transport turnover between
Armenia and Iran totals 743 vehicles, including 276 lorries.

BAKU: Armenian, Azeri MPs to meet in October

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2005

Armenian, Azeri MPs to meet in October

Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
The role of parliamentarians in settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
Garabagh conflict should increase, the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe rapporteur on Upper Garabagh has said.
David Atkinson told a meeting of the PACE Monitoring Committee held
in Baku on Tuesday that special commissions on the conflict should be
set up both in Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Council of Europe is ready
to hold discussions in Strasbourg with participation of the
conflicting sides, he said.
`Members of the Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations at PACE should
also step up their activity in this area.’
The rapporteur expressed a hope that a meeting of the two countries’
MPs will take place during the next PACE session in October.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANKARA: Decision on ‘Encyclopedic Denial’ Due Today in Paris

Zaman Online, Turkey
July 6 2005

Decision on ‘Encyclopedic Denial’ Due Today in Paris
By Ali Ihsan Aydin
Published: Wednesday July 06, 2005
zaman.com

The lawsuit filed by the Armenian organizations against the famous
French encyclopedia, The Quid will be concluded today. Armenian
organizations filed the lawsuit on the ground that The Quid mentioned
the opinions of Turkey concerning the so-called Armenian genocide.

Resorting to the Paris Court in 2003, the French Armenian Case
Defense Committee (CDCA) had accused The Quid encyclopedias and
Robert Laffront Publishing of “spreading denial propaganda”. The
Paris court heard the case on 25 May 2005. The Armenian organization
claimed that the encyclopedia mentioned the “Turks position”
regarding the issue aiming to question the telling of the incidents
of the 1915 “Armenian genocide” in its 2003 edition, which is renewed
annually. CDCA lawyers asked for penalties for The Quid’s editors and
demanded that Turkey’s opinions be removed from the encyclopedia. The
Paris Court had overruled the CDCA case last year against Turkey’s
Consulate General in Paris showing “the diplomatic immunity” of the
consul general as grounds. The lawsuit was filed after the Consulate
General rejected the “Armenian genocide” allegations on its website.
Formerly, the court had convicted famous historian Bernard Lewis to a
symbolic pay indemnity of one euro in 1995 after he spoke to French
newspaper Le Monde against the so-called Armenian genocide.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress