FOREIGN CITIZENS ADOPTED 44 CHILDREN FROM ARMENIA IN 2005

Yerevan, Julky 11. ArmInfo. Forty-four children from Armenia were adopted by foreign citizens in 2005, Armenian Justice Minister David Haroutiunyan told ArmInfo.

He said foreign citizens adopt about 40-50 Armenian children yearly in average. 75% of foreign citizens adopting children from Armenia are Armenians residing in the USA, France, Italy, Russia and other countries. Of course, tragic cases cannot be overseen, however, the government carefully studies the financial and social state of parents. Psychologists work with them for a long time to find out how the new family will perceive a new child, the minister said.

Presenting an International Convention on protection of children's rights when adopted by foreign citizens at the Constitutional Court of Armenia, Minister Haroutiunyan said the document, which was signed on 29 May 1993 in Hague, aims to create mechanisms guaranteeing protection of children in case of their adoption by foreign citizens.

Among the commitments Armenia undertook when signing the document is establishment of a consultative body regulating the adoption process.

To note, Armenia joined the Convention with a reservation related Article 22: adoption of children by foreign citizens must meet the Armenian legislation and not the provisions of the Convention. To come into effect, the document requires ratification by the Armenian National Assembly.

Azerbaijan able to defend itself - minister

ANS TV, Baku
26 Jun 06


[Presenter] Azerbaijan is an independent state and can defend its territorial integrity, Defence Minister Safar Abiyev has said in a statement on the occasion of Armed Forces Day.

[Abiyev] I have a dream. The occupied lands must be liberated and the tasks of the armed forces are to make preparations and liberate those lands by force if necessary. Everything takes time.

Azerbaijan gained its independence in 1991. The key issue is to preserve our independence. Not only Armenia but major states too were against Azerbaijan. They wanted to keep it under control and even nowadays they want to achieve this. Time will come and major states, which are exerting pressure on Azerbaijan, will understand that Azerbaijan is an independent state and can defend its lands and
territorial integrity.

Hetq Receives Threats

[July 10, 2006]

In the last week, the Investigative Journalists has received a number of e-mail messages containing threats and vulgar invective sent to the mailbox of Hetq Online. The authors warn the staff of Hetq not to publish articles about Gagik Tsarukyan and threaten violence against us if we do.

On July 7, 2006 Edik Baghdasaryan, chairman of the Investigative Journalists and editor-in-chief of Hetq Online, submitted a request to Head of the National Security Service of Armenia Gorik Hakobyan to locate the authors of the threatening messages and apply any penalties prescribed by law.

Hetq

Happy to see the people of the UAE are getting the news

Today Martuni or Bust (MOB) had a large number of visits and what I noticed was that the majority of them came from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and there was one caught my eye from Bahrain. Though we do get visits from these countries, today we seem to have had more than the norm.

All these hits came after I posted the news about the new possible trafficking law this morning. I'm guessing that persons in those countries are getting the news from MOB, as for the most part, such news is not reported in those countries and those that do report over the internet such as www.hetq.am are blocked so they can't be viewed by persons in said countries.

Here is the list of visits for those interested:

1. 10 July 17:56 ETC, United Arab Emirates
2. 10 July 18:06 VGC, Nigeria
3. 10 July 18:07 ETC, United Arab Emirates
4. 10 July 18:16 ETC, United Arab Emirates
5. 10 July 18:17 ETC, United Arab Emirates
6. 10 July 18:21 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
7. 10 July 18:28 Credit Suisse Group, New York, United States
8. 10 July 18:32 ETC, United Arab Emirates
9. 10 July 18:36 Internet Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
10. 10 July 18:39 ETC, United Arab Emirates
11. 10 July 18:43 ETC, United Arab Emirates
12. 10 July 18:44 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
13. 10 July 18:49 Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company, Georgia
14. 10 July 18:50 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
15. 10 July 18:51 Internet Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
16. 10 July 19:00 ETC, United Arab Emirates
17. 10 July 19:04 ETC, United Arab Emirates
18. 10 July 19:04 Road Runner, Kansas City, United States
19. 10 July 19:07 Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
20. 10 July 19:11 Ireland (eircom.net)
21. 10 July 19:13 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
22. 10 July 19:17 Geganet, Egypt
23. 10 July 19:18 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
24. 10 July 19:19 AT&T, United States
25. 10 July 19:20 Canada (any.ca)
26. 10 July 19:21 ETC, United Arab Emirates
27. 10 July 19:21 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
28. 10 July 19:23 SunGard, United Kingdom
29. 10 July 19:24 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
30. 10 July 19:26 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
31. 10 July 19:26 Gaoland, France
32. 10 July 19:26 ETC, United Arab Emirates
33. 10 July 19:28 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
34. 10 July 19:28 Cavalier Telephone Company, United States
35. 10 July 19:29 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
36. 10 July 19:30 Cavalier Telephone Company, United States
37. 10 July 19:31 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
38. 10 July 19:33 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
39. 10 July 19:34 Cavalier Telephone Company, United States
40. 10 July 19:39 Salomon Smith Barney Inc., United States
41. 10 July 19:46 Bahrain Telecommunication Company, Bahrain
42. 10 July 19:46 Saudi Arabia Backbone, Saudi Arabia
43. 10 July 19:48 Cavalier Telephone Company, United States
44. 10 July 20:12 ETC, United Arab Emirates
45. 10 July 20:13 XO Communications, United States
46. 10 July 20:15 ETC, United Arab Emirates
47. 10 July 20:16 XO Communications, United States
48. 10 July 20:16 87.248.240.x
49. 10 July 20:20 United States (eds.net)
50. 10 July 20:22 Charter Communications, United States

Gul Thanks Rice "for Preventing Genocide Bill Adoption"

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.07.2006 14:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul thanked his American counterpart for her efforts to impede the passage of an Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress. At a press conference following the meeting in Washington, Gul told the attendees that the passage of a Genocide recognition resolution by Congress would greatly hinder Turkish-American relations. "Turkey urges the US government to continue its efforts to deter the Congress from recognizing the Armenian Genocide and should take all steps to not allow such a development," Gul said, reports AsbarezOnline.

####

It seems to me that the anti-Armenian Genocide issue via the U.S. Government is more these days than during the Clinton administration. Could I be wrong, or is the U.S. kissing up to Turkey more than ever? US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is really carving out a place in history for herself, not to mention getting on many peoples bad side.

UAE moves to crack down on human traffickers

Sun Jul 9, 2:46 PM ET

ABU DHABI (AFP) - A government committee in the United Arab Emirates approved a draft law that provides for stiff penalties reaching life imprisonment for human trafficking, the state WAM news agency reported.

The draft legislation on combating human trafficking, which now goes to the full cabinet, was approved at a meeting of the ministerial legislative panel chaired by Justice Minister Mohammad bin Nakhira al-Dhaheri, WAM said.

Justice ministry assistant undersecretary Ali al-Housni said the draft law describes "all forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor, practices akin to servitude or slavery, and removal of limbs as a human trafficking crime."

The proposed legislation criminalizes groups engaged in human trafficking and provides for harsh penalties extending to life imprisonment, he said.

Accomplices in human trafficking and people who try to influence witnesses to the crime would also be penalized, as would companies and institutions through which human trafficking is practiced and anyone who conceals offenders or victims.

Housni said the draft law also stipulates the creation of a national committee for combating human trafficking.

The proposed legislation will go to the cabinet for endorsement or amendment at an unspecified date.

Its approval by the ministerial committee comes as part of efforts by the UAE to improve its human rights record, which has been criticized by the US State Department and some international rights watchdogs over alleged abusive labor practices and human trafficking.

In its annual 2006 "Trafficking in Persons Report" released last month, the State Department recognized that the UAE government is "making significant efforts" to eliminate human trafficking.

It upgraded the Gulf country from the "Tier 3" of worst offenders in which it was placed last year to the "Tier 2 Watch List" comprising countries which are making "significant" efforts to deal with the problem.

But it described the UAE as "a destination country for men, women and children trafficked from South and East Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for involuntary servitude and for sexual exploitation," saying the government was not doing enough to combat either.

The UAE took a major step to improve its rights record last year by banning the use of children as camel jockeys and funding the repatriation of child jockeys to their home countries in Asia and Africa as well as their rehabilitation.

It has also started introducing measures to improve the lot of mostly Asian construction and other blue-collar workers, whose working and living conditions have drawn criticism from groups such as New York-based Human Rights Watch.

Most recently, Abu Dhabi ordered a compulsory midday break during the extremely hot months of July and August for laborers working in the open air.

Labor rights have reportedly been a bone of contention in ongoing US-UAE talks on a free trade agreement.

WAS KOCHARYAN UNAWARE OF CONSTITUTION?

Lragir.am
08 July 06


Sedrak Baghdasaryan, resident of Buzand Street, the chair of Protection for Victims of State Needs, Democracy NGO, said in an interview with our news reporter that they wrote over 10 letters to Robert Kocharyan telling him about the destructive consequences of the development of the Center of Yerevan. Robert Kocharyan did not answer any of these letters, however. Moreover, even the Kocharyan administration did not answer. Sedrak Baghdasaryan says the letter was sent to the government, from the government to the City Hall, from the City Hall to the Office of Program Implementation. "My impression is that the best-educated, the smartest person in our country is the head of the OPI."

However, it is at least strange that the OPI answers the last letter. The letter was written May 26, 2006, in other words, after the decision of the Constitutional Court recognizing it unconstitutional. The victims of the state needs reminded Robert Kocharyan that the head of state must guarantee observation of the Constitution and punish its violation. The victims of state want to know why the president signed an unconstitutional decision. Robert Kocharyan declined to answer, which means that either he does not consider him president of people, or he thinks it is not worthwhile to answer people.

R. Harutiunyan, the head of the OPI who answered the letter, informed the victims of state needs that the president signed the decision of the government in 2002, whereas the Constitutional Court defined it as unconstitutional in 2006. "The person who signed the decision could not foresee that these would be considered as against the unconstitution." This is not a misprint. Either R. Harutiunyan has discovered a new legal, though not so logical category, or he is a little careless. Both are bad for R. Harutiunyan, who was charged with the important task of writing a letter on behalf of the president.

And if R. Harutiunyan wants to say that the person who ratified the decision could not predict that these decisions would be considered unconstitutional, which is the same as incompliant with the constitution, not knowing the law does not free from punishment. After this decision of the Constitutional Court the chamber of civilian cases of the Court of Appeal led by Arman Mkrtumyan did not try the case of the victims of public needs, in other words, it neglected the decision of the Constitutional Court.

Azeri official rules out Karabakh's involvement in peace talks

Azadliq, Baku
8 Jul 06

A spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has said that Nagornyy Karabakh cannot be a party to the Azerbaijani-Armenian talks, the Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq has said.

In response to Karabakh speaker Ashot Gulyan's remark that Azerbaijan's agreement to hold a direct dialogue with Nagornyy Karabakh would demonstrate Azerbaijan's desire to resolve the conflict, Tahir Tagizada, press secretary of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, said that "at present Nagornyy Karabakh cannot be a party to the talks. The international community knows very well who the parties to the conflict and to the talks are", Azadliq reported.

Tagizada said that Baku could work with the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagornyy Karabakh after the restoration of the ethnic composition of the region that existed before the conflict.

"As for the proposal to involve Nagornyy Karabakh in the talks and [the programme director of the International Crisis Group] Sabina Freizer's words that 'if the co-chairs do not want to do anything, the parties themselves should resolve the issue', they come from internal political needs and are not constructive," Azadliq quoted Tagizada as saying.

Karabakh's recognition basis for conflict settlement - NKR minister

Mediamax news agency
7 Jul 06

Yerevan, 7 July: The defence minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic [NKR], Lt-Gen Seyran Oganyan, said in Stepanakert today that "as long as the NKR has not been recognized, we do not intend to return the territories that serve as a security belt for us".

Speaking at a news conference in Stepanakert today, Seyran Oganyan said that Karabakh is in favour of only a peaceful settlement of the conflict, "but Azerbaijan thrust a war upon us and we had to resolve the problem in a military way," Mediamax reports.

The minister said that "the territories under the control of Nagornyy Karabakh are not an end in itself, but serve as a security zone for the quiet life of the republic".

The general stressed that the issue of territories and the deployment of an international peacekeeping contingent can be considered only at the last stage of the settlement after the resolution of the main problem - the determination of the legal status of Nagornyy Karabakh.

"If the main issue of the settlement process is not solved, there can be no talk about returning the territories," the NKR defence minister said.

Speaking about a possible resumption of hostilities in the light of Azerbaijan's militarist statements, Seyran Oganyan expressed the opinion that "Azerbaijan does not wish to start a war".

In the minister's opinion, Baku's militarist rhetoric pursues only domestic political goals. At the same time, the Nagornyy Karabakh defence army has a plan of effective countermeasures to defend the republic, Seyran Oganyan said.

DAVID HAROUTIUNIAN TO GET INVOLVED IN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES SOON

AZG Armenian Daily #127, 08/07/2006

Home Politics


"I believe there should be no non-party ministers in Armenia," David Haroutiunian, RA Justice Minister, said this at today's press conference. He added that the is going to get involved in the political activities, as the new Constitution allows to combine the functions of executive and legislative powers. He said that both a deputy and the Justice Minister are engaged in active political developments in Armenia and this is required by the Constitution.

In this connection he emphasized that he is likely to participate in the coming parliamentary elections in 2007. He added he may join a party, without specifying exactly which one. At the same time he said he is not going to run for the presidential elections in 2008. As for the accusations that Judiciary system is flooded with corruption, he didn't agree with that and added that the anti-corruption struggle should begin by implementation of the reforms in the court-judiciary system.

By Nana Petrosian