PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
HIS HOLINESS ARAM I IN SOUTH KOREA
ANTELIAS, LEBANON – His Holiness Aram I will be in South Korea from 20-28
August to chair the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches.
During his stay in Seoul, His Holiness will preach at the Presbyterian
Church, he will address a reception organized by the State. He will also
give a talk on Ecumenism for the 21st century in a context of a symposium
organized by the churches in South Korea.
On his way back from South Korea, His Holiness will make a brief stop in
Dubai, where he will meet the Armenian Community leaders of the Emirates.
The Communications and Information officer of the Catholicosate V. Rev.
Krikor Chiftjian will accompany His Holiness during his journey.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
WCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO MEET FOR FIRST TIME IN KOREA
WCC – Geneva – The vitality of the churches and the ecumenical movement in
Korea and the region will be at the centre of attention during a 24-27
August 2004 World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee meeting in
Seoul. The meeting will be preceded by a special programme for WCC executive
committee members from 21-23 August 2004.
Peace and reconciliation in the divided peninsula has received particular
attention from the churches and the WCC for decades; it will be the focus of
a statement by the executive committee on Korea. . The committee will
address other situations of international concern, including events in
Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Somalia.
Preparations for the WCC’s 9th assembly, to be held in Brazil in February
2006, will also receive priority attention. In addition, the committee will
review applications for membership from several churches, and a series of
proposed amendments to membership rules.
Also on the agenda are a review of the WCC’s Pacific office, a progress
report on relations with partner organizations, a detailed programme report
for the first half of 2004, and an update on the council’s finances.
For the first time, the executive committee will be using a consensus method
of decision-making as a new methodology of work to be applied at major WCC
meetings. This approach to decision-making was proposed by the Special
Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, and is seen as a more
inclusive and conciliar way of working.
A special programme (21-23 August) for the members of the executive
committee will include a visit to the demilitarized zone that divides North
and South Korea.
The programme also includes worship in local church communities, as well as
a reception hosted by the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and
the Korean ministry of culture. An audience with the president of the
Republic of Korea, H.E. Roh Moo-hyun, is also foreseen.
On 23 August, the NCCK will organize a seminar on the future of ecumenism
which will be addressed by WCC leadership.
The executive committee meeting is being hosted by the NCCK and the four WCC
member churches in the country: the Anglican Church of Korea, the Korean
Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, and the
Presbyterian Church of Korea.
The 25-member executive committee is the highest governing body between
meetings of the WCC central committee, and it usually meets twice-yearly.
Its moderator is Catholicos Aram I, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church
(Cilicia).
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

New York Times, NY
Aug 20 2004
When Going Pro Is More Precious Than Gold
By WILLIAM C. RHODEN
ATHENS
A HALF-HOUR after Rock Allen lost to Boris Georgiev of Bulgaria to
end a dismal day for United States boxers, the 5-foot-7 Allen, a
light welterweight from Philadelphia, faced the media music.
The United States had lost two of three bouts yesterday. Earlier,
Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba was better than Vanes Martirosyan, an
18-year-old welterweight from California by way of Armenia. After
initial days of competition that seemed to trumpet the return of
American boxing to international prominence, the team is teetering.
Suddenly, what had seemed like an enthralling story of a young United
States team beating the odds had turned into a familiar story of
experienced amateur fighters from Cuba and Eastern Europe beating up
on game, but inexperienced, American boxers.
Basheer Abdullah, the United States team’s head coach, was anxious
before Martirosyan’s bout. “I wanted that bout bad because I thought
if we got that victory against the Cuban, it would motivate the rest
of the athletes,” he said. His young boxing team, like the young
United States men’s basketball team, is fluent in the sport but
uncomfortable in international rules.
After his defeat, Allen said, “He was just a better amateur fighter,”
making a point of saying Georgiev was a better amateur, implying that
if they meet as pros the story may be different. “I have more of a
pro style,” Allen said. “By me having a pro style, it’s hard to
really adapt to the amateur game.”
We’ll probably never know. In yet another example here of the
mishmash of sports cultures, Allen will soon turn pro. Georgiev,
meanwhile, will likely beat up on another young American boxer at the
2008 Games in China.
Against seasoned Cuban and Bulgarian fighters familiar with the
nuances of how to exploit the computerized scoring system,
Martirosyan and Allen were outmatched.
“They’re well schooled on how to position themselves, where the
judges are at,” Abdullah said. “They have a system and they stick
within the system. They’re very disciplined boxers.”
There is no rush in a 10-round professional fight; Olympic boxing is
hurry, hurry, hurry. From the opening bell, the opponent rushes in
and throws the kinds of flurries that register on the computer. One
fighter builds up points and spends the rest of the fight running.
When a fighter falls behind, as Martirosyan and Allen did yesterday,
catching up, short of a knockout, is next to impossible.
Not all the American boxers have professional careers on their minds.
After his loss yesterday, Martirosyan surprised a few questioners
when he said he wanted to remain an amateur. “I’ll be back in 2008,”
he said. “Who knows?”
“I love amateurs so much,” he said. “I just love being in the ring.
You put me out there right now, just to spar, I’ll go out there and
spar.”
Someone wondered why Martirosyan would put off making money as a
professional fighter. That’s what American Olympic boxers do: they
turn pro and use Olympic stature as leverage to sign a better
contract.
Martirosyan said money wasn’t the prevailing factor with his family.
“We don’t really think about the money or whether to go
professional,” he said. “My dad just wants me to be happy, and I’m
happy when I’m in the ring.”
This was the first time I’d ever heard an American Olympic boxer even
suggest that he would hang around for the next Games. But he said he
loved the amateur environment.
“What I love about it is the fans, the people,” he said. Amateur
boxing, he said, doesn’t require “taking your head gear off and
getting hurt, because you can get hurt in the pros.”
“Amateurs, you go out there and you have fun,” he added. “You come
out, you’re O.K. You can walk instead of getting carried out on a
stretcher. Professionals, man, you can get hit with a punch that can
change your life.”
Allen, on the other hand, seems to want to turn pro immediately.
Soon, the Olympic boxing site will be crawling – and I mean that
literally – with boxing agents and promoters looking to scoop up
talent for the brutal pro fight game.
The Cubans, and perhaps to a lesser extent the Bulgarians, don’t have
to deal with these temptations, with these pressure enticements. The
Cubans in particular are forever amateurs.
“A lot of these guys here, they stick around,” Allen said. “You’re
going to see them in 2008 and 2012. Our guys, after the Olympic
Games, we always turn pro.”
The Cubans will not.
“A gold medal in Cuba – they take pride in representing their country
and wearing their colors,” Abdullah said. “Some of our athletes have
other opportunities, like track and field, boxing. They can make the
big money. They know if they fall short here, it’s not over.”
Well-compensated basketball players and tennis players have stumbled
in Athens. Now boxing has to go back to the drawing board.
We’re going to need a larger board.

Interfax
Aug 20 2004
Armenia to up cognac exports 15% in 2004
YEREVAN. Aug 20 (Interfax) – Armenia will increase its cognac exports
15% in 2004, director of the Armenian Agriculture Ministry’s
agribusiness development center Armen Davtian predicted in an
interview with Interfax.
Armenia’s annual cognac exports have increased almost 550% since
1999, reaching 10.8 million liters in 2003, Davtian said. The country
exported 5.5 million liters in the first half of 2004, roughly 15%
more year-on-year, he said.
Around thirty countries now import Armenia’s cognacs, and these
exports account for more than 90% of production volume. Russia buys
80% of the cognac Armenia exports.
Davtian said Armenia now has more than ten companies involved in the
industrial production of cognac and cognac alcohol. The biggest are
Yerevan Cognac Plant (owned by the French company Pernod Ricard), the
Armenian-Cypriot company Great Valley and Yerevan cognac, wine and
vodka complex Ararat, owned by the country’s multi-business outfit
Multi Group.

Associated Press
Aug 20 2004
Two More Americans Fall in Olympic Boxing
GREG BEACHAM
ATHENS, Greece – While Rock Allen chased Boris Georgiev around the
ring in a futile attempt to slow the agile Bulgarian fighter, Allen’s
father shouted from the stands:
“Stop running and box! Stop running and box!”
No chance, Dad. The best amateur boxers know just how to move and
exactly when to pounce – and two Americans who failed to match that
style are out of the Olympics.
Allen was pounded 30-10 in his light welterweight bout and
welterweight Vanes Martirosyan was beaten 20-11 by Cuba’s Lorenzo
Aragon in second-round matches Thursday at Peristeri Olympic Boxing
Hall.
Light heavyweight Andre Ward advanced to the quarterfinals with a
17-9 win over Italy’s Clemente Russo, but he soon will have the same
problems as his teammates. Ward’s next fight is against Russia’s
Evgeny Makarenko, a two-time world champion who battered Cuba’s Yoan
Pablo Hernandez moments before Ward’s fight.
The U.S. sent eight fighters into the second round with six victories
and two byes, but coach Basheer Abdullah knows it will be tough to
improve on the four medals won by American boxers four years ago in
Sydney. Americans once dominated Olympic boxing, but scoring changes
and the lure of professional money have eviscerated the program.
“We have yet to prove as a team that we can compete against the best
in the world,” Abdullah said. “Those bouts that we won, we were
supposed to win those bouts. If we could have won against a Cuban or
a Bulgarian, that would have been a great start to the round for us.”
Lightweight Vicente Escobedo is the only American fighting Friday.
The Woodland, Calif., native is hoping for a victory over
Azerbaijan’s Rovshan Huseynov to move into the quarterfinals – where
he would probably face Cuban powerhouse Mario Kindelan.
In his only fight of the Olympics, Allen fell behind Georgiev early
and never caught up. Not in the ring, where Georgiev practically ran
circles around him, or on the scoreboard.
Allen, a Philadelphia native who will turn pro in a few weeks, knows
all about the problems with amateur boxing for fighters who share his
power-based, stand-and-punch style.
“Olympic-style boxing moves at a much faster pace for those short
four rounds,” Allen said. “In the pros, we’ve got all kinds of time.
The best guys at the Olympics are veteran guys, and this is all they
know. A lot of these guys, you’re going to see in 2008 or 2012. I
have a pro style, and it’s hard for me to adapt.”
Ward, an Oakland, Calif., native, was more successful in a sometimes
plodding victory. After a first-round bye, Ward was eager to get his
first Olympic action – but he knows his bout against Makarenko easily
is the biggest test of his six-year winning streak.
“I saw him walk out. He’s big,” said Ward, a natural middleweight who
bulked up several years ago in an effort to avoid fighting his
cousin. “He’s not the first big guy I’ve fought, though. I’ve been
fighting giants my whole life.”
Martirosyan had an entirely different set of problems against Aragon,
a master of the punching technique that generates the best Olympic
results. Aragon seemed to score points with any sort of punch, while
Martirosyan only scored for his best hits.
Martirosyan, who was born in Armenia, staggered Aragon twice with
quick shots to the head, but the Cuban piled up enough early points
to hang on in a fight much closer than the score.
“He tries to frustrate you with the holding,” Martirosyan said. “He
holds you, pulls you back and makes it look like you’re holding, and
you’re not. It frustrates you. I thought I scored more points, and I
thought I should have won.”
It’s a familiar refrain for fighters facing the Cuban team, which is
given a world of respect by amateur judges. Ditto for the Russians:
Welterweight Oleg Saitov, a two-time gold medalist, beat Egypt’s
Mohamed Hikal 18-17 Thursday night even though Hikal dominated the
first three rounds.

RosBusinessConsulting, Russia
Aug 20 2004
Putin to meet with Armenian President
RBC, 20.08.2004, Sochi 09:33:16.A meeting between Russian
President Vladimir Putin and Armenian President Robert Kocharian will
take place in Sochi today. The sides are expected to pay special
attention to normalizing the situation in the North Caucasus region
and in particular to peaceful settlement of the conflict in South
Ossetia.
In addition, it is planned that the two leaders will discuss
cooperation within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization and the Eurasian Economic Community, in which Armenia
has an observer status.

Calcutta Telegraph, India
Aug 20 2004
Ramesh triumphs
Abu Dhabi: GM R. B. Ramesh defeated third seed GM Artyom Timofeev of
Russia in the fifth round of the 14th Abu Dhabi chess festival here.
GM P. Harikrishna missed out on a good opportunity to join the
leading pack as he could not put it across GM Artashes Minasian of
Armenia after being on top.
At the half-way stage, five players emerged leaders with four points.
They are GMs Ashot Anastasian, Ghaem Maghami Ehsan, Pavel Kotsur,
Mikhail Kobalia and Evgeny Gleizerov.
Harikrishna, Ramesh and GM Tejas Bakre (3.5 each), share the sixth
spot with top seed GM Evgeny Vladimirov, GM Marat Dzhumaev, GM
Minasian and IM Imad Hakki.
Among other Indians, IM S. Kidambi drew with compatriot Tania Sachdev
while IM Neelotpal Das and WGM Nisha Mohota also achieved the same
result. (PTI)

ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN ELECTION DISTRICT #44 MARKED WITH GROSS
VIOLATIONS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19. ARMINFO. The election campaign in election
district 44 is being held with gross violations of the RA election
laws.
At a press conference in the “Pakaguitz” club, the candidate for
Parliament Babken Margaryan reported that the supporters of some
candidates collect voters’ passports and offer bribes. “One vote costs
10 to 20 thousand AMD,” Margaryan said. He also reported that the
supporters of some candidates exert pressure on his
supporters. According to Margaryan, a few days ago unknown persons
attacked his supporters and beat them. He also stated that to put an
end to unlawful actions he had to call Aram Sargsyan, the brother of
the candidate Artak Sargsyan. Margaryan also stated that he nominated
himself at the voters’ request, and they demanded that he fight to the
end. Margaryan expressed confidence that he will win if the elections
are fair.
The Parliament member of the “Law-Governed Country” party Aram
Harutyunyan was appointed Minister of Urban Development, which
necessitated elections in election district
44. Five candidates are currently running for Parliament, but the
principal struggle involves the owner of a chain of drugstores and
dry-cleaners “Lavanda:” Araik Hairapetyan and Co-President of the “SAS
Group” company Artak Sargsyan. Haurapetyan is a member of the “Nig
Aparan” Union and is supported by Honorary Chairman of the Union, RA
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsebyan, as well as by the “People’s
Deputy” group, formed by businessmen. If elected, Hairapetyan intends
to join the deputy group. In turn, Artak Sargsuyan is supported by the
“Law-Governed Country” party. The voting is scheduled for August 29.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT MADE A DECISION TO ALLOCATE FUNDS FOR REPAIR OF
ZANGEZOUR COPPER-MOLYBDENUM PLANT
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19. ARMINFO. Armenian government made a decision to
allocate 50 mln drams for repair of the building of the Zangezour
Copper-Molybdenum Plant cjsc, Deputy Minister of trade and Economic
Development of Armenia Ashot Shahnazarian told ARMINFO.
According to him, these means will be attracted due to the net profit
of the plant received in 2004. It should be noted that on the results
of 2003 the net profit of the enterprise exceeded $7 mln. The
leadership of the Ministry thinks that on the results of the current
year the profit will grow.

RA GOVERNMENT APPROVES ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN MINISTERIAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19. ARMINFO. The RA Government has approved of the signing of
a cooperation agreement between the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs
and the RF Ministry of Health and Social Development.
The RA Government’s press service reports that the Government approved the
signing of a protocol on amendments to the order of allotting and using
land-plots for stationing the Russian military base in the Republic of Armenia. The
decision specifies the list of points of stationing of the Russian military base
in Armenia, as well as provides legal grounds for the transfer of four
cantonments to the Armenian side. The RA Government approved the expenses on railway
transportation of cargoes addressed to the Russian troops stationed in
Armenia, etc..