Author: Jagharian Tania

Tigran Torosyan’s official visit to India completed

ArmRadio.am
16.12.2006 12:22

The official visit of the delegation to India was concluded with the
meeting with the Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Muterjee. Mr. Muterjee
characterized the Armenian-Indian relations as a regular continuation
off relations of two ancient civilizations, which has broad
perspectives of cooperation. Thanking for reception, Tigran Torosyan
noted that during two days he managed to have a number of meetings. He
turned to the development of Armenian-Indian relations during the past
two years, mentioning that the mutual visits of the Armenian
President, the Vice-President of India and Chairman of the upper
chamber of the Parliament create good bases for reinforcement of ties.
Mr. Torosyan emphasized India’s balanced approach to the sensitive
question of Nagorno Karabakh, noting that Armenia has the same stance
on the Kashmir issue.

The parties pointed out another field of cooperation, i.e. the fight
against terrorism. Turning to the cooperation within international
organizations, Mr. Muterjee expressed gratitude for the assistance of
Armenia, considering a foundation stone for the development of
relations. Other questions of mutual interest were discussed as well.

INTERFAX-CEA IGNORES SOME OF LEADING ARMENIAN BANKS IN ITS RANKING OF 1,000
CIS BANKS

Yerevan, December 15. ArmInfo. The Interfax-CEA (Russia) ignored some
of the leading Armenian banks in its Jan-June 2006 rating of 1,000 CIS
banks.

According to ArmInfo, even though the number of Armenian banks grew
from 9 to 17 as against 2005, Interfax-CEA was not fully objective. Of
the 5 top Armenian banks (with biggest assets), HSBC Bank Armenia
(1st), ACBA (4th) and Armeconom (5th) as well as Cascade Bank (18)
were not on the list. The banks say that Interfaxt-CEA did not ask
them for financial information.

A1+

NO AMENDMENTS WITHOUT CONSULTING MASS MEDIA FIRST
[03:30 pm] 15 December, 2006

«A few months away from the forthcoming parliamentary elections, the
Assembly attaches special importance to pluralism of the electronic
media and the reform currently in progress, since equitable access to
the electronic media by all political parties is an absolute
prerequisite for the holding of free and fair elections», says the
Provisional version of the draft resolution «Honouring of obligations
and commitments by Armenia».

The Assembly has noted that «the revision of the constitution has
paved the way for greater independence of the bodies which regulate
the electronic media. Nonetheless, legislative amendments subsequently
drawn up by the government without first consulting media or Council
of Europe representatives have met with strong criticism, not least
concerning the membership of the National Television and Radio
Commission (NTRC) and the method of appointment of its members. The
Assembly urges the Armenian authorities to consult the Council of
Europe’s experts and take into account their recommendations before
adopting amendments to the broadcasting legislation».

The Assembly also calls on Armenia to adopt an open, transparent
process of appointment of members of the Public Television and Radio
Council, as recommended by the Venice Commission.

«Apart from reforming the legislation, the Armenian authorities must
take steps to ensure the freedom and pluralism of public television
and radio on a day-to-day basis».

With regard to the print media, which are reputed to be free and
pluralist but play only a minor role in the provision of public
information on account of their small circulation, the Assembly notes
with satisfaction that no criminal libel proceedings have been
instituted against journalists for some years now. Since the reform of
the Criminal Code in 2004, libel has been punishable by a prison
sentence only in the event of a repeat offence. The Assembly welcomes
this progress and encourages the Armenian authorities to decriminalise
libel completely and repeal Article 318 of the Criminal Code, which
establishes the offence of "insulting a representative of the public
authorities".

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC RECEIVES CREDENTIALS OF THE AMBASSADORS OF ARMENIA

Suna News Agency, Sudan
December 12, 2006 Tuesday 10:48 AM EST

Khartoum, Dec. 12 (SUNA) – The President of the Republic Field
Marshal Omar Al Bashir on Monday received the credentials of each
of the ambassadors of Belarusia, Belgium, Armenia and Thailand as
representative of their countries to the Republic of the Sudan..

The President pointed out to the good relations that link the Sudan
with each of these countries saying the ambassadors would receive
all the assistance needed to discharge their mission in the Sudan..

Each of the ambassadors meanwhile stressed he would be doing his
level best to better relations between his country and the Sudan in
a way that serves the bilateral interests..

YEREVAN WATER COMPANY MAY REDUCE WATER PRICE

Armenpress
Dec 14 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: French executives of the Yerevan
Water company said today they were likely to ask every June 1 the
Public Services Regulatory Commission to review the price of drinking
water they charge from households in the Armenian capital city.

Serge Popoff, the chief executive manger of the company, run by
the French General Des Aux, explained it by the continued growth of
Armenia’s national currency-dram-over the U.S. Dollar. He said the
company is paying less now to buy new equipment and therefore it may
reduce the tariffs.

Popoff also said the company has committed to secure 24-hour water
supply to 80 percent of homes in the capital city and will install
extra 65 water pressure meters which will allow to register water
pressure every 30 minute and have a clear picture of water consumption.

SEFILYAN IS TREATED AS A FUTURE OFFICIAL

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 13 2006

Information leaks from different places, including the National
Security Service that Jirair Sefilyan, who was arrested on December
9, will be deported. Armen Aghayan, a member of the Civic Action for
Defense of Liberated Territories, stated December 13 at the Friday Club
that deportation is possible but they are making efforts to prevent it.

"In other words, I want to say that this fuss is not needed, whatever
was necessary to prevent Jirair Sefilyan’s deportation, we made every
effort, and I suppose that this was one of the reasons why he was not
deported, but it is possible that they had planned this from the very
beginning," Armen Aghayan says. He says Sefilyan does not have problems
in Lebanon despite the information in some media. Simply his Lebanese
passport has expired, and he does not have an Armenian passport,
and he may have trouble going to Lebanon via other countries. Armen
Aghayan also announces that Sefilyan’s lawyer tried to use the
circumstance that Jirair Sefilyan’s wife is the assistant of the
Lebanese ambassador, and Sefilyan is a member of a diplomat’s family
and is protected by the convention on diplomatic immunity.

According to Armen Aghayan, this was an extreme step, and the lawyer
resorte to it to prevent deportation. In reality, Sefilyan is not
related to all this, he says, adding that Jirair Sefilyan was a citizen
of Armenia even when everyone in Armenia was citizen of the USSR.

"Jirair Sefilyan has lived in Armenia for 16 years, and for most of the
time he was an officer of the Armenian army. When we were citizens of
the USSR, he was a citizen of Armenia in Beirut, because as a young
man he solved the problem of security of the Armenian quarter of
Beirut. Therefore, it is funny that he is not a citizen of Armenia,"
says Armen Aghayan. He says he does not know if the scenario of
deportation of Vahagn Chakhalyan will be applied to Jirair Sefilyan.

"It is possible that they are drafting a similar scenario, fully
or partly similar. Naturally we must be watchful and prevent this
scenario and have Jirair Sefilyan released as soon as possible,"
Armen Aghayan says. As to the present state of Jirair Sefilyan and
the treatment at the isolation ward of the National Security Service,
Armen Aghayan says they get information through the lawyer. The
information they have got so far are not worrying.

"They treat Jirair Sefilyan as a future high-ranking official of
Armenia. They are very correct, as they know it is quite possible
that tomorrow Jirair Sefilyan may have a higher position than all
the officers of the National Security Service together," Armen
Aghayan says. He says, however, that they tried to humiliate Jirair
Sefilyan at the time of the arrest when he was having dinner with
his schoolmate, the director of Vivacell Ralf Yeirikyan. They put
handcuffs to Yeirikyan but he was released in a few minutes.

"There is much of a show in this process. You know that there were
interrogations and searching. Our apartment was also searched, and
I assure you that the National Security was not looking for anything
particular in our apartment. They came to have a good time," says Armen
Aghayan. According to him, the government was trying to show that they
had exposed a very important case, and wanted to use it for propaganda.

ATTACK HELICOPTER BID POSTPONED ONCE AGAIN
By Cihan News Agency

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 13 2006

Turkey could not make a decision at the helicopter bid held on Tuesday
and postponed the announcement of the results to a later date upon
the General Staff’s request to test the helicopters again.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee convened on Tuesday, chaired
by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The committee was to
decide on either Italian Westland’s Mangusta or South African Denel’s
Rooivalk proposal for the attack helicopter deal, which is worth at
least $2 billion.

Minister of National Defense Vecdi Gonul told reporters following
the meeting that the bid was postponed once more for further tests
required by the General Staff on the helicopters. The decision on
the type of the helicopter will be made in the following days.

The South African helicopters use French engines, which may be an
obstacle due to the discord on the so-called Armenian genocide between
Turkey and France.

The contract is for the purchase of 50 helicopters and then
co-production of 20 helicopters with an option for 21 more.

The committee also decided to buy 130 F-35s from the United States
which will cost Turkey about $2 billion, Gonul added.

The Undersecretariat of the Defense Industry was also authorized
for the purchase of another 30 F-16 fighters for approximately $1.6
billion.

NEWS DIGEST: NEW YORK LIFE PAYS UP

Life Insurance International
December 11, 2006

It was a long wait, but descendants and heirs of some of the 1.5
million Armenians killed during the Ottoman Turkish rule of Armenia
in 1915 are to share in a $7.95 million settlement agreed to by New
York Life (NYL). The agreement follows a class action brought against
NYL for unpaid life insurance benefits. In addition, NYL has already
distributed $3 million to various Armenian charitable organisations.

NYL said it had reviewed thousands of claims and found that 2,515
claims could be traced to Armenians who had purchased life insurance
policies from NYL prior to 1915. In all, Armenians in 26 countries
will receive compensation. Armenians in Armenia will receive the most
($3.4 million) followed by those in the US ($2.6 million) and in France
($656,413).

The pay-out by NYL follows a similar settlement reached between
aggrieved Armenians and French insurer Axa in October 2005. This
resulted in Axa paying out $17 million in restitution.

JIRAIR SEFILYAN ARRESTED

ArmRadio.am
11.12.2006 11:00

Leader of the "Defense of Liberated Territories" civil initiative and
the " Union of Armenian Volunteers" organization Jirair Sefilyan was
arrested yesterday. Press Service of the National Security informs
that in the result of operative measures, proofs have been found for
the fact that Jirair Sefilyan and his supporters pursued the aim of
undertaking illegal measures in the forthcoming political processes
of Armenia, particularly to carry out radical actions during 2007
parliamentary elections.

The Pres Office of RA National Security Service informs that on
December 2, 2006 during a conference in Yerevan some leaders of the
organization called to seize state authority through violence and
force. They declared that the authorities in power should be dethroned
only via armed struggle and rebellion.

Action plans were elaborated in this direction.

Leaders of the "Union of Armenian volunteers" organization planned
to induce the opposition to political disobedience and clashes.

A criminal case has been launched on the fact in the Investigation
Department of RA National Security Service in compliance with Article
301 of the Armenian Criminal Code. Leaders of the organization Vardan
Malkhasyan and Jirair Sevilyan were arrested, Press Office of the
National Security Service informs.

IN U.S. CONGRESSMAN’S WORDS, TURKEY DOES NOT IMPLEMENT YET REGIONAL AND POLITICAL REFORMS TO JOIN EU

Noyan Tapan
Dec 11 2006

WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. "Turkey must first of all
accept its mistakes, stimulate cooperation in South Caucasus and
respect neighboring Armenia before becoming a European Union member,"
is said in the statement made public at the House of Representatives
by Joe Knollenberg, the Co-Chairman of the U.S. Congress Caucus on
Armenian Issues. The Congressman reminds that the time given to Turkey
by the European Union expired on December 6 of this year, when the
latter was to display will of making amendments. "We call on Turkey
to respect the obligations undertaken by it and to implement economic,
regional and political reforms to join the European Union," is said in
the statement. Addressing to members of the House of Representatives,
Joe Knollenberg emphasized that Armenia has friendly relations with
the U.S. and other countries of the world, and Turkey ignores the
important role of Armenia in the South Caucasian region. "The goal of
the European Union is to establish cooperation among countries having
similar interests, and Turkey, which, having history of terrorizing
other countries, does not correspond to those principles until it does
not change its way of actions, U.S. Congressman Joe Knollenberg stated.