Author: Tamamian Anna

`YEREVAN IS OUR NATIVE TOWN’

By Melania Badalian
AZG Armenian Daily #035
26/02/2005

On February 24, the building in Abovian Street was being
reconstructed. The building is an example of neo-classicism of the
early XX century. It is of great architectural and historical
value. The building formerly belonged to Gabriel Gabrielian one of the
wealthy people of the old Yerevan.

Abovian Street (formerly, Astafian) is one of the most famous streets
of Yerevan with its unique atmosphere. Each resident of Yerevan has a
cherished memory connected with this street. These afterglows of the
city’s dwellers are the integral part of the streets’ architectural
atmosphere, that form the documental and aesthetic value of our
capital.

A number of NGOs, Civic Initiative of Kond’s Preservation and the
citizens of Yerevan organized a protest action directed against the
authorities’ decision to reconstruct the building. “As a result of
economic development large scale urban construction processes are
taking place in the capital and the new plan of the city is being
elaborated. The city administration alienates the buildings that have
preserved architectural and historical value of the city’s center for
many years. While the new plan should first of all preserve the
history of the capital and transfer it to the future
generations. Neither the Yerevan city mayor, nor the chief architect
and the authors of the plan have rights to decide the fate of
Yerevan’s history. We all are the owners of the city and its fate and
history, we have inherited them and we are responsible for,” Sarhat
Petrossian, one of the action’s organizers said.

The abovementioned valuable building was excluded from the list of the
historical buildings of the city that was approved by the
government. But Yerevan doesn’t belong to the authorities and the
organizers of the action applied to RA prime minister. The latter gave
his consent to include the building in the list of the historical
monuments of the city and submitted the relevant document to the
Municipality. But just yesterday the edifice was being
reconstructed. This part of the city’s history is lost for us.

The edifice was excluded from the list of historical monuments when
the former architect was in power. The building wasn’t included in the
new list either and was sold to a Berberian. Devil-may-care behavior
of the building’s owner isn’t excluded. The initiators of the action
of protest try to draw the attention of the Yerevan City
Administration, the government, the Committee for the Monument’s
Preservation on their demand to include the edifice in the list of the
historical monuments, as in this case, it will necessary and
obligatory to preserve the front of the building, at least.

Architect, Mr. Gasparian, expressed bewilderment about the fact that
Yerevan’s historical plan is preserved by the government’s decree but,
at the same time, the same decree approved the list of the edifices
situated in such parts of the city for moving to another place. There
are 18 buildings in that list.

The initiators of the action applied to RA government with their
demands directed against Yerevan city administration. “We are against
the policy that the Yerevan city administration conducts. They deny
the historical past of our city. We demand that the issue of
historical monuments should be of special and primary importance in
the plan of the Yerevan city,” said the initiators of the action of
protest.

Sirekan Ohanian, head of the Department of Urban Construction and
Natural Resources at RA Government, received two of the action’s
initiators and informed them that 20 days ago the government received
a suggestion and in the course of February 24 sitting of government a
decision was made to include the edifice in the list of Yerevan’s
historical monuments.

Notwithstanding this decision, we were informed that the building is
being reconstructed still and that is why the action of protest will
continue in front of Yerevan Mayor’s Office.

P.S. The owner of the building called daily Azg yesterday night and
promised not to bring down the front of the building which is going to
turn into hotel.

Armenian minister vows to secure independence of legal system

Arminfo
23 Feb 05

YEREVAN

We have the political will to create the necessary conditions for
securing the independence of the Armenian legal system, Justice
Minister David Arutyunyan told today’s ceremony to open a complex of
new offices for the Court of Appeal for criminal and military cases,
the Court of Appeal for civil cases and the Economic Court.

However, the independence of courts should not be turned into
irresponsibility, he said. Armenian judges should work hard enough on
this issue. In the past, Armenia did not manage to maintain the
genuine independence of the legal system, which could inspire
confidence in society. “This is temporary,” the minister said. At the
same time, he said that public opinion polls and the statistical data
of the country showed that progress was being made in the legal
system. The same progress has also been mentioned by international
structures.

Such an opinion was expressed by the consulting service for foreign
investment in 2004. Arutyunyan said that serious threats endanger the
system at this stage. This is proved by the experience of eastern
European and the CIS countries.

[Passage omitted: Arutyunyan cites Russia’s example]

Associated Press Worldstream
February 23, 2005 Wednesday 12:53 PM Eastern Time

Azerbaijani president calls for international recognition of
notorious attack during war with Armenia

BAKU, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s president on Wednesday called for world recognition of a
notorious attack during the six-year war with Armenia that
Azerbaijanis say killed hundreds.

Ilham Aliyev said the attack on the village of Khodzhaly in the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave was “the worst crime not only against the
Azerbaijani people but against all of humanity,” according to a
statement released by the state-run Azertaj news agency.

He said the attack was “part of a 200-year political campaign of
genocide and ethnic cleansing by Armenian nationalists against the
Azerbaijani people.”

Armenian forces rushed into Khodzhaly on Feb. 26, 1992, in an attack
that resulted in the deaths of 613 Azerbaijanis, according to
Azerbaijani authorities. Armenian forces do not deny the attack, but
say the death toll is exaggerated.

The incident appalled Azerbaijanis and the anniversary of the attack
is observed every year with rallies and speeches in Baku.

Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia drove Azerbaijani troops out
of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s during a six-year war that killed
some 30,000 people and sent 1 million fleeing from their homes. A
cease-fire was reached in 1994, but the final status of the enclave,
whose self-proclaimed sovereignty is not recognized internationally,
is unresolved.

The dispute continues to damage both nations’ economies and the
threat of renewed war hangs over the region.

THE RUSSIANS WILL ENTER GEORGIA

A1+
23-02-2005

After a long-term waiting 80 Russian military men have the possibility
(an invitation) to pass on to the Akhalqalak Russian military station
N 62 from the Gyoumry military station N 125. 71 more Russian military
men will soon go to Georgia, invited by the Georgian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

According to A-Info, the Georgian Deputy minister of Foreign Affairs
has announced that the number of invitations of the Russian military
men to Georgia will be limited. According to the agreement reached,
the number of soldiers entering the military station must not
outnumber those coming out of it.

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part A (Russia)
February 21, 2005, Monday

TABLEAU: FIELD REPORTS FROM THE DEN INTELLIGENCE NETWORK

According to our experts, the favorable coverage given by the
Washington Post and the New York Times to the Communist Party (CPRF)
protest rallies on February 12 (including quotes from Gennadi
Zyuganov: “the Putin regime is teetering”) cannot be a coincidence.
This is evidence that the extensive media pressure being exerted on
President Putin in the lead-up to the Bratislava summit is reaching
its peak; and these efforts to squeeze strategic concessions from the
Kremlin even involve anti-American opposition forces within Russia.
Thus, Putin is being driven into a position where he is caught in the
crossfire; then, according to the American strategists, he would have
to accept all terms for a “nuclear surrender.”

A pre-planned visit to Moscow by Henry Kissinger, former US secretary
of state and prominent member of global para-Masonic organizations
(Bilderberg Club, Trilateral Commission, etc.) served as a warm-up
exercise, viewed by the Washington administration as a key mechanism
of influencing the Kremlin leadership. Condoleezza Rice, who had
taken an extremely hardline stance at her meeting with Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov in Istanbul, played “bad cop”; while
Kissinger, who came to Moscow especially to “work on the target
directly,” played “good cop.” However, according to sources close to
the government, the demands made by Kissinger proved to be even
harsher than Rice’s public attacks. In effect, they come down to
demanding that Putin should reconcile himself to the “velvet
revolutions” in Ukraine and Georgia, and make no attempt to counter
similar processes in Central Asia and the European part of the former
USSR (Armenia, Belarus, Moldova); Russia should also reduce its arms
exports and cease cooperating with Iran in nuclear energy and high
technologies.

Actually, in relation to the Chinese-Korean “nuclear missle
maneuver,” the iron fist of the “world government” is thoroughly
encased in a velvet glove: if Russia joins in the American ultimatum
and supports a return to the six-nation negotiation process (USA,
Russia, China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea) with the purpose of
establishing international monitoring for Pyongyang’s nuclear
warheads, then strategic cooperation on safety and security measures
at Russia’s nuclear facilities could become more generous towards the
Kremlin. And a comprehensive agreement covering this area of
cooperation could be signed within nine or ten months of a
“declaration of intentions in Bratislava.”

Insider sources report that the Foreign Ministry secretariat has
received a directive from the presidential administration: be as
receptive as possible to American proposals across the full range of
issues under discussion.

According to our London sources, Russia’s North Caucasus may soon
witness some large-scale developments capable of starting the process
of Russia’s disintegration. British intelligence agencies have
prepared some recommendations for Islamic fundamentalists in Russia:
proposing to take advantage of the people’s growing discontent with
Putin’s social policies and Caucasus policy, as an irrefutable cover
story for terrorist attacks directed against Russian federal
officials.

As our experts predicted, despite the very “democratic” reduction of
the share of votes for Shiite representatives from 76% to 48% by the
occupational administration in Iraq, control over the government will
be exerted by the Shiite clergy. Thus, American intervention in Iraq
actually played up to Iran and enabled Iran to achieve goals not
achieved during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, according to our
sources in Beirut.

Henceforth a repeated positive verdict of the Texas court on the
lawsuit of YUKOS against the Russian Federation worth $28 billion
should be confirmed by the international court in the Hague, which
might take 12-18 months. If the lawsuit is upheld, sequestration of
all exports of Russian oil to cover the judicial costs, damages and
so on is an entirely realistic prospect.

Source: Zavtra, February 17, 2005, p. 1

AZERBAIJAN SEIZES 200 OIL PRODUCT CARRIAGES BOUND FOR ARMENIA

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22. ARMINFO. The State Customs Committee and
Transport Ministry of Azerbaijan report about the seizure of 200
carriages with oil products on the Azeri-Georgian border. The
carriages are believed to have been going to Armenia.

The carriages were going from the eastern coast of the Caspian
Sea. Now their fate is being negotiated.

Meanwhile Azerbaijan says that it will join TRACECA if it is given
guarantees that no cargos for Armenia will enter its territory.

This is not the first such case. Georgian customs officers are
displeased with such actions by their Azeri counterparts. They say
that this cargo conflict causes big damage to Georgian businessmen and
demand presidential interference.

Lavrov to come up with new offers on bases in Georgia
By Kseniya Kaminskaya, Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
February 17, 2005 Thursday

YEREVAN, February 17 — During his visit to Georgia on Friday,
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to “come up with
additional proposals on the settlement of issues concerning the term of
stay of the Russian bases and on the setting up of an anti-terrorist
centre on their basis,” a source from the Russian delegation which
is accompanying the foreign minister in his trip to Armenia told
Itar-Tass on Thursday.

The law on national and ethnic minorities and regional languages

Polish News Bulletin
Feb 16, 2005

Dated 6 January 2005

Journal of Laws No 17, item 141 – Chapter 1 General provisions

Art.1. This law sets down affairs connected with preserving and developing
the cultural identity of national and ethnic minorities and preserving and
developing regional languages as well as the method of realizing the principle of
equal treatment of persons irrespective of ethnic origin and sets down the
tasks and authority of public administration organs and territorial local
government organs in this scope.

Art.2.1. National minorities pursuant to this law shall be a group of Polish
citizens satisfying the following conditions:

1) is less numerous than the remaining part of the population of Poland;

2) essentially differs from other citizens by language, culture or tradition;

3) strives to preserve its language, culture or tradition;

4) is conscious of its own historical national community and is directed at
its implementing and protection;

5) its ancestors resided in the present territory of Poland for at least 100
years;

6) identifies with the nation organized in its own country.

2. The following shall be recognized national minorities:

b) Byelorussian;

c) Czech,

d) Lithuanian;

e) German;

f) Armenian;

g) Russian;

h) Slovakian;

i) Ukrainian;

j) Jewish.

3. Ethnic minorities pursuant to this law shall be a group of Polish citizens
which satisfies jointly the following conditions:

1) is less numerous than the remaining part of the population of Poland;

2) essentially differs from other citizens by language, culture or tradition;

3) strives to preserve its language, culture or tradition;

4) is conscious of its own historical national community and is directed at
its implementing and protection;

5) its ancestors resided in the present territory of Poland for at least 100
years;

6) does not identify with the nation organized in its own country.

4. The following shall be recognized as ethnic minorities:

1) Karaite;

2) Lemko;

3) Roma;

4) Tatar.

Art. 3. Whenever this law reefers to:

1) minorities ? this shall mean national and ethnic minorities referred to in
art. 2;

2) minority language ? this shall mean the own language of national and
ethnic minorities referred to in art. 2.

Art.4.1. Any person belonging to minorities holds the right to free decision
on treatment of the person as a person belonging or not belonging to
minorities and such a choice or enjoying rights connected with such choice shall not
cause any unfavorable effects.

2. No one shall be obligated other than pursuant to the law to disclose
information on own affiliation to minorities or to disclose their origin, minority
language or religion.

3. No one shall be obligated to prove their own affiliation to the given
minority.

4. Persons belonging to minorities may enjoy rights and freedoms arising from
principles contained in this law individually as well as jointly with other
members of their minority.

Art.5.1. The use of measures for the purpose of assimilating persons
belonging to minorities shall be banned, where the measures are used against their
will.

2. The use of measures for the purpose of changing the national or ethnic
proportions in areas populated by minorities shall be banned.

Art. 6.1. Discrimination arising from affiliation with minorities shall be
banned.

2. Public administration organs shall undertake the proper steps to:

1) support the full and authentic equality in the sphere of economic, social,
political and cultural life between persons belonging to minorities and
persons belonging to the majority;

2) protect persons who are the subject of discrimination, hostility or
violence being the result of their affiliation with minorities;

3) strengthen intercultural dialog. – Chapter 2The use of minority languages

Art. 7.1. Persons belonging to minorities hold the right to use and spell
their names and surnames pursuant to the principles of spelling of the minority
language in particular in the civilian register and identity documents.

2. Names and surnames of persons belonging to minorities spelled in an
alphabet other than Latin shall be transliterated.

3. The minister proper for public administration in agreement with the
minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall set down, by
ordinance, the method of transliterating referred to in sec. 2 taking into
account the principles of spelling of the minority language.

Art. 8. Persons belonging to minorities shall in particular hold the right
to:

1) the free use of minority languages in private and public;

2) disseminate and exchange information in the minority language;

3) place information of a private nature in minority languages;

4) learn minority languages or in minority languages.

Art. 9.1. Minority languages may be used as auxiliary languages apart from
the official language before gmina organs.

2. Auxiliary languages may be used only in gminas in which the number of
gmina citizens belonging to minorities the language of which is to be used as
auxiliary is not lower than 20% of the total population of the gmina and which are
entered to the Official Gmina Register in which the auxiliary language is
used, hereinafter referred to as the “Official Register”.

3. The possibility of using auxiliary languages shall mean that persons
belonging to minorities, save for sec. 5, hold the right to:

1) apply to gmina organs in auxiliary languages in writing or orally;

2) receive, on express application, replies also in the auxiliary language in
writing or orally.

4. Submitting applications in auxiliary languages is admissible. Submitting
applications in auxiliary languages shall not constitute a defect causing
non-examination of the application.

5. Appeal proceedings shall be conducted only in the official language.

6. No one shall avoid performance of legal orders or decisions issued in the
official language where circumstances require their immediate enforcement in
order to achieve their aim.

7. Doubts shall be resolved pursuant to documents prepared in the official
language.

Art. 10.1. Entries to the Official Register shall be made by the keeper of
the Official Register, the minister proper or religion and national and ethnic
minorities pursuant to gmina council applications.

2. Applications referred to in sec. 1 shall include in particular the
official data on the gmina population including the number of citizens belonging to
minorities whose language is to be used as an auxiliary language and a gmina
council resolution on expressing consent for introducing the auxiliary language
with an indication of the minority language which is to be the auxiliary
language.

3. Prior to entry to the Official Register the minister proper for religion
and national and ethnic minorities shall verify applications referred to in
sec. 1. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities may
refuse entry to the Official Register where applications do not satisfy
requirements referred to in sec. 2.

4. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall
refuse entry to the Official Register where the number of gmina citizens
belonging to minorities whose language is to be used as an auxiliary language is
lower than 20% of the total number of gmina citizens.

5. Refusals to enter to the Official Register may be appealed by the gmina
council to the administrative court.

6. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities on
gmina application shall delete the gmina from the Official Register.

7. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall
determine, in agreement with the minister proper for public administration, by
ordinance, the method of keeping the Official Register and the specimen
application referred to in sec. 1 taking into account in particular data enabling
the univocal identification of the gmina (name of voivodship, poviat, gmina)
and information referred to in sec. 2

Art. 11.1. Supplements may be granted to employees of gmina offices, gmina
auxiliary units and gmina budget units and plants for knowledge of the auxiliary
language in force in the gmina area in gminas entered to the Official
Register. The principles of granting supplements and their level are set down by
provisions on the principles of remunerating local government employees.

2. Knowledge of auxiliary languages shall be confirmed by diploma or
certificate.

3. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities in
agreement with the minister proper for education shall set down, by ordinance,
the list of diplomas and certificates referred to in sec. 2 taking into account
all minority languages.

Art. 12.1. Additional traditional names in minority languages may be used
beside:

1) official names of localities and physiographic objects,

2) street names

– in Polish pursuant to separate provisions.

2. Additional names referred to in sec. 1 may be used only in the areas of
gminas entered to the Register of gminas kept by the minister proper for
religion and national and ethnic minorities in the area of which names in minority
languages are used, hereinafter referred to as the “Register of gminas”. Entries
to the Register of gminas shall be made by the minister proper for religion
and national and ethnic minorities on application of gmina councils in the area
of which the names are to be used, save for sec. 7 and art. 13 sec. 1 ? 7.

3. Additional names referred to in sec. 1 shall not have reference to names
from the period of 1933 ? 1945 granted by German Third Reich authorities or the
USSR.

4. Additional names referred to in sec. 1 may be introduced in the whole
gmina area or in particular localities.

5. Additional names referred to in sec. 1 shall be placed after the name in
Polish and shall not be used independently.

6. Determining additional names in the minority language shall be made
pursuant to the rules of spelling of the language.

7. Additional names of localities or physiographic names in minority
languages may be determined on gmina council application where:

1) the number of gmina citizens belonging to minorities is lower than 20% of
the total number of the gmina population or, in case of inhabited localities,
more than half the citizens of the locality taking part in consultations
conducted pursuant to art. 5a sec. 2 of the law of 8 March 1990 on gmina local
government (Journal of Laws of 2001 No 142, item 1591, as amended are for
determining an additional name of the locality in the minority language;

2) the gmina council resolution obtained a positive opinion of the Committee
for names of Localities and Physiographic Objects established pursuant to the
law of 29 August 2003 on official names of localities and physiographic
objects (Journal of Laws No 166,item 1612).

8. Provisions of the law referred to in sec. 7 point 1 shall apply to
determining additional names in minority languages.

Art. 13.1. Gmina councils shall present applications referred to in art. 12
sec. 7 on application of gmina citizens belonging to minorities or on own
initiative. In case of applications on names of inhabited localities the gmina
council shall prior conduct consultations with citizens of the locality on the
case pursuant to at. 5a sec. 2 of the law on gmina local government.

2. Gmina councils shall present applications referred to in art. 12 sec. 7 to
the minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities through
voivods.

3. Applications referred to in art. 12 sec. 7 should include:

1) the council resolution on determining additional names of localities or
physiographic objects;

2) the proper spelling of the official name of the locality of physiographic
object in Polish;

3) in case of physiographic objects ? an opinion of voivodship boards in the
area of which the objects are situated;

4) the proposed spelling of the additional name in the minority language;

5) a review of results of consultations referred to in sec.1 and in art. 12
sec. 7 point 1;

6) information on the financial costs of introducing the proposed changes.

4. The requirement for obtaining opinion shall be assumed to be satisfied in
case of non-issue of the opinion referred to in sec,. 3 point 3 within 30 days
from the date of applying for the opinion.

5. Voivods shall deliver applications referred to in art. 12 sec. 7 to the
minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities not later than
within 30 days from the date of receipt and enclosing their opinion. The
minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall deliver the
application for opinion to the Commission for Names of Localities and
Physiographical Objects. The Commission for Names of Localities and Physiographical
Objects shell present its opinion to the minister proper for religion and national
and ethnic minorities through the minister proper for public administration
immediately after examination of the application.

6. Additional names of localities or physiographical objects shall be
regarded as determined where they are entered to the Register of gminas.

7. Entries referred to in sec. 6 shall be made by the minister proper for
religion and national and ethnic minorities after obtaining a positive opinion of
the Commission for Names of Localities and Physiographical Objects.

8. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall
refuse entry of additional names of localities of physiographical objects in
minority languages to the register of gminas or shall delete names from the
register where they refers to names from the period of 1933 ? 1945 granted by
authorities of the German Third Reich or the USSR.

9. Complaints to the administrative court may be filed by gmina councils
against refusal to make entries referred to in sec. 6 and against deletion
referred to in sec. 8.

10. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities in
agreement with the minister proper for public administration shall set down, by
ordinance, specimen gmina council applications:

1) on entry to the register of gminas,

2) on establishing additional names of localities of physiographical objects
in minority languages

– taking into account the detailed scope of information included in the
Register of gminas.

11. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities in
agreement with the minister proper for public administration shall set down, by
ordinance, the method of keeping the register of gminas and the detailed scope
of information included in the Register taking into account indications of
voivodships and poviats in the area of which the gmina is situated, the gmina
name, the official name of the locality or physiographic object and the
additional name in the minority language.

12. The minister proper for transport in agreement with the minister proper
for religion and national and ethnic minorities and the minister proper for
public administration shall set down, by ordinance, the details concerning
placing additional names in minority languages on signs and boards in minority langua
ges taking into account in particular the size and font style of names in
Polish and in minority languages.

Art. 14. The population of gminas belonging to minorities referred to in art.
9 sec. 2, art. 10 sec. 4 and art. 12 sec. 7 point 1 shall be understood to be
the number officially determined by the result of the last general census.

Art. 15.1. Costs connected with introducing and using auxiliary languages in
the area of the gmina and costs connected with introducing additional names
referred to in art. 12 sec. 1 in minority languages shall be borne, save for
sec. 2, by the gmina budget.

2. Costs connected with exchanging information signs arising from determining
additional names of localities or physiographical objects in minority
languages shall be borne by the state budget.

Art. 16. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities
shall order translations of this law into minority languages. – Chapter
3Education and culture

Art. 17. Realization of rights of persons belonging minorities to study
minority languages or in minority languages as well as rights of the persons to
study the history and culture of minorities shall occur on principles and by the
procedure set down by the law of 7 September 1991 on the education system
(Journal of Laws of 2004 No 256, item 2572, as amended).

Art. 18.1. Public authority organs shall undertake the proper measures for
the purpose of supporting activities for protecting, preserving and developing
the cultural identity of minorities.

2. Measures referred to in sec. 1 may be in particular target subsidies or
subsidies for entities for:

1) activities of cultural institutions, artistic movements and creativity of
minorities and artistic events of essential significance for the minority
culture;

2) investment serving preservation of the cultural identity of minorities;

3) publishing books, magazines, periodicals and folders in minority languages
or in Polish in printed form and in other technologies of recording pictures
and sounds;

4) support for television programs and radio programs realized by the
minorities;

5) protection of sites connected with minority culture;

6) community center activities;

7) managing libraries and documentation on cultural and artistic life of
minorities;

8) education of children and youth realized in different forms;

9) promoting knowledge on minorities;

10) other programs realizing aims referred to in sec. 1 and supporting
citizen integration of minorities.

3. Subsidies referred to in sec. 2 shall be granted from the part of the
state budget at the disposal of the minister proper for religion and national and
ethnic minorities may be granted in omitting open competition of offers. The
minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall annually
announce the principles of proceedings in cases on granting subsidies referred
to in sec. 2. Provisions of art. 14 ? 18 of the law of 24 April 2003 on pro
bono activities and volunteers (Journal of Laws No 96, item 873, as amended)
shall apply accordingly.

4. Measures referred to in sec. 1 may also include funds delivered from the
territorial local government budget to organizations or institutions realizing
tasks serving the protection, preservation and development of the cultural
identity of minorities.

5. Subsidies for entities referred to in sec. 2 may be granted to minority
organizations or cultural institutions of essential importance for minority
culture. Provisions of art. 73 sec. 4 of the law of 26 November 1998 on public
finances (Journal of Laws of 2003 No 15, item 148 , as amended) shall apply
accordingly. – Chapter 4Regional languages

Art. 19.1. Regional languages pursuant to this law, pursuant to the European
Regional or Minority Language Charter shall be assumed to be languages which:

1) are traditionally used in the territory of the given country by its
citizens who constitute a group numbering less then the remaining population of the
country;

2) differ from the official language of the country; this does not include
dialects of the official national language nor languages of immigrants.

2. Regional languages pursuant to this law is Kashubian. Provisions of art. 7
? 15 shall apply accordingly, save for that the number of gmina inhabitants
referred to in art. 14 is understood to be the number of persons using regional
languages officially determined as the result of the last general census.

Art. 20.1. Realization of rights of persons using the language referred to in
art. 19 to study the language or in the language shall occur on principles
and by the procedure set down by the law referred to in art. 17.

2. Public authority organs shall undertake the proper measures for the
purpose of supporting activities aiming at preserving and development of the
language referred to in art. 19. Provisions of art. 18 sec. 2 and 3 and sec. 5 shall
apply accordingly.

3. Measures referred to in sec. 2 may also include funds from the territorial
local government units for organizations or institutions realizing tasks for
preserving and developing the language referred to in art. 19. – Chapter 5
Organs for national and ethnic minority affairs

Art. 21.1. The public administration organ in affairs covered by this law
shall be the minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities.

2. The minister proper for religion and national and ethnic minorities shall
in particular:

1) favor realization of rights and needs of minorities by undertaking actions
in favor of minorities and initiating programs concerning:

a) preserving and developing the minority identity, culture and language
ensuring the full citizen integration of persons belonging to minorities,

b) realizing the principle of equal treatment of persons regardless of ethnic
origin;

2) cooperate with the proper organs in the scope of counteracting violations
of minority rights;

3) shall prepare analyses and evaluations of the legal and social situation
of minorities including the scope of realizing the principle referred to in
point 1b);

4) disseminates knowledge on the subject of minorities and their culture as
well as initiates research on the situation of minorities including in the
scope of discrimination referred to in art. 6 sec. 1 its manifestations and the
method and strategy of its counteracting;

5) undertakes actions for preserving and developing languages referred to in
art. 129.

Art. 22.1. The voivod tasks shall include:

1) coordinating actions in the voivodship area of public administration
organs realizing tasks in favor of minorities;

2) undertaking actions for respecting minority rights and counteracting
violation of the rights and discrimination of persons belonging to minorities;

3) undertaking actions for solving minority problems;

4) undertaking actions for respecting rights of persons using languages
referred to in art. 19.

2. For the purpose of realizing tasks referred to in sec. 1 voivods shall
cooperate with territorial local government organs and social organizations in
particular with minority organizations and shall give opinion on programs in
favor of minorities as well as preserving and development of languages referred
to in art. 19, realized in the area of the given voivodship.

3. Voivods may establish plenipotentiaries for national and ethnic minority
affairs pursuant to art,. 35 of the law of 5 June 1998 on public administration
in voivodships (Journal of Laws of 2001 No 80, item 872, as amended) for an
indefinite period of time. if ……………………………..

Law Supplement Editor Marcin Wawrzynczak;

Editor-in-Chief Ewa Szczesna;

President, CEO Andrzej Mietkowski;

Sales Assistant Ludmila Obojska;

Accounting Inga Kosciakiewicz;

Office Manager Monika Krupa; end

Armenia’s Strong Public Expenditure Management Qualifies For British Debt Relief Offer

ArmenPress
Feb 15 2005

Yerevan, February 15, Armenpress: The British Embassy in Armenia
has confirmed today that the Government of the United Kingdom has
offered to pay 10% of Armenia’s World Bank debt repayments until
2015. The British Department for International Development (DFID)
will pay the money into a World Bank trust fund. The International
Development Association (the World Bank agency which provides funding
on concessional terms to the poorest developing countries) will in
turn reduce the repayments which Armenia makes over the next ten years.

The British Government have offered this financial help in recognition
of the difficulties which low income countries face in trying to
reduce poverty while at the same time service their international
debt. The objective is to free additional resources to enable Armenia
to achieve its development goals. Armenia is one of five countries to
benefit in this way, all chosen in recognition that they have sound
public expenditure policies in place which will ensure that the money
saved will be targeted towards poverty reduction. The other countries
are Mongolia, Vietnam, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Following a meeting with Economy and Finance Minister Vartan
Khachatrian the British Ambassador, Thorda Abbott-Watt, said “I am
pleased that my Government has felt able to make this gesture, which
recognizes and rewards strong economic management. The money which
will be released will help Armenia increase investment in spheres such
as health, education and social support and raise living standards
more quickly.”

Armenia is due to repay the World Bank US$ 8 million, US$ 11 million
and US$ 12 million in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. The United
Kingdom contribution will be 10% of this – US$800,000, US$1.1million
and US$1.2million. Over the ten years of the initiative (until 2015),
the total United Kingdom contribution will be just under US$20 million.

COMMODITY TURNOVER BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY IN 2004 MADE $120 BILLION

PanArmenian News
Feb 14 2005

14.02.2005 16:54

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The commodity circulation between Armenia and Turkey
in 2004 made about $120 billion, Kaan Soyak, the Co-Chairman of the
Armenian-Turkish Relations Development Council, stated in Yerevan
today. According to him, before the formation of the Council in
1997 the turnover made no more than $60 million. He says, in case
of opening of the Armenian-Turkish border the turnover can increase
at least three times. Kaan Soyak stated he is for soonest opening
of the border and invited representatives of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
to Turkey for establishing dialogue on urgent issues. “The ARFD is a
serious and experienced party and if they agree I am ready to exert
every effort to start this dialogue”, he noted. When touching upon the
Armenian Genocide Soyak said that Turks began speaking of it during
the recent 2-3 years. “Our organization will do its best to make the
historical truth clear to the Turkish people”, he stated. It should
be noted that when commenting on the killings of 1915 in the Ottoman
Empire the Turkish businessman used the word “genocide”.