Armenian leader criticizes government for illegal housing deals in quake zone

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
1 Jun 05

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today held a working
meeting with members of the government to discuss ways of solving the
housing problems of refugees and families living in the disaster zone
[1988 earthquake].

This is the first time that the state budget has solved housing
problems in the disaster zone by issuing certificates, he stressed.
The Armenian president described this as a successful way of solving
the housing problems but pointed out that he is not satisfied with
the pace of issuing housing certificates and the quality and process
of finishing incomplete buildings.

Kocharyan noted that research carried out by the president’s
inspectorate testifies that although the lists of recipients are
permanently clarified, they contain the names of citizens who do not
meet essential requirements.

[Kocharyan] I instructed the inspectorate and they are dealing with
this problem. We noticed after the inspection that 20-30 per cent of
the names had been included on the lists illegally. I want you to
understand that we will not tolerate this situation, our programme
will be under close scrutiny and if anyone takes an unfair action,
they will be brought to book. We have cleared the lists several times,
but there are still lists that contain the names of people who have
no right to receive these houses. What is going on? Five months have
already passed. When will we start issuing certificates to homeless
families. This is the goal of our meeting.