Boston Herald, MA
Sept 30 2004
Style calendar
By Raakhee P. Mirchandani
Join the Armenian International Women’s Association’s New England
affiliate for a fashion show featuring the latest designs from the
Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts in Armenia. The event on Oct. 10
begins at 5 p.m. at the National Heritage Museum, 33 Marrett Road,
Lexington. The fashion show starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information
or to buy tickets, call 781-729-6457. Tickets are $50 and include an
Armenian buffet.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 30 2004
Parliament’s Decision May Impede Armenian MPs’ Participation In NATO
Seminar
30/09/2004 09:03
The participation of Armenian parliamentarians in the “Rose Roth”
seminar of NATO Parliamentary Assembly to be held in Baku in November
depends on the decision to be adopted by the Milli Majlis
(Azerbaijan’s parliament).
AssA-Irada — This statement was made by Araz Azimov, Deputy Foreign
Minister also the Azerbaijani President’s special envoy on Karabagh
issue. Azimov noted that the Azerbaijani MPs’ position will play a
particular role in impeding the visit by Armenian parliamentarians to
Baku as well.
“The Azerbaijani parliament is the organizer of the seminar and
should express its position on the matter,” said Azimov, adding that
Armenians won’t be able to attend the seminar if Azerbaijani
parliamentarians reject their participation.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 30 2004
RELATIONS WITH COMPATRIOTS LIVING IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
STRENGTHENING
[September 30, 2004, 13:49:13]
Employees of the State Committee on Work with the Azerbaijanis living
in foreign countries have visited Australia and New Zealand.
As was told AzerTAj from the State Committee, at the meetings carried
out within the framework of visit with chairman of the Azerbaijan
Association of Australia Mikayil Oyta, and also members of the
organization, the consul of Turkey in Sydney Nihat Ershen, discussed
were problems of our compatriots living in this country, and
underlined the importance of consolidation of efforts in bringing
into the notice the realities about Azerbaijan and Turkey is
underlined.
At the general session of the organizations of the Azerbaijan,
Turkish and Turkmen Diasporas, discussed were prospects of joint
activity.
At the meeting in Canberra with chairman of International festival
committee Dominick Miko, it was decided to provide participation of
the Azerbaijan masters of art in forthcoming international festival
in February next year and also carrying out during same time in three
cities of Australia of Days of Culture of Azerbaijan.
At the press conference for local mass media, was presented
information on the economic situation in Azerbaijan, its position in
region, the Nagorny Karabakh conflict and occupation by Armenians of
the Azerbaijan lands.
A number of other important meetings also have been carried in New
Zealand.

The Setonian, NJ
Sept 30 2004
Protestors criticize Peres’ visit, honorary degree conferral
Elizabeth Hendler
Editor in Chief
[email protected]

Article Body >>
Activists from New Jersey Solidarity, a Rutgers-based group,
protested former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres’ speech
Wednesday outside of the university gates. About 10 individuals
unaffiliated with Seton Hall held signs reading `Shimon Peres = War
Criminal’ and waved a `Free Palestine’ flag.
Peres is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
He spoke as part of a World Leaders Forum held in the Walsh Gymnasium
at 4 p.m. He was conferred an honorary degree.
The group was told to leave campus, where it first wanted to protest
on the university Green. Patrick Linfante, director of Public Safety
and Security, asked them to leave, saying Seton Hall sits on private
property and is not required to allow outsiders to protest.
`This is a ticketed event with invited guests, students,
administrators, staff and faculty,’ Linfante said. `Mr. Peres is here
to have a conversation with our community. If New Jersey Solidarity
wants a conversation with Mr. Peres, they can have him visit their
events.’
For the event, Seton Hall had additional security help from South
Orange police, New Jersey state police, the Essex county sheriff and
the county prosecutor.
A county narcotics and counter-terrorism task force was also on hand.
A state police helicopter surveyed the campus. Peres arrived via
motorcade.
One protester was arrested soon after arriving on campus because of
an outstanding warrant.
Protesters allege Peres is responsible for the Qana bombing in
Lebanon and occupation and expulsion of Palestinians from holy land.
They also critized Peres’ comments that the mass murder of Armenians
in 1915 was a tragedy `but not a genocide,’ made in a Turkish
newspaper in 2001.
`Palestinians, all arabs, all Muslims, are treated as terrorists in
this country,’ protester Noel Winkler said. `We support the right of
return to the homeland. A two-state solution is not a means for
lasting peace.’
Several protesters were Catholics who said the university is honoring
a politician who is responsible for violence against Palestinians.
`In America, it’s hard to understand this situation because we did
the same thing (to Native Americans), taking their land and killing
them,’ former South Orange resident Mary Costa said.
Protester David Hungerford, a teacher in Newark, said he believes the
Nobel Peace Prize has lost its value as it has been awarded to people
like Peres.
Vincent Fisher, of Teaneck, commented, `This is one of the most
pressing moral imperatives of our time.’
He alleges the university chose Peres to speak for political reasons.
`Catholic Palestinians are suffering horribly under occupation,’ he
said, noting the bombing of the Catholic Bethlehem University in 2002
in the West Bank.
Sophomore Ibrahim Khaddash commented, `The protest shows the students
he’s a war criminal, and he shouldn’t be honored by a Catholic
university.’
He said both Muslims and Christian Palestinians have died in bombings
like those in Lebanon in 1997.
Junior Romi Saleh is in favor of a two-state plan and was glad to see
Palestinian supporters outside of the campus gates.
`I’m pro-freedom,’ he said. `I support everyone enjoying the quality
of life we have in this country. That means no occupation.’
Caity Fodor contributed to this article.
Elizabeth Hendler can be reached at [email protected].

Manitou Messenger Online, MN
Sept 30 2004
Sudan situation dire
Politicians on both sides of the aisle in Congress have suggested
that the United States should have known that the Iraqi “liberation”
effort would go sour, citing the Vietnam conflict as proof of the
inevitable failure of “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
Politicians who argue so vehemently that we remember history seem to
have forgotten the Armenian Genocide following World War I, the
Holocaust of World War II and the brutal ethnic cleansings in
Cambodia, Serbia and Rwanda.
In the Darfur region of Sudan, this century’s first major genocide is
unfolding while the supposed defenders of righteousness stand by
powerless and unmotivated.
In Darfur, one million people have been forced to live as refugees.
Following an uprising by the oppressed African minority, roving
Pro-Government Arab militias have killed 50,000 or more of the
region’s Black African population.
The government admits to forming self-defense militias against the
rebels in Darfur, but denies any links to the Janjaweed militia
groups responsible for the mass murders and rapes in the region.
Refugees, however, paint a very different story.
According to victims, the Sudanese Government Air Force is bombing
villages suspected of being rebel strongholds. Following the
bombardment, the Janjaweed militias ride through the village on
horses and camels, massacring men, women and children. The Janjaweed
themselves admit to these atrocities, claiming that men are killed
and women are raped if they stray too far from the protection of the
refugee camps in search of wood or water.
The African Union (A.U.) seems powerless to stop the violence.
Neighboring countries, like Chad, have closed their borders for fear
of spreading the battlefront of Arab-Black confrontation. Sudan
itself seems at best complacent and at worst complicit with the
slaughter of the mostly Christian Black African population by their
Arab-African countrymen.
Under massive political pressure from the United Nations and the
United States, Sudan has weakly promised to disarm the Janjaweed. The
United Nations is threatening sanctions  with the United States
leading that push, yet some nations are still resisting a broader
A.U. or U.N. military presence to ensure the safety of the refugees,
including Sudan itself.
Given the remoteness of Sudan, it is not likely that a western nation
will be involved in any broad-based military action to protect the
refugees as they did in Kosovo in 1999. Despite the similarity of the
Darfur crisis to the Kosovo genocide, Darfur is considerably vaster
and much further away from NATO’s main bases of operation than
Kosovo, Serbia.
Because of Africa’s status in the world, an African crisis somehow
always needs to be especially gruesome for western nations to take
notice. Rwanda practically bled itself dry before the United Nations
decided to care.
While it is understandable that the West is apprehensive about
putting troops into yet another Muslim country, a multi-national
coalition featuring the United Nations or African Union would not be
there to challenge the validity of the Sudanese government. The U.S.
Congress recently declared the conflict “genocide” but only in a
non-binding resolution in the House of Representatives. The Senate
has yet to agree, but if they were to concur, such a decision would
set off intervention actions under the guidelines of the Genocide
Convention, although the depth of the resolve of such action is
uncertain.
Secretary of State Colin Powell recently visited Sudan, and in a
promising first step, stated, “Genocide has been committed in Sudan,
and the Sudanese Government and the Janjaweed militias bear
responsibility.”
For all those in the government today who continue to question the
moral basis of the war in Iraq, Sudan presents itself as a clear
example of when intervention is not only necessary, but also vital to
the preservation of human rights for an entire region of the world.
To have invaded Iraq on shaky foundations with vague moral reasoning
was bad enough. For the United States to ignore Sudan as its people
die by the thousands would only further blemish a record of
righteousness already on life support.
Staff writer Byron Vierk is a senior from Lincoln, Neb. He majors in
history.

The Gateway, NE
Sept 30 2004
New sunscreen technology reported by Omaha scientist
As summer comes to an end, an Omaha physician-scientist has recently
reported research findings on a unique sunscreen that could help
people against the sun’s exposure.
Dr. Ramon M. Fusaro, M.D., of the UNMC and Creighton University
Medical Center faculty, presented the results of a sunscreen that is
built into and bound to the skin. The results were presented at the
Eighth International Symposium on the Maillard Reaction in
Charleston, S.C. He conducted the research along with colleague Edwin
Rice, M.D. of Minneapolis’ Park Nicollet Clinic.
The two reported that the formation of melanoidins in the skin, a
keratin-bound sunscreen, protected 30 Caucasian patients from
developing a sun rash from their allergy to sunlight without any
therapeutic failures. The sunscreen was chemically formed in the top
later of the skin by the overnight sequential bedtime applications of
two chemically pure medications. The first medication was
dihydroxyacetone (sunless tanning lotion) followed 15 minutes later
by lawesone (active dye in henna). Serious side effects could be
caused by over-the-counter versions, if used by the public. Fusaro
and Rice warn that those are not pure and may degenerate.
Fusaro said that experimental records of the studied patients
revealed that they also never experienced any sunburns during the
seven months of the study even though 60 percent of them were in
sunlight for eight to six hours per day.
While there are many advantages to the sunscreen, there remains one
major disadvantage of the keratin-bound sunscreen. It cannot be used
in individuals who have a rare disease known as glucose-6 phosphate
dehydrogenase deficiency. Fusaro said, however, that the presence of
the genetic mutation could be identified by a blood test.
The keratin-bound sunscreen will most likely be a prescription
medication, and the user will have to take vitamin D supplements
because of the sunscreen’s efficiency of blocking the sun’s rays
entering the skin.
UNMC teams to help Arab nursing education
Last Monday, UNMC’s College of Nursing formalized a three-year
contract affiliation with the Al-Zaytoonah Private University of
Jordan that will include sharing UNMC’s traditional and online
nursing education and clinical curriculum. It also will provide
faculty training in integrating online courses into traditional
curriculum.
The affiliation was established to advance nursing education in
Jordan and the Arab region.
UNMC’s college of nursing already provides courses to faculty of
Erebouni College in Armenia -the pilot site for the college’s
strategy of a “global classroom” moving into other regions– as well
as India and China.
Officials say the advantages of the partnership include raising the
quality of nursing education, ultimately improving patient care, and
addressing nursing shortages in Jordan and the Arab region. There are
eight colleges of nursing in Jordan.
One of the first things the partnership will support is the creation
of a learning resource center at AZPU. The center will be equipped
with computers and other technology allowing students to learn and
practice nursing skills on their own. The center will also integrate
online courses, audio-visual resources and address improvements in
clinical instruction and evaluation.

Luchtzak Aviation, Belgium
Sept 30 2004
Rus sia stops providing aero-navigational services to some CIS
airlines
Posted on Friday, October 01, 2004 @ 8:43 AM CEST by sn26567

SN30952 writes “Beginning October 1, Russia plans to stop providing
aero-navigational services to the planes of several airlines from CIS
countries.
The ban will affect the airlines from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan
and Ukraine.
The majority of debts come from companies that have already gone
bankrupt or stopped flying to Russia. But this fact doesn’t bother
the Russian Transportation Ministry, which believes that in this case
the debts have to be repaid by the country’s authorities.
The debt of Armenian airlines which no longer fly to Russia amounts
to almost $2.7 million, while the airlines that still have flights to
Russia, owe $6,000. 16 Georgian airlines, which no longer fly to
Russia, owe the Russian authorities more than $3.6 million for the
flights between 1994 and 2001.
Kazakhstan owes $5.5 million, while 37 Ukrainian airlines owe more
than $5 million.
The Georgian side have left all of Russia’s requests without answer,
which means that Georgian airlines are likely to be banned from the
Russian skies for a long period.”

Glasgow Daily Record, UK
Oct 1 2004
LOCALS FIGHT FOR REFUGEE

By Annie Brown
A CAMPAIGN to stop a refugee being deported is being backed by her
adopted community.
Julia Gulshan Babayeva and her two sons were taken from their flat in
Glasgow’s Sighthill to a detention centre two weeks ago.
The ethnic Armenian says she fled Azerbaijan after being sexually
abused by police after speaking out against the government.
Julia also says her teenage sons would be forced to join the army and
kill fellow Armenians if they returned.
Julia has worked for many health and help groups in Sighthill since
seeking asylum there thee years ago.
Now residents have raised £300 towards the family’s £1000 bail.
Julia said: ‘I miss my Sighthill. I want to go back.’
Donations can be made at

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Oct 1 2004
Senior Russian Senator Cites Terrorism Threat in Moscow’s Border
Policy
Chairman of the Council of Federation of Russia Sergei Mironov said
upon his arrival in Armenia on October 1 that Russia had to close
its borders with Georgia in order to avoid a penetration of
terrorists from Georgia into Russia.
`After the tragic events in Beslan [North Ossetia] we were forced to
impose strict control [on borders], since the terrorists, who enjoy
particular privileges in the territory of Georgia, were directly
infiltrating Russia,’ Sergei Mironov told reporters, reports the RIA
Novosti news agency.
At the same time, he stressed that this measure is not directed
against freight transit from Armenia. Russia’s decision to close its
border with Georgia at the Larsi checkpoint has had a negative effect
on the economy of both Georgia and Armenia. Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Marganyan has recently urged Moscow to reopen its border
with Georgia.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Oct 1 2004
SPECIAL REPORT ON AZERBAIJAN EXPECTED AT NATO PA VENICE SESSION
[October 01, 2004, 16:32:16]
A special report on Azerbaijan will be delivered by member of the
NATO PA Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security during the
structure’s November session in Venice, Italy. The report will cover
the prospects of social and economic development of Azerbaijan,
unambiguously confirm the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and
seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan by Armenian armed forces.
According to deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Parliament, head of
the county’s delegation to NATO PA Ziyafat Asgarov, the hard copy of
the report has already been sent to the parliament. He also noted
that on Azerbaijan’s suggestion, certain supplements would be made to
the report.
Reportedly, the NATO PA is expected for the first time in its history
to adopt a separate document to comfirm the occupation Azerbaijan’s
territories by Armenia.