ASBAREZ Online [08-11-2004]

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08/11/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) "Yerkir" Editor Calls Azeri War Statements Absurd 2) Armenian, Azeri, and Turk Delegations Clash at Youth Festival 3) Longtime ARF Activist Avedis Ispenjian Passes Away 4) Shelling Clouds Russia, Georgia Talks On Separatist Row 5) Local Public Official Urges Leaders of His Own Party to Support Schiff Amendment 1) "Yerkir" Editor Calls Azeri War Statements Absurd YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--Responding to the recent hostile statements made by Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, ARF Armenia Supreme Body member and Editor in Chief of "Yerkir" newspaper Spartak Seiranian said the appeal "to declare war on Armenia and liberate Karabagh" was made to incite the public. On August 5, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported that the chief spokesman for Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, Colonel Ramiz Melikov, publicly stated that "within the next 25 years there will exist no state of Armenia in the South Caucasus." He added: "Modern Armenia is built on historical Azerbaijani lands...I think that in 25-30 years' time, its territory will again come under Azerbaijan's jurisdiction." Seiranian called such statements "absurd," adding it is meant for the uneducated people. According to Seiranian, if Azeris believe they have such military force that can fight and win, one should not forget that the Armenian fighters are also ready to die for their homeland. "The Azeri warrior isn't ready to die for Karabagh, as he knows very well that Karabagh isn't his land; on the contrary, the Armenian fighter knows that he defends his homeland, and that's why he will go to all lengths," he said. Seiranian, recalling the victory of Armenian troops in the Karabagh war, stated confidently that if the situation recurs in the future, the outcome would not be any different. 2) Armenian, Azeri, and Turk Delegations Clash at Youth Festival BARCELONA--The 3rd World Youth Festival is currently underway in Barcelona, Spain with the participation of 10,000 young people from around the world. The Festival--the only event completely designed by and for youth organizations from all over the world--provides a unique opportunity for regional youth platforms and organizations from all over the world to share ideas and projects. The ARF Youth delegation is participating as well, with two representatives from Lebanon's Zavarian Student Association. Aware of the festival's purpose and confident that today's youth will work together to bring about new perspectives and justice on various issues, the ARF Youth delegation used their designated poster board to inform the festival participants about the Armenian genocide. The Turkish and Azeri delegation angrily demanded that the pictures and information on the genocide be removed from the poster board; however, the ARF Youth delegation refused, resulting in commotion. The festival's organizing committee, composed of various international youth organizations including the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) of which the ARF Youth is a member of, devoted a considerable amount of time to the situation during their August 10 meeting. The IUSY representative supported the Armenian delegation and their work during the meeting, describing it as a basic human right to express their views and opinions. The end result was that the Azeri and Turk demand would not be met as doing so would defeat the purpose of the festival. In response to the decision, and in addition to appealing to their embassies to mediate the situation, the Azeri and Turk delegates prepared their own display boards and placed them next to the ARF Youth's poster board as a sign of protest. The ARF Bureau Youth office officially appealed to the festival's organizing committee stating, "The ARF Youth is confident that participating in the World Youth Festival would provide a unique platform to be 'seen and heard' as stated in the festival's goals...the latest developments, however, show otherwise, as certain groups or delegations try to pressure our representatives from being 'seen and heard.'" Referring to the latest statements by Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry asserting that "in 25-30 years' times its territory will again come under Azerbaijan's jurisdiction," as well as the killing of an Armenian officer by an Azeri during a NATO Partnership for Peace program in Budapest, the ARF Bureau Youth Office demanded that the organizing committee guarantee the safety of the Armenian youth delegation. The ARF Bureau Youth Office expressed gratitude to the IUSY representative for being resolute on the issue and supporting the Armenian youth. As of August 11, the situation remained calm as the ARF Youth representatives carries on its work without any hindrances. 3) Longtime ARF Activist Avedis Ispenjian Passes Away The family of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Western Region sustained a tremendous loss on the morning of Wednesday, August 11 when longtime party activist Avedis Ispenjian passed away at the age of 75. A devoted member of the ARF, Ispenjian had served on the party's Central Committee's both in Lebanon and the United States. Ispenjian played an active role during the Lebanese civil war, when he represented the ARF during political negotiations. Avedis Ispenjian's memory will not fade, and his life's work will serve as a source of inspiration to future generations. 4) Shelling Clouds Russia, Georgia Talks On Separatist Row MOSCOW (AFP)--Georgian troops and separatist forces in South Ossetia exchanged sporadic shelling and gunfire Wednesday, clouding talks between Russia and Georgia on calming disputes on the status of the pro-Russian region. "The situation is worrying," said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov after signing a joint communique with his Georgia counterpart Georgy Baramidze, RIA Novosti reported. Baramidze said during a following press briefing that "Russia and Georgia must become predictable neighbors." But he conceded the two sides discussed "uneasy matters" while his top deputy in Tbilisi accused the Russian of opening fire on Georgian troops. Officials said six people were injured in the cross-border shooting which has grown more frequent as Georgia's new president, Mikhail Saakashvili, tries to win back control over his fractured republic. "The attack came from armored personnel carries that carried the emblem of Russian peacekeepers" in the region, he said. All three sides accused each other of launching the attacks first. "We held negotiations to cease fire, and fighting would stop for 20 minutes, but then it would resume again with greater force," Russian defense ministry spokesman Nikolai Baranov told Rossia television. The Caucasus republic, once the Soviet Union's richest, fell into pieces after the superpower's breakup in 1991, with three regions--Ajaria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia--seeking either independence or rule from Moscow. Saakashvili has won back Ajaria, a key pocket on the Black Sea that oversees oil trade, with its leader leaving for self-imposed exile in Moscow in May. But his strategy for the other two regions, which have few ethnic links with Georgia, is unclear. Military threats from Georgia have been followed by vows to resolve the situation through dialogue, while Moscow issues increasingly aggressive statements as it grows more sensitive to Saakashvili's drive for military and economic assistance from the United States. 5) Local Public Official Urges Leaders of His Own Party to Support Schiff Amendment LOS ANGELES--Prominent Los Angeles attorney and Rolling Hills Estates City Councilmember Frank Zerunyan has issued an open letter to Congressional leaders urging them to end their opposition to the Schiff Amendment. The letter also strongly encourages the leadership to bring House Resolution 193 to a vote. "[Mr. Speaker] let the American people through their Representatives decide the fate of the resolution. Demonstrated to our allies the true meaning of Democracy. I expect this of you and the leadership in Congress," wrote Zerunyan. The Schiff Amendment, which was passed voice vote on July 15, 2004, would prevent the Republic of Turkey from spending US foreign aid dollars to lobby against legislation pending in Congress that recognizes the Armenian Genocide. One day after the Schiff amendment was successfully offered to the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2005, House Republican leaders issued a statement demanding that the [Schiff amendment] be dropped in conference. The leadership also threatened not to bring House Resolution 193 to a vote despite its popularity in the House of Representatives. The Resolution has more than 110 co-sponsors and was successfully voted out of the House Judiciary Committee on May 21, 2003. "Councilman Zerunyan's open letter to Congressional leaders provides a thoughtful foundation for these very leaders to end their opposition to the Schiff amendment and House Resolution 193," commented ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian. "The Councilman's words provide a compelling case for our many Republican friends in Congress to convince Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader DeLay to support the Schiff amendment and a vote on the resolution." The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues. 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. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress