On December 2 the sittings of NA Standing Committees were held.

At the sitting of NA Standing Committee, which presided Armen Roustamyan, RA President’s proposal on extending one year the term of joining the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Managing Multi-National Division (Central South, MND C-S) in the Forces of Iraq Stability and Regulation of Other Issues and the treaty of Comprehensive Prevention of Nuclear Test and enclosed the Protocol signed in Geneva on September 10, 1996, which presented Artur Aghabekyan, RA Defense Deputy Minister.

Justice Minister Davit Harutyunyan, submitted to the MPs’ consideration the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods signed in Vienna on April 11, 1980 (with enclosed statements) and additionally to the HN-621 document the drafts of the new texts of RA declarations 09.04.2004 on the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption signed in Strasbourg on 27.1.1999 and the additional Protocol of the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption signed in Strasbourg on 15.05.2003.

By the presentation of Karen Chshmaritian, Minister of Trade and Economic Development, the Committee discussed the agreements concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment between RA and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed in Yerevan on June 10, 2005, concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment between RA and Russian Federation signed in Yerevan on September, 2001 and the agreement concerning the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investment (with enclosed statements) signed between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Yerevan on June 9, 1996.

Tigran Khachatryan, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, presented the agreement on Excluding the Revenues and Property Double Taxation and Preventing the Evasion of the Tax Payments signed between RA and the Republic of Tajikistan in Dushanbe on June 30, 2005.

The above-mentioned agreements will be submitted to the ratification of the Parliament with committee endorsement.

The Committee members approved the draft resolution on the special order of adopting the conclusion by the committee in the result of the parliamentary hearings on the theme “The Nagorno Karabakh Problem: Means of Settlement” organized by NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations on March 29-30, 2005.

At the sitting of NA Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment, which presided Gagik Mkheyan, the bill submitted by MP Rafik Petrosyan on Making Amendment in RA Labor Code was discussed in the first reading.

The Committee also discussed the Government submitted bill on Making Amendments in RA Labor Code, which presented Armen Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister of Trade And Economic Development.

Gagik Khachatryan, Deputy Head of State Water Committee of RA Territorial Administration Ministry, presented the Government submitted bills on Defining Privileges on Environment Payments to CJS companies “ArmWater-Sewerage,” “Yerevan Water-Sewerage,” “Nor Akunk,” “Vayk-Irrigation,” “Yeghegnadzor-Irrigation” and “Talin-Irrigation” CJS companies.

MP Vram Gyulzadyan presented for the first reading the draft law on Beekeeping authored by MPs Samvel Balasanyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Vram Gyulzadyan and Khachik Petrosyan.

Aghvan Vardanyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, presented for the first reading the RA Government submitted bills on Making Addenda to RA Law on Social Security Card and Making Amendment to RA Law on Individual Data.

Hakob Matilyan, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection, presented for the first reading the Government submitted bill on Making Amendments to RA Law on the Purposeful Use of the Environmental Payments Paid by the Companies.”

All bills debated in the Committee were guaranteed with endorsement to be put on the draft law agenda of NA four-day sittings and big agenda. The debate of the bill on Libraries and Library Work submitted by MPs Heghine Bisharyan, Samvel Balasanyan, Mekhak Mkhitaryan was delayed up to 30 days.

Hovhannes Margaryan, Deputy Chairman of the NA Standing Committee of State and Legal Affairs presided the sitting.

The Committee debated in the first reading the draft law on Making Amendment and Addenda to RA Law on the Responsibility for the Offences in the Sphere of Urban Development, which presented Aram Harutyunyan, Minister of Urban Development.

MP Vostanik Marukhyan in his co-report underscored that the adoption of the draft law is conditioned by RA Government decision #1922-N of December 30, 2004, approved by the assignment of the 82^nd clause of RA Government 2005 Activity Arrangements. The bill will be put on the draft agenda of the big agenda and NA four-day sittings agenda with the committee endorsement.

Aram Harutyunyan, Minister of Urban Development, presented for the first reading the RA Government-submitted on Making Amendments and Addenda in RA Code on Administrative Offences.

In her co-report MP Hripsime Avetisyan highlighted the technical control towards the organizations fulfilling the construction activity. The bill will be put on the draft agenda of the big agenda and NA four-day sittings agenda with the committee endorsement.

The MP Hovhannes Margaryan presented for the first reading MP Rafik Petrosyan’s submitted bill on Making Amendments and Addenda in RA Civil Procedures Code. The bill will be put on the draft agenda of the big agenda and NA four-day sittings agenda with the committee endorsement.

The Government-submitted bills were debated on Making Addenda to RA Law on Social Security Cards, on Making Amendments to RA Law on Individual Data with the procedure of the first reading. Aghvan Vardanyan, Minister of RA Labor and Social Affairs, presented the bills. The bill will be put on the draft agenda of the big agenda and NA four-day sittings agenda with the committee endorsement.

MP Ruben Hovsepyan presented the draft law on Creative Workers and Creative Unions for the first reading submitted by MPs Hranush Hakobyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Ruben Hovsepyan, Mkrtich Minasyan and Ararat Malkhasyan.

The MP Vostanik Marukhyan underlined in the co-report that the Government presented 10 remarks on the draft law, and the NA Legislative Analysis and Development Department – 17 remarks, so the draft law needs to be structurally reassembled. The bill with the committee endorsement will be put at NA big session and NA four-day sittings agenda.

The Government submitted bill on making amendments and addenda in RA Code on Administrative Offences was debated in the first reading, according to the Rules of Procedure. Davit Harutyunyan, RA Justice Minister presented the bill. The draft law will be put at NA big session and NA four-day sittings agenda. Armen Gevorgyan, RA Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development presented for the first reading the Government-submitted draft law on amending the RA Labor Code. The bill with the committee endorsement will be put at NA big session and NA four-day sittings agenda.

The bills on amending the RA law on Civil Service, making addenda in RA Civil Procedures Code, making amendments and addenda in RA Criminal Code.

The bills on Lobbyist Activity, making addenda to RA Law on State Duty, making addenda to RA Law on Local Self-Government, making amendments and addenda to RA Law NA Rules of Procedure, making addenda to RA Law on Administrative Offences, on the Service in RA Courts Staff, amending the RA Law on RA Court Formation, on the State Protection of the Persons Participating in the Criminal Procedure delayed up to 15 days, and up to 60 days – the bills on making addendum to RA Law on State Non-Commercial Organizations and on Amending RA Code on Administrative Offences.

Gagik Minasyan, Chairman of NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs convened the last sitting, however he didn’t exclude till the end of the year to have the possibility of convening a sitting conditioned by the circumstance of convening an extraordinary session.

One of the issues put on the committee agenda was the Government-submitted draft law on making addenda and amendments to the law on Organizing and Conducting Check-ups in the Republic of Armenia, which will be proposed to adopt in the upcoming four-day sittings in the second reading. While debating the document in the first reading there were disagreements on some provisions, in particular, by NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan and Vice Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan on fixing a new kind of checking-up. At NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan’s proposal, the article on giving power of checking the document to the taxation body was withdrawn.

Gagik Voskanyan, Chairman of the Control Chamber of the parliament submitted to the estimation of the committee the 2006 activity programme of the chamber. The committee approved the programme of studying the submitted spheres.

Unlike the debated issues, the initiative of amending the law on Accredited Pays for the Tobacco Production submitted by Mnatsakan Petrosyan representing ULP faction didn’t collect necessary number of votes and will be put on the session agenda with negative conclusion.

Other issues were also debated at the sitting, including the agreements on Encouraging and Mutual Protection of the Investments concluded between Armenia and the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of the Netherlands  and the Arab Republic of Egypt.