Mailing List Service Felist.Com -*-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear frends! Arminfo news agency inform JUSTICE MINISTER OF ARMENIA SAYS NEGOTIATING PROCESS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND ARMENTEL MAY BE PROLONGED JANUARY 16. Armenia's Justice Minister David Haroutyunyan told journalists that the negotiating process between Armenia's Government and the ArmenTel telecom company may well be prolonged. To recap, Haroutyunyan represents the government at the negotiations, which are to be finished Jan 19. Concerning results, Haroutyunyan said the negotiations are underway and one can't speak about any results until they are over. He said as of now the sides have not come to any agreement. CHAIRMAN OF PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF NATO TO GO TO BAKU JANUARY 16. . Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO Rafael Estrella is to visit Baku Jan 16-19. According to Baku media, during the visit the sides will discuss issues of the development of the Azerbaijan-NATO cooperation, including Azerbaijan's becoming NATO associate member. Estrella will be received by President Haydar Aliev and Speaker of the Azeri Parliament Murtuz Aleskerov. Azerbaijan will be admitted into NATO in three stages: first as observer, then, as associate member and at last as full participant to the alliance. PENTAGON DELEGATION TO VISIT AZERBAIJAN JANUARY 16. A delegation of experts from the Pentagon is going to visit Baku as soon as Section 907 is suspended, Azerbaijan's Defence Minister Safar Abiev told journalists. He said a plan of cooperation will be drawn up after bilateral consultations are held. The plan will be submitted for the Azeri President's approval. To recap, Pres.Bush signed Jan 10 a bill on budget assignments for foreign operations envisaging suspension of Section 907. A corresponding executive memorandum to lift sanctions against Azerbaijan is pending. As soon as Congress discusses this document it will be submitted to the legal divisions of the State Department and then to Pres.Bush to return to Congress in the long run. Section 907 will be considered suspended as soon as the memorandum is registered officially at Congress. According to experts, the whole procedure will take 2-3 weeks. POLICY OF PROSECUTION OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS CONTINUES IN ARMENIA JANUARY 16.Armenia's courts continue the policy of prosecuting conscientious objectors, "Jehovah's Witnesses" religious organization stated today. The press release of Jehovah's Witnesses provided to ARMINFO says that yesterday a court passed a sentence on 21-year old Henrik Hovnikyan, who refused to serve in the army. It is Hovnikyan's second conviction. The press release points out that despite commitments to the Council of Europe to adopt a law on alternative service, the Armenian authorities are continuing "an aggressive policy of jailing young Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse military service." The are 7,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Armenia, and over 100 of them have been sentenced for refusing military service. TRIAL OF FORMER EMPLOYEES OF MILITARY POLICE STARTED JANUARY 16. An unprecedented trial began in Armenia. 4 former employees of the military police, who are accused of use of violence and tortures, appeared on the prisoners' dock. It should be noted that the facts about using violence in the military police first sounded in the presidential commission on human rights, on the basis of which the General Prosecutor's Office has created special commission, engaged in investigation of all these facts. As a result, a criminal case has been instituted against 4 employees of the military police. After the examination it was succeeded to find out that working the head of the department of the criminal search of the Stepanakert military police Arshak Manukian, occupied with investigation of the case on the murder of the serviceman Mher Hakhverdian, on the first of March 1999 transferred the serviceman Yerjanik Sargsian to the reception room of Stepanakert's military police. Manukian and other employees of the military police used tortures in respect of Sargsian. Noteworthy Sargsian is not the only victim of Manukian. At the beginning of March 1999 Manukian and three his convenients several days running beat and tortured servicemen Karen Antonian, Gurgen Tavaratsian, Henrik Haroutunian, Arsen Hayrapetian and Misha Haroutunian. Manukian demanded from the latter to confess to the murder of the serviceman Sergo Haroutunian, and from Tavaratsian and Antonian - statements that they have been witnesses of the happened. 4 former servicemen are involved in the case as sufferers, and 8 people figure as witnesses. 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