On November 10 the sittings of the standing committees of the National Assembly were held.

At the sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment presided over by Mr. Mnatsakan Petrosyan, the government-submitted drafts on the RA National Water Program, on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and on Making Addendum to the RA Law on State Duty, on Plants Quarantine and Plants Protection, on Making Amendments to the RA Law on State Agrarian Inspections, on Specially Preserved Nature Areas were debated in the procedure of the third reading.

Mr. Grigor Haroutyounyan, member of the Committee, presented the draft law on Making Addenda to the RA Law on Social Security of Military Servicemen and Their family Members, authorized by the MPs of Ardarutun/Justice faction.

Mr. Artsvik Minasyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Issues, took floor with co-report.

The draft law was endorsed to be put on the agenda of the session.

The Committee decided to postpone for 30 days the debate of the draft laws on the MPs’ Pension and Social Protection of Their Family Members, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the Ra Law on the Reconstruction of the city of Gyumri, on Healthcare, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Licensing, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Duty, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Pensions, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Allowances, onState Guarantees of Women’s and Men’s Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities, on Composition and Structure of the Minimal Consumer's Basket of Social Welfare, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Prevention of the Disease Caused from the Human Immune Insufficiency Virus, on Making Addenda to the RA Law on Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

During the sitting of the Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs presided over by Mr. Aramayis Grigoryan, the head of the committee, the draft laws on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Defence and on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Subdivisions of the Civil Defence, submitted by the Government, were debated and guaranteed with endorsement to be put on the NA upcoming four-day sittings agenda in the second reading. Mr. Artur Aghabekyan, Deputy Minister of Defense, presented these draft laws. The draft law on Making Amendments to the RA Code on Administrative Offences, which was presented by Mr. Gevorg Danielyan, RA Deputy Prosecutor General, will be put on the NA November 13-16 four-day sittings agenda in the second reading with the endorsement of the committee.

Mr. Ararat Mahtesyan, Deputy Chief of the RA Police, submitted to discussion of the committee the draft law on Making Addenda to the RA law on Military Service in the first reading. The committee debated and decided to put the draft law on the agenda of the NA autumn session.

Mr. Romik Harutyunyan, Deputy Head of the National Security Service, presented the draft laws on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Border Troops and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on State Border, which with the endorsement of the committee will be put on the upcoming four-day sittings agenda for the debates in the second reading.

The draft law on Making Addenda to the RA law on Social Security of Military Servicemen and Their Family Members, authorized by the Justice faction, was presented by the co-author Mr. Grigor Haroutyounyan. The draft law with endorsement will be put on the agenda of the NA autumn session.

The Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, presided over by Mr. Armen Roustamyan, debated and decided to include with the positive conclusion the Memorandum of mutual understanding on the Establishment and Conditions of Activity of the Educational and Cultural Centers between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed in Tehran on February, 1, 2006 and the treaty on the Establishment of the Inter-state Fund of the Humanitarian Cooperation of the participant-states of the Commonwealth Independent States, signed on May, 25, 2006 in Dushanbe into the agenda of the NA November 13-16 four-day sittings, which presented Mr. Gegham Gharibjanyan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Suren Gharayan, RA Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, presented to the discussion of the committee the Convention on Evasion of the Double Taxation of the Incomes between the RA Government and the Government of the Syrian Arabic Republic, signed in Yerevan on June 29, 2005.

Mr. Ararat Mahtesyan, Deputy Chief of the Police, presented to the discussion of the committee the agreement on Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government of Georgia in Struggle against Stealing of Motor Transport and their Return, signed on June, 2, 2006 in Tbilisi. The cooperation will be carried out through the authorized bodies of two countries as well as through the Interpol.

The MPs also debated the agreement on the Encouragement of the Investments and Mutual Protection between the RA Government and the Government of the Latvian Republic, signed in Yerevan on October 7, 2005, which was presented by Mr. Karen Chshmarityan, Minister of Trade and Economic Development.

All debated international treaties will be presented for the ratification of the parliament with the endorsement of the committee.

The Standing Committee on Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs, presided over by Mr. Gagik Minasyan, gave positive conclusion to all debated draft laws for including them into the four-day sittings agenda.

Among these draft laws were the draft laws on Making Amendments to the laws on Postal Communication and on State Duty, authorized by Mr. Grigor Ghonjeyan, MP of the ULP faction.

Mr. Andranik Manukyan, Minister of Transport and Communication, presented the endorsement of the Government related to the draft. The Minister noted that the universal legislative package on the amendments in the sphere of the postal communication would be soon submitted to the Parliament.

Mrs. Hripsime Avetisyan, MP of the ULP faction, presented the proposal of an amendment to the law on Trade and Services. Since January 1, 2007 the law envisages that the workers of the public catering facilities should have the document confirming their vocational training. The executive body agrees with this approach.

Mr. Artur Aghabekyan, Deputy Minister of Defense, presented to the members of the committee the proposal of the Government on granting privileges of tax and obligatory social insurance payments to the open joint-stock company of the machine-tool plant of Charentsavan.

Mr. Pavel Safaryan, Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development, presented to the MPs the draft of the new law on the Post Wage Rates of the Head Employees of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial bodies as well as the proposal on making amendments to the laws on Prosecutor’s Office and on the Judge’s Status. Their salary is envisaged to increase by 40 % from July 1, for which additional 710 million AMD will be necessary.

The executive body plans making the minimal monthly salary 20.000 drams instead of 15.000 in 2007. Mr. Artsvik. Minasyan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, presented the legislative initiative about this. However Mr. Karen Karapetyan, head of People’s Deputy group, proposes to make the minimal monthly salary 25.000 drams specifying the reduction of the shadow economy as a source of the required sum. The representatives of the executive and legislative wings will again touch upon this issue in near future having studied additional certificates.

The executive body proposes to make amendments to the laws on Simplified Tax and on Property Tax.

The committee endorsed the program for 2007 activities of the RA Control Chamber and the proposal to confirm the three-year program of the state statistical works for 2007-2009.The committee guaranteed with endorsement to put a number of draft laws on the forthcoming four-day sittings agenda for adopting them in the second reading.

The Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs presided over by Mr. Rafik Petrosyan debated in the first reading the legislative package on Making Amendments to the RA Law on Commercial Arbitration.

Mr. Gevorg Malkhasyan, Deputy Justice Minister, presented for the first reading the draft law on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law on Advocacy.

Mr. Hovhannes Margaryan presented for the first reading draft laws on Making Amendments to the RA Law on the Judge’s Status and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on Council of Justice, authorized by the MPs Mher Shahgeldyan and Hovhannes Margaryan.

The draft laws, debated with the endorsement of the committee, will be put on the agendas of the NA autumn session and four-day sittings.

The MP Mr. Hovhannes Margaryan also presented the draft law on making Amendments and Addenda to the RA law on RA Central Bank, informing that the adoption of the law is conditioned by the amendments of the Constitution.

Mr. Gevorg Malkhasyan, Deputy Justice Minister, presenting the conclusion of the Government, noted that some articles of the draft law require revision. The Government is not against the adoption of the draft law. With the endorsement of the committee the draft law will be put on the agenda of the autumn session.

The draft laws on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Code on Administrative Offences and on Making Amendments and Addenda to the RA Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, debated in the second reading, will be put on the agenda of the NA four-day sittings with the endorsement of the committee. The draft on State Guarantees of Maintenance of the Women’s and Men’s Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities is postponed for 30 days.