Month: November 2006

TURKISH PARLIAMENT APPROVES EU-SOUGHT RELIGION LAW
Reuters, UK
Nov 9 2006
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s parliament approved on Thursday a law
required by the European Union that will improve property rights of
non-Muslim religious minorities, but it is likely to fall short of
EU expectations.
Parliament approved the “religious foundations law” by 241 votes
for to 31 against after months of sometimes stormy debate and much
fine-tuning of its wording.
The law was passed a day after the European Commission published a
report on Turkey, which called for greater rights for groups such as
religious minorities, criticised a lack of reform and set a deadline
for it to open its ports to EU member Cyprus or face unspecified
consequences.
The EU had criticised the foundations law draft, saying it failed
to provide for compensation to those whose properties have already
been sold to third parties since being taken over by the state or
other entities.
Brussels has urged Ankara to create a comprehensive legal framework
that allows all religious groups unrestricted freedom to operate in
this overwhelmingly Muslim but secular country.
The main minorities affected by the law are historic Greek Orthodox,
Syriac and Armenian communities and also Protestant and Roman Catholic
congregations.
The reform prompted months of debate and stirred nationalist fears,
with opposition parties suggesting it could increase the influence
of the Istanbul-based Orthodox Christian patriarch, the spiritual
head of the world’s Orthodox Christians.
The EU has also expressed concern over restrictions on training of
Christian clergy in Turkey, an issue not tackled in the foundations
law.
Ankara is under EU pressure to reopen a Greek Orthodox seminary, but
has been unable to find a legal formula that both complies with Turkish
secularist principles and is acceptable to Patriarch Bartholomew.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, sometimes wary of EU-linked reforms he
fears may weaken the Turkish nation state or its secular structure,
could still block the foundations law, but parliament would be able
to override his veto.
Turkey began EU entry talks one year ago, but is not expected to join
the wealthy bloc for many years.

SECOND CHANCE FOR ARMENIA ABSENTEES
by Khachik Chakhoyan
uefa.com, Switzerland
Nov 9 2006
Roman Berezovsky and Robert Zebelyan have returned to an extended
Armenia squad for the UEFA EURO 2008~Y qualifier against Finland.
Second chance
Goalkeeper Berezovsky and striker Zebelyan refused call-ups for last
month’s home game against Finland due to club commitments, but have
been given another chance for the trip to Helsinki on 15 November.
Ecuador-based Khose Bilibio has been left out by coach Ian Porterfield
for disciplinary reasons however, while centre-half Robert Arzumanyan
misses out through suspension. Brothers Arman and Artavazd Karamyan
are doubtful as visa problems may affect their travel.
Armenia squad Goalkeepers: Roman Berezovsky (FC Khimki), Gevorg
Kasparov (FC Pyunik), Feliks Hakobyan (FC MIKA), Armando Hambartsumyan
(PFC Slavia Sofia), Edel Bete (AFC Rapid Bucuresti).
Defenders: Karen Dokhoyan (FC Krylya Sovetov Samara), Sargis Hovsepyan
(FC Pyunik), Valery Aleksanyan (FC Pyunik), Aleksandr Tadevosyan
(FC Pyunik), Armen Tigranyan (FC Pyunik), Egishe Melikyan (FC Stal
Alchevsk).
Midfielders: Karen Aleksanyan (CSF Zimbru Chisinau), Agvan Lazarian
(FC Pyunik), Artavazd Karamyan (AFC Rapid Bucuresti), Artur Minasyan
(FC Ararat), Samvel Melkonyan (FC Banants), Romik Khachatryan
(Anorthosis Famagusta FC), Hamlet Mkhitaryan (without a club).
Forwards: Armen Shahgeldyan (FC MIKA), Edgar Manucharyan (AFC Ajax),
Aram Hakobyan (FC Banants), Ara Hakobyan (FC Stal Alchevsk), Nshan
Erzrumyan (FC Ararat Yerevan), Robert Zebelyan (FC Kuban Krasnodar),
Arman Karamyan (FC Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt).

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT, PARTIES PREPARE FOR PARLIAMENTARY POLLS
Emil Danielyan
EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 9 2006
Armenia’s leading political groups are gearing up for next spring’s
parliamentary elections, which could determine who succeeds President
Robert Kocharian in 2008. A key issue surrounding the legislative vote
is whether Armenia will be able to shed its post-Soviet reputation
for electoral fraud.
Armenian government officials and their allies insist that they will
do their best to make the vote free and fair. But their political
opponents are skeptical, believing instead that incumbent authorities
are intent on engineering a transfer of power from Kocharian to his
most influential associate, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian. The
United States and the European Union also have concerns about a
possible repeat of the serious fraud that has marred just about every
Armenian election held over the past decade. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive].
Officials in Yerevan hope to dispel those concerns with a package of
amendments to Armenia’s electoral code that are meant to forestall
various voting irregularities. Parliament approved the amendments in
the first reading on October 24, and they are now undergoing a review
by Council of Europe legal experts. One of them is designed to prevent
ballot box stuffing by requiring voters put their marked ballots
into special envelops before casting them. Other proposed changes
would give more rights to election candidates’ proxies and obligate
election commissions to videotape the nationwide vote count and release
preliminary turnout figures within five hours of the polls’ closure.
“These amendments will make the electoral process in our country more
democratic,” one of their authors, Samvel Nikoyan of the governing
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), told fellow lawmakers.
The Armenian opposition is unconvinced, however, pointing to the
authorities’ rejection of other amendments put forward by opposition
parliamentarians. One such proposal envisaged that Armenians going to
the polls would have their fingers marked by indelible ink to make it
easier for election officials to prevent multiple voting. Opposition
leaders also claim that the changes in electoral legislation will
prove meaningless because the authorities lack the “political will”
to hold a democratic election and run the risk of losing power.
“These authorities have one aim: to retain power,” Aram Sarkisian,
a radical leader of the opposition Justice alliance, told EurasiaNet.
“The only way to attain it is to rig elections. That is why we insist
that in this country democratic elections can take place only after
a democratic revolution resulting in regime change.”
The HHK, of which Serzh Sarkisian is the unofficial leader, is the
main source of election-related concerns voiced by the opposition and
even some pro-Kocharian parties, notably the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF). They already accused it of resorting to fraud to
win the last parliamentary elections held in 2003. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive]. HHK leaders do not deny that victory
in the upcoming polls is vital for the success of Sarkisian’s reputed
plans to succeed Kocharian, whose second term ends in 2008.
But they say that they will not seek to win at any cost.
Such assurances are clearly not taken at face value by other major
political forces. The ARF, the HHK’s junior partner in the governing
coalition, warned earlier this year that it will join the opposition
camp if the 2007 polls, too, fall short of democratic standards.
Similar warnings have also been issued in recent months by Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, who has had to personally deal with the
international fallout from Armenia’s past flawed elections. “Everyone
must realize that we simply have no more room for holding bad elections
because this time the damage to our people would be not only moral,
but also material,” he said in an October 19 interview with the
Yerevan daily Haykakan Zhamanak.
Oskanian alluded in particular to $235.6 million in additional
economic assistance which the United States administration has
earmarked for Armenia under its Millennium Challenge Account (MCA),
a scheme designed to promote political and economic reforms around the
world. US officials indicate that Yerevan has pledged to improve its
human rights and democracy records in return. “These are important
commitments and the United States stands ready to help Armenia to
ensure that its upcoming elections are free and fair,” Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice said during the signing of Armenia’s MCA
compact in Washington last March.
The European Union (EU), for its part, has made it clear that failure
to meet that standard would call into question Armenia’s forthcoming
participation in the European Neighborhood Policy program that
entitles it to a privileged relationship with the bloc. “If there
are deficiencies [in the conduct of the 2007 elections], they will be
noticed and there will be consequences,” Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki
Tuomioja, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency,
warned after talks with Armenian leaders in Yerevan on October 2.
Both the US and EU have indicated their unease with the fact that the
Armenian authorities have yet to formally ask the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the polls. The
Western concerns seem to stem from the Kocharian administration’s
failure to extend such an invitation ahead of last November’s
disputed constitutional referendum. [For details, see the Eurasia
Insight archive.]
During an October 17-19 visit to Yerevan, US Ambassador to the OSCE
Julie Finley elaborated on these concerns. “The OSCE is the gold
standard for monitoring elections,” she said in an interview done by
this reporter for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. “They [the OSCE
monitors] are coming to the United States to monitor our mid-term
elections in November. Why the heck shouldn’t they be over here to
monitor the Armenian elections?”
Citing a busy schedule, Kocharian, however, pointedly declined to
meet the visiting US diplomat. Finley, who met a host of other senior
Armenian officials, said that she was “very, very disappointed” by
the president’s inability to meet with her. “Usually in my travels
[to OSCE member states] I do meet with the head of state,” she said.
The Armenian leader instead discussed the elections with the
Yerevan-based ambassadors of major European Union countries on October
27. His office quoted him as assuring them that “both long-term and
short-term international monitoring missions will be invited for the
observation of electoral processes” in Armenia.
Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.

ANALYSIS: GERMAN GOVT SPLIT OVER TURKEY
By Stefan Nicola
UPI Germany Correspondent
United Press International
Nov 9 2006
BERLIN, Nov. 9 (UPI) — The European Union’s growing dispute with
Turkey is sure to dominate the German EU presidency, which starts on
Jan. 1, 2007, but the two top politicians in Berlin are at odds over
whether to push for Turkey’s EU accession or not.
Wednesday’s “progress report” by the European Commission in unusually
harsh words gave Ankara an ultimatum to solve the conflict with Cyprus
within the next month or face suspension of the talks to join the
25-member club.
The report, which also asserted that Turkey had slowed down its
democratic reform process, is a serious setback to the accession
talks that started in October 2005.
While the current Finnish presidency has constantly stepped up
its efforts to find a compromise between Turkey and the Republic
of Cyprus, an EU member, the issue will likely be passed on to the
German government, which will take over the EU’s rotating six-month
presidency at the start of the year.
Germany, in a way, mirrors the European attitude towards Turkey:
It is deeply divided, with a majority against Turkish accession.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, of the center-right Christian
Democratic Union, recently said that if Turkey wants to be accepted
into the EU, Ankara would have to open its airports and harbors to
Cypriots and recognize the Republic of Cyprus.
Cyprus, a popular Mediterranean tourist destination, has been
divided into a Republic of Cyprus — the Greek Cypriot south — and
a Turkish-occupied north since a 1974 Turkish invasion. Ankara wants
the EU to recognize the Turkish state in the North before it agrees
to any compromise, it has said on repeated occasions.
In the wake of the report, Ronald Pofalla, the general secretary of
Merkel’s CDU party, said if Turkey wouldn’t solve the Cyprus issue,
then this “must lead to consequences for the accession process.”
Merkel has been critical of Turkey’s EU accession and favors the
model of a “privileged partnership” instead — as many conservatives
in Europe do, she feels that Turkey, a country with unsolved regional
conflicts and roughly 70 million citizens, nearly all of them Muslims,
is a burden, rather than an asset to the EU.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, however, strongly
favors Turkish EU membership because the country could serve as a
bridge to the Islamic world, and fuel democratization efforts in
the region.
Breaking off talks with Turkey would thus be a bad and “hasty”
decision, Steinmeier said earlier this week at a conference of European
Socialists in Berlin. He added that he was optimistic that a compromise
with Ankara could be found before Jan. 1.
“I am in favor of fair negotiations with Turkey. I know and I maintain
that the Ankara Protocol will be ratified,” he said.
While Germany’s grand coalition government has agreed to officially
endorse the accession process, the conflicting statements of Merkel
and Steinmeier make experts wonder how Berlin will really conduct
its Turkey policy once it is in the driver’s seat of the EU.
“Berlin right now reminds me of a two-headed creature, each head
wanting to go off in the opposite direction,” John Hulsman, Europe
expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, told United
Press International in a telephone interview. “To me, a privileged
partnership sounds like ‘we care about you but we don’t want you in
the club.'”
Observers say it is no wonder Ankara is less energetic in its reform
process given the EU’s cautious to repulsatory stance whether to
invite Turkey in.
In what observers say was a bid to bank on anti-Turkey sentiments,
France recently angered Ankara by adopting a bill that makes it a crime
to deny that an Armenian genocide occurred in Turkey during World War
I, a move that was criticized in most of Europe. France is home to
roughly 500,000 people whose families came from Armenia, many of them
descendants of families that experienced the 1915-1923 violence that
killed some 1.5 million people. Turkey denies that genocide took place.
In Turkey, many people feel the EU treats them unfairly; in Western
Europe, the sentiment on the street is that Turkey doesn’t really
share the club’s values, a view that could eventually spell disaster
for Europe’s security policy if Turkey stays away from the EU,
Hulsman said.
“Nobody wants Turkey going into the arms of Syria and Iran,” he
told UPI.

2006 NOBEL PRIZE-WINNER ORHAN PAMUK TO RECEIVE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY’S INAUGURAL DISTINGUISHED HUMANIST MEDAL NOV. 27
News from Washington University in St. Louis, Washington
Nov 9 2006
Part of Center for the Humanities’ fifth annual “Celebrating Our
Books” colloquium
Nov. 9, 2006 — Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, winner of the 2006 Nobel
Prize in Literature, will receive Washington University’s inaugural
Distinguished Humanist Medal as part of “Celebrating Our Books,
Recognizing Our Authors,” the university’s fifth annual faculty
book colloquium.
Jerry Bauer Orhan Pamuk. High-res image available upon request.
The award – which includes a cash prize of $15,000 – is supported
by the Center for the Humanities and the Office of International and
Area Studies, both in Arts & Sciences. It will be given biannually to
a distinguished scholar, writer or artist whose career merits special
recognition for excellence and courage.
Pamuk will receive the Distinguished Humanist Medal and make a
formal address during the colloquium, which honors the work of
scholars from across the arts and sciences disciplines. The speech
will subsequently be published in the university’s literary journal,
Belles Lettres. Pamuk also will conduct a question-and-answer session
before a select audience at Hurst Lounge earlier on the afternoon
of his visit. This interview will be published in 2007 in the new
graduate student on-line publication, Arch.
In addition to Pamuk’s talk, “Celebrating Our Books” will include
presentations by two Washington University faculty members: John R.
Bowen, Ph.D., the Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences,
most recently author of Why the French don’t Like Headscarves (2006);
and Lingchei Letty Chen, Ph.D., assistant professor of modern Chinese
language & literature, author of Writing Chinese: Reshaping Chinese
Cultural Identity (2006).
Gerald Early, Ph.D., the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters and
director of the Center for the Humanities, noted that, “We bring Orhan
Pamuk here not only to honor him for his achievements. but to show
how much regard we have for Washington University faculty authors
by having them share the stage with a writer of such international
eminence. We very much want to showcase our writers and scholars.”
The colloquium begins at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, in the university’s
Graham Chapel. The event is free and open to the public but seating
is limited and RSVPs are strongly encouraged. A reception and book
signing will immediately follow in Holmes Lounge. The reception will
include a display of all faculty books published in the last five
years. In addition, the Campus Bookstore will display books by all
three speakers, all of which will be available for purchase.
Graham Chapel is located immediately north of the Mallinckrodt Student
Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. Holmes Lounge is located in Duncker Hall,
a short walk east of Graham Chapel.
For more information, call (314) 935-5576 or email
[email protected].
Born in 1952, Pamuk graduated from American Robert College in
Istanbul and studied architecture at Istanbul Technical University
before completing a degree in journalism from Istanbul University. At
the age of 23 he decided to become a novelist and published his first
book, Cevdet Bey and His Sons, seven years later. Now one of Turkey’s
most prominent writers, his books have been translated into more than
40 languages.
Pamuk made international headlines in 2005 when criminal charges were
brought against him following a public statement he’d made about the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 and the massacre of 30,000 Kurds. (It is
a crime in Turkey to publicly mention the Genocide.) Authors from
around the world – including Salman Rushdie and John Updike – spoke
out on Pamuk’s behalf and charges were dropped in January 2006.
In addition to Cevdet Bey, Pamuk is the author of The Silent House
(1983), The White Castle (1985), The Black Book (1990) and The New
Life (1994). The latter, about university students influenced by
a mysterious book, is one of the most widely read novels in Turkish
literature. His most recent books include My Name Is Red (1998), about
Ottoman and Persian artists – his most popular work in English – as
well as the political novel Snow (2002) and the memoir Istanbul (2005).
“Pamuk was chosen for the award late last spring in consultation with
other faculty, well before he won the Nobel Prize,” Early points out.
“James Wertsch and David Lawton were especially helpful as they
both know Pamuk’s books very well. It was felt that Pamuk was not
only a brilliant writer whose works provide us with fresh, important
perspectives on the divide between east and west, but that his support
of free speech in Turkey was a notable act. He was an ideal selection
for the prize and he was happy to accept.”
Bowen’s research focuses on the role of cultural forms in processes
of social change. His first three books – Muslims Through Discourse:
Religion and Ritual in Gayo Society (1993), Critical Comparisons in
Politics and Culture (1999) and Islam, Law and Equality in Indonesia:
An Anthropology of Public Reasoning (2003) – examine issues of
religion, culture and politics in Indonesia. In Why the French don’t
Like Headscarves, he explores the French government’s 2004 decision to
ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools.
Chen’s Writing Chinese addresses complex issues surrounding the
claim of “Chinese-ness” in our increasingly borderless world. Cutting
across geographical boundaries, she challenging current discussions
of hybridity and nationalism by examining the politics of Chinese
cultural identity facing writers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and
the United States. In the end, Writing Chinese proposes that the
aesthetics of hybridization are key to developing a more open,
creative and individualized notion of Chinese cultural identity.
Editor’s Note: A high-res photograph of Pamuk is available upon
request.
Calendar Summary
WHO: Washington University in St. Louis
WHAT: “Celebrating Our Books, Recognizing Our Authors,” the fifth
annual faculty book colloquium; featuring presentations by Orhan Pamuk,
2006 Nobel Prize winner in Literature and recipient of Washington
University’s inaugural Distinguished Humanist Medal; John R. Bowen,
author of Why the French don’t Like Headscarves; and Lingchei Letty
Chen, author of Writing Chinese: Reshaping Chinese Cultural Identity
WHEN: 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27
WHERE: Graham Chapel, located immediately north of the Mallinckrodt
Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd.
COST: Free and open to the public, but seating is limited. RSVPs
suggested.
SPONSOR: Center for the Humanities and Office of International and
Area Studies, both in Arts & Sciences
INFORMATION: (314) 935-5576 or [email protected]
u/news/page/normal/8229.html

ARMENIAN FEST IS THIS WEEKEND
Providence Journal, RI
Nov 9 2006
Sts. Vartanantz Church holds its annual Armenian Fest on Saturday and
Sunday at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston. Here children’s dance
group of the church performs at last year’s festival.
The Armenian Fest 2006 of Sts. Vartanantz Church will be held this
weekend at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Broad Street, Cranston. The
festival features homemade dinners of chicken, losh and shish kebob
and kufta. There will be dancing, music, arts and crafts, flea market,
gift baskets, a country store, cultural exhibit and silent auction.
The event and parking are free. The food is available for purchase.
The hours are Saturday 1 to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8. For more
information, call (401) 831-6399.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TSARUKIAN’S HOTEL OPENS IN TSAGHKADZOR WITH FANFARE
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 9 2006
A luxury hotel belonging to a wealthy businessman was inaugurated
in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor on Thursday, with President Robert
Kocharian and several other government and parliament members attending
the ceremony.
Multirest House, a newly built 42-room hotel complex, is the latest
investment by Gagik Tsarukian, arguably the most influential oligarch
who leads the ambitious Prosperous Armenia party believed to enjoy
Kocharian’s backing ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.
Kocharian personally performed the ribbon-cutting ritual in the
presence of Local Government Minister Hovik Abrahamian, Yerevan
Mayor Yervand Zakharian, as well as wealthy businessmen, MPs Samvel
Aleksanian, Hakob Hakobian, and others.
After being shown around the hotel area Kocharian shared his
impressions with the media, saying that such an investment had long
been expected in Tsaghkadzor.
“Business responded to what we expected and I am glad that today
Tsaghkadzor has the first such powerful structure both by its scales
and quality,” the president emphasized.
Rooms at the hotel are available from 40,000 drams (about $105) per
night; some rooms can be as expensive as 120,000 drams (about $315)
per night. Hotel managers say it is the first hotel of this class
made available in Tsaghkadzor, a winter resort town situated about
55 kilometers to the north of Armenia’s capital Yerevan.
Tsarukian avoided answering questions about how much money he had
invested in his new business. “I don’t count how much I invest. I
spent as much as was necessary,” he said.
Kocharian brushed aside media speculations that his visit was the sign
of political endorsement of Tsarukian’s party. He said he attended
the event primarily to encourage more investment in the sphere.
The president steered clear of questions about his possible support
for Prosperous Armenia in the upcoming elections. He only promised to
have a special meeting with media dealing with all sorts of political
questions before the end of this year.
Tsarukian also denied any link between the event and politics.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ALARMED BY SCALE OF LOGGING
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 9 2006
Environmentalists in Armenia have urged the government to put proper
economic mechanisms in place to reduce the scale of loggings and put
an end to recent years’ uneconomical use of local timber.
Armenian Forests NGO in particular wants the rates of payments for
the use of natural resources to be reconsidered.
“Thus, we will both preserve forests and make our economy healthier,”
the NGO’s head Nazeli Vartanian says.
The organization suggests exempting timber imports from all taxes
and dues to encourage timber importers and impose high payment rates
for exporters. They suggest the same in retail of wooden products
like furniture by imposing excises or lowering taxes for non-wooden
furniture.
Vartanian says imports of timber and wood as construction materials
have drastically reduced in recent years. She says that Armenia that
used only imported materials for wooden production in Soviet times
now is exporting its timber in great amounts.
HayAntar Company Director General Martun Matevosian agrees that it
would be logical to lower additional costs connected with timber
import in a country where wood is in short supply.
He expects the scale of illegal logging to increase on the threshold
of winter and calls it a natural phenomenon.
“Illegal loggings are typical of countries with poor social conditions
and shortage of energy resources,” Matevosian explained.
According to HayAntar, 819 cubic meters of trees have been illegally
cut in the ten months of this year. Matevosian says the scale of
logging decreased in recent years and cites figures for 2003 during
which 16,000 cubic meters were cut illegally.
Vartanian says this official statistics is in stark contrast with
figures cited by international experts. Vartanian quotes international
studies suggesting that 800,000 cubic meters of trees were felled in
Armenia in 2003.

U.S. ELECTIONS RAISE ARMENIAN HOPES FOR GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 9 2006
Washington, DC – The balance of power has shifted in Washington as
Democrats took control over the House of Representatives, paving the
way for Armenian Caucus Member Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to become
the first female Speaker of the House. Pelosi’s anticipated rise,
coupled with the likelihood of numerous Caucus Democrats picking up
important leadership positions, will expand the scope and influence
of this important body in the next congressional session.
As part of that power shift, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill)
will pass the Speaker’s gavel to Pelosi, making her the first Armenian
Caucus Member to hold that position.
In a press release issued on Wednesday the Armenian Assembly of
America (AAA), the largest Washington-based nationwide organization
promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues,
refers to Pelosi’s strong record of support on Armenian-American
issues and says she has regularly called on the Administration to
properly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
She is currently a cosponsor of H. Res. 316 – a bill that affirms
the attempted annihilation of the Armenian people as genocide. Last
year, Pelosi participated in a Capitol Hill observance of the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and in April 2001, spoke on
the floor of the House saying that “the Armenian Genocide is a
historical fact. The Republic of Turkey has adamantly refused to
acknowledge that the Genocide happened on its soil, but the evidence
is irrefutable….We must learn from the past and never forget the
victims of the Armenian Genocide.”
Additionally, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will run for Majority
Leader, and if elected, will be another Caucus first. Like Pelosi,
Hoyer has co-sponsored legislation reaffirming the Genocide and has
given commemoration addresses to Congress during the month of April.
During the Assembly’s pan-Armenian Advocacy Conference in March of
this year, Hoyer pledged to continue fighting for U.S. reaffirmation
of the Genocide and said that he has asked Turkish leaders why they
cannot acknowledge the crimes.
“Representatives Pelosi and Hoyer have strong records on Armenian
issues of any Democratic leadership and we look forward to building
on these strong relationships, as well as others in the House, to
address issues and concerns facing Armenian-Americans, as well as
our homeland,” said Board of Trustees Executive Committee Member
Annie Totah.
In total, some 50 Democratic Armenian Caucus Members are positioned
to take over important leadership positions and full committee
chairmanships.
“The Assembly congratulates Armenian-American supporters in the Senate
and House on their victory and looks forward to reaching out to new
members in the coming year,” said Assembly Executive Director Bryan
Adouny. “To that end, we also encourage Armenian Americans to join
us in our outreach efforts and build on our advocacy successes in
the current Congress.”
Ardouny noted that, with this election, the anticipated leadership of
the 110th Congress will offer new opportunities to pass an Armenian
Genocide resolution, to ensure that attempts by Armenia’s neighbors
to isolate her are addressed, and to make security issues facing
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia priorities.
When Congress returns next week for the lame duck session, several
outstanding items remain including the rail legislation, appropriations
funding for Armenia and Karabakh, as well as the confirmation process
for Ambassador-designate Richard E. Hoagland.
The 110th congressional session will convene in January when
the Speaker of the House will be elected by the full House of
Representatives.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE ENVOY DOWNPLAYS CEASEFIRE BREACHES
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 9 2006
The OSCE chairman’s special envoy Andrjej Caspzyk has said the
situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan frontline is stable, despite
frequent ceasefire breaches documented by officials and international
experts.
Caspzyk told the press in Armenia that talks between the two countries’
defense chiefs were important. This will provide an opportunity to
agree ways of preventing truce violations.
“My position on the issue overlaps with those of the Azeri and Armenian
governments. Observance to the ceasefire requires the will of both
sides,” the diplomat said.
Caspzyk said that monitoring he regularly conducts on the frontline
facilitates compliance with the ceasefire. Relevant bodies and military
men of both countries have always been willing to provide assistance
in this respect, which shows that they are interested in honoring
the ceasefire.
Earlier reports said that Azerbaijani and Armenian defense ministers
Safar Abiyev and Serzh Sarkisian met on October 20 to mull ways of
preventing ceasefire violations, promote trust between the conflicting
sides and strengthen border control.
Armenian forces have been occupying Azerbaijan’s Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh region since a 1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities
that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted about a million
out of their homes. Years of OSCE-brokered talks have brought little
tangible result.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress