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07/27/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Remembering Lisbon Five 22 Years Later 2) European Armenian Federation to Follow AXA Insurance Case Closely 3) Oskanian Reviews Armenia's Energy Sector with IAEA Director 4) Prague to Protest Turkey's EU Membership 5) Lebanon's Knarik Mouradian Makes Chess History 1) Remembering Lisbon Five 22 Years Later BEIRUT--Commemorations honoring the heroism of Sarkis Abrahamian, Setrak Ajemian, Vatche Daghlian, Ara Kuhrjulian, and Simon Yahniyan took place at the Bourj Hammoud National Cemetery on Tuesday. On July 27, 1983, the five men, known as the Lisbon Five, stormed the Turkish Embassy in Lisbon demanding Turkey acknowledge its 1915 genocide of Armenians. The five members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation seized the Turkish Ambassador's residence and set off explosives which destroyed the building and killed themselves. In a note delivered to the news media during the takeover, the Armenian Revolutionary Army (as they called themselves) said: `We have decided to blow up this building and remain under the collapse. This is not suicide nor an expression of insanity, but rather our sacrifice to the altar of freedom.' The note also said that they had resorted to armed struggle because peaceful means for the `pursuit of our just cause' had failed. Opening remarks at this year's ceremonies in Lebanon were delivered by Sako Eskidjian who stressed that the five men proved that strong ideals give birth to a type of heroism that can transform words into action. The keynote speaker Kajhag Koulajian began by quoting Karekin Njdeh who said, "A people that do not strive to die a noble death, are not worthy of a homeland--as a homeland is created with the sacred ashes of martyr's." The message of martyrdom, he stressed, is to die a deliberate death--to become immortal by etching in the minds of generations, the sacred traditions--national preservation and cultural development. The speaker turned to national and Armenian establishments that have instilled and propelled a spirit that The observance concluded with the singing of "Verkerov Lee." 2) European Armenian Federation to Follow AXA Insurance Case Closely BRUSSELS (EAFJD)--The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) called on the European Armenian community to closely follow developments in the case against the AXA insurance company, which has refused to compensate the heirs of the victims of the Armenian genocide. The action against AXA, lodged in 2002, concerns the insurance contracts purchased prior to 1915 by Armenians victims of the Genocide with the French insurance company "Union Vie," while the heirs of the victims have not, until today, received any compensation. Following the unprecedented success of the New York Life insurance case in January 2004, when descendants of victims massacred in the Armenian genocide of 1915 brought a class action lawsuit for unpaid life insurance benefits, the EAFJD also urged Armenian members of the European community to send a message to the top management of the AXA group calling attention to a fair resolution of the legal proceedings. In a July 27 statement, the EAFJD said: "It is encouraging, that 90 years after the Genocide, the European and American companies are called on to explain their past behavior, as the sums misappropriated by these companies are only a part of the immense damages that our people have been subjected to at the beginning of the 20th century." "We expect from the executives of the AXA group, to take into consideration this sensitive issue with full sense of responsibilities which demands the tragic circumstances of the genocide," the statement continued. The petition form, available on , urges AXA to "deal with this case with full attention and high sense of responsibilities which the 90th anniversary of the genocide imposes." The AXA Group has a long-standing history. The Group can trace its roots right back to the 18th century. After a succession of mergers‚ acquisitions and name changes involving some of the leading insurance companies in the UK and around the world‚ the name AXA was first introduced in 1985. 3) Oskanian Reviews Armenia's Energy Sector with IAEA Director YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammad Al-Baradei on July 27 to discuss the development of Armenia's energy sector. The IAEA, an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations system known as the "Atoms for Peace" association since 1957, is the world's center of nuclear cooperation and promotes the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. During the meeting, both emphasized the importance of Armenia-IAEA cooperation and referred to issues concerning the security of the Metsamor nuclear power station, as well as the efficiency of the work carried out. 4) Prague to Protest Turkey's EU Membership YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The capital city of the Czech Republic will be the site for a major demonstration from the Voice for Europe international civic initiative on Friday protesting Turkey's membership in the European Union. Czech members of the European Parliament Josef Zieleniec and Tomas Zatloukal are set to take part in the protest. Since May, the Voice for Europe has been collecting signatures from citizens of several European Union countries, including the Czech Republic, under a petition against Turkey's EU entry. About 30,000 people have signed the petition so far, including an outstanding 11,000 from the Czech Republic. In a related development, Wolfgang Schäuble, vice president of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stated in an interview with a Polish daily paper that Turkey should formally recognize the sovereignty of Cyprus as one of the conditions for EU membership talks, whose outcome should be "privileged partnership." The CDU-CSU coalition is expected to make significant gains in the German elections scheduled for September 18. According to Schäuble, "the EU should not extend beyond the boundary of what we call the European continent. Otherwise, people will stop identifying with it. And if so, Turkey--the vast part of which lies outside Europe--cannot belong to the Union." 5) Lebanon's Knarik Mouradian Makes Chess History --Becomes 'Mens' Champion LEBANON--Lebanese Armenian Knarik Mouradian clenched her spot in chess history as she won the championship title in the national men's chess tournament in Lebanon on July 26--a feat completed by a marginal number of female chess players. Mouradian, a HMEM member from Antelias, defeated her male opponent during the last round, while her main competitor Ahmed Najjar was defeated. Not a newcomer to championship titles, Mouradian won the women's title at the Arab Chess Championships in August 2004. She told reporters then: "I like these trophies. They look so nice and attractive and I am getting used to collecting them." 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) 2005 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.