Month: June 2005

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: ENTRANCE EXAMS SHOULD BE HELD WITH MAXIMAL
TRANSPARENCY IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, June 8. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharyan had a working
meeting with RA Minister of Culture and Education Sergo Yeritsyan.
According to the Press Service of the President, in the course of the
meeting they discussed introduction of reforms in the sphere of
education, as well as the commitments of Armenia after joining Bologna
convention. Issues regarding the process of organization of entrance
exams were discussed. Kocharyan noted that “exams should be held with
maximal transparency”. In his turn Yeritsyan assured that the
monitoring held during exams last year by the Control Service adjunct
to RA President fostered improving organization processes and making
them transparent. In this regard he added that this year the Ministry
expects similar assistance. A.H. –0–

Russia plans 24/7 English TV channel
By Neil Buckley in Moscow
FT
June 6 2005 20:40
Russia is launching a 24-hour global satellite news channel in English
to try to boost the country’s image, battered recently by the Yukos
affair and president Vladimir Putin’s centralising tendencies.
The channel, Russia Today, is a project of Mikhail Lesin, a former
communications minister who is now a press adviser to Mr Putin, and
Alexei Gromov, the president’s press secretary. It also involves RIA
Novosti, the state-controlled news and information agency responsible
for pro-Soviet propaganda in the Communist era.
Those involved were meeting on Monday to put final touches to the
plans before an official media launch on TuesdayRIA Novosti and the
presidential press service declined to comment.
But one person familiar with the project said the channel was aimed at
combating what Moscow sees as the erroneous `Anglo-American’ view of
Russia, and put the country’s own viewpoint across. It would also seek
to represent the opinions of ordinary Russians.
The project aimed at least in part to counter the damage to Russia’s
image from the attack on Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil magnate
sentenced last week to nine years in a penal colony.
Funding was already in place for two to three years. But it was
unclear on Monday what the channel’s initial financing would be, with
estimates ranging from $10m to $30m, and the extent of Kremlin
involvement in the funding.
Plans for the channel were first revealed by a press release put out,
apparently in error, by RIA Novosti last week and hastily
withdrawn. Adverts also appeared in some western media seeking
journalists for an `English-language, 24-hour broadcast news channel
based in Moscow’.
The release said the channel, expected to launch this autumn, would
broadcast in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States,
Europe, the US, and some Asian countries.
It would `reflect Russia’s position on key issues in world affairs,
and inform the foreign audience about the variety of aspects of life
in Russia’. To ensure balance, it would have a supervisory committee
composed of `famous Russian and foreign public figures, journalists,
artists, scientists and businessmen’.
Margarita Simonian, a 26-year old former Kremlin reporter for Russia’s
Channel 2, has been appointed editor in chief.

Russia plans global TV channel to boost image
By Guy Faulconbridge
MOSCOW, June 6 (Reuters) – Russia is planning to launch a global,
24-hour English-language television channel to project Moscow’s view
of the world and help spruce up its image.
“Russia is a major country and a massive country so it needs to make
its position known to audiences all over the world,” Margarita
Simonyan, 25-year-old editor-in-chief of the new channel that will be
called Russia Today or RTTV, told Reuters.
The launch of the channel, initially funded with $25-30 million, comes
as Kremlin officials have long complained that foreign media
misrepresent Russia and reflects their growing concern about Russia’s
standing.
The decade-long conflict in Chechnya has tainted Russia’s image abroad
as well as the Kremlin’s two-year battle with the owners of oil major
YUKOS and the trial of its founder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, or Moscow’s
perceived interference in Ukraine’s pro-Western “Orange Revolution”
last year.
President Vladimir Putin’s adviser Mikhail Lesin, a former head of the
Press Ministry, was one of the prime motors behind the project,
Russian daily Vedomosti said.
The channel, due to start by the end of this year, will draw heavily
on resources from state news agency RIA Novosti and will be
transmitted via satellite to audiences in the former Soviet Union, the
United States, Europe and Asia.
Simonyan, a former Kremlin correspondent for state television channel
Rossiya, said funds for the project would come from commercial banks
and the state. But she declined to be more specific.
“It has been long overdue for Russia to have a channel of this kind —
other countries have them so it is only correct for Russia to have one
too,” she said, adding that the channel would provide “objective and
interesting” reporting on Russia.
06/06/05 15:01 ET
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR SCHOOLS SWITCH TO 12-YEAR SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 7. ARMINFO. A 12-year system of education will be
introduced in NKR from 2006 and children will go to school at the age
of 6.
ARMINFO’s reporter in Stepanakert informs, referring to data of
country’s ministry for education, culture and sport, that more than
6.000 children were educated in about 90 pre-school institutions
before military operations in NKR. At present about 2.000 (10% of all
children of pre-school age) children go to kindergartens. To solve
this problem, preparatory groups engaged in problems of pre-school
education operate at country’s 35 secondary rural schools.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
June 6, 2005 Monday 8:24 PM Eastern Time
Lithuania MPs to discuss aid to Georgian in NATO integration
By Tengiz Pachkoroa
TBILISI
A delegation of Lithuania’s Seimas, the national parliament arrives
on a two-day official visit in Tbilisi from Baku later Tuesday to
meet with Georgian MPs and to discuss possible assistance in the
process of this country’s integration in the European Union and NATO.
Leading the Lithuanian delegation is Seimas speaker, Arturas
Paulauskas.
Sources in Georgian parliament said the group also includes the
chairmen of parliamentary committees for European affairs, foreign
policy, security, and others.
The Lithuanians will meet with President Mikhail Saakashvili,
parliament speaker Nino Burdzhanadze, Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli,
and chairmen of several parliamentary committees.
Morning June 9, the delegation is due to fly to Yerevan.

CBA CHAIRMAN: CENTRAL BANKS SHOULD ENSURE FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE
NATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM
YEREVAN, June 6. /ARKA/. The sphere of activity of central banks
should be enlarged to ensure financial stability, and moreover,
financial security of the national financial system, as stated the CBA
Chairman Tigran Sargsyan at the 14th International Bank Congress in
Saint-Petersburg. According to him, the policy of CBA should be
independent, clear and predictable aiming at stabilizing prices. Other
parameters should form under the influence of market mechanisms.
“Central banks should be active introducers of reforms in the
financial sector, have constitutional and legislative basis of
independence”, he said. He emphasized that central banks should
function beyond the frames of political cycles and current political
processes. “Superiority of political powers over CB should be
excluded”, Sargsyan said. According to him, the openness of the
policy, perspicuity of the logic of activities of CB guarantees market
discipline, ensures clearness and predictability of the events,
forming the expectations of subjects in the market, in the base of
which is the factor of stability and predictability. “This increases
trust in CB facilitating balance”, he said.
Sargsyan participated in the work of the XIV International Bank
Congress in Saint Petersburg on June 1-5, 2005. The subject of the
congress was “Banks, Regulation, Economy”. Sargsyan introduced his
report on Monetary Policy, Currency Regulation and Bank Control in the
Conditions of Appreciation of National Currency. A.H. -0–

Washington Times, DC
June 7 2005
UPI Terrorism Watch
By John C.K. Daly and Philip Turner
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
According to Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamlet Gasparyan,
Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has
pardoned six members of an Armenian flight crew convicted on Nov. 26
last year of plotting to overthrow his government. President Obiang
issued the pardon on his birthday. The Armenian Foreign Ministry at
the time of the crew’s trial said that they were in no way involved
in activities against the authorities. The court in the Guinean
capital Malabo sentenced the crew chief to 24 years in prison; the
other crewmembers received 14-year sentences. The crew had worked in
Equatorial Guinea onboard an Antonov-12 registered in Armenia since
January 2004; they were arrested in Malabo on March 7 on charges of
participating in a coup attempt and engaging in espionage. The pilots
claimed that they were solely involved in delivering cargoes under a
contract with a German company. The six were serving their sentences
in the Black Beach prison in Malabo; two months ago Amnesty
International said their trial was “grossly unfair,” and that they
risked starving to death in jail.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
June 7, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
HOUSE MEMBERS URGE PRES. BUSH TO RAISE SERIOUS
ISSUES WITH TURKEY’S PRIME MINISTER
— Blockade of Armenia, Anti-American Sentiment and Anti-Semitism
among key issues discussed in Congressional letters to Pres. Bush
WASHINGTON, DC In the days leading up to Wednesday’s meeting
between Pres. Bush and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, members of the US House of Representatives raised serious
concerns about Turkey’s 12-year blockade of Armenia, growing anti-
Americanism and anti- Semitism, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA.)
In a June 3rd letter, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) were joined by Reps.
Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA) in urging Pres.
Bush and Secretary of State Rice to “again call upon Turkey to
comply with your Administration’s long-standing position that in
order to restore economic, political, and cultural links with
Armenia, Turkey should immediately lift its ongoing blockade with
Armenia.”
The House members detailed the high cost of Turkey’s blockade on
Armenia’s struggling economy. “A recent State Department report
estimated that the blockade is inflating Armenia’s transportation
costs by 30-35%, thereby stifling its trade and economy,” noted the
letter. “This report also stated that opening the border would
catalyze commercial opportunities for Turkey and Armenia in the
fields of energy, trade and tourism, valued at $1 billion per
year.”
The letter concludes that “if there is to be a resolution of
conflicts in the region and a reduction of tensions along borders,
it is essential that Turkey move forthwith to lift this destructive
blockade.”
——————————————————————-
Rep. Rothman Takes Lead in Calling Attention to Turkey’s
Anti- Americanism and Anti-Semitism
————————————————————– —–
On the eve of Pres. Bush’s meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan,
Rep. Rothman was joined by 10 House Colleagues in sending a
meticulously documented letter to the President, detailing rampant
anti-American and anti-Semitic sentiment in the Turkish press.
The June 7th letter noted the rise of anti-Semitism, citing as one
example, that “some of Turkey’s best selling books this past year
include Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, which has been published at
least 45 times between 1940 and 2005 in Turkey and is not being
marketed by 11 publishers.” It goes on to detail the complex ways
anti-Semitism manifests itself, including “animosity toward Jews
and Judaism;” and, “a hostile approach towards the Jewish citizens
of Turkey, including questioning their loyalty, accusing them of
treason and blaming them for the fall of the Ottoman Empire…”
In detailing anti-Americanism in Turkey, House members cited “last
year’s BBC poll, which found Turkey to hold the most anti-American
sentiment in the world.” The letter also notes “Turkish government
officials comparing the U.S. to Nazi Germany and President Bush to
Adolph Hitler.”
Joining Rep. Rothman in cosigning the letter were Representatives
Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), James McGovern (D-
MA). Michael McNulty (D-NY), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-
CA), Mark Souder (R-IN), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Diane Watson (D-
CA), and Anthony Weiner (D-NY).
Prime Minister Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Pres. Bush on
Wednesday, June 8th. He will also be making a trip to the Capitol,
to dine with Turkish Caucus members and meet with key Senate and
House members in the afternoon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Evening Standard (London)
June 6, 2005
Not radical, but prog-rock happy
by ANDRE PAINE
System of a Down
Brixton Academy
WITH millions of albums sold, the politically charged System Of A
Down are one of the biggest heavy-rock bands from the US. They are
also one of the most challenging: mid-song, they jerked from thrash
metal to Eastern-tinged cacophony and much else in between.
The LA four-piece draw on their Armenian heritage to create
discordant rhythms redolent of dodgy Greek restaurants. It should
have been awful, but the resulting progmetal was often anthemic.
Three sold-out London dates attested to their popularity, among
everyone from small boys to grizzled rock couples.
Excitable teenage fans were soon bare-chested, sweaty and drunk only
on the pulverising rhythms.
But for a band who claim to be on the CIA’s files, there was little
evidence of their revolutionary fervour. Their Bush-baiting lyrics
were eclipsed by the comical boasting about penis size on Cigaro. And
bearded frontman Serj Tankian may resemble a prophet, but his
performance mainly involved shaking his giant hair and vague
invitations such as “Are you with us?”.
The response was a pretty emphatic “yes”, despite earlier booing due
to their late arrival.
At first, System Of A Down were simply efficient, but then guitarist
Daron Malakian brought some menace to the proceedings with his
scratchy vocals on Mr Jack.
Towards the end, his solo performance on the mournful Lost In
Hollywood – from new album Mezmerize – prompted fans to raise their
lighters, the sea of flames reflecting in the mirrored backdrop. So
not especially radical, then, but a formidable rock show.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
7. Juni 2005
Die armenischen Christen bleiben;
Hunderttausend leben in Iran
Rainer Hermann
TEHERAN, im Juni. Hunderttausend armenische Christen leben noch in
Iran. In dem Vierteljahrhundert seit der islamischen Revolution im
Jahr 1979 wanderten 50 000 von ihnen in den Westen aus. Heute ist
dieser Aderlaß gestoppt. Nur noch wenige verlassen das Land, in das
ihre Vorfahren vor einem halben Jahrtausend aus dem Kaukasus gezogen
sind. Die armenische Gemeinde habe heute im Inneren die Freiheiten,
die sie brauche, um ihre Identität zu erhalten, sagte der Katholikos
Aram I., als er vor kurzem zum vierten Mal zu einer seelsorgerlichen
Reise in der Islamischen Republik war. Die Armenier bekundeten
selbstverständlich Respekt vor den Werten und Traditionen der
iranischen Gesellschaft. Andererseits respektierten die iranische
Gesellschaft und die Regierung die christliche Identität der
Armenier.
Zwei Wochen lang besuchte der seit 1995 amtierende Katholikos des
Hohen Hauses von Kilikien, Seine Heiligkeit Aram I., die drei
armenischen Diözesen Teheran, Isfahan und Tabriz. Aram I., dessen
Katholikat 1930 aus der Türkei vertrieben worden war und sich im
libanesischen Antelias niederließ, sprach mit Staatspräsident Chatami
über die Entwicklungen im Libanon. Mit Justizminister Shahrudi redete
er über Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung des zivilrechtlichen Status
der armenischen Christen. Bei allen seinen Gesprächspartnern habe er
dafür geworben, daß sich Iran in der islamischen Welt für die
Anerkennung des Genozids an den Armeniern einsetze, sagte Aram in
einem Gespräch mit dieser Zeitung. Denn der Genozid sei kein
religiöses Thema, sondern eine Frage der Gerechtigkeit und der
Menschenrechte.
Chatami überbrachte Aram I. ein Schreiben des libanesischen
Staatspräsidenten Lahoud. Er habe dem Präsidenten gesagt, daß der
Libanon an einem entscheidenden Punkt seiner Geschichte angelangt
sei. “Ich weiß nicht, wie Iran dazu beitragen kann, im Libanon für
Stabilität zu sorgen, ich weiß nur, daß Iran es kann.” Der Libanon
bestehe aus vielen Gemeinschaften, die Koexistenz zwischen Muslimen
und den Christen sei daher das Wesen des Landes. Dieses Zusammenleben
schaffe eine besondere Identität und eine besondere Rolle des Landes
in der arabischen und in der islamischen Welt. Andererseits sei das
prekäre Gleichgewicht zwischen den Religionsgemeinschaften stets
durch regionale und internationale Kräfte und Ereignisse beeinflußt
worden.
“Alle arabischen Länder und Iran können daher eine konstruktive Rolle
spielen, um in diesem kleinen Land diese Koexistenz
aufrechtzuerhalten.” Chatami habe er gebeten, zu helfen, diese
Koexistenz zu bewahren und den christlich-muslimischen Dialog
voranzutreiben. Der 1947 in Beirut geborene Aram I. ist selbst ein
Befürworter des innerchristlichen Dialogs. Seit 1975 ist er im
Ökumenischen Rat der Kirchen aktiv.
Äußerer Anlaß der vierten Reise Arams nach Iran waren das zehnjährige
Jubiläum seiner Wahl zum Katholikos und der 75. Jahrestag der
Gründung des theologischen Seminars von Antelias. Dieses bildet auch
die armenischen Geistlichen Irans aus. Denn seit der “Eiserne
Vorhang” Armenien von Etschmiadsin, dem spirituellen Zentrum der
armenischen Kirche, getrennt hatte, orientieren sich die armenischen
Christen Irans zum Katholikat von Kilikien. Das änderte sich mit der
Unabhängigkeit Armeniens nicht. So hat der in Etschmiadsin
residierende Katholikos aller Armenier, Seine Heiligkeit Karekin II.,
Iran noch nie besucht, obwohl die iranischen Armenier – wie die im
Kaukasus – Ostarmenisch sprechen, die Armenier in Antelias und allen
anderen Regionen der Diaspora aber Westarmenisch.
Aufgegriffen habe Justizminister Sharudi seinen Vorschlag, eine
Kommission, bestehend aus Beamten des Justizministeriums und
Mitgliedern der armenischen Kirche, einzusetzen, Fragen des
zivilrechtlichen Status der Mitglieder der armenischen Gemeinde zu
klären, sagt Aram I. Unsicherheiten gebe es etwa bei Fragen der
Heirat und der Scheidung. In vielen Ländern erfreuten sich die
Armenier in zivilrechtlichen Fragen einer eigenen Gerichtsbarkeit. In
Iran sei aber unklar, ob ein Gericht des Staats oder eines der Kirche
das letzte Wort habe. Ändern wollen die Armenier die
diskriminierenden Praktiken von Erbschaftsregelungen bei – den sehr
seltenen – gemischtreligiösen Ehen. Unumstritten sind jedoch die
Schulen der armenischen Gemeinde. Vom kommenden Schuljahr an erkennt
der iranische Staat erstmals armenische Sprache und armenischen
Religionsunterricht als offizielle Fächer an.
Besonders unmittelbar nach der Revolution von 1979 sei die Gemeinde
mit Schwierigkeiten konfrontiert gewesen. Das gelte für die religiöse
Erziehung, die Schulen und andere Institutionen der Gemeinde, sagt
Aram I. In der Phase des Übergangs sei man danach dank gegenseitigen
Vertrauens in der Lage gewesen, einige dieser Probleme zu lösen.
Heute vertreten sogar zwei armenische Parlamentsabgeordnete – Gevorg
Vartan aus Teheran und Robert Beglarian – die Interessen der Gemeinde
im iranischen Parlament.
Kritisch äußert sich Ruben Karapetyan, Vorstandsmitglied der
armenischen Gemeindeleitung in Teheran, über westliche Versuche,
Christen aus dem Nahen Osten dazu zu bewegen, ihre Heimat zu
verlassen. Dahinter verberge sich eine gezielte Politik, den Nahen
Osten von Christen zu entleeren, sagt Karapetyan, der die Reise Arams
I. vorbereitet hatte. Zumindest aus Iran wandern nun aber kaum mehr
Christen ab.
Katholikos ARAM I.
Foto epd