Kansas and Armenia Partnership
WIBW, KS
June 18 2004
AP
State officials today are celebrating a partnership between Kansas
and the government of Armenia.
Since 2003, Kansas has been partnered with Armenia through a national
program that links states with developing nations. Though the history
of Armenia goes back thousands of years, the country has been free
for only 14 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Earlier this year, members of the Kansas National Guard, including
Adjutant General Tod Bunting, traveled to Armenia to visit with
their counterparts.
In April, Governor Sebelius signed a proclamation designating today
as Kansas-Armenian Partnership Day. A ceremony was scheduled for this
morning at the State Defense Building in Topeka.
A delegation from Armenia is expected to come to Kansas in the
coming months.

Kansans, Armenians forge partnership to aid former Soviet nation
By JOHN MILBURN, Associated Press
Kansas City Star
June 18 2004
TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas and Armenia are working to share information
and skills through a budding partnership between the Kansas National
Guard and southwest Asian nation that is struggling to develop in
the post-Soviet era.
At a ceremony Friday at the State Defense Building in Topeka, a
delegation of Armenian Americans and National Guard officials marked
the program’s progress.
“We really want this to be a two-way street, where we learn as much
from them that they learn from us,” said Col. Joe Wheeler, plans,
operations and training officer for the Kansas National Guard.
The Armenian relationship, which began in 2003, replaces the shared
duties Kansas had with California to assist the Ukrainian government.
Wheeler said exchanges were planned between the two nations’ military,
civilian government and civilians themselves.
Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, state adjutant general, returned from Armenia
in late May. He said while the country has a history that is centuries
old, Armenia is a developing country that is seeking greater standing
in the world 14 years after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
After becoming part of the Soviet Union in 1920, Armenian leaders
remained at odds with Azerbaijan, an Islamic neighbor, over disputed
territory. The two countries began fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh
region in 1988 and fighting escalated in 1991 when the both countries
were independent from the Soviets.
Bunting said the concept of “citizen soldiers” embodied by the National
Guard is foreign to Armenians, where people are used to being servants
of the government.
“Through this program, it is we the people of Kansas who are reaching
out in a spirit of cooperation to the people of Armenia to show them
who we are and how we live.”
A common interest in both countries, he said, was emergency response.
While Kansas has its tornadoes, Armenia is prone to earthquakes and
sharing response techniques could prove beneficial.
Armenia is the size of Maryland with a population close to the 2.6
million of Kansas. While the Sunflower State has its plains of wheat,
Armenia is a rocky country, known for its apricots, tomatoes and
mountains. There are about 480 Armenian Americans living in Kansas.
One of them, Alex Kotoyantz of Junction City, said several issues,
including the long-standing tensions with Turkey, divide Armenians
and their neighbors. Millions of Armenians were killed in what is
considered a genocide attempt by the Turks during their war.
He said Armenian Americans continue to provide millions of dollars
in economic support to their homeland as the economy struggles.
“The mentality is tough to break away from,” he said.

BOXING: DON’T DREAD OUR JUDGES
Watt tells Abelyan he’ll get fair crack at crown
By Anthony Haggerty
Glasgow Daily Record, UK
June 19 2004
RING legend Jim Watt last night accused William Abelyan of piling
pressure on the judges ahead of tonight’s world title clash with
Scott Harrison.
Armenian Abelyan insists home-town bias could rob him of his chance
of taking the WBO featherweight title from the Scot in front of 6000
fans at Braehead.
But Watt swears Mexican Manuel Medina’s points win over Harrison last
year is proof that a foreign fighter can score an upset in Glasgow.
And he said: ‘The judge who voted for Harrison that night has virtually
been told he’s not welcome back in the country to officiate which is
right because Medina won,no question of that.
‘It’s gamesmanship from Abelyan’s camp. They’re trying to put pressure
on the judges.
‘I saw Bernard Hopkins doing it a couple of weeks ago and it worked
for him.
‘Abelyan has sparred with some tough guys and held his own and he
looks to have a cool head so I don’t think he will be affected by
boxing away from home.’
Watt reckons Abelyan will pose a tough challenge but insists the
champion will win through.
The former world lightweight king said: ‘They have based their plans on
moving around and trying to confuse Harrison in the ring using angles.
‘They know that Scott’s strength lies in his physical strength and
aggression and they will look not to match that but nullify it.
Harrison likes a brawl to get involved in combat but Abelyan will
have the first Medina fight in mind when the Mexican came and danced
around and hurt him and won.
‘I hope Abelyan does not do the same because he is a harder puncher
than Medina ‘Harrison wasnot right physically that night and he
followed Medina around the ring but he has learned from that and in
the return when he regained the title we saw a different fighter.’
Watt insists the fear of another loss in front of his own fans and
the damage that would do to his career will be a driving force for
Harrison.
He said: ‘Defeat would be a total disaster because Abelyan is theNo.1
contender and Scott knows he won’t get a rematch if he loses.
‘If Abelyan leaves town with the title, he doesn’t have to come back
and Scott is back in the queue.
‘He’ll have to start facing people such as Injin Chi and Juan Manuel
Marquez, who are tougher routes to a title than Abelyan.’
But Watt tips the Cambuslang fighter to triumph.Hesaid: ‘Abelyan can
box with different styles he’s not one dimensional.
‘However, Scott’s the one with experience at the top level so he is
a comfortable favourite and I expect him to win clearly.
‘It will go the distance but I expect Scott to winand look good
doing it.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Quick start not enough for Abelyan
By Bob Mee
Daily Telegraph, UK
June 19 2004
Scott Harrison faces a tricky defence of his World Boxing Organisation
featherweight title against No 1 contender William Abelyan at Braehead
Arena, Glasgow, tonight.
Injuries to both fighters have delayed this fight for three months
and Harrison has also had the distraction of a criminal court case.
The Scot was cleared of an assault charge in the last fortnight.
Harrison’s taciturn, single-minded determination should enable him
to put those issues aside but he could need all his discipline and
patience to wear down a swift, tricky, hit-and-run left-hander.
In the first half of the 12-round fight the champion could have
trouble pinning down Abelyan and might have to rely on a late stoppage
win. But Harrison has no doubts. “I don’t think this is a tough fight,”
he said. “I just see him running all night.”
The Armenian is full of confidence but to win the fight he has to
outbox Harrison, whose experience should tip it his way.

Harrison faces easy fight before brutal talks
By John Rawling
The Guardian, UK
June 19 2004
Audley Harrison is expected to record the 17th win of his undefeated
professional career against Poland’s Tomasz Bonin at the Alexandra
Palace tonight, then resume negotiations with the promoter Frank
Warren over a challenge against the British and Commonwealth champion
Matt Skelton.
Harrison hopes for an equal split in the profits, and has said: “I
want to win the British title. Matt Skelton is a York Hall [Bethnal
Green] fighter, but Audley Harrison brings more to the table than
that. I am asking for 50-50, which I think is fair and reasonable.”
In a letter to Warren, Harrison suggested a joint operation between
his own A-Force promotions and Warren’s Sports Network, but Warren
angrily rejected the offer last night.
“With respect, who the hell does Audley Harrison think he is?” he
said. “He has just been dropped by the BBC and he has no television
deal with Sky or any other company.
“I have the TV contract and Matt Skelton is the champion. Sky have no
interest in signing Harrison so if he wants the fight he can take it
on Matt Skelton’s terms. I am in the business of looking after him,
not Harrison.”
Harrison, 32, has a huge height and reach advantage over Bonin, 26.
The Pole’s record, undefeated in 26 fights, seems impressive, but
closer inspection shows his opponents have been dismal and Harrison
should retain the little-regarded WBF title with few problems.
An altogether more meaningful contest at the Braehead Arena in
Renfrew pits the WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison against his
mandatory challenger, William Abelyan, a US-based Armenian. The size
and strength of Harrison, the Scottish title-holder, could be decisive.
The world light-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu has been stripped
of his WBA belt after saying he would fight Sharmba Mitchell for the
IBF belt in November instead of the WBA challenger Vivien Harris.
Harris could now face Britain’s Ricky Hatton with the WBA title
at stake.

Harrison stays focused on Abelyan, not record books
The Scotsman, UK
June 19 2004
HISTORY beckons Scott Harrison at the Braehead Arena tonight. The
priority for Scotland’s WBO featherweight champion, however, is
simply to ensure his ambition to become his country’s most successful
boxer of all time does not become a thing of the past.
There is undoubted danger in Harrison’s mandatory defence of his
title against William Abelyan. Promoters Sports Network, who have
packaged the fight as ‘Risky Business’, have made no secret of the
fact they would have preferred to avoid the American southpaw as they
attempt to steer Harrison towards more lucrative and career-defining
contests.
With no rematch clause in the contract, the Cambuslang man simply
cannot afford to suffer another loss in the manner of his shock
points defeat to Manuel Medina last July which he was able to
emphatically avenge four months later.
Since then, Harrison has stopped Colombian Walter Estrada, a late
replacement for Abelyan who called off injured from the
originally-scheduled meeting in March, to score his fourth victory in
five world-title fights. If he can overcome his Armenian-born
challenger tonight, Harrison will join Jim Watt in the record books
for the most successful world championship contests by a Scottish
boxer.
Watt, who lifted the WBC lightweight title with a 12th-round stoppage
of Alfredo Pitalua in April 1979 and defended the belt four times
before losing to the brilliant Nicaraguan Alexis Arguello in June
1981, will be ringside tonight in his role as Sky Sports’ most cogent
boxing analyst.
He is willing his compatriot to succeed, unfazed by the apparent
resentment towards him from both the champion and his father and
trainer Peter Harrison in the wake of Watt’s criticism of the
performance last time out against Estrada.
Despite Harrison becoming the first man to stop the tricky Colombian
southpaw, an achievement this correspondent believes did not earn him
enough credit, Watt felt there were dangerous flaws in the
26-year-old’s display which could be exploited by a better opponent.
“I know the Harrison family aren’t too happy with me,” says Watt,
“but my honest view was that it was a bad performance against
Estrada. Although Scott was never in danger of losing, he got hit
with far too many silly punches in the first three rounds.
“I’m sorry if Scott and his dad are upset at what I said, but my job
is to call it as I see it. I can’t sit at ringside and ignore the
evidence of my own eyes just because Scott is Scottish. No-one has
given him more praise than I have since he started boxing on Sky and
no-one wants him to keep winning more than I do.”
To keep winning tonight, Harrison must solve the puzzle that is
25-year-old Abelyan, the North American champion who has lost just
four of his 28 fights since turning professional six years ago. He is
unbeaten since suffering a first-round loss to Victor Polo in January
2000, when he cited a stomach bug as the reason.
Nonetheless, as Polo later lost to Julio Pablo Chacon, the Argentine
dethroned by Harrison when he became champion in October 2002, it
would appear to be an encouraging form line for the Scot.
However, in reeling off 13 consecutive wins since the Polo defeat,
including an impressive points success over former WBC champion Guty
Espadas, Abelyan has earned his world-title shot and a reputation as
someone capable of making the best fighters look bad.
Jim Brady, the acerbic American correspondent of Boxing News, said
after Abelyan’s points win over veteran former WBA super-bantamweight
champion Jesus Salud in April 2002 that he “moved so much, they
should have had a lap counter in the ring”.
It is an indication of Abelyan’s elusive style, one which Brady
claims is “death at the box office”. When he knocked out Orlando Soto
in Las Vegas to win the North American title four months later, Brady
was moved to observe “he has a style only a mother could love, but
then she probably doesn’t have to pay to get in”.
Harrison, who weighed in four ounces inside the nine stone limit
yesterday, two ounces heavier than Abelyan, has no doubts his
challenger will be unable to avoid him for 12 rounds.
“He’s awkward, he jumps in and out,” said Harrison, “but I’m in
perfect shape and I will get to him. He doesn’t like to get hit to
the body and there are other weaknesses we have noticed. I just want
to get this guy out of the way, then move on to unify the belts.”
Watt, while anticipating a difficult night for Harrison, is confident
he will be joined in the record books by his fellow Glaswegian by the
end of the night. “Abelyan’s a good fighter, can adopt different
styles and will try and mess Scott about,” said Watt. “Scott has all
the physical advantages, though and as long as he controls the pace
of the fight, I see him winning well on points.”
I believe Harrison, as intensely motivated as he has ever been, will
force a stoppage somewhere around the tenth round.
• Willie Limond weighed in four ounces inside the super-featherweight
limit for his clash with French champion Youssef Djibaba for the
vacant European Union title. Live coverage of both fights from
Braehead begins at 8pm on Sky Sports 2.
• Audley Harrison defends his WBF heavyweight title tonight against
Poland’s Tomasz Bonin at Alexandra Palace in the last fight of his
contract with the BBC.

Washington Times, DC
June 19 2004
Armenia takes on the world
By David R. Sands
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Armenia vs. the world — it hardly sounds like a fair fight. Yet a
group of top-flight grandmasters from around the globe barely scraped
past the Armenian team in a fascinating six-round Scheveningen match
that ended Tuesday in Moscow, holding off a late charge for an
181/2-171/2 victory.
Evening the odds greatly was the fact that the three native
Armenians in the event — Vladimir Akopian, Smbat Lputian and Rafael
Vaganian — were joined by three superstars with national connections:
former world champ Garry Kasparov (Armenian mother), Hungarian
super-GM Peter Leko (Armenian wife) and Israel’s Boris Gelfand (a
student of the late Tigran Petrosian, Armenia’s greatest player).
The Moscow event was held in honor of the 75th birthday of
Petrosian, world titleholder from 1963 to 1969.
Indian GM Viswanathan Anand anchored the world team, which
included fellow 2700-plus stars Peter Svidler of Russia and Michael
Adams of England. Rounding out the squad were GMs Etienne Bacrot of
France, Francisco Vallejo Pons of Spain and Dutchman Loek Van Wely.
Kasparov scored just one win and six draws in Moscow, his only
full point coming in the first round in an English Opening against
Van Wely.
Under heavy pressure throughout the encounter, Van Wely is faced
with a nasty choice when White gives up material for a dangerous
attack: 29. g4 Ba4 30. g5! Bxd1 31. gxf6. With the threat of 32. Qg5
and a quick mate on tap, it turns out the scariest-looking defense
would have been best.
Thus, Black survives on 31…gxf6!, as both 32. Rg2+ Kf8 33. Qh6+
Ke7 34. Nxf7 Bxf3 35. Nxd8 Bxg2 36. Ne6 Qc4 and 32. Bxd1? Rxd6 33.
Rg2+ Kf8 34. Bb3 Qc1+ 35. Kh2 Rc8 leave Black in charge. White’s best
option would be to grab the perpetual check with 32. Qxf6 Rxd6 33.
Rxd6 Bxf3 34. Qg5+ Kf8 35. Qh6+ Ke7 36. Qf6+ Kf8 37. Qh6+.
Black tries instead to play it safe and ends up sorry after
31…Rxd6? 32. Rg2! g6 33. fxg6. Now Kasparov mates after either
33…fxg6 34. Rxg6+ 35. Kf8 Qh8+ or 33…Rxf6 34. g7!. Black
resigned.
The game between Gelfand and Vallejo Pons featured an equally
tricky ending and provided an unexpectedly easy point for the World
squad.
Gelfand, on the White side of a Queen’s Indian, gambits a pawn
early and is pressed to show any compensation. It’s an odd gambit,
indeed, when, after 12. h4 gxh4 13. Rxh4 Be7 14. Rh5 Bd6, the player
with the extra pawn also has two strongly posted bishops.
Black’s 17. Qxg3 Na6 is another annoying move, forcing White to
give up a bishop for a knight to win back the c-pawn and restore
material equality.
The resulting unbalanced position brings with it some fascinating
tactical tricks in which the Spaniard emerges the winner.
After 20. cxb6 axb6 21. Rxc7 Rxc7 22. Qxc7!? (blamed by some as
the losing move, but things don’t appear so simple) Qg6! (see
diagram), Black has a nasty double threat, attacking the rook and
threatening to invade on the light squares with 23…Qd3.
Insufficient now is 23. Qe5 Rf8 (Qc2? 24. Qxh8+ Ke7 25. f3 Qc1+ 26.
Kf2 Qxd2+ 27. Kg3 escapes, while 23. Qxg2 24. Ne4 Qf1+ 25. Kd2 Qe2+
26. Kc1 is only good for equality) 24. Rh2 Qd3 25. Qh5 Ke7 26. Qh4+
f6 27. Qg4 Rc8! and Black wins.
But very intriguing from the diagrammed position would have been
23. d5! 0-0 (Qxg2?? 24. Qb8+ Ke7 25. d6+ Kf6 26. Qxh8+ Qg7 27. Rxh6+
Ke5 28. Qxg7+ is crushing; while 23…Qd3 24. Qb8+ Ke7 25. d6+! Qxd6
26. Qxd6+ Kxd6 27. g4 is still a tough ending for Black to win) 24.
Qg3 Qxg3 25. fxg3 Rc8 and White is still fighting.
But White just overlooks a finesse on 23. Rh3? (the real losing
move) Qd3 24. Kd1 Ke7! (0-0 doesn’t work because of 25. Qg3+ Kh7 26.
Qf3 Rc8? 27. Qxf7+ Kh8 28. Rxh6+), clearing the back rank for the
rook and forcing instant resignation. After 25. d5 Rc8 26. d6+ Kf8
27. e4 Qe2+ 28. Kc2 Rxc7+ 29. dxc7 Qxf2, Black cleans up.
• • •
Two Marylanders distinguished themselves in the U.S. Senior Open
earlier this month in Boca Raton, Fla., limited to players 50 and
older. IM Larry Kaufman of Potomac finished in a tie for first with
FM Fabio La Rota of Florida and IM Victor Adler of Minnesota, all at
5-1. La Rota took the title on tie-breaks.
Maryland master Denis Strenzwilk, a good friend of this column,
finished a half-point back but is the U.S. champ for the 60-to-64 age
bracket. The event was held in conjunction with the 90th birthday
celebration for legendary U.S. GM Arnold Denker.
• • •
Speaking of old friends, Brooklyn GM Gata Kamsky, once one of the
highest-rated players in the world, emerged unexpectedly this week
after years of inactivity to tie for first in the regular rapid-chess
tournament staged weekly at the Marshall Chess Club.
Kamsky, still just 30, had not played since the 1999 FIDE world
championship knockout tournament. At 2717, he remains by far the
country’s highest-rated player.
Armenia vs. the World Match, Moscow, June 2004
Kasparov Van Wely
1. Nf3 Nf6 18. 0-0 Nf6
2. c4 c5 19. Rd2 Rfd8
3. Nc3 Nc6 20. Rfd1 Bc6
4. d4 cxd4 21. f4 h5
5. Nxd4 e6 22. Bf3 Qc7
6. a3 Nxd4 23. h3 e5
7. Qxd4 b6 24. f5 h4
8. Qf4 Be7 25. Qf2 Bb7
9. e4 d6 26. Nb5 Qxc4
10. Qg3 0-0 27. Nxd6 Qc7
11. Bh6 Ne8 28. Qxh4 Bc6
12. Bf4 Bb7 29. g4 Ba4
13. Rd1 Bh4 30. g5 Bxd1
14. Qh3 Qf6 31. gxf6 Rxd6
15. Be3 Bg5 32. Rg2 g6
16. Be2 Bxe3 33. fxg6 Black
17. Qxe3 Qe7 resigns
Armenia vs. the World Match, Moscow, June 2004
Gelfand Vallejo Pons
1. d4 Nf6 13. Rxh4 Be7
2. c4 e6 14. Rh5 Bd6
3. Nf3 b6 15. Qg4 Qf6
4. Nc3 Bb4 16. c5 Bxg3
5. Bg5 Bb7 17. Qxg3 Na6
6. e3 h6 18. Bd3 Rc8
7. Bh4 g5 19. Bxa6 Bxa6
8. Bg3 Ne4 20. cxb6 axb6
9. Nd2 Nxc3 21. Rxc7 Rxc7
10. bxc3 Bxc3 22. Qxc7 Qg6
11. Rc1 Bb4 23. Rh3 Qd3
12. h4 gxh4 24. Kd1 Ke7
White resigns
David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at
dsands@washington times.com.

WAR OF WORDS AHEAD OF HARRISON FIGHT
sportinglife.com, UK
June 19 2004
William Abelyan’s trainer Don House stoked up the war of words between
the challenger’s camp and WBO world featherweight title holder Scott
Harrison when he questioned the credibility of the Scotsman’s record
as champion.
Abelyan had claimed veteran Mexican Manuel Medina, to whom Harrison
lost his title before winning it back in a rematch, was no more than an
“old man”.
At a tetchy press conference in a Glasgow hotel yesterday ahead of the
Cambuslang fighter’s defence of his belt against the American-based
Armenian at Braehead tomorrow, a peeved Harrison claimed Abelyan had
been “disrespectful to someone who is a legend”.
But House insisted his man was only guilty of stating a fact about
Medina and then poured more fuel on the fire by dismissing another
of Harrison’s previous opponents, Wayne McCullough.
He said: “When William said Medina was an old man, that’s no disrespect
to Medina, he is an old man. Hell, we all get old. Medina was a great
champion but he is an old man.
“Harrison also fought Wayne McCullough and Wayne is on the other side
of two hills, he was ready for the scrap yard.
“I haven’t changed my mind at all since I saw Harrison in the flesh.
It’s going to be a very, very easy fight against this guy.
“Scott is going to try and be tough but that’s what we want, we want
a tough fight.
“William is fresh and in his prime. He’s hungry, he’s strong, he’s fast
and he’s got more slickness than Scott has ever seen in his career.
“Scott is a straightforward fighter, tough as nails but straightforward
and Abelyan is ready. If I didn’t think he was ready we wouldn’t
be here.”
Harrison’s manager Frank Maloney insisted the Scotsman’s pride rather
than his pocket will drive him on to victory on Saturday night.
He said: “I know Scott likes money – because I negotiate with him –
but I know he likes the glory and it is as important to him as the
money. And I think that could be the key factor.
“Scott wants it more and he wants it for his people. Scott is fighting
in front of his beloved Glasgow supporters and he wants to impress
them and keep them happy.
“Abelyan’s camp think they can outbox Scott but they’ve got to keep
it up for 12 rounds and the pressure of keeping it up for 12 rounds
against a fit Scott Harrison – and remember he wasn’t fit when he
fought Medina the first time – can’t be done.
“Abelyan is smaller and he’s a very nice boxer and he will probably
steal the first two or three rounds but when the heat starts to get
turned up in the kitchen Scott will come through.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Libération, France
17 juin 2004
Las Vegas : les casinos se concentrent
RICHE Pascal
MGM Mirage se paie Mandalay Resort et devient le numéro 1 mondial du
jeu.
Washington, de notre correspondant.
Le milliardaire Kirk Kerkorian est désormais le roi incontesté de Las
Vegas. MGM Mirage, qu’il contrôle, a réussi à mettre le grappin sur
son concurrent Mandalay Resort, devenant le numéro un mondial du jeu.
Dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, le conseil d’administration de
Mandalay a accepté l’offre publique de rachat avancée par MGM Mirage
pour 4,8 milliards de dollars.
Au terme de l’opération, Kerkorian contrôlera la moitié des 70 000
chambres d’hôtel sur le strip de Las Vegas. Avec un chiffre
d’affaires combiné de 6,25 milliards de dollars, le nouvel empire du
jeu détrônera les anciens numéros un et deux du secteur, Cæsars et
Harrah’s. Mandalay détient plusieurs gros casinos à Las Vegas (le
Mandalay Bay, le Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus…) et un tout
nouveau centre de conventions. MGM Mirage détient de son côté le MGM
Grand et le Bellagio. L’opération doit encore être avalisée par les
autorités de la concurrence et celles qui sont chargées de la
supervision des jeux d’argent.
Après une vie de “coups” à Wall Street, Kerkorian met de l’ordre dans
son groupe et prépare sa succession. D’un côté, il a bâti autour de
MGM Mirage, dont il détient 57 % des parts, un empire du jeu capable
de cracher du cash pendant des années. De l’autre, il cherche à
vendre les studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, dont il contrôle 74 % des
parts. Il vient de fêter ses 87 ans et s’apprête à léguer son groupe
et sa fondation à ses deux filles.
Les responsables de Tracinda Corp., le holding qui chapeaute cet
empire, refusent de commenter le sujet : “Personal business.” En
1988, Kerkorian avait fondé la Lincy Foundation, un nom formé avec
les prénoms de ses filles Linda et Tracy (comme celui de Tracinda),
issues de son deuxième mariage – il en est à son troisième.
Tracinda verse 40 millions de dollars chaque année à la Lincy
Foundation, qui finance divers projets, tout autour de la planète,
dans les domaines de la santé, l’éducation ou le sport. La fondation
s’occupe notamment de la reconstruction de l’Arménie, pays natal de
Kerkorian.

Libération, France
17 juin 2004
Mobilisation écolière contre des expulsions
LA CASINIERE Nicolas de
Enfants, parents et enseignants créent un collectif à Nantes pour
défendre des étrangers.
Nantes, correspondance.
Des enfants ont alerté leur classe. “Une petite Arménienne de 7 ans a
dit qu’elle devait quitter l’hôtel, que la famille allait dormir dans
une voiture. Pour les enfants et les enseignants, ç’a fait un choc”,
explique Nadège, institutrice à Sainte-Luce (Loire-Atlantique), près
de Nantes. Enfants, enseignants et parents se sont mobilisés autour
de ces déboutés du droit d’asile expulsés de leur logement provisoire
et menacés d’expulsion, découvrant chaque jour de nouvelles familles
étrangères menacées.
“Ces enfants, on les côtoie au quotidien. Ils sont sur les photos de
classe dans nos cuisines et aux anniversaires de nos enfants. Hier
soir, au conseil d’école, deux familles péruvienne et africaine ont
annoncé leur expulsion possible. On ne le savait pas ! Ça prend aux
tripes”, dit Frédéric Cherki, parent d’élève à l’école Louise-Michel
à Nantes. Un établissement occupé ce matin, comme bien d’autres
depuis vendredi. “Les enfants ont justement travaillé sur la
fraternité dans bien des projets d’école, ajoute un autre enseignant.
L’école primaire, c’est un lieu d’intégration évident qui marche.
Casser ça, quel gâchis !” Les enfants ont spontanément proposé un
duvet et un canapé pour leurs camarades, “qui n’ont rien fait de
mal”. “Et un copain juif, en 42, on aurait fait quoi ?” demande un
père.
Un collectif, Enfants étrangers-citoyens solidaires, s’est formé en
urgence, élargi à de nouvelles écoles chaque jour. Il estime que 80
familles étrangères et 130 écoliers sont menacés d’ici à la fin de
l’année scolaire. Le maire de Nantes, Jean-Marc Ayrault (PS), parle
de prise en compte humanitaire au cas par cas, soulignant que bien
des refus d’asile sont justifiés. Mais quid de cette famille
algérienne de trois enfants avec une mère enceinte de près de neuf
mois, mise à la rue mardi ?