Mailing List Service Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear frends! Arminfo news agency inform AZERBAIJAN ACCUSES FRENCH EMBASSY IN BAKU OF PROPAGATING ARMENIAN CULTURE JANUARY 10. Azerbaijan accuses the French Embassy in Baku of propagating the Armenian culture. According to the Baku mass media, the reason for accusations are books recently distributed by the Embassy in Baku. Azerbaijan expresses deep indignation about the fact that the author of the book "Armenian cinema" presents Kars, Nakhichevan, Ardahan, Igdir, Karabakh and Javakhk as Armenia's historical territories. Besides, authors of these books showed the Karabakh conflict from the viewpoint of the official Yerevan. Azerbaijan is also unsatisfied with information included in the books regarding the ARF Dashnaktsutiun party, which Baku considers a terrorist organization. DIRECTOR OF RUSSIAN FFS TO VISIT ARMENIA JANUARY 10. Director of the Federal Frontier Service of Russia, Colonel-General Konstantin Trotsky is to visit Armenia late in January, Head of the press service of the group of the Russian FFS stationed in Armenia, Colonel Ivan Zhirenko told ARMINFO. During the visit documents on the financing of the tactical group of the Russian FFS stationed in Armenia are to be signed. General Trotsky is also to hold meetings with Armnenian President Robert Kocharian and other top-ranking officials of Armenia. He is also scheduled to meet with Armenian frontier guards and visit the positions of the Russian frontier troops in Armenia. TWO AFGHAN CITIZENS DETAINED AT YEREVAN "ZVARTNOTS" AIRPORT JANUARY 10. Two Afghan citizens trying to illegally penetrate into the territory of Armenia were detained by Russian frontier-guards at the Yerevan "Zvartnots" International Airport, Head the press-service of the task group of the Russian Federal Frontier Service stationed in Armenia, Lt. Colonel Ivan Zhirenko told ARMINFO. He said two people presented national passports of Bulgaria at the passport control recently during the registration of a regular Istanbul-Yerevan flight and were detained by frontier-guards. A Russian officer said the passports aroused concern of the frontier guards, as data included in the passports indicated the slavonic origin of the given persons, however, those submitting them were of East-Asian origin. Investigative measures showed that the detainees are citizens of Afghanistan. After drawing up necessary documents, the detainees were handed over to the Armenian Ministry of National Security. Investigation is hold on this case. Head of the task group of the Russian Federal Frontier Service in Armenia, Major General Vyacheslav Aboimov awarded the above frontier guards, Zhirenko said ARMENIAN CITIZENS TO INSTALL WATER METERS AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE JANUARY 10. The Armenian Government has approved water supply rules stipulating that the country's citizens should install water meters in their flats at their own expense. As Head of the State Committee for Water Economy, the Armenian Government, Gagik Martirosyan told journalists, the country's population as well as budgetary organizations and legal entities should install water meters within 2002 at their own expense. Only poor people will be granted a respite. The meters cost $15-25. Each flat will need two such meters. Martirosyan said the government will install water meters at its own expense at the entrances of many-storied buildings by the end of 2003 to be able to collate the readings of out- and indoor water meters. He said the population received 3.8 bln drams' worth of water last year but paid only 1.6 bln drams. The total receivable and payables are to be calculated by Sept 2002. The inventory of the water supply system has not yet been accomplished, Martirosyan said. It should be noted that a national program to improve the situation in the water supply system will be submitted to the parliament by Mar 2002 proposing to ensure a round-the-clock water supply by 2008. At present people receive water for 2-3 hours a day on an average PENTAGON TO OPEN DEMINING CENTER IN JAN JANUARY 10. The Pentagon has spent over $1 mln on the construction and equipment of a demining center in the Armenian town of Echmiadzin, the center to be opened in Jan.7 It is also planned to buy cars and instruments for Armenian field engineers as well as to bring several sapper-dogs from the U.S.. Six civil experts from the U.S. State Department are to come Armenia in Jan to train Armenian sappers for half a year. 20 military demining experts will come in the summer to give yet another course. The center is supposed to prepare first sapper teams for demining works by the end of 2002. NEGOTIATIONS WITH ARMENTEL TO BE FINISHED JAN 19 JANUARY 10. Jan 19 the Armenian Government is to finish its negotiations with the ArmenTel company for introducing per minute fee for intracity phone talks and new tariffs on various services, Armenia's Transport and Communication Minister Andranik Manoukyan told journalists. He said he will not allow ArmenTel to disconnect phone to those subscribers who will refuse to pay the bills. ArmenTel announcement the introduction of a 4-dram fee Sept 1 2001. A 120-minute free limit was to be granted to each physical person every month. The novelty received serious objections from the Armenian public and the government and wasn't applied as a result. The negotiations started Nov 19 and were to last for 60 days. According to the comments given to ARMINFO by the ArmenTel press-service on behalf of the company's executive director Nikos Georgoulas, unless the sides come to an agreement, ArmenTel will continue its normal operation. Georgoulas denied saying that unless the negotiations bring results his company will begin levying the fee on its subscribers. WITNESSES IN POGHOS POGHOSSIAN'S MURDER CASE CONTINUE TESTIFYING IN COURT JANUARY 10. At today's hearing of the case of the Georgian citizen Poghos Poghossian's murder in the Yerevan "Aragast" cafe witnesses continued testifying. In particular, the agent of the presidential security service Gurgen Arsenian pointed out that he was accompanying the president to the "Aragast" cafe on September 25 night. Together with the defendant Aghamal Harutiunian they sat at the table near the one of the president. According to Arsenian, at about 12:20. p.m., while the president the well-known singer Charles Aznavour were leaving the cafe, a visitor (Poghos Poghossian) addressed a disrespectful remark to the president. Aghamal Harutiunian reprimanded him. Arsenian pointed out that it was on the steps of the cafe that Pohgossian approached them, using a foul language. The side got into a scuffle, and some visitors, who were also involved, tried to put Poghossian to shame. Arsenian tried to calm Poghossian down as well. At that moment Aghamal Harutiunian approached. The last thing seen by Arsenian was Poghossian walking arm-in-arm with Harutiunian to the restroom. The following day Harutiunian told Arsenian that at the restroom Poghossian delivered him a blow on the jaw, but he managed to escape. Arsenian pointed out he saw a scratch on Harutiunian's jaw. It is to be noted that Arsenian is the only agent of the presidential security service involved in the case as a witness. Thereafter, the court heard the waitress, who only caught a glimpse of the commotion, the ex-minister of health Gagik Stamboltsian, who approached Poghossian to help him before the paramedics arrived. According to Stamboltsian, he understood that Poghossian was dead at once. Besides, the court heard the testimony of the rector of Yerevan State Conservatoire, the director and a staff member of the Parajanov Museum, Neda Dalalian, who gave a detailed description of the accident. According to her, Poghos Poghossian and a group of people were striking one another with legs. Then Poghossian was led to the restroom. Dalalian pointed out that she also saw Aghamal Harutiunian, but did not notice him enter the restroom. The hearing of the case will be continued tomorrow. No information from Site can be used without prior permission of ARMINFO http://www.arminfo.am -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: http://felist.com/member/unsub?grp=media.arminfo http://felist.com/ mailto:ask@felist.com