Month: October 2006

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

October 25, 2006
___________________

PRAYER SERVICE FOR UNITED NATIONS COMMUNITY HELD AT ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL

By Florence Avakian

New York City’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral was filled to capacity as the
impressive procession of Orthodox Church leaders, dressed in flowing and
colorful majestic robes, filed into the sanctuary on Tuesday evening,
October 10, 2006. The occasion was the sixth annual Orthodox Prayer Service
for the United Nations Community.

Designed to foster peace and understanding throughout the world, each year
the service is conducted in the traditions of one of the participating
Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches. This year, it followed the
tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church, officiated by Bishop David, of the
Coptic Orthodox Church Archdiocese of North America.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church
of America (Eastern), offered a warm welcome to the 600 people in
attendance.

"Once again, as has become an annual tradition for the last six years, we
are gathered for the holy purpose of focusing our prayers on the need for
peace and harmony on earth. Each year, we come together to recognize the
important mission and work of the United Nations," the Primate said. "We
are committed to bringing our voice to the efforts of all men and women of
good will that we might, together, plant the seeds of peace, harmony, and
fellowship among all nations."

The annual event is organized by the Joint Commission of the Standing
Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas and the Standing
Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Among the more than 75 clergy present were several church leaders, including
Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church in America; Green
Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and Romania; Greek Bishop Dimitrios of
Xanthos; Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church of America; Metropolitan
Paisios of Tyana and Bishop Vikentios of Apameia, both of the St. Irene
Chrysovalantou Sacred Patriarchical Monastery of the Greek Orthodox Church;
Archbishop Antony of Ierapolis Eastern Eparchy, of the Ukranian Orthodox
Church in the United States; Bishop Antoun of Miami, of the Antiochian
Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America; Bishop Mercurius of the
Russian Orthodox Church; Bishop David of the Coptic Orthodox Church
Archdiocese of North America; Bishop Makaryus of the Coptic Orthodox Church
Archdiocese of North America; Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldho of the Malankara
Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church of North America; and Bishop
Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and ecumenical officer.

>From the United Nations community, several dignitaries and diplomats
attended, including Ambassador of Armenia Armen Martirosian.

KOFI ANNAN HONORED

In recognition of the service of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, a proclamation was issued by the Joint Commission of Eastern and
Oriental Orthodox Churches. Because of an emergency Security Council
meeting at the United Nations, Mr. Annan was unable to be present, but hi
representative, Edward Mortimer, director of communications for the
Secretary-General’s office, read a message.

"By coming together on this occasion every year, you provide a much-needed
sense of continuity amidst the challenges that never cease to confront our
United Nations," MR. Mortimer said, after being introduced by Bishoy M.
Mikhail, ecumenical officer and deacon of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

"The work of the United Nations would be hard to imagine without the
steadfast dedication of men and women of faith," he continued. "As teachers
and guides, you can be the agents of change, and inspire people to new
levels of public service. You can help bridge the chasms of ignorance, fear
and misunderstanding that plague our world. You can set an example of
dialogue, cooperation and respect between people of different beliefs,
traditions or cultures."

He quoted the profound words of the late United Nations Secretary-General
Dag Hammarskjold, who said, "The United Nations stands outside —
necessarily outside — all confessions. But it is, nevertheless, an
instrument of faith. As such, it is inspired by what unites, and not by
what divides, the great religions of the world."

And these words are still true today, Mr. Annan’s message said. "Spiritual
and religious practices differ widely, but we all acknowledge certain
universal values to be merciful, tolerant and to love thy neighbor. Such
teachings animate the United Nations Charter, and lie at the root of our
search for global harmony and peace."

During the evening, the peace and beauty of the Coptic Vesper service filled
St. Vartan Cathedral, as its priests and deacons intoned the ancient prayers
a cappella. Both clergy and attendees participated in the liturgy dedicated
to peace, understanding, justice and harmony throughout the world.

COMMON GOALS

In his keynote address, Bishop David, the ranking clerical leader present of
the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, conveyed the greetings of
Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the See of Alexandria.

"This meeting manifests our common goals concerning several crucial
challenges that face this generation as well as future generations," he
said. "As ambassadors of Christ, we must serve others, in total
self-denial, for the common good and salvation of all human kind."

Turning to current world problems, he emphasized that "Harsh socioeconomic
conditions are among the causes of violence and terror. The work of the
United Nations is guided by the conviction that eradicating poverty and
enhancing the quality of life of every individual are necessary steps in
creating conditions for lasting world peace. The members of the Oriental
and Eastern orthodox Churches are committed to pray for, endorse, and
support all the humanitarian initiatives and efforts of the United Nations."

Congratulating Secretary-General Kofi Annan for launching a new fund to
support peace building in countries emerging from conflict, Bishop David
stressed the vital role of the United Nations in "cultivating a world based
on human values."

"This goal is only realized when the United Nations represents the consensus
of all of its member countries, not merely the national or political
interests of its more privileged or powerful members," he said.

— 10/25/06

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Coptic Bishop David speaks inside New York City’s St.
Vartan Cathedral on October 10, 2006, during the Orthodox Prayer Service for
the United Nations Community.

PHOTO CAPTION (2): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), and Archbishop Demetrios, of the
Greek Orthodox Church in America, present a proclamation, on behalf of the
Joint Commission of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, to Edward
Mortimer, director of communications for the office of U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

PHOTO CAPTION (3): Archbishop Barsamian is joined by leaders of several
Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Churches in St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
during the Orthodox Prayer Service for the United Nations Community on
October 10, 2006.

PHOTO CAPTION (4): Coptic clergy join hundreds of clergy, faithful, and
dignitaries from the Orthodox community during the Orthodox Prayer Service
for the United Nations Community, held at New York City’s St. Vartan
Armenian Cathedral on October 10, 2006.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Yahoo! News

California closing on Wis. cheese crown
By JACOB ADELMAN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Oct 24, 2:35 PM ET

Fifteen years ago, Anto Baghassarian had a small shop in East Hollywood
where he processed blocks of mozzarella from other manufacturers into the
string cheese he learned to make at his family’s business in Lebanon.

Now his Karoun Dairies Inc. operates a plant in the state’s dairy heartland,
turning a couple silos of milk each day into about 16,000 pounds of feta,
queso fresco and other exotic cheeses adapted for American palates.

Aided by an abundant supply of milk, an increasing nationwide appetite for
cheese and some savvy marketing, manufacturers such as Karoun are
contributing to a production boom that could soon propel California past
Wisconsin to become the nation’s top cheese producer.

California is now the home of Hilmar Cheese Co. near Modesto, the world’s
largest single-site, cheesemaking operation. Every day, the plant churns out
more than a million pounds of cheddar, Monterey Jack and mozzarella cheeses
that are sold under a variety of brand names.

In addition, small California cheese makers have built a name for themselves
among consumers and connoisseurs while winning dozens of awards at national
and international competitions, casting a positive light on the producers of
so-called commodity cheese that dominate the state’s cheese industry.

"California cheeses are really looked upon as coming of age," said Christine
Hyatt, a grocery store consultant in Portland, Ore., who serves as a judge
at the American Cheese Society’s annual competitions.

Last year, California turned out 2.14 billion pounds of cheese ‘ nearly a
quarter of the nation’s supply. The total marked a huge increase from 1985,
when the state had only about 7 percent of the national market.

The growth has put California within striking distance of the 2.4 billion
pounds produced every year in Wisconsin, the state that bills itself as
"America’s Dairyland."

Wisconsin’s share of the growing national cheese market has fallen from more
than a third in 1985 to just over a quarter last year.

Nancy Fletcher, a spokeswoman for the California Milk Advisory Board, said
it’s hard to predict exactly when California will overtake Wisconsin, but
the production trends make it just a matter of time.

Wisconsin, which lost its title as top milk-producing state to California in
1993, is nowhere near surrendering, said Patrick Geoghegan, a spokesman for
the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

"This is not something that we got into over the last 20 years or so,"
Geoghegan said. "It’s been a big part of our past and will continue to be a
big part of our future."

Geoghegan said Wisconsin’s 1,300 licensed producers make 600 varieties of
cheese, compared to the 250 offered by California’s 55 producers.

"Bearing the title ‘America’s Dairyland’ is about more than just producing
the greatest amount of commodity cheese," he said. "It’s about cheese
quality, quality, quality."

Cheese has been produced in California since the first European missionaries
arrived on the coast with dairy cows in tow. The recipe for its most famous
contribution, Monterey Jack, is said to have originated in the Spanish
missions.

The modern cheese boom began in the early 1980s, when the California Milk
Advisory Board ‘ the marketing agency of the state’s dairy business ‘
started promoting the cheese industry as a way to sop up a growing milk
surplus.

The group encouraged large cheese producers to set up shop in California,
then aggressively marketed the products with the "Real California Cheese"
logo featuring a sunrise over rolling pastures and an advertising campaign
touting the state’s "happy cows."

In the mid-1990s, the board began cultivating smaller, artisanal producers
and encouraging dairies to start their own onsite "farmstead" cheese-making
operations.

"It’s been a very concerted, consistent effort," said Michelle Greenwald, a
professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in New York,
who uses the board’s cheese campaign in class as a marketing success story.
"They’ve left no stone unturned."

Hilmar’s factory made 20,000 pounds of cheese a day, five days a week, when
it began operating in 1984. It’s now a sprawling complex of soaring silos,
meandering pipes and milk-filled tanker trucks.

Small cheese-makers, meanwhile, have caught the attention of gastronomes
while producing about 10 percent of California’s output.

Marin French Cheese Co. in Petaluma took a gold medal for its Triple Creme
Brie at the 2005 World Cheese Awards in London, making it the first
non-European cheese producer to take top honors in the category.

Another gold medal at those awards went to Modesto’s Fiscalini Cheese Co.
for its San Joaquin Gold, which began as a failed attempt to make fontina.

Owner John Fiscalini was one of the state’s first dairymen to enroll in a
cheese-making class started in 1995 by the milk board at California
Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

He now channels about 10 percent of the milk from his 1,500 cows into cheese
production and is seeking the county’s permission to expand his
cheese-making workshop so he can manufacture even more.

"I just got caught up in some of the ambiance and the romance," Fiscalini
said.

_____

On the Web:
California Milk Advisory Board:
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board:

Counterpunch.com

October 25, 2006
FBI Reveals Investigation Continues
The Vindication of Sibel Edmonds

By JOHN STANTON

On October 10, 2006, FBI spokesman Bill Carter confirmed that matters
raised by Sibel Edmonds and shielded form public view by the
invocation of the US States Secret privilege were still under internal
investigation by the Bureau.

"Due to the fact that the allegations of Sibel Edmonds reflect
internal administrative and investigative matters it would not be
appropriate to respond to your inquiry. I will point out that the DOJ
Office of the Inspector General has reviewed this matter and released
a public report. I would refer this report to you for your review. The
Inspector General’s report concluded that the FBI did not adequately
investigate allegations Ms. Edmonds made regarding a co-worker. After
the OIG’s initial classified report, the FBI conducted further
investigation into Ms. Edmonds’ allegations. That investigation is
continuing."*

Back in March of 2002, Edmonds was released from the FBI over her
discovery of an array of espionage activities. Looking back, and with
the benefit of new information from the FBI and elsewhere, it appears
that the government of Turkey was spectacularly successfully in
compromising FBI, CIA, DEA, DIA and DOS operations, and was also able
to mount other espionage programs that allowed Turkish interests to
obtain assorted military and WMD technology know-how, and garner US
and Israeli military support for its bloody internal struggle against
its significant and much maligned Kurdish population/opposition.

The Turks: Masters of Espionage

The Turks would not have been successful in staging what may be
recorded as one of history’s finest intelligence coups had it not been
for many sympathetic US military personnel, bureaucrats and
politicians who, whatever their egotistical reasons, believed
themselves to be acting in the USA’s best interests. Certainly, no one
can accuse them of not effectively representing their powerful Turkish
clients whether in defeating US Congressional action recognizing the
Armenian Genocide or ensuring that US corporations close lucrative
deals in Turkey.

The sympathizers names are now overly familiar: Douglas Feith, Brent
Scowcroft, William Cohen, Richard Perle, Michael Leeden, Bob
Livingston, Marc Grossman, Paul Wolfowitz, Eric Edelman, Richard
Armitage, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Dennis Hastert, et al. Rather
than re-hash their affiliations and track records here, visit
rightweb.irc-online.org to find out more about their linkages to each
other and Turkey (Israel too).

The Turks knew it would take lots of cash to pull off such a scheme
and sustain it. The illicit drug trade provided an endless source of
funds to pay for WMD components, US defense technology, politicians,
money laundering schemes, counterterrorist operations, safe
interrogation houses, and dozens of front companies. Given Turkey’s
solid reputation as a key refining point/middleman for opium coming
out of Afghanistan (it is ultimately transported into the Balkans and
on to Europe and the USA), it is no surprise that the Turkish
government always seems to have a steady supply of cash to spread
around. Perhaps it is just coincidence, but under the watchful eyes of
the Pentagon and US law enforcement and intelligence agencies, opium
crop production in Afghanistan has increased over the last decade. The
profits from refining and distribution of the product have flooded the
black market– the playground for intelligence operatives and assorted
criminal enterprises.

Joltin’ Joe Ralston

Desmond Fernandes, has recently published an extraordinary piece
titled Turkey’s US Backed War on Terror: A Cause for Concern?* The
information provided in this publication shows the lengths to which
the US and Turkey (and Israel) will go to keep some very nasty
activities quiet. One of the more interesting bits of news in the
report is that, at the invitation of the Turkish government, US and
Israeli forces are assisting the Turkish government in military
operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PPK) and the Kurdish
people and their culture. The US is ostensibly engaged in
counter-narcotics operations with the Turks.

Joseph Ralston, former USAF General and now Lockheed Martin employee
and American Turkish Council principal, is the special
envoy/coordinator for US-Turkey anti-Kurdish operations. In October
2006, the US Congress approved the sale of 30 of F-16 combat aircraft
worth $2.9 billion to Turkey.

The world has seen the effects of similar alliances on persecuted
people, most notably the tragic one between the US and Israel. That
template will now be applied in Turkey to manage the Kurds. It’s their
turn to be abused and pushed from their homelands by the same methods
and equipment used against the Palestinians (and now the
Iraqis). American leaders sanctioned the elimination of the
Palestinian leaders and their people, even groups freely elected like
Hamas. With eager US approval, Israeli military operations continue
unabated in Gaza and the West Bank into late 2006. US support for
Israel’s destruction of the Shia population in Lebanon during the
Hezbollah-Israeli conflict in 2006, along with decades of unswerving
support in the United Nations and the US Congress is notoriously
legendary. All this bodes ill for the Kurds.

And so it begins. According to kurdmedia.com, "the PKK – the most
prominent Kurdish freedom movement – declared a unilateral ceasefire
that went into effect on Sunday 1 October. It still remains unilateral
– the entire Turkish establishment, from top general Yasar Buyukanit
to prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has rejected it, clearly
stating their determination to continue the war Joseph Ralston spoke
for the US government when he indicated that "a ceasefire sort of
implies an act that is taken between two states, two actors, to do
that. And I don’t want to confer that kind of status on the PKK by
saying a ceasefire"

According to Fernandes, "General Joseph W. Ralston, the US
government’s Special Envoy who is responsible for countering the
terrorist PKK and coordinating actions and eliminationist strategies
with the Turkish and Iraqi states[He]just so happens to be a member of
the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin, the same corporation whose
deal for the sale of 30 F-16s [to Turkey] sits in the venerable halls
of Congress at this very moment" in time. F-16s it must be remembered,
were needed during Turkey’s genocidal War on Terror during the 1990s
because of their usefulness in obliterating Kurdish settlements,
killing civilians and terrifying Kurdish civilians.

It is widely known that the Turkish military used Lockheed Martin
F-16s to assist with the destruction of Kurdish villages in North
Kurdistan during the 1990’s Dirty War, with the facts well-documented
by human rights groups. In 1995, Human Rights Watch documented arms
sales to Turkey, along with related violations of the laws of war by
that state[It] included the many gross abuses that Turkey perpetrated
against the Kurdish people [with] the F-16 fighter jet figure[ing]
prominentlyIn a report ordered by the [US] Congress, the State
Department admitted that the abuses included the use of US Cobra
helicopters, armored personnel carriers, and F-16 fighter bombers. In
some instances, critics say, entire Kurdish villages were obliterated
from the air.

This proposed [new multi-billion dollar] sale in 2006, the [Pentagon]
has claimed, will enhance the Turkish Air Force’s ability to defend
Turkey, no doubt against its internal Kurdish threat in [the Kurdish]
colony in the southeast, and its external one in southern
Kurdistan/Northern Iraq[The aircraft will be used to patrol the]
nation’s extensive coastline and borders against future threats and to
contribute to the Global War on Terrorism and NATO operations With
this in mind, you should ask yourself what, exactly, General Ralston
is coordinating. We all know the real deal, don’t we? We all know who
have been the targets of those F-16s"

Lt. Col Dickerson: Human Hot PotatoPlame & Wilson: Spies Like Us

On Monday, October 2, 2006, Captain Warren Comer (USAF, 374AW/PA,
Yakota Japan) indicated that the USAF could provide no further
information about Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Dickerson, a central
figure in the Edmonds’ matter. "Looking at your request, the only
information that I can confirm to you is what is written in the Fuji
Flyer newspaper that you read. For any other questions on this
subject, please refer to the FBI or the US State Department."***

Taking Captain Comer’s advice, the US State Department was
contacted. On Tuesday, October 3, 2006, Ms Nancy L. Beck (US DOS,
PACE) indicated that "Responding to your inquiry, this is not a matter
for the US Department of State. Recommend you direct your question to
the FBI or Department of Justice."

Dickerson was recently deployed to the Iraqi theater of operations
where he heads up logistics matters for an element of the USAF. His
handlers in the intelligence community apparently are happy about that
and so must be the public affairs personnel who don’t want anything to
do with him.

In 2002, Dickerson and his spouse Melek Can left the country for
Belgium and a quiet post with NATO after Edmonds’ exposed them as
Turkish operatives or, perhaps, US counterintelligence
operatives. Dickerson and his wife’s activities remain a
mystery. According to various reports, they were once stationed in
Ankara, Turkey in the 1990s, and had contact with Douglas Feith and
Marc Grossman. Another report indicated that: in 1995, while in
Turkey, Dickerson was the subject of investigation for accepting money
from foreign agents, whereupon he was abruptly transferred to
Germany. In 1999, Major Douglas Dickerson returned to the United
States. His wife, Melek Can Dickerson, started to work for American
Turkish Council (atc.org) and related Turkish American business
groups.

In 2001, Dickerson was apparently given a position in the weapons
systems acquisition arena with the Pentagon and US Department of
State. Dickerson’s areas of responsibility supposedly included Turkey,
Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. He also had
dealings with Edelman formerly US Ambassador to Turkey, and now with
the Pentagon’s Policy Organization. Dickerson was also active with ATC
and Scowcroft. He and his wife associated with several Turkish and
American individuals from the Turkish Embassy and the ATC. Many of
these folks were targeted by FBI counterintelligence for criminal
activity. But thanks to the Turkish government’s penetration of the
highest echelons of the US political-military-intelligence-corporate
apparatu s, the Pentagon and US State Department forced the FBI to back
off any criminal investigations that may expose criminal activity, and
untidy and covert operations.

Finally, there’s the perplexing case of Valerie Plame and Joe
Wilson. According to dozens of media reports, Valerie Plame was
introduced to Joe Wilson by Brent Scowcroft at an ATC
function. Shortly thereafter, the pair was invited to a Turkish
Embassy function. Quickly after that, Plame’s CIA WMD operation
(Brewster Jennings) was exposed by then Under Secretary of State,
Richard Armitage. Coincidently, Dickerson was in close proximity to
Plame & Wilson in the 1999-2002 timeframe and the Pentagon and US
State Department. It seems likely that only a Turkish operative
located somewhere in the US government/intelligence community would
have uncovered that information and disclosed it to the Turks and
their US sympathizers. Was it Wilson? Dickerson? Armitage?

More fallout is to come from the Edmonds’ matter and the word in
Washington, DC-Metro is that it will involve some individuals named in
this piece.

John Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in national
security and political matters. Reach him at [email protected]

* Email to FBI PA Bill Carter from John Stanton. Thanks to Mir Carter
and the FBI, plus the reference to
usdoj.gov/oig/special/0501/index.htm. The CIA, DOD-IG, DEA and Turkish
Intelligence did respond.

** From the October 2006 electronic edition of Variant: Cross Currents
in Culture, No. 27, Winter 2006 variant.randomstate.org and from
Chapter 5 of the book by Desmond Fernandes and Iskender Ozden (2006)
US, UK, German and NATO ‘Inspired’ Psychological Warfare Operations
Against The Kurdish ‘Communist’ Threat in Turkey and Northern Iraq
(Apec Press, Stockholm)

*** 8.pdf

html

PRESS RELEASE
ARMENPAC, The Armenian-American Political Action Committee
421 E. Airport Freeway, Suite 201
Irving, Texas 75220
Contact: Jason P. Capizzi, Esq.
Tel: (972) 635-5347
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: <;

ARMENPAC ISSUES ITS ENDORSEMENTS IN THE 2006 MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Be sure to visit <; to view your
candidates’ responses to the 2006 ARMENPAC Congressional Candidate
Questionnaire before voting on Election Day

Irving, TX – On Tuesday, November 7, 2006, citizens across the nation will
cast their votes in the United States Congressional midterm elections. One
third of the seats in the United States Senate (i.e., thirty-three (33)
Class 1 seats), and all of the seats in the United States House of
Representatives (i.e., four hundred thirty-five (435) seats) are up for
election. Members of the United States Senate hold six-year terms, and if
elected in the upcoming elections, will serve from January 3, 2007 through
January 3, 2013. Members of the United States House of Representatives hold
two-year terms, and if elected in the upcoming elections, will serve in the
110th Congress from January 3, 2007 through January 3, 2009.

To execute Armenian goals, a legislative body comprised of leaders devoted
to facilitating and supporting initiatives that benefit Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh is imperative. Of equal importance, ARMENPAC requires a strong
foundation of Armenian-American supporters in order to maintain and advance
a beneficial relationship between the United States and the Republics of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. In order to ensure a bright future for the
people of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, ARMENPAC holds true to the belief
that knowledge is power, setting forth all efforts to educate itself,
congressional candidates, and the Armenian-American community at large.

Through its 2006 Congressional Candidate Questionnaire initiative, ARMENPAC
was the first Armenian-American advocacy organization to educate all federal
candidates who may otherwise be unfamiliar with the pressing issues that are
important to Armenian-Americans, while simultaneously providing them with a
forum to share their opinions on these fundamental issues. In its continued
effort to raise awareness of, and advocate for, policies that help create
peace, security and stability in the Caucasus region, ARMENPAC investigated
the positions of all 1,944 candidates for the United States Senate and the
United States House of Representatives on current issues of importance to
the Armenian-American community. The results of this investigation serve to
empower Armenian-American voters with the fundamental knowledge necessary to
make an informed decision on Election Day. Armenian-American unity, despite
bipartisan political beliefs, is guaranteed to assist the Republics of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Upon review of the positions of the nearly 400 survey respondents, as well
as the established voting records of incumbent candidates, ARMENPAC has made
an informed decision in considering which federal candidates have earned its
endorsement in the upcoming elections. Notably, ARMENPAC received
approximately 209 pledges to join the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues in the United States House of Representatives, of which eight (8)
were from nonmember incumbent candidates, i.e., Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA),
John Barrow (D-GA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Roscoe Bartlett, Jr. (R-MD),
Timothy Bishop (D-NY), Chris Owens (D-NY), John Carter (R-TX), Tammy Baldwin
(D-WI). "ARMENPAC’s advocacy initiatives, which are yielding positive
results, are integral in building a bipartisan majority in support of
Armenian-American issues, and must be supported by all members of the
Armenian-American community," said ARMENPAC Co-Chairs Annie Totah and Edgar
Hagopian.

ARMENPAC is pleased to endorse the campaigns of the following candidates for
the Unites States Senate: CALIFORNIA: Rick Renzi (R-1); MAIN: Olympia Snow
(R); MARYLAND: Ben Cardin (D); MASSACHUSETTS: Edward Kennedy (D); MICHIGAN:
Debbie Stabenow (D); NEW JERSEY: Robert Menendez (D); NEW YORK: Hillary
Rodham Clinton (D); OHIO: Sherrod Brown (D); PENNSYLVANIA: Rick Santorum
(R); RHODE ISLAND: Lincoln Chafee (R); VIRGINIA: George Allen (R);
WASHINGTON: Maria Cantwell (D); WISCONSIN: Herb Kohl (D).

ARMENPAC is pleased to endorse the campaigns of the following candidates for
the Unites States House of Representatives: ARIZONA: Rick Renzi (R-1), Raul
Grijalva (D-7); CALIFORNIA: Mike Thompson (D-1), Doris Matsui (D-5), Lynn
Woolsey (D-6), George Miller (D-7), Nancy Pelosi (D-8), Barbara Lee (D-9),
Ellen Tauscher (D-10), Fortney Pete Stark (D-13), Anna Eshoo (D-14), Michael
Honda (D-15), Zoe Lofgren (D-16), Dennis Cardoza (D-18), George Radanovich
(R-19), Jim Costa (D-20), Devin Nunes (R-21), William Thomas (R-22), Lois
Capps (D-23), Elton Gallegly (R-24), Howard McKeon (R-25), David Dreier
(R-26), Brad Sherman (D-27), Howard Berman (D-28), Adam Schiff (D-29), Henry
Waxman (D-30), Xavier Becerra (D-31), Hilda Solis (D-32), Diane Watson
(D-33), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-34), Grace Napolitano (D-38), Linda Sanchez
(D-39), Edward Royce (R-40), Gary Miller (R-42), Joseph Baca (D-43), Loretta
Sanchez (D-47), Darrell Issa (R-49), Bob Filner (D-51), Duncan Hunter
(R-52), Susan Davis (D-53); COLORADO: Mark Udall (D-2); CONNECTICUT: John
Larson (D-1), Robert Simmons (R-2), Rosa DeLauro (D-3), Christopher Shays
(R-4), Nancy Johnson (R-5); DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Eleanor Norton (D-DL);
FLORIDA: Michael Bilirakis (R-9), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-18), Lincoln
Diaz-Balart (R-21), Clay Shaw (R-22), Tom Feeney (R-24); GEORGIA: Sanford
Bishop, Jr. (D-2), John Barrow (D-12); ILLINOIS: Bobby Rush (D-1), Jesse
Jackson (D-2), Dan Lipinski (D-3), Luis Gutierrez (D-4), Danny Davis (D-7),
Janice Schakowsky (D-9), Mark Steven Kirk (R-10), Jerry Weller (R-11), Jerry
Costello (D-12), John Shimkus (R-19); INDIANA: Peter Visclosky (D-1), Mark
Souder (R-3); KANSAS: Jerry Moran (R-1), Dennis Moore (D-3), Todd Tiahrt
(R-4); KENTUCKY: Ben Chandler (D-6); LOUISIANA: Bobby Jindal (R-1); MAINE:
Thomas Allen (D-1); MARYLAND: John Sarbanes (D-3), Albert Russell Wynn
(D-4), Steny Hoyer (D-5), Roscoe Bartlett, Jr. (R-6), Christopher Van Hollen
(D-8); MASSACHUSETTS: John Olver (D-1), Richard Neal (D-2), James McGovern
(D-3), Barney Frank (D-4), Martin Meehan (D-5), John Tierney (D-6), Edward
Markey (D-7), Michael Capuano (D-8), Stephen Lynch (D-9), William Delahunt
(D-10); MICHIGAN: Vernon Ehlers (R-3), Dave Camp (R-4), Dale Kildee (D-5),
Fred Upton (R-6), Michael Rogers (R-8), Joe Knollenberg (R-9), Candice
Miller (R-10), Thaddeus McCotter (R-11), Sander Levin (D-12), Carolyn
Kilpatrick (D-13), John Conyers (D-14), John Dingell (D-15); MINNESOTA: Gil
Gutknecht (R-1), Betty McCollum (D-4), Mark Kennedy (R-6), Collin Peterson
(D-7); NEVADA: Shelley Berkley (D-1), Jon Porter (R-3); NEW HAMPSHIRE: Jeb
Bradley (R-1), Charles Bass (R-2); NEW JERSEY: Robert Andrews (D-1), Frank
LoBiondo (R-2), Jim Saxton (R-3), Christopher Smith (R-4), Scott Garrett
(R-5), Frank Pallone (D-6), Mike Ferguson (R-7), Bill Pascrell (D-8), Steven
Rothman (D-9), Donald Payne (D-10), Rush Holt (D-12), Albio Sires (D-13);
NEW YORK: Timothy H. Bishop (D-1), Steve Israel (D-2), Carolyn McCarthy
(D-4), Gary Ackerman (D-5), Joseph Crowley (D-7), Anthony Weiner (D-9),
Chris Owens (D-11), Nydia Velazquez (D-12), Carolyn Maloney (D-14), Charles
Rangel (D-15), Eliot Engel (D-17), Nita Lowey (D-18), Michael McNulty
(D-21), Maurice Hinchey (D-22); OHIO: Ted Strickland (D-6), Marcy Kaptur
(D-9), Dennis Kucinich (D-10), Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-11), Steven
LaTourette (R-14); OREGON: Earl Blumenauer (D-3), Darlene Hooley (D-5);
PENNSYLVANIA: Chaka Fattah (D-2), Phil English (R-3), Melissa Hart (R-4),
Jim Gerlach (R-6), Curt Weldon (R-7), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-8), Allyson
Schwartz (D-13), Michael Doyle (D-14), Charles Dent (R-15), Joseph Pitts
(R-16), Tim Holden (D-17); RHODE ISLAND: Patrick Kennedy (D-1), James
Langevin (D-2); SOUTH CAROLINA: Joe Wilson (R-2); SOUTH DAKOTA: Stephanie
Herseth (D-At Large); TEXAS: Kenny Marchant (R-24), Lloyd Doggett (D-25),
Eddie Johnson (D-30), John Carter (R-31); VIRGINIA: Eric Cantor (R-7), James
Moran (D-8); WASHINGTON: Jim McDermott (D-7), Adam Smith (D-9); WISCONSIN:
Paul Ryan (R-1), Tammy Baldwin (D-2).

"It is imperative to the success of ARMENPAC’s advocacy efforts that every
eligible member of the Armenian-American community exercises his/her right
to vote. The right to vote is a primary aspect of democratic governments,
and ARMENPAC urges all Armenian-American’s visit
<; before doing so on November 7, 2006 to review
their candidates’ responses to the 2006 ARMENPAC Congressional Candidate
Questionnaire," said ARMENPAC Co-Chairs Annie Totah and Edgar Hagopian.

ARMENPAC is an independent, bipartisan political action committee with a
nationwide membership. ARMENPAC raises awareness of, and advocates for,
policies that help create peace, security and stability in the Caucasus
region, while providing financial support to federal officeholders,
candidates, political action committees and organizations that actively
support issues of importance to Armenian-Americans. For more information
and how to join ARMENPAC, please call (877) 286-1046 or visit
<; .

###

AZERI, ARMENIA FMS TO WORK OUT BASIS FOR KARABAKH PEACE TREATY
by Dmitry Gorokhov

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
October 24, 2006 Tuesday 03:42 PM EST

The Paris negotiations on the Karabakh settlement are aimed at the
elaboration of "main principles of the drafting of a peace treaty
acceptable for the both sides," French Foreign Ministry spokesman
Jean-Baptiste Mattei told Itar-Tass commenting on Tuesday’s meeting
between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers.

The two ministers met in Paris under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk
Group.

The diplomat stressed that the principles should be "balanced, fair
and workable."

Mattei reaffirmed that the October 6 meeting between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Moscow, which also was held under
the OSCE auspices, gave the start to the present-day round of talks.

France, jointly with Russia and the United States, is one of the
countries co-chairing the Minsk Group, created by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to promote progress in
the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVOLVING INTO A SOCIETY TOLERANT OF DISSENTING VIEWS WILL TAKE TIME IN TURKEY
by Harry Sterling, Freelance

Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
October 24, 2006 Tuesday
Final Edition

Novel for dissident writer may focus world attention, and help this
process along

OTTAWA — His own government was determined to imprison him for
denigrating his country.

Paradoxically, this month he found himself the recipient of the much
coveted Nobel Prize for Literature.

It’s an honour which some in Turkey clearly would rather ignore,
regarding Turkey’s internationally respected author, Orhan Pamuk, as
almost a traitor for daring to publicly refer to claims 1.5 million
Armenians living in Ottomon Turkey were victims of genocide carried out
by the Turks during the First World War, and for also criticizing the
denial of fundamental human rights to Turkey’s large Kurdish minority.

While many would agree that Orhan Pamuk richly deserved the Nobel
Prize for his many memorable novels and works of non-fiction,
as exemplified by My Name is Red, Istanbul, and Snow, his selection
this year may have been based as much on his determination to express
his right to freedom of speech as on his writings, notwithstanding
their obvious merits. However, that commitment to speak the truth
was not appreciated by everyone in his homeland, particularly not
Islamists and ultra-nationalists who regard his references to the
massive deaths of Armenians nine decades ago and the oppression of
Kurdish human rights as deliberate slandering of Turkey.

His critics, including successive Turkish governments, have always
insisted the large-scale deaths of Armenians during the First World
War occurred when the then-Ottoman government was trying to put down
Armenian nationalists aligned with invading Russian forces and was
not an act of premeditated genocide.

They also insist the figure of 1.5 million deaths is inflated.

Feelings against Orhan Pamuk reached a fever pitch after he was
quoted in a Swiss interview saying few in Turkey were prepared to
look honestly at what befell the Armenians and Kurds.

His outspokenness led to his being charged with "insulting
Turkishness," a crime carrying a sentence of three years in prison.

Pamuk was subjected to widespread criticism and physical threats.

It was only after an international outcry and pressure, particularly
from the European Union — which Turkey wants to join — did the
Turkish authorities drop the charges.

But Orhan Pamuk’s experience was far from unique. It’s symptomatic of
a never-ending struggle by Turkish writers, intellectuals, human rights
activists, and others, to ensure that freedom of speech and respect for
other fundamental human rights are fully honoured in Turkey, a goal
frequently blocked by those who believe western concepts of freedom
of speech without controls can undermine the sanctity of the state.

(Under Turkish law, it is forbidden to criticize the nation, the
president and prime minister, as well as the military.)

Scores of Turkish writers and journalists are regularly harassed
or imprisoned for allegedly denigrating the nation. One authoress
was recently charged with insulting Turkishness because one of her
characters in a work of fiction was critical of Turkey. As Elif Shafak
explained when charged with insulting Turkishness in her recent novel,
"If there’s a thief in a novel, it doesn’t make the novelist a thief."

But, as the controversy surrounding Orhan Pamuk made clear, the issue
of freedom of speech in Turkey is very much about a nation’s ability
to look objectively at its own history and practices.

Until very recently, the Armenian genocide issue was a taboo subject in
Turkey. Anyone daring to suggest that Turkey’s Armenian subjects were
victims of possible genocide would find themselves prosecuted in court.

Similarly, anyone reporting on violence inflicted on Turkey’s Kurdish
population could expect to feel the authorities’ wrath. In one bizarre
case, a Turkish journalist was charged with violating the law because
he filmed a military tank dragging the body of a dead Kurd.

Despite the unwillingness of some in Turkey to accept that questioning
aspects of Turkish life and past history should be tolerated in a
democratic society, such views are no longer as prevalent or deeply
felt as previously.

There are two reasons for this. First, Turkey has been steadily
evolving into a modern industrial state in recent years. Although the
Turkish economy has experienced its ups and downs, living standards
have improved for many Turks, resulting in a better educated population
no longer as prepared to accept uncritically restrictions on freedom
of speech and basic human rights.

Second, the European Union has made it unequivocally clear that
if Turkey is to stand any realistic chance of joining the EU, they
must end legal and other restrictions on fundamental human rights,
including the rights of minorities, such as the Kurds.

To its credit, the current government of Prime Minister Erdogan has
implemented several changes improving human rights legislation. It’s
also permitted the use of the Kurdish language in certain schools for
the first time, along with broadcasts in Kurdish, previously banned.

These are welcome developments. However, as the recent experience of
Orhan Pamuk and other Turkish writers and journalists has demonstrated,
Turkey’s evolution into a society tolerant of dissenting views remains
a work in progress. Hopefully, the honour of having a Turkish Nobel
laureate could assist that process.

Harry Sterling, a former diplomat, is an Ottawa-based commentator.

He served in Turkey.

CHANNELS OF RAGE
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Vedomosti, October 24, 2006, p. A4
Agency WPS
What the Papers Say Part B (Russia)
October 24, 2006 Tuesday

Editorial

Immigration ranks 25th on the list of concerns for Russian citizens;
The ethnic conflict in Kondopoga will be remembered for a long time
to come. St. Petersburg and Voronezh are on the way to becoming
cities dangerous for foreign students. Pollsters maintain that ethnic
intolerance, once concealed, is surfacing. Why would it do so? And
why now?

BODY:

The ethnic conflict in Kondopoga will be remembered for a long time to
come. St. Petersburg and Voronezh are on the way to becoming cities
dangerous for foreign students. Russians and Armenians are at each
others’ throats in the town of Bogandinsky in the Tyumen region.

Pollsters maintain that ethnic intolerance, once concealed, is
surfacing. Why would it do so? And why now?

The State Statistics Committee claims that real incomes in September
2006 were 10.1% greater than in September 2005, averaging 10,077
rubles a month. However, Russia’s richest 10% end up with 26% of all
income and the poorest 10% with 1%.

Russian citizens are dissatisfied with the existing system of health
care and education, the quality of housing and communal services,
corruption in local government structures and the police. The data
compiled by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) indicate the public
is concerned about the following issues (in descending order): high
tariffs for housing and communal services (46%), alcohol abuse (37%),
inflation (36%), medical services and medicines they cannot afford
(32%), shortage of money for food and commodities (28%), difficulty
finding a good job (28%), bureaucracy and civil servants’ tyranny
(25%), drug abuse (25%), housing shortages (21%), unemployment (20%),
corruption (19%), low quality of medical and social services (16%),
and so on. Problems of immigration were mentioned by only 5% of
respondents, ranking 25th on the list of concerns for Russian citizens.

NAGORNY-KARABAKH: PAS DE PROGRèS A PARIS, PROCHAINE RENCONTRE LE 14 NOVEMBRE

Agence France Presse
24 octobre 2006 mardi 7:23 PM GMT

Les ministres armenien et azerbaïdjanais des Affaires etrangères ont
decide de se retrouver le 14 novembre a Bruxelles pour poursuivre
leurs discussions sur la region disputee du Nagorny-Karabakh, a-t-on
appris a l’issue d’une rencontre mardi a Paris où aucune avancee n’a
ete signalee.

Le chef de la diplomatie armenienne Vartan Oskanian et son homologue
azerbaïdjanais Elmar Mammediarov ont eu mardi une "rencontre
constructive, dans une atmosphère franche et ouverte", ont indique
dans un communique conjoint les mediateurs internationaux (France,
Etats-Unis, Russie).

Les deux ministres ont "examine en profondeur" des "elements
complementaires" a des "principes de base" d’un règlement negocie
avances par les mediateurs le 6 octobre a Moscou, "qui ouvrent de
nouvelles perspectives aux negociations mais demandent encore a etre
clarifies", ajoute ce communique, sans donner plus de details sur
les elements en discussion.

"Ils ont accepte de se rencontrer a nouveau le 14 novembre a Bruxelles
afin de poursuivre les discussions sur ces clarifications", ajoute
le communique conjoint.

Le ministre des Affaires etrangères, Philippe Douste-Blazy, a par
ailleurs recu mardi Vartan Oskanian, et lui a exprime "sa satisfaction
quant au developpement des relations bilaterales", après le voyage
du president Jacques Chirac en Armenie en septembre, a indique le
porte-parole du ministère dans un communique.

M. Douste-Blazy s’est en outre "rejoui" que la reunion entre
M. Oskanian et son homologue armenien "ait permis des echanges
approfondis entre les parties", souligne le communique.

Les hauts diplomates francais, americain et russe charges du suivi
des negociations comptent se rendre dans la region fin novembre
afin d’evaluer la possibilite d’une nouvelle rencontre, d’ici la
fin de l’annee, entre les presidents armenien Robert Kotcharian et
azerbaïdjanais Ilham Aliev.

Le Nagorny-Karabakh est une enclave habitee en majorite par une
population armenienne et qui a fait secession de l’Azerbaïdjan après
un conflit meurtrier au debut des annees 1990. Un cessez-le-feu est
intervenu en 1994, mais la situation reste tendue.

Paris, Washington et Moscou ont ete charges de la mediation de ce
dossier au sein du "groupe de Minsk", une emanation de l’Organisation
pour la securite et la cooperation en Europe (OSCE).

–Boundary_(ID_oJOTWlAGy91s/oNxwJuD6g)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSKANIAN: NO GROUND FOR MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND AZERI PRESIDENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.10.2006 13:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There are no grounds for a meeting of the Armenian
and Azeri Presidents Kocharian and Aliyev, Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian
told RFE/RL. In his words, the question of the meeting of the two
Presidents will be decided only after the meeting with E. Mammadyarov
in Brussels November 14 and the regional visit of the co-chairs of
the OSCE MG.

Oskanian called the Prague meeting "normal and constructive." "I
cannot say that there are specific points of contact, but there is
an opportunity to make positions of the parties closer. There are
no final results yet, but this meeting was the continuation of the
Moscow one, where new ideas over the issues, over which the parties
had differences, were voiced," the Armenian FM said. He also reported
that those principles were discussed during his latest visit to Nagorno
Karabakh. "The Karabakh party is familiar with the documents on the
bargaining table. Of course it does not mean they agree with all its
items. We agree wit the principles, but the document is something
more than mere principles. We have differences over details in the
document and with the OSCE MG co-chairs," Oskanian added.

COMBATING POVERTY TOGETHER WITH THE DIASPORA

A1+
[02:14 pm] 25 October, 2006

The UNDP and fund "Armenia" signed a memorandum of mutual understanding
today in order to combat poverty in Armenian villages. The two
organizations agreed to combat poverty with joint efforts.

"A number of projects are being realized for the development of about
30 villages near the borders of Armenia. At present we are working
on financial support of the projects", said UN Resident Coordinator
in Armenia, Consuelo Vidal.

According to head of pan-Armenian fund "Armenia" Naira Melqoumyan,
rural poverty will be reduced only if the peasants are given the
possibility to get rich. And this is possible provided the community
structures support them. "We need not build a house for them; we must
show them ways to earn money", Naira Melqoumyan underlined.