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03/30/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Five Armenians Elected to Georgian Parliament 2) Parliament Inquiry Slams Misuse of Loans 3) Coalition Parties Caution Opposition to Practice Vigilance 4) Montana 32nd State to Recognize the Armenian Genocide 5) Never Mind the Bullocks. . . Here is the Skeptik! 1) Five Armenians Elected to Georgian Parliament TBILISI (Armenpress)--Five Armenians were elected to Georgia's parliament in the March 28 nationwide elections. Two Armenians Melik Raisian and Van Bayburdian, were reelected from a proportional list of the governing coalition, while Henzel Mkoyan, Hamlet Movsisian, and Hayk Miltonian were elected by a single mandate. Six Armenians previously served in Georgia's parliament. There was high voter turnout in Georgia's predominantly Armenian-populated region of Javakhk, with 90% of eligible voters casting ballots. In the Akhalkalak region, approximately 30,000 of 33,000 registered voters turned out; in Ninotsminda, 17,200 of 18,300; in Tsalka, 9,000 out of 13,000; and in Akhaltsikha, 11,000 out of 15,000. The majority in all regions voted in favor of the ruling bloc. 2) Parliament Inquiry Slams Misuse of Loans YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Presenting the findings of a parliamentary commission studying the use of financial and humanitarian assistance to Armenia, National Assembly Vice-speaker and commission chairman Vahan Hovhannisian, challenged government claims that the situation with water supplies in the capital has markedly improved since the launch of the scheme in 1999. The interim report was issued by the ad hoc commission of the Armenian parliament that was set up last September to investigate the use of nearly $3 billion in external loans, grants, and other assistance received by Armenia since independence. A $30 million project to improve supplies of drinking water in Yerevan has failed to achieve its main objectives to due a serious misuse of the funds provided by the World Bank, according to the commission's findings released on Tuesday. According to the State Committee on Water Resources, the average Yerevan household currently has running water for more than nine hours a day and will enjoy the round-the-clock supplies by the end of the year. But Hovannisian, who is also one of the two deputy speakers of the assembly, said the official figure is grossly exaggerated. He cited the example of the city's Davitashen district where $5.8 million of the World Bank loans has been spent. The authorities were supposed to ensure 24-hour supplies there by the beginning of this year. The commission report says most local residents have running water for between 10 and 12 hours a day, despite having installed water meters. The introduction of meters has been a key element in the government's sweeping reform and restructuring the country's obsolete water and sewerage network. Most Armenians have already bought and installed them at their expense. A typical urban household needed two such devices in their apartments and paid an equivalent of $15 a piece. Hovannisian said a water meter was in fact worth between $5 and $6, accusing the government's water agency and Yerevan's utility operator of making $6.5 million in "unjustified" profits from their sale. The commission report also criticizes the fact that 27 percent of the World Bank funds have been spent on project management, overhead, and logistics. That includes $5 million paid to the Italian firm A-Utility that has run Yerevan's water and sewerage network since the launch of the project. Hovannisian said the commission will recommend that the government not extend its management contract with A-Utility after the project's completion this summer. He said the network has failed to reduce continuing huge leaks of drinking water. Government officials admit that as much as 60 percent of the water is being lost before reaching households. They say substantial capital investments are needed to reconstruct the aging Soviet-era network of pipes. The publication of the parliamentary report follows last week's dismissal of Gagik Martirosian, the longtime head of the State Committee on Water Resources. It is not clear if there is any connection between the two developments. There was no immediate reaction to the report from the government. Officials at the World Bank's Yerevan office declined a comment, saying that they have not yet received the document. They had earlier praised the implementation of the infrastructure project. 3) Coalition Parties Caution Opposition to Practice Vigilance YEREVAN (Armenpress/RFE/RL)--Responding to opposition calls to topple Armenia's President, ARF National Assembly faction member Hrair Karapetian, pointing to the legitimacy of the government, said that attempts to disrupt law and order would be countered. "We admonish those announcements whose authors not only insult, but succeed in also assaulting and degrading the majority of the population which voted for the authorities--that assail the president of the republic, as well as those forces assisting the government. Such announcements seek to only dissolve the country's governmental structure, and splinter society to bring about irrevocable consequences," Karapetian warned during a special session of parliament during which factions and individual deputies are able to read out statements on any issue. Karapetian offered, instead, the carrying out of political clashes in a healthy political arena. "I call on all political forces to sit at the round table and refrain from making calls disseminating hatred and hostility," said Samvel Balasanian, the parliamentary leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party, the Republican Party's (HHK) junior coalition partner. "There is still time and political forces must display the will to address the country's problems through dialogue and political mechanisms," said Samvel Nikoyan, a senior lawmaker from the Republican Party (HHK). "We are prepared to shoulder responsibility for organizing such a dialogue." Opposition leaders, however, said they remain determined to try to oust President Robert Kocharian with sustained street protests planned for the beginning of next month. The opposition lawmakers, who have been boycotting regular National Assembly sessions for more than a month, showed up to take the opportunity to spread their tough anti-Kocharian message. They were quick to dismiss the coalition offer. "We are ready for dialogue with any political force provided that Kocharian resigns," said Victor Dallakian of the Artarutyun (Justice) alliance. Dallakian added that Artarutyun and the opposition National Unity Party will jointly start "the process of toppling Kocharian's regime" before April 13. "Together we are united and determined to fulfill the people's will, restore constitutional order and form a legitimate government in Armenia," he said. President Kocharian, through a spokesman, warned that opposition threats to force him into resignation with street protests are unconstitutional and will be dealt with accordingly. "The opposition has adopted a baseless and aggressive position," the presidential press secretary Ashot Kocharian said. "The opposition actions carry elements running counter to criminal legislation. In particular, there are calls for a violent regime change." "Unsanctioned rallies are fraught with criminally punishable actions directed against public order," the spokesman warned. The opposition has promised a campaign of demonstrations outside the presidential palace and parliament building in Yerevan similar to the November "revolution of roses" in neighboring Georgia. "Kocharian may not resign, but he will be unable to control the situation and govern the country de facto," said another Artarutyun leader Albert Bazeyan. Armenia's leading businessmen have expressed concern at the mounting political tensions. In a joint statement issued late Monday, they effectively sided with the authorities, saying that a destabilization of the political situation would have negative effects on the struggling Armenian economy. The statement was read out by the chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Arsen Ghazarian. "I myself see no danger in [peaceful] rallies," Ghazarian said. "That is the constitutional right of our citizens. I only hope that that it will be done in accordance with the law and the constitution." 4) Montana 32nd State to Recognize the Armenian Genocide WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)--Montana became the 32nd US state to recognize the Armenian Genocide, joining with the Armenian American community and all people of good conscience in honoring the victims of this crime against humanity, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Governor Judy Martz, in a letter of recognition sent to the ANCA, stated: "I am pleased to recognize your achievements to bring awareness and recognition to the one and one-half million Christian Armenian men, women and children who were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Government from 1915 to 1923." She went on to explain that recognition of the 89th anniversary of the genocide is "crucial to guarding against repetition of future genocides." On Monday, Montana joined 31 states that have already recognized the Armenian Genocide through Governor proclamations or adoption of State resolutions, including: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. "I am proud of Gov. Martz's principled stand recognizing the Armenian Genocide and joining with our community in this solemn remembrance. I can only hope that our legislators in Washington will take similar action through passage of the Genocide Resolution in the House and Senate," said Montana resident and lifelong ANC activist Yedvart Tchakerian. Armenian American activist Bob Semonian, a long-time friend of the Montana Governor, played a key role in introducing the matter to Governor Martz. TEXT OF MONTANA GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT April 2004 On behalf of citizens of the State of Montana, I am pleased to recognize your achievements to bring awareness and recognition to the one and one-half million Christian Armenian men, women and children who were victims of the brutal genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Government from 1915 to 1923. The Armenian genocide and massacres of Armenian people have been recognized as an attempt to eliminate all traces of a thriving and noble civilization over 3,000 years old. Recognition of the eighty-ninth anniversary of this genocide is crucial to guarding against the repetition of future genocide and educating people about the atrocities connected to these horrific events. I urge recognition of their plight on April 24th, 2004, which is nationally recognized as a Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. 5) Never Mind the Bullocks. . . Here is the Skeptik! BY SKEPTIK SINIKIAN For those of you who have been living in a cultural vacuum, I wanted to point out that the above headline was stripped from the title of one of the few decent things to come out of Britain--the groundbreaking punk band, the Sex Pistols. The other notable contribution from the British Isles is the comedy troupe Monty Python. Save for punk music and the creators of the "Life of Brian," all else that has come from England has been an albatross around the world's neck. For starters, take all of the problems in the Middle East or Africa. It was Britain's policies of imperialistic expansion starting in the early 18th century that have resulted in nation states in these regions with borders that look more like an 8th grader's geometry homework than actual countries. We're still feeling the repercussions of the political meddling of Britain in these regions to this day. For those of you who are "literacy challenged", just watch "Lawrence of Arabia" to get a layman's perspective of the mess Britain left behind in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and environs. And that hot bed of activity called Israel? Guess who the geniuses were who drew up that map. I'll give you a hint. It was the same group of folks that thought Gandhi and his countrymen in India were too primitive to govern themselves. One more hint? Fine. But it's your last one. They went to war with Argentina over disputed claims to the Falkland Islands, a group of islands off the coast of ARGENTINA whose main export is sheep and wool. God knows those Brits need their wool! But I guess if you're going to play the role of a wolf in sheep's clothing, then you need all the wool you can get. Oops, I gave away the answer. For those of you still scratching your heads...the answer was Britain. What inspired this particular rant against the British wasn't their past policies. After all, no nation is a saint and in the world of politics it's a "shoon" eat "shoon" world out there. After all, it was Lord Palmerston, 19th century British Foreign Secretary, who said "There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests." It was a more recent quote by another British dignitary with a far more callous tone which drove me to embark on this diatribe. It was with outrage that I read article after article and email after email about the denialist comments the British Ambassador to Armenia Thorda Abbott-Watt made in reference to the Armenian Genocide. She ascertained that the events of 1915 did not constitute a Genocide. Her statements are a blatant disregard of the historical facts of the Armenian Genocide, not to mention an affront to survivors and Armenians throughout the world. I wrote a letter of complaint to the British foreign ministry but I don't expect any results. As an Armenian American who has studied the history of Armenia, Britain and its relationship with the Ottoman Empire, I'm not surprised that Britain would hang the Armenians out to dry on this issue. Why should they act differently than in previous times? The only times when Britain spoke out against the ill-treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire were when it was in their own self-interest to do so - to either leverage themselves against Russia or to ensure control over the crumbling Ottoman state. What will it take to convince Britain to adopt an honorable position on the Armenian Genocide? Maybe increasing Armenia's wool production. More sheep may be the answer but I have a feeling that even this will not change the British foreign ministry's sheepish attitude. After all, as long as they control that o' so strategically significant piece of real estate known as the Falkland Islands, they have all the wool they will ever need. I have no respect for Ambassador Abbot-Watt after her uneducated and politically motivated statements. But I also understand that she is the mouthpiece of her government. As such, she is the monkey who dances to the organ music when told to do so. And to end this column with a quote from Sir Winston Churchill, you should "Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room." Having made the obligatory monkey reference, I say give the Ambassador a ticket to ride all the way back to Britain, because it's obvious that she don't care. Cheerio! Skeptik Sinikian is a resident of that rebellious former-British colony recognized by the National Geographic Society as the United States of America. Despite his disdain for British Ambassadors to Armenia, he still enjoys English muffins and English Breakfast tea, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Benny Hill Specials, "Faulty Towers" and Shakespeare. He can be reached at SkeptikSinikian@aol.com All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.