Month: October 2006

ARMENIA TO PRESENT ANTI-SMOKING REPORT TO WHO

Armenpress
Oct 02 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, ARMENPRESS: Next year Armenia will have to
present to the World Health Organization (WHO) its first report on
implementation of commitments it has assumed by joining the Framework
Convention on Anti-Tobacco Struggle. Armenia ratified the Framework
Convention in 2004.

According to Alexander Bazarchian, the coordinator of the national
anti-tobacco campaign, Armenia’s main commitments set by the Convention
are the passage of an anti-tobacco legislation, enforcement of a
full ban on tobacco advertisement before 2010 and the gradual rise
of tobacco products prices and besides 30 percent of cigarette packs
must have a notice about the smoking hazards.

So far Armenia has passed a law on restrictions to sale, consumption
and use of tobacco products. Local law on advertising bans street
advertisement of tobacco goods. According to Armenian doctors, the
number of smokers in Armenia is on the constant rise Some experts
estimate that more than half of all males are smokers. They say the
number of smoking women also increases, the bulk of them in Yerevan.

The World Health Organization estimates that 63.7 percent of Armenian
men are smokers – the highest rate in Europe. By comparison, an
estimated 60 percent of men in neighboring Georgia are smokers and
31.2 percent in Azerbaijan.

Armenia’s first ever restrictions on smoking in public places came
into force on March 2, 2005, prohibiting smoking in hospitals,
cultural and education institutions and public transportation.

There are no mechanisms in place for enforcing the measures, and to
date there is little evidence of compliance with the restrictions.

OPEN DOOR: THE READERS’ EDITOR ON … ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE THE NEWS MEDIA IN ARMENIA
Ian Mayes

The Guardian, UK
Oct 2 2006

Some time in the next couple of months a book of these columns,
chosen from those dealing mainly with ethical issues arising from the
Guardian’s journalism, will be published in Armenian. They are being
translated by Marine Petrossian, a poet, in the Armenian capital,
Yerevan, as part of a project funded by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). The idea is to make
them available to journalism students at a time when the media in
Armenia, like the country itself, are going through a crucial stage
in their post-Soviet development.

As in Russia, where a book of Open Door columns was published last year
under the evocative title of Work on Mistakes (Rabota nad oshibkami),
there is no experience of the kind of mediated conversation between
journalists and readers that the columns represent. Something that
is now normal here still appears to be quite revolutionary where
impunity and the pretence of infallibility have been the norm. This
is more or less the case in Armenia.

Armenia is a small country (about the same size as Belgium) in the
southern Caucasus, landlocked between the Black and Caspian seas. It
has a population of about 3 million of whom about 1 million live in
Yerevan. There are many more Armenians in the diaspora and they make a
major contribution to the economy. Armenia was one of the southernmost
parts of the Soviet Union and it still has strong ties to Russia. It
is bounded by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey.

History strongly intrudes on the present in these countries.

The border with Turkey is closed and an issue is Turkey’s failure
to acknowledge the genocide of Armenians in 1915 as the Ottoman
empire came to an end. Attempts within Turkey even to discuss the
genocide in which about one and a half million people are said to
have died, have resulted in several high-profile trials which have
attracted international condemnation. According to a Gallup poll, 57%
of Armenians within Armenia believe the government should not agree
to reopen the border until Turkey acknowledges the genocide.

I was there recently with Jeffrey Dvorkin, the former ombudsman of
National Public Radio in Washington and my predecessor as president
of the Organisation of News Ombudsmen, to take part in a conference
on self-regulation of the media. We went at the invitation of the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Yerevan
Press Club, whose president, Boris Navasardian, is a tireless promoter
of research and debate on media standards and accountability. It is
a slow business.

There is no press council in Armenia, and there is no universal code
for journalists, although individual organisations are in the process
of formulating their own. The institution of ombudsman does not exist
either for the industry or in any individual news organisation. A poll
of journalists conducted for the Yerevan Press Club and the OSCE in
2004 showed that while standards of professional ethics – on accuracy,
impartiality, plagiarism, the need to refuse bribes and to resist
extortion, etc – were widely valued, respondents thought that less
than a third of Armenian journalists observed them. However, the vast
majority believed that improvement was possible and 82.5% supported
the idea of self-regulation, with the most-favoured form being a press
council and the least favoured that of an industry-wide ombudsman.

It may be that Armenian public radio and television, whose main
channel can reach audiences of more than a million, is the first
to experiment with the appointment of an ombudsman, although I have
the impression that there is no more than a strong interest in the
idea at present. Television is the most popular source of news. The
largest daily newspaper in Armenia has a circulation of 6,000, and
the largest weekly, 8,000.

Changes are inevitable. One is likely to be in the male domination
of the media. Journalism students at the two universities I visited
in Yerevan are nearly all women. Jeffrey Dvorkin asked where they
got their news from. Hardly any read newspapers, few listened to
the radio, many watched television and the majority went online. Did
they have favourite sites, Dvorkin asked. Yes, they said in chorus,
the Guardian. If any of you are reading this on line: "Greetings and
good luck."

[email protected]

www.newsombuds men.org

· See the analysis by the European Journalism Centre at Maastricht:

–B oundary_(ID_AFzYD11rj0YWixNwqSD+Mw)–

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS INTEND TO ORGANIZE MEETINGS OF FMS AND PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA IN NEAR FUTURE
Author: A.Ismaylova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Oct 2 2006

The visit of the OSCE Minsk Group to the region of Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict is to restore the direct contacts between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, the co-chairs of OSCE Minks Group told a Press-Conference
on October 2 in Baku,Trend reports.

American co-chair Mathew Mryza stressed that after the summer holiday,
the intensification is once again observed in the activities of
the co-chairs, and over the recent three weeks the co-chairs have
hold three meetings with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov. Touching on the status of the occupied Lachin and Kalbajar
districts of Azerbaijan, Bryza stressed that it is not as easy dilemma.

The Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov added that presently these
details are being discussed in the level of foreign ministers. But
the primary goal is to restore the direct contacts, and it has been
implemented in Azerbaijan. According to him, the co-chairs will depart
to Yerevan on October 3 and later Nagorno-Karabakh after which the
place and date of the next meeting of the foreign ministers will be
defined. In addition, the meeting of the presidents is planned.

The French co-chair Bernar Face the meeting with the Azerbaijani
President was open and irreproachable and such types of meetings
assist in the settlement of the problem. He stressed that after
meeting of the presidents in Rambue and Bucharest, the elements of key
principles of the regulation of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continue to
be agreed. Face underlined that there is such an opinion in Paris,
Moscow and Washington that the military way for the settlement of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is impossible.

Touching on the statements of the Armenian foreign minister Vardan
Oskanyan regarding the possibilities of changing the format of talks,
the co-chairs stressed that its is unacceptable. But expressing the
attitude towards the GUAM countries’ including the issue regarding
frozen conflicts in the agenda of the U.N. Assembly General, the
settlement of the conflict within OSCE may be the fairest.

TBILISI NEUTRALIZES ALLEGED RUSSIAN SPY RING, GAINS POLITICAL MILEAGE
By Zaal Anjaparidze

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Oct 2 2006

Georgian President President Mikheil Saakashvili The arrest of four
Russian military intelligence officers and eleven alleged accomplices
in Georgia on September 27-28 is part of Tbilisi’s ongoing efforts
to neutralize a purported Russian spy network in Georgia. Two
weeks earlier, on September 6, Tbilisi claimed to have averted a
coup by arresting dozens of Russia-financed, pro-Moscow activists
who reportedly were plotting to remove the government of President
Mikheil Saakashvili by force (see EDM, September 14). In March, after
the arrest of the alleged Russian mole Simon Kiladze, an employee of
the presidential administration, Saakashvili publicly guaranteed the
safety of any Georgians collaborating with foreign intelligence who
would give themselves up before May 1 (see EDM, March 31).

The Russian officers and Georgian citizens are being held on charges
of espionage, while the Georgian citizens also stand accused of high
treason. Georgian law enforcement provided evidence in the form of
recorded telephone conversations between the detainees and video
footage made by a hidden camera showing one of the Russians handing
over money to an undercover Georgian agent ().

Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili told a news conference
on September 27 that for "months and years" the arrested military
intelligence (GRU) operatives and their Georgian collaborators had
been gathering sensitive economic, political, and military information,
including developments in Georgia-NATO relations.

Merabishvili said the group was planning "serious provocations," but
he did not provide details (TV-Rustavi-2, September 27). According
to him, GRU Colonel Anatoly Sinitsin directed the group from Yerevan,
the capital of Armenia. In fact, most of the Georgian citizens under
arrest are ethnic Armenians.

On September 29, a Tbilisi court sentenced the four Russian officers
— Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Savva, Lt. Col. Dimitry Kazantsev,
Lt. Col. Alexei Zavgorodny, and Major Alexander Baranov — to two
months in pre-trial detention. Ten of the Georgian citizens were also
remanded to custody. On September 29, videotaped confessions surfaced
showing five of the arrested Georgian citizens admitting to cooperating
with Russian intelligence. The court session was closed to the media
until the sentencing phase, because the Russian officers reportedly
had planned to make a statement for the press. None of the Russians
pleaded guilty, and they dismissed their arrests as "provocations."

The incident has escalated the already tense relations between the two
countries. Russia recalled its ambassador from Tbilisi and evacuated
most of its embassy staff and their families. Givi Targamadze,
chair of Georgian parliament’s committee on defense and security,
assumed that several key intelligence officers slipped out with the
evacuees (Resonansi, September 29). Russian officials have responded
with bellicose statements and hold a number of retaliatory options,
including reprisals against the sizeable Georgian diaspora and labor
migrants in Russia, financial sanctions, energy cuts, and ties with
the secessionist factions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Ekho Moskvy,
September 29). On September 30, Russia halted the scheduled withdrawal
of its troops from Georgia.

Yesterday, October 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Tbilisi
of provoking Russia. He said that even with support from foreign
sponsors, Saakashvili’s government cannot feel "comfortable and
secured." Nevertheless, Putin instructed the military to resume the
scheduled Russian troop drawdown. Putin suggested that Saakashvili’s
policies might lead to troublesome results in the long-run (Strana.ru,
Vesti, October 1-2).

Most Georgian pundits brushed away dire predictions about Moscow’s
response, arguing that increased international support for Georgia will
discourage tough Russian measures. Some pundits, however, warned that
Russian dominance in the Georgian energy sector might create problems
(TV-Imedi, September 28-29; Resonansi, September 29; Prime News,
September 30).

Saakashvili’s government has given the spy row wide publicity,
which has been picked up by the international media. On September
29, Saakashvili stated that Georgia’s actions deserved "overwhelming
approval" and "understanding" from the international community.

"Georgia has never been as protected as it is nowadays," Merabishvili
added, alluding to the international support (TV-Rustavi-2, September
29). Some Georgian media even speculated that the United States was
behind the arrests of the Russian officers, and suggested they might be
exchanged for U.S. or British intelligence officers arrested in Moscow
(Alia, September 28). Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili
and other officials hinted that, as a gesture of goodwill, Tbilisi
might repatriate the GRU officers to Russia after a guilty verdict
(TV-Imedi, September 29).

Indeed, Georgian sources report, with reference to AP and Reuters,
that Georgia might hand over the Russian officers to the OSCE
Chairman-in-office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht who
is arriving in Tbilisi today and is expected to have a joint news
conference with Saakashvili.

The spy row has left Saakashvili’s opposition no other choice to
demonstrate, although cautiously, solidarity to the authorities. The
New Rights and Georgia’s Way parties stated that government must think
about the fate of Georgians living in Russia and cautioned against
excessively provoking Moscow (TV-Imedi, Civil Georgia, September
29). On October 1, the opposition Republican and Conservative parties
called on all political groups to rally outside the Russian Embassy
on Wednesday, October 4, to demonstrate a united front against the
Russian threat (TV-Rustavi-2, October 1).

Once portrayed as feeble and corrupt, the Georgian special services
now appear to have transformed thanks to increased cooperation
with Western colleagues. Okruashvili and Merabishvili said that
several other Russia-guided spy groups are operating in Georgia and
that domestic traitors pose even higher threat than foreign spies
(TV-Imedi, TV-Rustavi-2, September 29). Merabishvili also noted that
there are still many people in Georgia who have been "accustomed to
openly collaborating with foreign special services for many years."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SPEECH OF ILHAM ALIYEV AT MILLI MAJLIS

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Oct 2 2006

Esteemed members of the Milli Majlis!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Esteemed guests!

Today is very wonderful and remarkable day; not only because the
Milli Majlis is beginning its work but also because the building of
the parliament has fully changed its appearance. Its both outward
appearance and interior design are meeting highest standards. Very
good conditions have been created here for parliamentarians. Major
repair work has been done for the short period of time. Today, it
is, of course, very comfortable to work in this beautiful hall, and
I am sure it will be very successful for our parliamentarians. The
improvement and construction works that are now underway in Azerbaijan
cover all areas: buildings are being reconstructed, and repaired, new
alleys are laid. We all want all the buildings repaired to meet high
standards. I am sure the activity of the Milli Majlis will contribute
to overall development of Azerbaijan, and improvement of the working
conditions, providing of the Milli Majlis’ building with up-to-day
equipment, will indeed increase the effectiveness of the work.

It has been already one year since the parliamentary elections,
and one can say, the new Milli Majlis is playing an important role
in development of Azerbaijan. New laws are passed, international
activities of the Milli Majlis are being improved, and meetings of the
parliament members with their voters are held in a regular manner. It
is very important because problems of voters are what must be solved
first and foremost. Much in this cause depends on the activities of
the Milli Majlis members. All that is being done serves one thing:
overall development of Azerbaijan, its conversion into a rich and
powerful state, modernization of the country and fully ensuring of
the principle of social justice.

You visit provinces very often, and meet voters and are familiar
with their concerns. We must work together to eliminate existing
shortcomings so not a single problem remains in Azerbaijan. It
is possible to do so. The existing socio-political situation in
Azerbaijan, confidence between power and people, successful activity of
the Milli Majlis are what defines our short- and long-term development
strategy.

The role of the parliament in the Azerbaijani society is growing,
it should be growing, and it is natural. It pleases me, as the
President, very much, because if the tasks set to the parliament
are solved, it will ensure overall development of our society. In
Azerbaijan, we are building a legal state. The rule of law must be
established. Azerbaijan should more rapidly integrate into the global
community, and serious reforms should be continued in all areas of
life. It is very gratifying that economic and political reforms in our
country are being implemented in parallel, and there are good results
of these reforms. There are tasks to be solved by the Milli Majlis,
and I am sure that your fruitful activities will play a significant
role in the all-round development and strengthening of our country.

I want to repeat that is has been a year since the parliamentary
elections. Over this year, Azerbaijan has managed to strengthen
its positions. Over the year, all the processes taking place in
our country have been positive be it foreign and domestic policy or
economic development.

Successful conduct of the parliamentary elections, the triumph of the
Azerbaijani people’s will, of course, opens new opportunities, new
horizons for our country. Parliamentary elections mark the beginning
of a new era. There were a few such periods in Azerbaijan’s history.

We remember well the years 1991-1993. That period remained in memory as
that of defeat. That period brought great difficulties to Azerbaijan,
our country faced great problems, and unfortunately, part of those
problems has remained topical until now.

Between 1993 and 2003, Azerbaijan experienced the period of stability
and development. Under the leadership of President Heydar Aliyev,
Azerbaijan managed to get out of the crisis with success, and occupy
a worthy place in the international community. Good conditions were
created to conduct reforms within the country. The overall situation
stabilized. If to take into account that our independence was
questioned in 1993, it has been considerably strengthened ever since.

Now, a new period begins. This period will define future development
prospects of Azerbaijan, and our long-term development depends
on how successful this period will be. Successful conduct of the
parliamentary elections and post-election strengthening of our country,
of creates new opportunities for our country. We try to build our
activities relating both foreign and domestic policy in the form of a
program. All the issues of concern are in the focus of attentions. The
program of regional development is being realized successfully. You
often visit regions, and probably can see our provinces changing
for the better. New houses, schools, hospitals, sport complexes,
are being constructed, and businesses are being developed. Migration
from provinces to the city is reducing, and I believe the time will
come when it will stop, and maybe migration from urban to rural area
will begin.

Our economic potential is growing. Both macroeconomic indicators
and daily life of our people prove it. For ordinary people, the
macroeconomic indicators are, maybe, not so important.

However, unless our economy grow 30%, it, of course, will be very
difficult to solve all the existing problems. Our budget is growing.

The Azerbaijan’s state budget has grown for the short period of time.

Some say it has happened due to oil. But you, members of the Milli
Majlis are well aware of this.

Of course, oil factor is very important for the economy of
Azerbaijan. However, non-oil sector also develops rapidly in
Azerbaijan. Now, we should focus our attention on this sector. We
must direct oil revenues to the non-oil sector, convert them into
human capital assets, spend them to settle the humanitarian issues
in order to ensure overall development of Azerbaijan, eliminate or
reduce oil dependency in the future. Budget increase allows settling
all the problems including economic ones facing the country. The 2007
draft budget is likely to be sent very soon the Milli Majlis. After
the budget is approved, it will be possible to do great work in 2007.

The major infrastructure projects in Azerbaijan are to be completed
in 2007-2008. Construction of electric stations, roads, gas and water
pipelines, schools, and hospitals must be completed in 2007-2008.

Thus, all the existing problems should be solved between 2003 and
2008. Our policy in this sphere is very open and clear. I am eager as
the President to achieve all these goals shortly. There are all the
possibilities to do it. I say once again that our economic potential
allows us to do it, of course, the positive socio-political environment
allows to do it as well. Strengthening of Azerbaijan’s international
positions results in cutting existing risks inside and outside the
country. It is one of the major directions of our policy.

We must protect our country, reduce risks and create the "space"
for cooperation in and around Azerbaijan. Only in this case, our
country can develop rapidly, and we can achieve what we want.

Legal state building should be continued in Azerbaijan now and
in the future. The process of democratization should be realized
more intensively. A wonderful future awaits us. Being successfully
implemented, oil strategy of Azerbaijan initiated by great leader
Heydar Aliyev brings fruits. Construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil pipeline is the historic achievement. The construction of this
pipeline will define a long-term economic strategy of Azerbaijan. In
this case, implementation of political reforms must be highlighted as
quite powerful economic potential, influx of money into our country
will, of course, strengthen it economically.

On the other hand, the influx of foreign currency needs to be
seriously controlled by the state, government, Milli Majlis and the
public. Realization of the scheduled programs can face disadvantages
without a serious public control.

Therefore, creation and strengthening of the civil society,
strengthening of democratization process, building of legal state is
not just a slogan or intention, it is the main condition for all-round
development of Azerbaijan. Our experience shows that the way that
Azerbaijan has chosen is the right way. Parallel implementation
of economic, political and social reforms develops Azerbaijan
comprehensively, strengthens the stability, which is so necessary
for our country, and has a positive impact on the socio-political
situation as well. Therefore, continuation of political and economic
reforms is the imperatives of our era. If we really want to create
modern and strong state, we should do this.

Great challenges face our state in this cause and, at the same time,
great responsibility lies with Milli Majlis as well. We must achieve
it together.

I think, major political, economic and social problems facing
Azerbaijan will be solved until 2008, since I want to say once more
that we do our job on the basis of concrete programs. I already
said that the program of socio-economic development of regions would
be instrumental in increasing the living standards in the regions,
creating new enterprises, opening new jobs. As you know, about 450
thousand jobs have been created to date.

Macroeconomic stability and this direction of our economic policy
will foster prevention of negative factors in our country. You
know that very good economic opportunities suddenly emerge in one
or another country, therefore, increasing the risks, including the
risk of inflation. Therefore, we should build our macroeconomic
policy in such a way as to have all the tasks facing the country be
solved without undermining macroeconomic stability. It is extremely
serious issue. Perhaps, we face this kind of problems for the first
time in the modern history of Azerbaijan, as we had to search for new
financial sources in previous years, strengthen financial discipline,
find extra source of revenue. But today, due to implementation of
our oil strategy, Azerbaijan will face the influx of a great amount
of foreign currency resources, which could have a negative impact on
the macroeconomic stability. It is vitally important question.

Implementation of the infrastructure projects became systematic. We
need to wrap up all the infrastructure projects until 2008, and
therefore, we have a great work to do. During many years, financial
squeezes did not allow us to earmark sufficient amount of funds
to this sphere. In these and subsequent years, much money should
be directed here. As to construction of schools, 600 schools have
been built for the past two years, very modern ones. Construction of
hospitals and social infrastructure objects. Ecological program has
been adopted; we will become the richest country. If the ecological
situation will not meet the standards, our citizens will face great
difficulties, and their health can be damaged badly. In other words,
major problems in all these spheres must be solved until 2008 with
Azerbaijan strengthening its positions even more.

Our policy on the international arena is successful. This shows that
our activity on the international organizations, at the same time, our
bilateral ties with numerous countries correspond to the interests of
Azerbaijani people. It is, first, the interests of Azerbaijani people
and state. We fully protect these interests. Our bilateral relations
strengthen our country. Azerbaijan’s role rises on the international
and regional organizations. Azerbaijan has the leading position in the
ongoing regional processes, and in many cases, we are the initiator
and participant of the important projects in region. None of regional
project is possible without consent and participation of Azerbaijan.

Of course, international positions of our country strengthen. We have
very efficient cooperation with the international organizations.

Azerbaijan has hosted several authoritative actions. We take active
part in the international organizations the member of which Azerbaijan
is. Simultaneously, Azerbaijan contributes to those organizations. And
gradually turns to important country, and this is a reality. The
present Azerbaijan differs from that of decade earlier. Representatives
of the world organizations also confirm it.

We have to use these opportunities to provide extremely the interests
of Azerbaijani people. We are open to all countries for cooperation,
and our foreign policy is sincere, accurate. All the statements we make
are realized. We have not made a single step for current situation,
or for short-term achievement. We behave ourselves deservedly.

At the same time, we are open for cooperation as well, and this
is reality. Azerbaijan is a respected and esteemed country on the
international arena and in the whole among the political community.

Importance of Azerbaijan rises. The reason is not only the oil-gas
projects, and even not the geographical position. Azerbaijan had
always oil and gas. Encountered with many obstacles, it required
great courage and great wisdom to develop these deposits, involve
the foreign investors, and transport it to world markets. I reiterate
all these were initiated by President Heydar Aliyev.

Azerbaijan’s geographic position is not merely of great significance,
if there was not the thought-over policy, the efforts to make
Azerbaijan a regional center. There are many countries in world with
better geographic position.

Regretfully, Azerbaijan has no direct way out to the world markets.

All our transport and energy projects are realized through pipelines
and transit. Despite of this, creation of strong transport
infrastructure in Azerbaijan raises our importance. We are the
initiator of several international projects. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway construction of which is to be launched soon will create a
new situation in the country. Azerbaijan becomes an only country to
connect Europe and Asia via the railway. This, of course raises our
importance in regional affairs.

We establish business links with the European Union. Our positions
are strengthening in the Islamic world, too. This cooperation is very
important for us. Azerbaijan has an undeniable role in regional and
other organizations. That is, one of this does not exclude the other.

They complete each other. Such policy of Azerbaijan is significant for
region. None is interested in tension in region. Nobody is interested
the existence problems in region led to any bitter conclusion. We
pursue our policy reservedly. We have a goal, are going towards this
goal and we shall do everything to reach it.

In a word, if to view at the prospects, Azerbaijan has no such a
serious problem. Personally, I do not see such one. It is because
we shall achieve the accomplishments in several years. In any case,
we have reason to state this for we have programs for each direction.

The only problem of Azerbaijan is the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, settlement of which does not depend only on us.

This is an only question that does not depend only on us. Moreover,
we do our best and Azerbaijan’s diplomatic efforts are made to resolve
this problem. Our position remains unchanged. I have also stated that
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should be restored.

This is the major condition. Beyond of this, there cannot be any
agreement, any contract. The aggressive forces should withdraw form
the occupied lands. The UN’s four Resolutions be executed and put
an end to aggression. The citizens of Azerbaijan, who suffered form
ethnic cleanse should return to their homelands. Strengthening of
safety measures in region is possible, and we support this and the
Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh should be given high status. This is
our position. This position bases on history – we know well that
we received the Armenians in our lands as guest. This position also
rests on political situation – the political situation is in our favor
and gradually Azerbaijan’s importance rises. If to weigh up Armenia
and Azerbaijan, we shall see which one is of greater importance,
what is their potential and what these countries will face in coming
years. That is, from the point of view of development of political
processes, our position is favorable.

There is no need to stress legal point of the problem. We all know
well that from the legal standpoint, the question should be resolved
on base of our position.

That is, if to take all the factors, and, at the same time, the
growing economic potential of Azerbaijan, we shall see there are
nice opportunities to resolve the question. We, simply, adhering
the negotiations, have to continue our policy and actions. And
this comprises strengthening of Azerbaijan. Our country, using all
economic, diplomatic and political opportunities, should strengthen
its positions and be further active against Armenia. We are attacking
in information field. We have to attack in economic aspect and this
has to be on agenda on all international organizations, in all forums,
and bilateral format. We should expose aggressive policy of Armenia
and we have enough proofs to do this.

We have to strengthen our military potential and you know that since
I have been elected as President I keep in focus this question. I
have said then that Azerbaijan’s military budget should equal to
overall budget of Armenia, and we, probably, shall, achieve this
next year. We have to continue these pressures. If the Armenian
side should not see these attacks and afraid of them, worry from
the growing opportunities of Azerbaijan, they hardly liberate the
occupied lands. Armenia ignoring international principles, to our
great regret, is not blamed by the international organizations. It
has numerous reasons. You know them well. But this is reality. We
have to know this reality and withstand our reality, the reality of
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a country not to tolerate with occupation
of its lands. It is a country, using its economic, political and
military potential, will achieve what it wants.

I have told this once, and I reiterate that sometimes Azerbaijan’s
army building process causes concern in somebody. It should not cause
concern. It is our sovereign right. We have been tolerating this
aggression for many years. Our biggest compromise is our adherence
to peace negotiations. But using all these opportunities, we have to
create new situation. I would note once again that the strengthening of
military potential does not lead automatically to war. This is the last
version. We have to be ready for this. Very country should be ready,
including the country the territory of which was occupied and lives
in conditions of war. But, simultaneously, I am convinced that using
our political, economic, diplomatic and regional factors, we shall
be able to exert pressure on Armenia. These are already evident…

We have to be on the offensive constantly. We must be active in
all spheres, all organizations to achieve what we want. We must use
economic factors, and these opportunities will increase gradually.

The government received instructions to the effect. After Azerbaijan
gets 100 times richer than Armenia, perhaps, there will be no need in
the option of war. Therefore, we have to seize all the opportunities
to restore our rights. It is our privilege. Nagorno-Karabakh is the
historic land of Azerbaijan. We will never allow the second Armenian
state to be created in the Azerbaijani lands. The whole society should
be consolidated. This unity exists today. I am very glad that there
is no discrepancy in the Azerbaijani society on this matter. In some
cases, our opponents want to criticize us saying why Karabakh problem
has not been solved. It is not settled because Azerbaijan will never
agree with what dissatisfies us. It is not settled because despite the
pressure, as a President, I will never agree with any agreement, which
is disadvantageous for the Azerbaijan State and people of Azerbaijan.

I already said that this issue depends not only on our desire.

Therefore, we have to work and be active. I repeat that we have to
mobilize our efforts. There are no other serious problems for us except
this one. This problem is number one, and we, of course, must and will
focus our potential on its settlement; everyone should know it. We
exert every effort to find a fair solution to this issue; territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan will be restored. I have no doubt about it.

Along with this, we are going to continue cooperation with
international organizations for the settlement of the problem. Today,
Minsk Group co-chairs have arrived again in Baku. We do not intend
to give up Minsk Group format. At the same time, we believe that,
involvement of other organizations can also assist to solve the
problem. Indeed, the Armenian side tries to undermine talks under the
pretext of the fact that the matter has been referred to the UN. It
is their business, they can cancel the negotiations. If they need a
pretext, they can easily find it. Azerbaijan behaves constructively,
participates in the negotiations and hopes that they will result in
the resolution of problem.

Dear friends, I want to say once more that further development of
our country seems very clear and bright to me. What kind of country
will Azerbaijan be? Which positions will Azerbaijan have in five,
ten years? What economic potential will it have? Which level will the
lives of people reach? – These are the questions we are thinking of
as we work for the future of our country, for the overall development
of Azerbaijan.

We want our country became a modern, rich and powerful state. And the
people lived here well, were rich, and that its economy, political
image was strong, and that grew our opportunities of influence on
the processes in region. We want this. Each country, probably, has
similar wish. But to want and to do this are different things. We
have all opportunities to realize our wish.

I can tell that today we have opened unique opportunities. How
will be Azerbaijan tomorrow, in the years coming – it depends on
us. We have to make every effort to create powerful state, much more
strengthen our independence. We have to fully direct the potential
of Azerbaijan to improve the life of people, and thus, create in
the country a civic society. Free society, legal state, supremacy
of law, strong economy, powerful army, flexible foreign policy,
reliable defense and strengthening of the interests of Azerbaijan –
these are the major directions we are going. We have programs on
all directions. We have our views at them, we know what we want,
where we go, we know what results expect us. And finally, we shall
have powerful country, strong Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani people
will live much better. We have to fruitfully work to achieve all these.

In the re-constructed building of Milli Majlis, there are nice
opportunities for this. On the way to Milli Majlis in the morning,
I remembered the earlier situation, and, of course, you see the vast
difference. I even said: "I wish I had worked in such reconstructed
building, but, never mind, hitherto, we, probably, will meet
frequently. I wish you success. I want to reiterate that I am very
pleased that the members of Milli Majlis regard their duty with great
responsibility, permanently are in touch with their electors, actively
take part in adoption of progressive laws, in the socio-political
life of country. The role of Milli Majlis, thus, increases. Public
sees and acknowledges it. I also see it. I am also pleased and from
this platform, I wish you success in further activity. I would like
to express confidence that we shall and henceforth work together,
all-round develop out country. Thank you.

ERIC BOGOSIAN REVIVES THE SUBURBAN ENNUI OF THE 90S
By Hilton Als

New Yorker
Oct 2 2006

The Lost Boys

Resentment is scrawled like graffiti across the faces of the major
characters in Eric Bogosian’s 1994 play "subUrbia" (now in revival,
in an updated version, at the Second Stage). Blowing around the stage
like ragged refuse, the three boys who instigate much of the play’s
action have all-American names that suit their junk-food-filled days
and porn-obsessed nights: Buff (the exceptional Kieran Culkin),
Tim (Peter Scanavino), and Jeff (Daniel Eric Gold). This gang of
post-high-school boys from small-town U.S.A., with their worn-down
tennis shoes, dirty jeans, and stained T-shirts, are going nowhere
fast-leaving tire marks on the backs of those who show them any love
at all.

We’ve seen this type before. Their most famous predecessors hung
out at Doc’s drugstore, on the white side of the racial divide,
in "West Side Story" (1957). Seven years later, Amiri Baraka, then
known as LeRoi Jones, told some of their secret stories, with lyrical
ferocity, in his one-act play "The Toilet." Some thirty years on,
in Bogosian’s play, these early Johnny Knoxvilles pick up where the
"Spur Posse" of Lakewood, California, left off: they want to nail
chicks and score points, sure, but their testosterone-doped minds are
just as interested in harassing immigrants and downing the booze,
pizza, and greasy Chinese takeout that invariably make one of them
sick. Sporting the uniforms of discontent, slapping one another on
the head-is this the only way for young white working-class men to
express friendship? Their creator seems to think so.

Bogosian established his niche as a monologuist soon after his
arrival on New York’s downtown theatre scene, in 1976. (He was born of
Armenian parentage, in Woburn, Massachusetts, in 1953.) With his deep,
husky voice, his large green eyes, and his dark mop of unkempt hair,
Bogosian was one of the first working-class lugs to declare himself
an artist in the androgynous age of Devo. A kind of federally funded
Bruce Springsteen (he received two fellowships from the National
Endowment for the Arts), he produced a series of angry performance
pieces-from "Men Inside" (1982) to "Pounding Nails in the Floor with
My Forehead" (1994)-that distinguished him from the relatively effete,
intellectual monologuist Spalding Gray, as well as from Karen Finley
and her physical, feminist work. Bogosian ranted in defense not of his
own world view as an artist, or of a traditional underclass, but of
the maligned and often ignored plebs in flannel shirts; he set about
bringing men back from Mars. In his short monologue "The Fan," from
"Pounding Nails," a male admirer goes from joy to bitterness as the
object of his obsession tries to get rid of him. And in "Superman!,"
a sketch from "Men Inside," a little boy intones, "Hey Dad, guess
what I did today? I ran as fast as I could and I threw a rock at a
bird and I killed it! Pretty good, huh Dad?

Hey Dad, when I grow up I’m gonna be just like you, huh Dad? I’m
gonna be tall and strong and never make any mistakes and drink beer
and shave and drive a car and get a check. I’m gonna be just like
you, huh Dad?" While telling these distinctly male stories, Bogosian
was careful to maintain a whiff of irony, so as not to alienate his
audience with too much machismo.

As directed by the able Jo Bonney (who is married to Bogosian),
"subUrbia" demands a great deal of energy from its cast. Perhaps the
play’s non-stop action is meant to compensate for its lack of dramatic
variety: shit happens, but it happens over and over. Hanging out in
front of a 7-Eleven-type convenience store, Tim drinks a six-pack. Buff
talks about banging chicks. Jeff is going out with Sooze (the great
Gaby Hoffmann), who is best friends with the bespectacled, fragile
Bee-Bee (Halley Feiffer), who just got out of rehab. Sooze wants
to be an artist. She does performance pieces about men being dicks
("Fuck the President. Fuck the Vice-President. Fuck the Secretary
of Defense. Fuck the Secretary of Offense. Fuck the Pope. Fuck
my dad"). By including Sooze and Bee-Bee in this male-dominated
story, Bogosian is, of course, winking at the audience. The girls’
self-awareness is a perfect counterpoint to their male companions’
lack of awareness of anything at all. The men grudgingly applaud
Sooze’s efforts ("Is that supposed to be about me?" Jeff asks). But she
doesn’t capture their attention: they’d rather listen to Tim making
derogatory remarks about the convenience store’s Pakistani owners,
who are desperate for a little peace-let alone a little commerce.

Time passes in this way until an old friend, Pony (Michael Esper),
briefly returns to the fold. Once content to be a lout, Pony has
moved on to become a burgeoning rock star. Accompanied by Erica (the
excellent Jessica Capshaw), his publicist from Bel Air, Pony tries
to share his success with his friends, who will have none of it:
accepting Pony and his limo would mean letting go of their resentment
of him for having left and made something of himself. Sooze still
seems to have a thing for Pony, but she also seems to have a thing for
the boys who try to hold her back. Where would she be without their
resistance? To be with Pony, to become a woman and an artist, she’d
have to take some risks, and she’s as stunted as her boyfriend, Jeff.

To this relatively uninteresting dilemma, which is never resolved,
Bogosian adds a possible murder: Jeff believes that Tim, after a
drunken dalliance with Erica, has killed her. But this is little more
than a dramatic device. Erica has simply gone off with another member
of the gang, thus proving the age-old adage that all any upper-class
chick needs is to be brought back down to earth via a good, untutored
lay. The problem is no sooner solved than Bogosian rushes in with
a suicide, a kind of halfhearted coda to the proceedings, which,
in the end, are little more than a series of set pieces punctuated
by profanity.

When the play was first produced, "Reality Bites," Ben Stiller’s
movie about the disaffected youth of Houston, was a modest hit,
outstripped in its freaked-out adolescent mythology (and nostalgia)
by Richard Linklater’s 1993 hit "Dazed and Confused." (Linklater later
directed "subUrbia" for the screen.) It was chic, on the stages and
screens of the early nineties, to throw young adults into the American
cultural-and thus moral-wasteland and see what happened.

That little did happen was part of the story: the common assumption
was that the youth of the day were too dazed or confused to develop
their own narratives. Bogosian, like many other writers tackling
this subject matter back then, was so busy indicting the Zeitgeist
of suburbia that he forgot to attach a credible story to it.

As Tim, the most troubled member of the tribe, who has just returned
from a stint in the Navy, however, Scanavino gives a performance that
transcends the limitations of the script. (He brought a similar stellar
quality to his small part as a poor hustler in Conor McPherson’s
"Shining City.") A puffy-eyed alcoholic, Scanavino’s Tim oddly
resembles Julie Harris as the sensitive tomboy Frankie Addams,
in the 1952 film version of Carson McCullers’s "The Member of the
Wedding." You can feel his panic surge as the sun goes down; no street
light shining through the foliage can illuminate his pain. Tim uses
booze to give him the courage he needs to be an asshole, but his
sensitivity keeps breaking through. His lithe body is twisted in
an imitation of what it means to be a man. Itching for a fight,
he’s really just looking for a way out. Whenever he climbs up to
the roof of the convenience store to get a better view of the world,
one fears for him. Will he jump?

Theatrical fashions, like all fashions, change, and Neil LaBute has
replaced Bogosian as the go-to guy for visions of the depraved male.

Exhuming "subUrbia" (and trying to update it to a new decade) feels
like an attempt, on Bogosian and Bonney’s part, to reclaim the
territory that LaBute has populated so aggressively. But Bogosian
can’t compete with his successor, nor should he try to. Doing so only
lessens the value of his own work, which, in its time, had a charm
and a purpose.

/articles/061009crth_theatre

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.00.03, 27.16.00 (temporary)
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46 (temporary)
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

RAFFI K. HOVANNISIAN’S ADDRESS HERITAGE PARTY FOURTH CONGRESS*

August 1, 2006
Yerevan

If we keep silent, even now,
When stones have found a voice,
Will not men say that slavery
Is our desert and choice?
The sons of brave and holy sires,
Sprung from a sacred root,
We know the deeds our fathers did–
How long shall we be mute?

Rafael Patkanian

Dear colleagues, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen:

At our last convention held more than a year ago, I assumed the responsible
position of chairman of the national-liberal Heritage Party and, together
with the elected board members and party associates, we attempted to address
priorities including the expansion of our support base, the enfranchisement
of the people throughout the social and political domain, and the
articulation of the path which the party–battle-tested and always
ready–must follow without deviation. It is time to assess our first fruits
and give an account of our achievements and shortfalls. What have we
accomplished? What have we contributed to Armenia? And, in general, what key
problems still await resolution? What is our collective assessment of the
situation in and around our country?

To put it briefly, the objective of this congress is to gather in the
results of the season past, methodically confer on the new challenges on our
agenda, and determine our future course of action. Against the background of
these issues, we should note that the party has convened its fourth
assembly, has improved on its organizational skills, has been armed with the
experience of hard work, and has been educated with the bitter but
enlightening lessons of its daily life. Our party ranks are more insightful,
and more devoted than ever. The party’s human potential has grown not
artificially, nor by the use of financial and administrative levers, nor on
the account of contemptible political benevolence, but rather through inner
conviction, conscience, and noble drive. I became reassured of this during
my numerous meetings held in the capital Yerevan and the regions, where I
saw the Heritage Party membership grow in response to our precepts, the
dynamism of the party’s ideology, and the growing faith in its plan of
action.

There are sure signs that the Armenian body politic is "awakening" from an
ongoing apathy and demanding from the political forces, including the
Heritage Party, maximum determination, consistency, and concrete plans that
benefit the nation, the people, and the country. The society expects a
comfortable and prosperous tomorrow not for a mere clique, but for all. It
demands a democratic and lawful country not in mere speech, but in reality.
The public is ready to fight for that tomorrow, because in that future
personal gains are closely interwoven with the permanence of statehood and
the continuity of generations.

We simply are obligated to validate the hope that is placed upon us and to
contribute to the fulfillment of the patriotic aspirations of the people who
have joined us. Since our achievements to date are truly insufficient, the
utmost is justifiably expected of us today. The Armenians no longer want to
live like slaves under unconscionable socioeconomic conditions and suffer
inside a labyrinth of luxury for the privileged. They want their authorities
to be sophisticated, truth-seeking, forward-thinking, in tune with their
concerns, and unsoiled–free of petty piffles and retributions.

Fellow citizens,

The benchmarks that will guide us to our victory and thereafter were
outlined in our previous congress and anchored in our program. The Heritage
Party’s agenda of vision must enter each home and every heart, touch the
people, encourage them to action, and inform vigorous public debate. On our
path, political obstacles combine to mute our voice to the masses. The
national media, and specifically television, have been complicit in this
silencing, but this cannot become a cause for stepping back or losing hope.
In fact, our fight is for their fearless liberty as well. We must not be
dejected. We can still make optimal use of the avenues for general
communication and the campaigning potential of our fellow citizens. Our
ideas and public message must reach the people and restore their belief in a
future built by their own strength, joint resolve, and staunch zeal.

What is our message? It is a shared and dignified tomorrow–which they are
trying to purchase by means of electoral bribes. Understandably, it is
difficult to convince some citizens, who live under dire social conditions,
to turn down such corrupt offers that appeal to immediate rather than future
needs. Many of us have been lavished with promises and have become
disillusioned when they have not been kept. We need not be disheartened when
someone hearing our demand is unmoved and withdraws in humiliation. We can
empathize with him. His trust has been shaken. Perhaps, this is why some are
hesitant to believe our vision of tomorrow. We have no right to surrender in
that crucial debate. The real loser will be he who, having lost his trust,
sells his election ballot and imperils the future of his own family and
children. Bribes and unlawful election generosity might solve fleeting
matters of the day, but at the cost of a just and permanent tomorrow. And
more than this, he who folds and sells his and his children’s future, though
he might be used by them, will not be counted among the henchmen of the
"prosperous" patrimony.

Our past and our present are being robbed, and the recognition of this fact
is the prerequisite to the measures we must take against the buccaneers of
the past and future. These people, wearing various masks, go door to door
glorifying their cause. Their glory will be not merely to own the people’s
future, but to buy it cheaply. It is unfortunate that some of our
compatriots are drawn by the power of money and become an involuntary third
party in the obstruction of justice. I believe there is no need for detailed
explanation.

In recent times, the US dollar was devalued artificially. According to
well-informed analysts, exactly half of Armenia’s citizens, who rely on the
money sent by expatriate relatives, have sustained a minimum thirty-percent
loss in income. The free market, which is the only foundation for real and
lasting economic development, was itself a casualty. Moreover, the official
statement that those who kept their savings in Armenian drams gained by
thirty percent is ridiculous. Someone might have asked if those few hundred
dollars that our fellow citizen might receive are so much that he would be
able to salvage savings in drams and come out with a gain. This is barely
enough for survival. Or since the dram has become more valuable, maybe the
goods have become less expensive? Of course not! It is clear that the
overwhelming majority of Armenian citizens have lost. The winners are but a
small group of people, most of whom have thrived on the dram-dollar game in
years past. These are the same people who, during election campaigns, doled
out pennies to the very same people from whom they’d stolen them, and so
bought for five more years the future and collective legacy that belongs to
all citizens of Armenia. And this is true today. In the backstage of the
"fluctuating" currency rate, there lies an entire body politic "swimming,"
or more exactly drowning, in the ocean of poverty, illegality, and
injustice.

A Russian saying has it that "he who drowns can be rescued only by his own
hands." We couldn’t have said it better. The Armenians around the world and
particularly the residents of Armenia have always crafted their legacy and
the future of coming generations through honest labor. No one will serve our
well-being to us on a silver platter. History has never spoiled us. Today,
more than ever before, it is meaningless to convince the people that we will
assist them only after we receive their vote of confidence. First, there is
hardly anyone now who believes in such promises. Second, let us remember
Ronald Reagan who, advising his citizens to be cautious of dishonest and
boasting officials, had asserted: "The most terrifying words in the English
language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help you."

The Armenian people neither want nor need an arrogant authority. The sole
responsibility of the government is to provide the conditions of a dignified
life; the citizens will do the rest and the citizens themselves will help
the government. Our most dire and chaotic experiences have unfurled in the
domains where today’s rulers have pledged to lend a hand. There are numerous
such cases. The ruling administration pretended to contribute to the
regulation of the local media, but in consequence people were deprived of
unbiased information. The A1+ and Noyan Tapan television companies, which
were not compatible with the authorities’ vision, were closed down. The
government tried to "help," or acted as if it was giving a hand to, the
residents of the capital Yerevan in the improvement of their dwelling
conditions, but left thousands on the streets and outside the city’s
perimeters. The ruling powers talked big and said they could construct
Yerevan according to the plan drawn by the great architect Alexander
Tamanian, but the peril of desertization was actualized and the exterior
appearance of the capital was distorted. The government boastfully promised
to create jobs, as the people, still unemployed, continue to seek work
abroad. The government wanted to normalize the economy and, in the end, many
good businessmen and thousands of small and middle-size enterprises went
bankrupt; and instead of real entrepreneurs, the puppets of the ruling
clique were appointed to oversee the economy.

Let us continue. The acting president came to power pledging to advocate the
international recognition of Artsakh; instead, the officially authorized
representatives of the Republic of Mountainous Karabagh were left out of the
talks, as the perception of the conflict was incompetently allowed to
transform into a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which
eventually froze. The well-advertised "disclosures" of late bespeak the
president’s failed and destructive tenure. The government occasionally
offers its "assistance" in the upgrading of the electoral code–it tailors
and readjusts–but, in the end, election frauds increase in size and
frequency. Through the referendum, they wanted to "help" us have a better
constitution, but instead handed down an ungovernable chaos, widespread
electoral fraud, and a variety of criminal acts. In light of these facts, I
will issue but one plea: May God keep such "help" at bay, especially the
help of a regime that profits not only from "fluctuating" currency rates and
the emigration of its people, but also from the martyrs of the battle for
Artsakh’s liberation.

Dear compatriots,

We have seen and surmounted numerous hardships together, and shared the
bitterness and challenges of many difficult years, together with their
sporadic triumphs. The common pain, which we endured at the dawn of newly
independent Armenia, has united us and brought us closer. This is the
life-giving foundation on which we must build our future and with which we
must bring meaning to the legacy that belongs to the builder, laborer,
blue-collar worker, teacher, doctor, scholar–in other words, the legacy
that belongs to us all! Each and all of us will help plant and nourish
Armenian statehood. Bizarre though it may seem, our country, along with its
rulers, needs the biggest assistance today. Only after treating their
disease can society effectively use the instrument of state to improve the
lot of the people, to eliminate discriminatory tax burdens, and to establish
justice and other national priorities. Self-respect demands that
accomplishment be earned by hard work and personal sweat. The Armenian
merely needs free and equal horizons of opportunity. The government must
serve this function. The Armenian citizen will do the rest.

We must be patient in explaining to our fellow citizens that frustration
leads to self-destruction. Disregard and boycott aimed at the oppressors are
proper ethical steps. The eminent interest of state-building, on the other
hand, requires a resolute and harmonized stance in favor of national
traditions and universal human values–and the revision of the rules of
engagement, since the self-serving rules imposed by the authorities
jeopardize the foundations of Armenian statehood. We must combat the wholly
self-interested ruling hierarchy with collective rationality, acute
perception, advance vision, and a high readiness to sacrifice for the cause.
I see this as the transformation of state and society. Only those who accept
and realize the transformation can provide themselves the new beginning
necessary for the innumerable strategic challenges which Armenia faces.

Numerous examples can be offered to demonstrate not merely the consequence
of isolation and division, but also the dangerous passiveness of the civil
society. Under such conditions, as a rule, the illegitimate ruling clique
becomes even more brazen. It deems itself free to infringe upon the people’s
rights and oppress its own citizens. It has been said many times, and I do
not hesitate to repeat, that the way out of this is the united and
unyielding resistance which, regrettably, we have not yet realized.
Undoubtedly, there are numerous people, from the opposition and the
authorities alike, who are concerned with the current situation. It is just
that the supporters are not able to unite. Some are not totally confident of
achieving victory. Others hold that talking in civility to brute force is
pointless. The third group thinks the sides will "devour" one another and,
therefore, it is safer to wait on the sidelines.

There is no doubt that we must first ourselves believe in our victory. Only
this will pave the way for civil awareness, the most powerful weapon for
public solidarity. One thing is crystal clear: we have no right to remain on
the sidelines of a clash that is taking place in our country. We must not
allow anyone, let alone the illegitimate administration, to make decisions
on behalf of the people and put our sovereignty, independence, and national
security up for sale. A huge sense of civic responsibility and duty must
push us to demand an account of each and every unlawful action and evident
crime, irrespective of its perpetrator. There shall be no favoritism before
the law.

I do not have to go very far to establish the evidence of an alternative
demeanor and true social development here at home. It was one month ago that
we ecstatically celebrated the great triumph that the glorious constellation
of chess masters attained at the World Chess Olympics. Our magnificent
ladies’ team likewise showed the enormous intellectual talent of the
Armenian woman. Glory and appreciation to our masters of chess who, through
their success, proved something vital: the Armenians are winners and
competitors. Of this heroic deed, the freedom of the human mind is at core.
This is the valuable lesson that we, conscientious citizens, learned from
the flexible mind and powerful spirit of the outstanding representatives of
the great Armenian school of chess. Regrettably, however, people today do
not feel the joy that Tigran Petrosian ushered into Armenia by becoming the
world chess champion in 1963. Even back then, the people were more
expressive, heartfelt, and unfettered. Perhaps this was because at the time
they did not have so many everyday problems and the sense of not being
protected. It is not very difficult to imagine the victories that can be
achieved, in all aspects of life, by the citizen-nation whose rights are
respected and protected, where the ruling elite is law-abiding, the
environment is sound, the public spirit is high, and the mindset is broad.

In the past year, the Heritage Party was able to move forward with small but
solid steps. The people endorsed our concepts by enlisting in our party.
Meanwhile, the "authorities" reacted in their own primitive way; they took
nasty, illegal measures, but these did not scare us. Fear–their own–seems
to become a political tactic for the architects of suppression. In the final
hours of the dictatorship, imaginary stories and cowardly, slanderous
accusations are being hurled, primarily through miniature intermediaries,
toward the party, me, and my compatriots. The targets are those who are
determined, uncorrupted and righteous men and women of principle, who demand
answers for the illegality, corruption, and all-permissiveness of the
privileged. All this, however, is the final cry of the "regime" in the face
of public solidarity. This is best explained by the words of Mahatma Gandhi:
"First they ignore you, then they scorn you, then they attack you, and then
you win."

At first, they tried to ignore us. Then they attempted to ridicule our
demand for a public accounting. Now, they harass us with the objective of
silencing our dissent, a voice coming deep down from within the society,
which condemns the sores and flaws of the system. The people are the masters
of the country and we are entitled to the great legacy inherited to us. The
people have the right not to be treated like servants. And the authorities
have no right to turn our country, the future of Artsakh which gained
independence at the cost of ultimate sacrifice, and the emancipated
patrimony into a method of payment for gas lines and disgraceful
transactions of power.

The citizen has the right to demand accountability from her authorities,
whether they are elected or not. These rulers are duty-bound to respond or
provide explanations, and not hide behind pathetic middle-men and lackeys,
as was the case in our demand for a presidential accounting. With our public
activity, we attempted to provide to the ruling administration an
opportunity to establish an organic link with the body politic and to form
an institution of civilized deliberations. Unfortunately, however, the
recipient of this challenge reconfirmed its constant nonexistence for its
country and people.

We did not feel inferior when the young pawns of the ruling administration
addressed bogus queries to us. What is more, we openly answered those petty
questions with the intention of serving an example. But this, too, was
futile. We were convinced yet again that it is hopeless to expect the
fulfillment of the sacred mission of national unity from an administration
that poses unsubstantiated and slanderous counter-claims, sows seeds of
division amongst the public, breaks up political parties, and sets up traps
against its own constituents. The only solution is to become a complete
citizen. They can hide from our demand for a public accounting or, because
of their fear and illegitimacy, forcibly change our address, but we will
stay on this land until the end. They will find us in Armenia–and nowhere
else!

Friends and colleagues,

Let us recognize that our path is thorny, but realize also that we cannot
and will not go down on our knees. We are fulfilling our task together and
gradually establishing the party as a means to civil empowerment,
consolidating its regional divisions, and carefully assessing issues for the
future. We also need to rise above the illicit deeds being committed around
us, from all-inclusive acts of terror to petty, inconsequential obstructions
carried out by official weaklings against the Heritage Party and its
members. On the other hand, they cannot force us to remain unresponsive to
the challenges that the country faces on a daily basis–the propaganda war
waged by Azerbaijan; the desecration of Armenian Jugha; the prospect of
increasing natural gas prices and, consequently, the eradication of our
energy capabilities; the unpredictable rise in the cost of consumer goods;
the incessant looting of public property; the poverty; and many other vices
directly affecting our national sovereignty.

The dosage of barbarism being injected today can be fatal for this small but
sacred piece of land called "Homeland." This cannot be tolerated. That is
why the forthcoming regular and special elections are ultimately important.
The unlawful reproduction of power cannot be allowed to continue. We all
know the solution. It is the collective efforts, if not centralized then
coordinated and always together with the people, of sound political forces
devoted to Armenia and its future.

It is clear for us all that up until and prior to its congress the Heritage
Party, guided by its precepts of democracy, has constantly been in touch
with its party base. It has, on numerous occasions, held consultations with
political forces and, all through the months past, has led the quest toward
sociopolitical consolidation for the resolution of a full range of national
questions. Without a doubt, the party carried out these tasks by taking your
views into account and the measures you have proposed. You know we are
prepared to cooperate with all forces and individuals who are the true
bearers, in words and in deeds, of the rule of law, human rights, and the
values of democracy in Armenia.

We call upon our country’s businessmen, assuring them that they will be more
secure and will earn longer in the lawful country of tomorrow. The time has
come to say "no" to the deceitful and perilous "support" of today’s ruling
clan. Working in the shadows and evading taxes are no longer a promising
mode of operation. The entrepreneur must contribute a part of his income to
the systems of civil society, rely on the powerful backing of the latter,
and thus lawfully create the welfare of the generations to come.

We extend our message to the foremost intellectuals, scholars, and the
middle of society. They should recognize that conformism is a grave vice,
and silent disregard of the problems of fellow citizens is improper conduct.
The glitter of selective well-being is deceptive, and men of intellect must
be the first to sound the alarm.

We call upon and encourage civil and state servants, all members of the
workforce. We assure them that the prosperity of the present and coming
generations, the fate of the country’s security is indivisible from their
noble civic stance and righteous way of life. The civil servants,
professionals, educators, pensioners, students and all the rest should
clearly understand that through their devoted efforts they will not only
protect their own places of work and dignified lives, but will also bequeath
a righteous, democratic, and strong Armenia where life, education, labor,
and creativity will become the worthy and essential components of everyday
demeanor and ethics.

We shall appeal to everyone, in the name of a civic mobilization, with the
confidence that many will answer our call and join us, just as in the year
past when thousands of intellectuals and ordinary citizens joined our demand
for a public accounting. Countless citizens also supported us at the time of
the original Citizens’ Assembly, the first societal initiative held prior to
the constitutional referendum of 2005. Without question more was–and will
be–achievable.

Democracy, liberty, and vital national interests are the foundations for the
strength and progress of our country. These features will help us forge
Armenia’s tomorrow, nurture the shared legacy, and fulfill the sacred
national oath. With respect to the importance of national thinking, nothing
deterred Ronald Reagan, former president of the distant and "liberal" United
States of America, from uttering these words: "If we ever forget that we’re
one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." This calls
attention to the need for unity and keeping faith.

In conclusion, I would like to quote the late novelist Hrant Matevosian who,
in one of his last interviews, gave to coming generations the key for the
harmony between "I" and "We"–the individual and the collective, the private
and the national. "Even national thinking can be considered an abuse against
man, if it dares to make itself divine and more valuable than the well-being
of the individual. For the paramount self-realization of the individual ‘I’
throughout eternity, a constant mutual responsibility between the notions of
‘I’ and ‘We’ is in order. ‘We’ are only as powerful as ‘I.’" If truth be
told, there is no alternative to national unity anchored in public
awareness. We do not intend to give lectures to the citizens of today and
tomorrow. We simply declare that our future is in our hands. All that
remains is to become its master and not to allow our country to fall into
the vortex of new and endless catastrophes. How can we not recall this
message from famed poet Vahan Terian:

Powerfully forged is our soul–the child of history,
Many ruins and flames has seen our heart.

Much sorrow and destruction has seen my land,
Each and every song is in tears there, each and every book, in lament.

We are captives–not slaves–an eagle in confinement,
Always grand against evil, always righteous against the bad.

The barbarous come and go time and again without trace,
But our majestic word will continue for ever.

The history of our nation, devoted citizens, is still in the making. And the
commandment of imbuing it with determination and spirit is before us, and
within us, until we strike summit.

*Unofficial Translation

JACQUES CHIRAC VISITED THE GENOCIDE MEMORIAL

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 30 2006

The President of France Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette Chirac
laid a wreath of flowers at the memorial to the victims of the 1915
Armenian Genocide. After the visit to the Museum-Institute of Genocide,
Chirac said he is very excited. The President of France wrote only
one word in the book of the Museum-Institute for honorable guests:
"Remember." Later the French President planted the traditional
fire tree.

Jacques Chirac will be received by the Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II. Later the Presidents of Armenia and France will hold a
meeting, which will be followed by a joint press conference. Jacques
Chirac will visit also the French Embassy in Armenia. In the evening
Robert Kocharyan and Jacques Chirac will attend Charles Aznavour’s
open-air concert.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FINNISH FOREIGN MINISTER UPBEAT ON KARABAKH RESOLUTION

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan,
2 Oct 06

Yerevan, 2 October: Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, who
heads the delegation of the EU Troika, said in Yerevan today that
"the European Union entirely backs the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group
and believes that the window of possibilities for the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict remains open".

Erkki Tuomioja said at a news conference in Yerevan today that the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen, who will start their visit to the
region on 3 October [they will be in Armenia on 3 October], visited
Helsinki last week and briefed the Finnish presidency of the EU on
the situation in the negotiating process, Mediamax reports.

"We believe that the window of possibilities for the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict remains open and call on the sides to take
advantage of this opportunity," Tuomioja said.

RECENTLY FORMED ARMENIAN COMMUNITY TO MEET TODAY

KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News – The Idaho Statesman
September 30, 2006 Saturday

Organizers of the recently formed Armenian Community in Boise are
meeting from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. today at the Greek Church, Bannock
and 27th streets in Boise.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, from the Western Diocese of the Armenian
Church of North America, in Burbank, Calif., will be at the event.

Father Isayan, of the Armenian Church of Seattle also will be
available. For more information, call Mark Abajian at 724-8713.