The FINANCIAL -- According to RIA Novosti, Armenia's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs said on May 26 it had no information on reported plans by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie to adopt an Armenian baby.

U.S. media reported last month that Jolie is seeking to adopt a baby from the ex-Soviet state due to its comparatively simple procedures and lack of bureaucracy. She has so far adopted African, Cambodian, and Vietnamese babies.

The LA Gossip Examiner said Brad Pitt would prefer to adopt a child from India.

U.S. media cited friends of the couple as saying they have already visited Armenia.

The head of the ministry's department for children, Lena Airapetyan, said Armenia's authorities do not grant privileges to celebrity couples, and that Jolie and Pitt would have to go through all the standard procedures necessary for adoption.

"They must provide full information on biographies, annual profit, a guarantee that they can take care of a child, and proof of a lack of previous convictions. If everything passes smoothly, a child could be adopted within a month," she said.

The official said however that "they give me great hope as I have heard that they take good care of adopted children."

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