Author: Mamian George

ENERGY SAFETY DISCUSSED

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS: A presidential nuclear power
safetycouncil held its regular meeting today in Yerevan. The council
is an advisory body affiliated with the Armenian president. It is
composed of eminent experts in the field. Established by a 1996 decree
of Armenian president its aim is to ensure safe operation of Armenian
nuclear power plant.

During the meeting, the president underlined the key importance
ofsafe energy for all economic projects, Armenian president press
services reported. He therefore attached importance to new, systemic
approaches in energy reform.

Kocharian noted that a series of programs have already been carried
out with the assistance of IAEA to raise the plant’s safety. “We are
sure that a real energy safety can be attained through many-sided
cooperation in the field and we are thankful for your effective
assistance,” the president said, addressing the chairman of nuclear
power safety council, the head of GermanNuclear Safety Institute Adolf
Berkhoffer, who in turn expressed his satisfaction with the current
level of the plant’s work . He noted that the Armenian nuclear power
plant worked smoothly last year without any incidents reported, an
indication of stable technical safety system.

RESETTLERS EXEMPT FROM TAX ON LAND

Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
16-04-2004

According to the law adopted by the NKR National Assembly, the
resettlers will be exempt from the tax on land for five years. The
chairman of the permanent committee of finance and budget questions
and economic management M. Danielian explained that according to the
agreement with the resettler he receives land which he can privatize
in five years in case of following all the points of the
agreement. During these five years he is exempt from the tax on land.

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN.
16-04-2004

A1 Plus | 16:58:30 | 14-04-2004 | Politics |

DEFENSE MINISTER COMMENTING UPON BEATING JOURNALISTS

“If someone possesses a camera or a dictaphone, it doesn’t mean that he or
she is a journalist. I think journalists especially during such measures
must produce something to prove them to be journalists”, Armenian Defense
Minister Serj Sargssyan said referring to the assaults to journalists during
the recent events.

“I don’t want to justify anyone. But if the law machinery demands to respect
law, everybody must obey it”, Minister explained.

“I consider it is bad to beat in general. It is not strange to me that
journalists react to beating more morbidly if it happens to any of them. It
is beyond my commission to call what happened on Baghramyan Avenue as
“beating”, and I think law enforcement bodies are to engage in it”, Minister
added.

Peter Schieder asks Armenian parliamentary speaker for information on
recent events

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder
today wrote to the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Arthur
Baghdasaryan, asking for detailed information on recent events in
Armenia , including the disruption of a regular session of parliament.

In his letter he expressed great concern over arrests of opposition
leaders and people attending opposition rallies, as well as over
alleged ill-treatment of the media.

” Armenia has recently made considerable efforts to honour the
obligations and commitments it undertook on joining the Council of
Europe. But you are also aware of our concerns about the remaining
shortcomings and the Assembly’s decision in January this year not to
end the current monitoring procedure until further progress has been
made in this respect,” Peter Schieder says in his letter.

Resolution

ptedText/ta04/ERES1361.htm
1361 (2004): Honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia

Peter Schieder demande des informations au Président du Parlement
arménien sur les récents événements

Peter Schieder, Président de l’Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de
l’Europe, a écrit aujourd’hui à Arthur Bagdassarian, Président du
Parlement arménien, pour lui demander des précisions sur les
événements qui se sont produits récemment en Arménie, y compris
l’interruption d’une session ordinaire du Parlement.

Dans sa lettre, M. Schieder se déclare très préoccupé par
l’arrestation de dirigeants de l’opposition et de participants à des
réunions de l’opposition, ainsi que par le mauvais traitement qui
serait réservé aux médias.

« L’Arménie a fait récemment des efforts considérables pour respecter
les obligations et engagements contractés lors de son adhésion au
Conseil de l’Europe. Cependant, compte tenu des tâches qui attendent
encore l’Arménie, l’Assemblée a décidé, en janvier de cette année, de
ne pas mettre fin à la procédure de suivi tant que des progrès
supplémentaires n’auront pas été enregistrés », M. Schieder écrit dans
sa lettre.

Résolution

1361 (2004) : Respect des obligations et engagements de l’Arménie

Congressional Record: April 8, 2004 (Senate)

____

POM-390. A joint resolution adopted by the Legislature of
the State of California relative to Armenian Genocide; to the
Committee on Foreign Relations.

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 44

Whereas, one and one-half million men, women, and children
of Armenian descent were victims of the brutal genocide
perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923; and
Whereas, the Armenian Genocide and massacre of the Armenian
people have been recognized as an attempt to eliminate all
traces of a thriving and noble civilization over 3,000 years
old; and
Whereas, to this day revisionists still inexplicably deny
the existence of these horrific events; and
Whereas, by consistently remembering and openly condemning
the atrocities committed against the Armenians, California
residents demonstrate their sensitivity to the need for
constant vigilance to prevent similar atrocities in the
future; and
Whereas, recognition of the 87th anniversary of this
genocide is crucial to preventing the repetition of future
genocides and educating people about the atrocities connected
to these tragic events; and
Whereas, Armenia is now a free and independent republic,
having embraced democracy following the dissolution of the
Soviet Union; and
Whereas, California is home to the largest population of
Armenians in the United States, and those citizens have
enriched our state through their leadership in the fields of
business, agriculture, academia, medicine, government, and
the arts and are proud and patriotic practitioners of
American citizenship; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of
California hereby designates April 24, 2002, as “California
Day of Remembrance for the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923”;
and be it further
Resolved, That the State of California respectfully
memorializes the Congress of the United States to likewise
act to commemorate the Armenian Genocide; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit
copies of this resolution to the President of the United
States, Members of the United States Congress, the Governor,
and Armenian churches and commemorative organizations in
California.

A1 Plus | 21:11:58 | 07-04-2004 | Politics |

NEW TIMES PARTY SLAMS VIOLENCE AGAINST MEDIA REPORTERS

New Times party came up with a statement on Wednesday condemning violence
committed against media representatives. The party blames the police of
turning blind eye to that.

“We think the law enforcement is fully responsible for increasingly
worsening situation. Any step that can lead to further aggravation of the
situation is unacceptable”, the statement says.

—

Baylor University (press release), United States
April 7 2004

Baylor Opera Director Invited To Conduct In Armenia
April 06, 2004
by Richard Veit

Richard Aslanian, director of opera at Baylor University and
artistic director of the Lyric Opera of Waco, has been invited to
Armenia as the first American to guest conduct at the Armenian
National Opera, one of the leading opera houses of the former Soviet
republic.
With the assistance of the International Program at Baylor, Aslanian
will travel to Armenia in May to conduct Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La
Traviata, which he directed for the Waco Lyric Opera last September.
He will be accompanied by his wife, Judith, who will sing in the
production.
Aslanian will conduct at Armenia’s Alexander Spendiarian Opera and
Ballet Theater, one of the principal features of Freedom Square,
which is located in the center of the capital city of Yerevan. Opened
in 1933, the theater building’s design is actually based on the
seventh century Cathedral at Zvarnotz.
The trip also has personal significance for Aslanian, as he makes
his first visit to the home country of his father and grandparents.
The families were forced to leave their homeland during the early
20th century to escape the Turkish massacres.
In addition to taking part in the cultural activities of the
country, the Aslanians will visit historic sites, such as Mount
Ararat (location of Noah’s Ark) and the Cathedral of St. Gregory, a
church built in the fourth century after Armenia became the first
nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion in A.D. 301.
For more information, call the Baylor School of Music at 710-3991.

Armenian police arrest 127 opposition members, party leader says

Mediamax news agency
6 Apr 04

YEREVAN

Leader of the National Unity Party Artashes Gegamyan said in Yerevan
today that the Armenian president and the defence minister bore
personal responsibility for the provocation that took place during an
opposition rally in central Yerevan on 5 April.

During the rally, some unidentified people tried to throw eggs at
Artashes Gegamyan. Seeing that journalists were filming this, 15 to 20
young people attacked the filming crews of the Armenian Public TV, the
private TV companies Kentron, Hai TV and Shant, and the reporters of
Aravot and Aykakan Zhamanak newspapers. The video and photo cameras of
the abovementioned media were broken.

Addressing a briefing in Yerevan today, Artashes Gegamyan said that
“the plan of provocations was approved on the previous day at a
meeting with the Armenian president, and only the fact that people
exercised restraint helped prevent disorder”. According to the
opposition politician, the persons who attacked media representatives
during the rally were the “bodyguards of some oligarchs”.

Artashes Gegamyan expressed confidence that the authorities were
preparing for more provocations on 9 April, the day when the National
Unity Party and the Justice bloc will start their actions of protest
in the streets.

At 1019 gmt, Noyan Tapan news agency quoted Gegamyan as saying that
the police arrested 127 members and activists of the National Unity
Party on 4-5 April.

RosBusinessConsulting Database
April 2, 2004 Friday 8:04 am, EST

CIS output up in Jan-Feb 2004

The industrial output of CIS members increased at the average by 10
percent in January-February 2004 against the same period in 2003. The
strongest output growth was observed in Ukraine (18.2 percent),
Georgia (14.8 percent), Moldova (13.4 percent), the CIS Interstate
Statistical Committee reports.

Industrial output also increased in Belarus (13.2 percent),
Tajikistan (10.6 percent), Kazakhstan (8.9 percent), Russia (8.1
percent), Kirghizia (6.4 percent), and Azerbaijan (4.6 percent). The
only CIS country where the output decreased by 5.5 percent in
January-February 2004 against the same period in 2003 is Armenia.

The information on the output growth in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
is not given.

Le Figaro, France
31 Mars 2004

La politesse du désespoir

La critique de Marie-Noëlle Tranchant

Si l’humour est la politesse du désespoir, le cinéaste kurde Hiner
Saleem est le plus courtois des hommes, et son film la fête la plus
élégante qui se puisse donner. Elle commence au fin fond de
l’Arménie, dans un cimetière enneigé où déboule à toute allure un
étrange carrosse : le lit de fer sur lequel on amène un vieux
musicien impotent, qui sort sa flûte et donne le signal des
réjouissances aux quelques villageois kurdes réunis là. On chante, on
trinque, on se raconte des histoires, auprès des morts.

Un lieu béni, ce cimetière. C’est là que Hamo (Romen Avinian), venu
sur la tombe de sa femme, rencontre la belle Nina (Lala Sarkissian),
venue sur celle de son mari. Ils sont aussi démunis l’un que l’autre.
Hamo espère que son second fils, émigré en France, lui enverra de
quoi arrondir sa retraite de 7 dollars mensuels. Mais, quand le fils
lointain se manifeste, c’est pour demander de l’argent à son père.
Alors Hamo part sur la route avec son armoire, brocanteur improvisé.
Il fera de même, plus tard, avec le vieux téléviseur et son uniforme
militaire.

Le film est plein d’objets solitaires posés là, incongrus, sur
l’étendue enneigée, comme s’il n’y avait pas de différence entre
l’extérieur et l’intérieur : lit, armoire, piano, chaises qu’on
installe devant la maison pour converser, et la buvette en plein vent
de Nina, au bord de la route, où les gens s’arrêtent si rarement
qu’elle n’a même pas de quoi payer ses trajets en autocar et que son
patron décide de fermer.

C’est le dénuement absolu de ces Kurdes perdus dans les neiges
d’Arménie que dépeint Hiner Saleem dans Vodka Lemon. Mais il le fait
avec tant de pudeur et d’esprit, avec une tendresse si fière, avec
une fantaisie si racée, qu’on a le sentiment de recevoir un présent.
D’ailleurs, on est chez des princes. Avec son beau visage raviné,
crinière blanche et regard de braise, sa munificence et sa
délicatesse, Hamo transforme la misère en seigneurie. C’est ravissant
de le voir courtiser Nina avec d’anciennes manières, lui offrir des
fleurs et des voyages (dans la très jolie séquence où elle comprend
qu’il a payé l’autocar pour elle), l’inviter à danser. Posé sur la
neige et la boue, leur amour étincelle comme un pur joyau.