ARMENIAN APP TO BE SUSPENDED FOR PLANNED AND PREVENTIVE REPAIR ON OCTOBER 1 2005
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31. ARMINFO. The Armenian atomic power plant will be
suspended for annual planned and preventive repair on October 1 2005,
Director General of APP Gagik Markosyan informs ARMINFO.
He says the power unit of APP consisting of a reactor and two
turbines will be suspended for 45 days in conformity with a relevant
schedule. In 45 days after the suspension the first turbine will be
connected to the power network of the country, the second turbine will
be connected in 10 days after the first one. Director General says
as of August 30 the Armenian APP generated 2.042 vlb kW/h electricity.
It should be noted that two power units of Russian model BBP-440,
with capacity of 815 megawatt in total have been installed at the
Armenian APP. The first unit was put into exploitation in 1976, the
second in 1980. At the beginning of 1989, the plant was closed down for
political ideas, and then the second unit was reactivated because of
acute energy crisis at the beginning of 1995. The resource of the unit
will limit in 2016. In September 2003 the Armenian APP was transferred
under financial management of the Inter RJSC UES of Russia for 5 years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER CONGRATULATED ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ON HIS 51ST ANNIVERSARY
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31. ARMINFO. Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan congratulated President Robert Kocharyan on his 51st
Anniversary.
The parliamentary press-service reports to ARMINFO that the speaker’s
address in particular says that birthdays often become a reason for
summary of the past year when everything done and future plans are
assessed. “I am sure that in future the passing years will become
successful for You. I wish Your health, happiness and success,”
says Speaker Baghdasaryan.

“NATIONAL UNITY” OPPOSITION PARTY CALLS UPON ARMENIA’s SOCIETY TO
VOTE AGAINST DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31. ARMINFO. “National Unity” opposition party opposes
a draft constitutional reforms and calls upon its adherents to vote
against the draft at Nov referendum, the NU leader Artashes Geghamyan
stated at today’s parliamentary special session.
Voting against the draft reforms, Armenian people will tell “no”
organizers of a terrorist act at Armenia’s parliament on Oct 27, 1999,
initiators of falsifications at 2003 presidential and parliamentary
elections, Geghamyan stated. In his words, three-day discussions
of the draft constitutional amendments have shown the ruling
coalition’s inability to give real contra-arguments to opposition’s
arguments. “Being unable to response on opposition’s arguments, the
ruling coalition transfer debates from political level to the level
of personal insults, and such an indication to ruling parties was
received from president’s residence. Such behavior of the ruling
coalition proves that authorities exhaust themselves”, Geghamyan
stated asking the ruling coalition not to provoke him to say all he
knows about authorities.

OVER 108,500 FOREIGN TOURISTS HAVE VISITED ARMENIA IN FIRST HALF OF 2005
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31. ARMINFO. In the first half of 2005 total number
of foreign tourists, who visited Armenia, reached 108,517 people,
which is 15.7% more than in the same period of 2004.
ARMINFO was informed in National Statistical Service of Armenia,
32.7% of the foreign tourists have arrived from CIS countries, 25.5%
– from Russia, 4.8% from Georgia, 2.4% from other countries of CIS.
The visitors from EU countries made up 28.1%, the number of tourists
from USA increased by 50.2%, reaching 19.5% out of the total number
of the tourists.

RECONSTRUCTED BUILDING OF FIRST INSTANCE COURT WAS OPENED IN ARTASHAT
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31. ARMINFO. Justice may lose its authority without
present-day buildings of courts, Armenia’s Justice Minister David
Harutyunyan stated today in Artashat after the opening ceremony of
the building of the Court of first instance.
In his words, it is not the only important condition for productive
justice. “We will not reach it if we do not think about legal
reforms”, Harutyunyan noted. In his words, the funds allotted within
the World Bank credit program framework have been used economically
and productively. Minister is sure that every constructed or restored
building will be much more better than the previous one. Harutyunyan
informed that the second credit program is being discussed at
present. Its realization will allow to accomplish the restoration
of all the country’s buildings of courts. Justice ministry plans to
include 15 buildings of courts into the second credit program.
To note, the building of the court of first instance in Artashat
(2081.9 sq.m) has been restored within the framework of a credit
program of legal reforms at the financial assistance of the World
Bank. 184.3 mln AMD have been allotted to this project. 9 buildings
of courts of first and second instances have been improved so
far, besides, 5 buildings of courts of first instance are under
construction.

OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE DIMITRIJ RUPEL ARRIVING IN YEREVAN TODAY
Pan Armenian News
05.09.2005 02:17
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel is arriving in Armenia today. During the visit Mr. Rupel
is expected to meet with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and
NKR President Arkady Ghukasian. On September 6 evening Dimitrij Rupel
will depart from Yerevan, completing his visit on that day.

ERDOGAN: TURKEY CAN REVOKE EU BID
Pan Armenian News
05.09.2005 05:48
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
stated that is ready to revoke its bid for the European Union if
conditions not provided by the Eurointergration are imposed on it,
CNN-Turk reports. “Europe should not play tricks on Turkey. If they
try to impose conditions not included in the negotiation agenda we
will follow our path”, Erdogan threatened. Turkish Prime Minister
made a similar statement. “Turkey is going to abandon EU bid if new
conditions or partial membership is proposed”, he said.

PRINCIPAL PROBLEM OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – ABSENCE OF TRUST BETWEEN YEREVAN AND BAKU
Pan Armenian News
05.09.2005 04:59
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian and Azeri Diasporas should be
attracted to the Karabakh settlement process to establish trust
between the conflicting parties, head of the department for national
relations of the Institute of Political and Military Analysis Sergey
Markedonov stated, RIA Novosti reports. “The principal problem of
Karabakh settlement is the absence of trust between Yerevan and
Baku”, he says. The expert reminded that Baku insists on return
of the territories and then determination of the status of Nagorno
Karabakh. “However the Armenian party doubts Azerbaijan will keep its
promise”, Markedonov added. He stressed that there is a key problem
of trust, which cannot be solved by Russia, the U.S., Turkey or the
OSCE Minsk Group. “There should be contacts and discussions of new
models. Presently package and stepwise variants of settlement have
collided and no progress is observed. Bilateral activity of Armenia
and Azerbaijan should be more serious while the OSCE Minsk Group
should not be expected to work a miracle,” he said. In his opinion,
a different scheme should be elaborated, since neither package
nor stepwise variants are compromise. As for Russia’s initiative,
the political scientist noted that “to make any proposals, Russia
should have precise Caucasian strategy that is absent at present.
Nevertheless, in Markedonov’s opinion, taking into account the strong
Armenian and Azeri Diasporas Russia can transmit the experience upon
the Armenian-Azeri relations in the South Caucasus. “Russia can use
it as a resource of informal reconciliation”, the expert resumed.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN SECOND READING
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1. ARMINFO. Today Armenian MPs adopted the draft
constitutional reforms in the second reading by 98 votes “for.”
In his speech, Vice Speaker Tigran Torosyan said that adoption of draft
constitutional reforms at November referendum will open wide prospects
for further democratic development of the country. He said the draft
considerably differs from the effective Constitution of Armenia. Thus,
the document secures a real balance between the power branches,
creates guaranties of independence of the judicial power. It also
expands the powers of the local self-government bodies and guarantees
observation of human rights and freedoms, the vice speaker said.
Torosyan said fundamental changes are proposed in the sphere of
government formation. The draft deprives the president of his right
to dismiss the prime minister, the president is empowered to propose
the parliament to made such a decision. Besides, the draft provides
the president for appointing the prime minister in case of a relevant
proposal by the absolute parliamentary majority or at least relative
majority. Torosyan thinks an important step that the draft provides
for formation of the government on the basis of a special law and
not by the decree of the president. All this provisions evidently
restrict the president’s powers and expand those of the legislative
power, the vice speaker said. He also said the draft increases in
the role of the executive power in the domestic political and foreign
political processes, as in conformity with the draft, the president
is no longer head of the government and the decision by the executive
power are not subject to the president’s ratification.
Torosyan called it important that the draft does not consider the
president head of the Armenian Justice Council, and the procedure of
advancing candidates for the membership of the Council is regulated by
the law, which creates real guarantees of independence of the judicial
power. He thinks important that the draft provides for election of
Yerevan Mayor and not appointment. The effective Constitution allows
governors to make proposals to the government on dismissal of the
heads of the communities, meanwhile, the draft allow making such
decisions only the Constitutional Court.
Besides, the draft allows the communities to establish inter-community
unions and independently form and use community budgets. He also
pointed out the reforms related the activity of the Supervisory
Chamber, stating that existence of an independent Supervisory
Chamber and constitutional guaranties of its independence upgrade
its role. Torosyan called an important step towards human rights
protection the fact that the draft provides the parliament for
appointing Ombudsman. Besides, each citizen of Armenia as a right to
apply to the Constitutional Court to protect his rights and freedoms.
It should be noted the parliamentary opposition represented by the
Justice bloc and the National Unity party did not take part in the
voting and refused from supporting the draft reforms, calling its
supporters to vote against the document at November referendum.

ENTRY EXAMINATIONS IN ARMENIA IN 2005 WERE ACCOMPANIED WITH GROSS VIOLATIONS, THINKS HEAD OF YOUTH ANTI-CORRUPTION STAFF
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30. ARMINFO. Entry examinations in Armenia in 2005
were with mass centralized violations and facts of corruption, Head
of the Youth Anti- Corruption Staff, Leader of the Armenian Youth
Party Sargis Asatryan told journalists today.
He says that at the beginning of the summer, an independent youth anti-
corruption staff was created and 92 employees followed the process
of entry examinations throughout the country. Asatryan states that
he considers himself a politician and makes a political statement and
has no intention to specify it. He says all the facts of violations,
that is 67 episodes of corruption, were brought in a special letter
to Armenian President, wherein the party proposes dismissing Minister
of Education and Science of Armenia Sergo Yeritsyan as the main person
responsible for the disorders at the examinations.
In response to the numerous questions of journalists related
the largest violations at the exams, Asatryan mentioned Gyumri
Pedagogical University and the State Agricultural Academy and the
subjects “Armenian language,” “English Language,” “Physics,” and
“Mathematics.” Asatryan thinks that such person as Sergo Yeritsyan
should not be in charge of the native science and the future of
children, and moreover, in charge of numerous grants and credit
projects in the sphere of education. He pointed out that responsibility
for “machinations at the examinations” are laid on Head of the Clearing
Center Ruben Topchyan distributing free and paid places. But the main
guilty person is Minister Sergo Yeritsyan, Asatryan reiterates.