On February 24 the sittings of NA Standing Committees were held.

The sitting of NA Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs, presided by Mher Shahgeldyan, Chairman of the Committee discussed and endorsed the government-submitted draft laws on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Approving Code of RA Armed Forces’ Internal Services and Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Approving Code of RA Armed Forces’ Garrison and Guard Services, which were presented by Artur Aghabekyan, Deputy Defence Minister to be put on the agenda of the spring session of the National Assembly. The Deputy Minister mentioned that the suggested amendments and addenda are conditioned by a number of amendments made in RA legislation in 1996.

Gevorg Danielyan, Assistant Attorney General presented the draft law on Making Amendments in RA Code on Administrative Offences, which was endorsed by the Committee to be put on the agenda of the spring session of the National Assembly.

Ararat Mahtesyan, Deputy Chief of the Police introduced the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Code of RA Criminal Procedure, which was endorsed by the Committee to be put on the big agenda of the National Assembly. The Deputy Chief of the Police mentioned that the draft was prepared within the framework of the measures emanating from the preliminary report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (henceforth CPT), which was in Armenia on April 20-22, 2004 and aims at complying the Code of RA Criminal Procedure to the theses of the Convention against other forms of Torture and Brutal, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment.

Mr. Mahtesyan presented the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Police for discussion and the Committee endorsed it to be put on the draft agenda of the forthcoming four-day sittings. Mr. Mahtesyan also mentioned that the draft law has been coordinated with RA National Security Service, RA Prosecutor’s Office and Ministry of Defence.

The Committee members discussed the legislative package on Making Addenda to the Code of RA Criminal Procedure, on Making Addenda and Amendments to RA Code on Administrative Offences and on Making Addenda to RA Law on Police.

At the session of NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, which presided Armen Rustamyan, Committee Chairman, Davit Harutiunyan, Justice Minister introduced the Convention on Cybercrimes, signed in Budapest on November 23, 2001 and the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrimes, concerning the Criminalisation of Acts of Racist and Xenophobic Nature Committed through Computer Systems, signed in Strasbourg on January 28, 2003, they were discussed and endorsed to be put on the draft agenda of NA February 27-March 2 four-day sittings.

Gevorg Gevorgyan, Minister of RA Culture and Youth presented the Committee the Convention on the Protection of Non-Material Cultural Heritage, signed in Paris on October 17, 2003 for discussion. By that Convention Armenia assumes a number of commitments: to take necessary measures for non-material cultural heritage in its territory, to make and regularly renovate one or several lists of different elements of non-material cultural heritage in his territory, to appoint or found competent bodies for the protection of non-material cultural heritage and so on.

Ishkhan Zakaryan, Chairman of RA Government’s State Committee on Sport and Physical Training presented the Additional Protocol to the Anti-Doping Convention, signed in Warsaw on September 12, 2002.

The Committee also discussed the International Convention on Goods Description and Harmonious System of Coding, signed in Brussels on June 14, 1983 and its Protocol of Amendment, which were presented by Gagik Khachatryan, Chairman of RA Government’s Customs State Committee.

The discussed international conditions will be endorsed to be submitted to the parliament’s ratification.

At the session of NA Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment, which presided Gagik Mkheyan, Committee Chairman, the government’s draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Advertisement was discussed, which was presented by Tatul Hakobyan, Deputy Minister of Healthcare.

Anahit Galstyan, Head of the Department of the Ministry of Culture and Youth introduced RA government’s draft law on Libraries and Library Science.

Davit Harutiunyan, Justice Minister presented the government’s draft law on Making Amendment to RA Law on the Repressed and on Making Amendments to RA Land Code.

He also presented RA government’s draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Acts of Civil Status.

All the draft laws discussed at the session were endorsed to be put on the big draft agenda of NA four-day sittings.

The Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, presided by Rafik Petrosyan, in the first reading discussed the government’s draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Act of Civil Status.

Davit Harutiunyan, RA Justice Minister presented the government’s draft laws on Making Amendment to RA Law on the Repressed and on Making Amendments to RA Land Code, which were discussed in the first reading.

Karen Matevosyan, Deputy Chairman of RA Government’s Customs State Committee presented the government’s draft law on Making Amendment and Addenda to RA Code on Administrative Offences, which was also discussed in the first reading.

Ararat Mahtesyan, Deputy Chief of RA Police introduced the government’s draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Code of Criminal Procedure for the first reading.

In the second reading the Committee discussed the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Civil Code, presented by MP Gagik Melikyan,

The MPs also discussed the Convention on Cybercrime, signed in Budapest on November 23, 2001 and the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime, concerning the Criminalisation of Acts of Racist and Xenophobic Nature Committed through Computer Systems, signed in Strasbourg on January 28, 2003, which were presented by Davit Harutiunyan.

The draft law on Creative Workers and Creative Unions, presented by the MPs, namely by Hranush Hakobyan, Heghine Bisharyan, Ararat Malkhasyan and Mkrtich Minasyan was postponed for 30 days and the draft law on NA Rules of Procedure, introduced by the MP Hranush Hakobyan, was postponed for 60 days.

The discussed draft laws, endorsed by the Committee will be put on NA big and four-day draft agendas.

By the decision of the Committee the draft law on RA NA Rules of Procedure, presented by MPs, namely Gurgen Arsenyan, Grigor Ghonjeyan, Mnatsakan Petrosyan, Hripsime Avetisyan and Artur Petrosyan was not endorsed.

The NA Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs will propose to put four draft laws on the session agenda and five draft laws on the agenda of the forthcoming four-day sitting.

Mnatsakan Petrosyan, MP, member of the ULP faction postponed the debate of the draft law on The Defined Fixed Payment for Tobacco Products for 30 days.

At the Committee session the government’s draft law on State Support of Innovation Activities was discussed. The Country of Law faction had also put a homonymic draft law into circulation. According to Armen Gevorgyan, Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development, this is a joint draft.

The Country of Law faction suggests that they should make an addendum to the law on Privatization of State Property. After passing the draft in the first reading the MP Samvel Balasanyan will propose to ban the appropriation of the property not included in the programme too.

With the drafts on Making Amendments and Addenda to RA Law on Advertisements and Local Duties and Payments the government envisages to enforce the law on Prohibition of Tobacco Advertisement, enforced at the end of the last year. It is proposed to apply the provision from October 2006. As MP Alik Petrosyan observed in Armenia the rate of the pay defined for advertisement does not yield to the capital of Japan, Tokyo, which is considered to be the most expensive and developed city of the world. He suggests that the rate of pay should be reviewed. Areg Ghukasyan proposes to apply the unified 1,5 coefficient when paying local duties for advertisement.

The Committee also discussed other issues.