Month: November 2006

California Courier Online, November 9, 2006
1 – Commentary

Sen. Biden Calls State Dept.’s Stand
On Genocide: ‘Historical Fiction’
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – Ararat Home Board Decides
To Sell Rockhaven Facility
3 – AMAA James G. Jameson Essay Contest
Open to High School and College Students
4 – Andre Set to Perform Live During
Armenia Fund’s Telethon 2006
5- APU’s Nov. 10 Cultural Arts Celebration
Features Guest Armenian Musicians, Artists
6 – United Armenian Fund Donates $4.5 Million To All 28 Armenian
Schools in Lebanon
7 – Armenians Fight Glendale
Over Grill Chill Ordinance
8 – CSUF Armenian Studies Program
Announces Spring 2007 Classes
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1 – Commentary
Sen. Biden Calls State Dept.’s Stand
On Genocide: ‘Historical Fiction’

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Two months ago, when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13 to 5 to
report to the full Senate the nomination of Richard Hoagland, the Ambassador
Designate for Armenia, many Armenian Americans were dismayed that among the 13
was Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware), a staunch supporter of Armenian issues, who
had played earlier a key role in challenging the State Department’s recall of
Amb. John Evans for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.
After reversing his position and supporting Hoagland, Sen. Biden, valuing
his long-standing close relationship with the Armenian American community, took
the initiative of explaining his vote in a letter to Ken Hachikian, the
Chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America.
Pledging to work with the ANCA “toward full recognition of the Armenian
Genocide,” Sen. Biden outlined the reasoning behind his vote on the Hoagland
nomination.
He said that he had cast that vote after engaging in a series of exchanges
with the State Department. Even though he said he was “not fully satisfied with
some of the responses” he received, he felt that his inquiries “have prompted
the State Department to take a number of actions that addressed” some of his
questions about “the Hoagland nomination and U.S. foreign policy toward
Armenia generally.”
Sen. Biden stated in his letter that at his urging, the State Department has:
“Revised the language of Ambassador Hoagland’s responses to questions for
the record that could have been construed to cast doubt on the Armenian Genocide.
“Committed that the next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia will meet extensively
with representatives of the Armenian American community before and during their
tenure in Yerevan.
“Agreed to brief Members of Congress on State Department efforts to promote
Turkish recognition of the real history of the Armenian Genocide.
“Agreed to an exchange of visits between the U.S. Ambassadors to Yerevan and
Ankara with the goal of ending Turkey’s economic blockade of Armenia.
“Provided some additional information – though not as much as I would have
hoped – on the materials used to educate State Department employees about the
Armenian Genocide.
“Provided some additional information – though, again, not as much as I
would have hoped – on Turkish government contacts with the State Department
regarding Ambassador Evans comments about the Armenian Genocide.”
Sen. Biden said in his letter that in addition to the above 6 considerations
or concessions from the State Department, he voted for the nomination of the
Ambassador Designate to Armenia because he was “concerned about the possible
consequences of leaving” the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan “without an Ambassador for
an extended period of time.” He said that he was particularly troubled that
Armenia may lose the $235 million in U.S. assistance from the Millennium
Challenge Account if it did “not demonstrate a firm commitment to democracy in
elections next spring.”
Despite the above assurances, Sen. Biden made it clear to the State
Department and the Turkish government that the real issue on hand goes beyond the
dismissal of Amb. Evans and his proposed replacement by Amb. Hoagland. He said that
he has not changed his belief that “the Administration’s policies toward
Armenia are grounded in historical fiction.” He also said that he is “firmly
committed to changing the Administration’s policy on the Armenian Genocide.”
The Armenian American community should keep hounding both the State
Department and the government of Turkey, which are partners in the denial of the crime
of genocide — until they unequivocally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Of
course, in the case of the Turkish denialist regime, which has usurped
Armenian territories and other assets, the struggle does not end with mere
acknowledgment – as Armenians consider the Genocide already recognized — but with the
return of the occupied lands.
The U.S. Senate should maintain its hold on the nomination of Amb. Hoagland
until the State Department explains fully and honestly the reason why it
dismissed Amb. Evans. The Bush Administration should also reveal the secret
communications between Turkish officials and/or its lobbyists to confirm their role in
influencing the State Department’s decisions in the eventual removal of Amb.
Evans.
Only time will tell whether Sen. Biden was hoodwinked by the State
Department’s ambiguous promises into supporting Amb. Hoagland’s nomination.
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2 – Ararat Home Board Decides
To Sell Rockhaven Facility
MISSION HILLS, Calif. – The Ararat Home of Los Angeles announced recently
that circumstances have made it necessary to offer for sale its Rockhaven
Sanatorium in Montrose, after nearly five years of consulting with architects and the
Glendale City for the construction of a replacement facility.
The Ararat Home, established in 1949, operates a Skilled Nursing Facility and
Board and Care Home for the aged on its Mission Hills campus for more than
300 residents and patients. In addition, it conducts a skilled nursing facility
for 42 patients in Eagle Rock. The latter facility is outdated and needs
extensive remodeling. The Board of Trustees of the Ararat Home purchased the
Rockhaven complex with the objective of bringing the patients from the Eagle Rock
Nursing Home to a newly constructed facility at Rockhaven which would also
accommodate the existing Alzheimer residents.
“The desire for a single level state-of-the-art 99-bed skilled nursing and
Alzheimer’s facility, nestled among the stately oaks and meandering paths, was a
dream that could not become a reality,” said John Yaldezian, Chairman of the
Ararat Home Board of Trustees. “While the site is beautiful, the buildings are
outdated and have become unsafe and uninhabitable. What was first thought to
be a matter of patching, repairing and remodeling for the near term, became
an issue of teardown.”
The Board sought to research every opportunity on this project, before the
decision was made to sell the property. The Board concluded that further
development on this site was not economically feasible.
It was at this point that the residents, most of who are under
conservatorship, were ransferred with great care for their welfare to equivalent facilities
in the area. All transfers were accomplished to the satisfaction of all those
concerned.
The funds from this eventual sale will be used to purchase an appropriate
site for development of another facility to complement the existing Mission Hills
and Eagle Rock campuses.
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3 – AMAA James G. Jameson Essay Contest
Open to High School and College Students
PARAMUS, NJ – The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) will once
again sponsor the James G. Jameson Essay Contest. Topics should touch upon
some aspect of Armenian heritage such as religion, literature, language,
history, culture, geography, economy or history.
Awards will be made in two categories: High School contestants and
College/University contestants. The deadline for entries is December 15, 2006.
All Armenian or part-Armenian students are eligible. Only unpublished
entries will be accepted. The winner in each category will be awarded $250.00,
provided from the income of a special fund established by Mr. & Mrs. James G.
Jameson of Brookline, MA.
The essays should be written in English and have a length of 1,000 to 2,000
words. A contestant is allowed no more than one entry per year, and no more
than one member of a family may receive an award in a five-year period. If no
submitted essay is considered sufficiently meritorious, no award will be
granted that year.
Entries and/or inquiries should be directed to: James G. Jameson Essay
Contest, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Inc., 31 West Century Road,
Paramus, NJ 07652.
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4 – Andre Set to Perform Live During
Armenia Fund’s Telethon 2006
LOS ANGELES – Armenia Fund announced last week that one of the most popular
Armenian singers, Andre, will be performing at its 9th Annual International
Telethon to be aired worldwide on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In May of this year Andre won 8th place in Greece for representing Armenia at
Eurovision song contest competing against contenders from 23 other nations.
Armenia was competing at the Eurovision song content for the first time in 2006.
As part of the Rebirth of Artsakh project, proceeds from the live 12-hour
program will benefit the regional development of Hadrut, Nagorno Karabagh. The
funds will go towards building new drinking water pipelines as well as
reconstructing healthcare facilities and schools that fell victim to the devastating
war. In an effort to eradicate poverty in this war ravaged border region,
Armenia Fund will also implement a comprehensive agricultural development project
to impact 1,000 farmers in 8 Hadrut villages. A similar regional development
program is currently underway in the northern Martakert region using the
funds raised during last year’s Telethon 2005.
A graduate of Armenian State Music Theater, Andre was born in Stepanakert,
Nagorno Karabagh. His music career started early, when, as a member of a music
band “Children of Artsakh” he performed for the NKR Defense Army soldiers.
After winning the “Road to Renaissance” music competition he formed his own
pop-jazz band “Karabagh” touring regions
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. A winner of many international music
contests as a solo artist, Andre has performed in the United States, Russia, China,
Europe, Lebanon, Iran, United Arab Emirates and countries of the former Soviet
Union.
A winner in the Best Singer category of Armenian National Music Awards, Andre
has been topping the charts for several years in a row.
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5 – APU’s Nov. 10 Cultural Arts Celebration
Features Guest Armenian Musicians, Artists
AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific University’s School of Music and Lake Avenue
Church of Pasadena present a “Symphonic Collaboration,” a special concert event
on Nov. 10 featuring Maestro Eduard Topchian, highly-acclaimed conductor of
the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra,
For one evening only, the Azusa Pacific University Symphony Orchestra and the
Lake Avenue Chamber Symphony combine to create a 100-member symphony
orchestra under the direction of Topchian. The event includes a performance by an
Armenian dance troupe from the Yeraz School of Armenian Dance in Orange County and
a gallery exhibiting works by local Armenian artists. The program includes
movements from Aram Kachaturian’s “Spartacus Suite,” Beethoven’s “Triple
Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra,” and Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri
Shostakovich.
Guest artists include Karne Kocharyan, cello, from the Armenian Philharmonic
Orchestra; Duane Funderbunk, Piano, from APU, and Lake Avenue Church, and Alex
Russell, violin, from APU and Lake Avenue Church.
The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. at Lake Avenue Church, 393 N. Lake Ave.,
Pasadena.
For more information, contact APU’s Felix Event Center Box Office at (626)
815-5494 or Lake Avenue Church at (626) 844-4723.
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6 – United Armenian Fund Donates $4.5 Million To All 28 Armenian
Schools in Lebanon GLENDALE – The United Armenian Fund, through a generous
grant from The Lincy Foundation, is donating a total of $4.5 million to all 28
Armenian schools throughout Lebanon. This contribution is prompted by the
economic crisis of the past few years, which was aggravated by the devastating
attack on Lebanon last summer. Thousands of needy Armenian families could no longer
afford the tuition for the Armenian schools their children attended.
Consequently, most of these schools were in no position to pay the salaries of their
teachers and staff. The UAF funds contributed to these schools are designated
for three specific purposes: (1) $3.2 million to pay full or partial tuition
for 5,092 needy Armenian students, which constitutes close to 75% of the 7,029
students enrolled in all 28 schools during the 2006-07 academic year; (2)
$757,000 to cover the salaries owed by most of the schools to 536 teachers and
staff for the past academic year; (3) A total of $513,000 for the general
operating expenses of these schools. Harut Sassounian, the President of the United
Armenian Fund, is currently in Lebanon to visit all 28 Armenian schools, meet
with their principals and educational councils, and deliver the earmarked sums to
each school. “The UAF’s contribution will be allocated to all Armenian
schools in Lebanon, without exception,” Sassounian said. The schools receiving
financial assistance are: Nine Prelacy schools: Sophia Hagopian College; Haratch
C. Gulbenkian School; Apkarian School; Aksor Kassarjian School; Yeghishe
Manoukian College; Roupinian – Sahag Mesrobian School; Souren Khanamirian College;
Noubarian – Khrimian School; and Forty Martyrs School. Seven Evangelical
schools: Central High School; Gertmenian School; Anjar Secondary School; Torosian
School; Armenian Evangelical College; Shamlian Tatigian School; and Trad School.
Six Catholic schools: Harboyan School; Mekhitarian School; Sisters School of
Anjar; Mesrobian College; St. Agnes School; and Hripsimiantz College. Three
AGBU schools: Garmirian School; Tarouhy – Hovagimian School; and Nazarian
School. Armenian Educational & Cultural Society (Hamazkayin) school: M & H Arslanian
College (Jemaran). Tekeyan Cultural Association school: Vahan Tekeyan School.
Armenian Educational Benevolent Union school: Sahaguian – L. Meguerditchian
College. “This unprecedented gift of $4.5 million should alleviate a large part
of the heavy financial burden of the schools shouldered by the struggling
Armenian community of Lebanon. Armenians worldwide should lend a helping hand to
this most vital community which has many other needs. Few things are as
important for the future of the Armenian people as the education of the next
generation. By supporting Armenian schools, we are investing not just in the
survival, but the revival of Armenian culture,” Sassounian said. Since its inception
in 1989, the UAF has sent $447 million of humanitarian assistance to Armenia on
board 140 airlifts and 1,359 sea containers. The UAF is the collective effort
of the Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian General Benevolent Union,
Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Relief Society, Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of
America and The Lincy Foundation. For more information, contact the UAF office at
1101 North Pacific Avenue, Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818)
241-8900.
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7 – Armenians Fight Glendale
Over Grill Chill Ordinance
GLENDALE (AP) – Armenians here are skewering the city’s ban on outdoor
restaurant grilling as an offense to the kebab culture, but efforts to overturn it
have stalled in the City Council.
This city is 40 percent Armenian and Armenian-American. The 85,000 Armenian
residents comprise the largest such population in the United States.
Last year, voters elected three Armenians to the five-member City Council,
partly on an agenda to remove the outdoor grilling ban. But they have been
unable to win the four votes needed for passage.
That annoys Armenians who say indoor gas grills simply can’t do justice to
their traditional cuisine.
Vrej Sarkissian says it takes more than salt, pepper, onions and olive oil to
make a decent kabob. He cooks the skewered meat on charcoal outside his
restaurant.
“People can always tell the difference,” said Sarkissian, owner of Anoush
Banquets & Catering. “They want the original flavor of home.”
“It’s what our culture is about,” said his brother, Sacco Sarkissian. “It’s
great, because they’re able to hold onto their
heritage. They haven’t been forced to Americanize.”
The ban may have a chilling effect on the city’s dining, City Councilman Ara
Najarian argued.
“Most Armenians are highly sophisticated, and they demand the best,” he said.
“It’s developed into a gourmet war between these folks. I once saw a place
serve a flaming rack of lamb.”
“I think we all know that burgers on the grill taste better than on the
frying pan,” Najarian said.
Mayor Dave Weaver, who opposes lifting the ban, accused his colleagues of
playing “the race card.”
“We’re portrayed as anti-Armenian, and that’s so far off the mark,” he said.
“We got a lot of complaints saying, ‘Why are you allowing them to grill
outdoors?”‘
“I’m philosophically opposed to commercial grilling outside,” he said. “If we
open the door, then anybody from Bob’s Big Boy to a barbecue place can do it.”
“Would you like to smell other peoples’ food all day long?”
resident Nancy Campbell asked. “We were all OK stopping smoking in a lot of
public places.”
Vrej Sarkissian said he is considering moving his steel grill indoors to
comply with the law, although he estimates it will cost him about $80,000.
“We’re going to do whatever we can to keep the flavor going,” he said.
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8 – CSUF Armenian Studies Program
Announces Spring 2007 Classes
FRESNO – The Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno
is announcing a full slate of courses for the Spring 2007 semester. The
Armenian Studies Program offers a wide variety of courses related to Armenian
language, culture, history, art, and literature each semester. Instruction for the
Spring 2007 semester begins on Wednesday, January 17, 2007.
Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian
Studies, and Director of the Armenian Studies Program, will be teaching three
courses. Armenian Studies 123 is a three-unit upper-division course exploring
Armenian architecture. The course will be offered completely on-line, allowing
students from anywhere in the country to enroll in the course.
Dr. Kouymjian will also be teaching two sections of the popular Armenian
Studies 20 course, the Arts of Armenia. This course is a survey of Armenian
miniature painting, architecture, and the minor arts.
Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian will be teaching four courses: Armenian
Studies 10, Introduction to Armenian Studies, which explores the rich cultural
heritage of the Armenians (10:00-10:50AM, MWF); Armenian 1B, the second semester
of elementary Armenian language (11:00A-11:50A MTWF); an upper division
general education course, Armenian 148, Masterpieces of Armenian Culture
(9:00A-9:50A MWF), a survey of Armenian literature in translation; and Armenian Studies
108B, Armenian History II (9:30-10:45A TTh), which will look at the modern
history of the Armenian people.
Finally, renowned dance instructor Tom Bozigian will offer a one-unit course
on Armenian Dance. The class will meet Friday and Saturday, February 2 & 3,
2007. The class begins at 5:00PM Friday. This class is open to all in the
community, with a fee of $75.
Contact the Armenian Studies Program at 559-278-2669 with any questions
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PRESS RELEASE
Humanist Broadcasting Foundation
Annelies de Korver
p.o. Box 135, 1200 AC HILVERSUM, the Netherlands
tel.: 00 31 35-6722035
email: [email protected]
web:
The Humanist Broadcasting Foundation is happy to tell you that Dorothée
Forma is awarded for her documentary The Story of my Name- an Armenian
History – at the Arpa International Film Festival in Hollywood.
Kind regards,
Cora van Dijk
Humanist Broadcasting Foundation
Tel 00 31 35 672 20 61
AMERICAN FILM AWARD FOR HUMANIST BROADCASTING FOUNDATION
Los Angeles, October 27, 2006
Dorothée Forma is awarded for The Story of my Name- an Armenian History – at
the Arpa International Film Festival in Hollywood.
>From the festival jury rapport:
The AFFMA film award is given to the filmmaker who best represents the
ideals of independent thought, artistic vision, cultural diversity and
social understanding.
This year, the AFFMA award is presented to Dorothée Forma, film producer for
the Humanist Broadcasting Foundation in The Netherlands.
Ms. Forma¹s documentary ³A Wall of Silence² screened at the 2nd Arpa
International Film Festival in 1999. That film paralleled the personal and
professional lives of Turkish historian Taner Akçam and Armenian historian
Vahakn Dadrian and their call for international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.
This year, Arpa honors her for ³The story of My Name², a film documenting
Alex Peltekian¹s discovery of his cultural ancestry and his journey to his
grandfather¹s homeland.
³The Story of my Name² was produced with support of the Dutch Cultural
Broadcasting Fund
More Information:
Annelies de Korver, tel.: 00 31 35-6722035; [email protected]
p.o. Box 135, 1200 AC HILVERSUM, the Netherlands
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ZAKARYAN CLAIMS ARMENIA TO BE LOST IN THE REGION
Panorama.am
15:31 04/11/06
Stepan Zakaryan, secretary of Armenian Democratic Party and member
of Justice Alliance, raised a rhetoric question today in a press
conference asking on what money the defense minister lays water
pipe lines in villages when Azerbaijan increases its military budget
four times.
Zakaryan is also interested in the geopolitical processes in Armenia
saying, “We will be lost if it continues like this. Everything is
sold. We cannot become a factor in the region,” Zakaryan said.
He says Armenia fails to take the advantage of the conflict among
Iran, Russia and USA. He said it is the failure of the Armenian
authorities that the gas pipeline between Armenia and Iran did not
become transit. He said instead authorities are engaged in distributing
election bribes at the doors of elections.

JUSTICE BLOCK SAYS IT IS NOT JUDGE OF CRU
Panorama.am
15:41 04/11/06
The leadership of Constitutional Right Union (CRU) have reportedly
sold their places at the election committees and received sums of
money against the serice. However, Justice block member, Stepan
Zakaryan, said they are not judges of CRU. He said every party in
the alliance is responsible for its places at the committees. He
said Justice block will not participate in the same composition
at the parliamentary elections. “Time and situation have changed,”
he said. As a secretary of Armenian Democratic Party (ADP), Zakaryan
said ADP will cooperate with such political forces that will promote
independence of Armenia. He sees no borders of cooperation with the
party led by Tigran Karapetyan.
Commenting on Karapetyan’s recent statement that Jesus Christ
was the biggest political figure, Zakaryan said, “It is
ignorance”.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VARDAN OSKANIAN COMMENTS ON TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH GUL’S RECENT REMARKS
Panorama.am
16:44 04/11/06
“We remain amazed that a letter sent by President Kocharian to Prime
Minister Erdogan in April 2005 remains ignored, simply because the
Turkish authorities did not like the response contained therein,
and do not wish to broaden the scope of discussion beyond history.
President Kocharian clearly said to Prime Minister Erdogan that the
“suggestion to address the past cannot be effective if it deflects
from addressing the present and the future. In order to engage in
a useful dialog, we need to create the appropriate and conducive
political environment. It is the responsibility of governments to
develop bilateral relations and we do not have the right to delegate
that responsibility to historians. That is why we have proposed and
propose again that, without pre-conditions, we establish normal
relations between our two countries.” In that context, President
Kocharian said, “an intergovernmental commission can meet to discuss
any and all outstanding issues between our two nations, with the aim
of resolving them and coming to an understanding.”
Foreign Minister Gul’s recent comments to RadioLiberty, insisting that
the existence of flights between Armenia and Turkey, and of Armenian
citizens in Turkey, is evidence that ‘the borders are essentially open’
is disingenuous. First, the number of Armenians from Armenia living and
working in Turkey do not approach the numbers he claims. Second, open
borders assumes direct contacts between peoples, unobstructed relations
across the border and a functioning transport infrastructure. We
stand by our response which we consider to be a positive one and
we wonder whether the Turkish insistence on a historical commission
is genuine. After all, we have in fact agreed to discussions on all
issues, in the context of open borders.
Further, so long as Article 301 which criminalizes mere discussion
of the genocide topic remains on the books in Turkey, an invitation
to open dialogue cannot be taken seriously. Finally, outside Turkey,
scholars – Armenians, Turks and others – have studied these issues
and have reached their own independent conclusions. The most notable
among these is the May 2006 letter to Prime Minister Erdogan by the
International Assn of Genocide Scholars wherein they collectively and
unanimously affirmed the fact of the Genocide and called on the Turkish
government to acknowledge the responsibility of a previous government.
In light of these complex realities, we can only repeat our readiness
to enter into dialogue and normal relations with our neighbor”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REGULAR INTRIGUE
Aram Abrahamian
Aravot, Armenia
Nov 3 2006
If our nowadays authorities have omitted in several political and
economic fields, we may surely say that they are excellent in carrying
on intrigues and gossips. In comparison with them Machiavellian
was simply a child of nursery school. It is known that the lack of
intellect is made up by slyness, and the sly ruler can swindle easily
a dozen officials.
Slyness considers some settlements, which assist in strengthening the
authority. What is easier; to raise the minimal salary, for example,
100 thousand Drams to provide people’s dignified life or not to allow
any TV Company to tell about the real life. If you can’t subdue the
truth, you subdue the mirror, which reflects it. Or what is easier
to form a vital political system where the projects and ideas will
rival or to destroy opposition parties with the help of intrigues to
make the selection among 2,5 pro-authority groups. The first isn’t
only difficult but it isn’t also profitable for the authorities.
The representatives of the ruling clique know very well the power
of human small passion: vanity and mercenariness and they use that
power to destroy the parties. Communist Party and NDU were destroyed
in that way, which was a serious blow to the political system
of Armenia. Communist Party is a party with its ideology and that
ideology was capable to unify certain strata of our society. Nowadays
communistic parties have no power. And the separation of NDU Party
caused to the fact that one of our famous politicians; Vaszgen
Manoukian is produced as expert who make right analyses but not as
the leader of political power.
Now it’s time for Constitutional Right Union. The explanations of
both sides aren’t complete and it is difficult to understand what they
want. But it is obvious that the current situation is profitable for
the authorities.
I didn’t speak about it if “Iravunq” newspaper, one of the oldest and
popular newspaper of Armenia wouldn’t find itself under danger. I’d
like our partners to solve this problem and don’t include this dispute
in the inter party dispute. All readers and our press will only gain.

RUSSIAN RENOWNED ACTORS IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
14:27 04/11/06
People’s actor of Russia, Sergei Shakurov, thinks he is an actor of
theater, Shakurov told a news conference today in Yerevan. He said
he is just earning money in films. “I do not play in soap operas,
though,” he proudly noted. In his words, it is a completely different
life on the stage where you get inspired for two hours.
Shakurov and people’s artist of USSR Ludmila Gurchenko brought a
comedy to Yerevan. Shakurov said Gurchenko found the play saying,
“It is very light and there is a place for improvisation.”
Shakurov’s wife is an Armenian, so he often visits Yerevan to visit
his wife’s relatives.

ARTICLE 301 SUMMIT WITH CIVIL SOCIETY
By Abdulhamit Bilici, Isa Sezen
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 5 2006
Turkey’s business world and professional organizations have taken
action to prevent any possible interruption in Turkey’s European
Union membership process.
Leading non-governmental organizations in the country are preparing
to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the
controversial Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code.
More than 10 institutions, including the Turkish Union of Chambers
and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen
Association (TUSIAD), HAK-IS, and IKV have reached a consensus on what
should be done about Article 301. The group began a study 15 days ago
as Turkey’s EU process is reaching a critical stage over this issue.
The 10-page joint document, revised by jurists, will be submitted
to Prime Minister Erdogan today. The document suggests a revision of
the article in accordance with international standards, rather than
an abolishment.
After intensive negotiations before reaching a final consensus, TOBB
Chairman Rifat Hisarciklioglu said that the document would make an
important contribution to the problem’s solution.
While representatives from some institutions stressed that Article
301 should be changed in accordance with international norms, other
organizations insisted on the abolishment of the article.
Representatives will visit Erdogan today and submit the document.
Turkey’s chief negotiator Ali Babacan and Justice Minister Cemil
Cicek will also be available during this meeting.
Article 301 gained wide-spread notoriety after criminal lawsuits were
filed against novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak for “insulting
Turkishness.” Both cases ended in the acquittal of the novelists.
A criminal charge under the Turkish Penal Code, the article has
been used by some lawyers who take issue with what some writers and
journalists have written or said; especially about Turkey’s ‘Kurdish
question’ or an Armenian genocide.

ANALYSIS: TURKEY AND THE EU DRIFT APART
By Benjamin Harvey
Washington Post
The Associated Press
Nov 5 2006
ISTANBUL, Turkey — The cautious courtship between Turkey and
the European Union looks like it might be headed for a messy and
acrimonious breakup.
They were a mismatched couple from the beginning: one wealthy, mostly
Christian and liberal, the other far poorer, overwhelmingly Muslim and
largely conservative. Perhaps it’s no surprise the initial optimism
over Turkey’s bid to join the bloc has deteriorated into mutual
recriminations and a seemingly hopeless inability to communicate.
The mood is likely to worsen after Wednesday when the EU releases
a progress report on Turkey’s bid which says Ankara is dragging its
feet on reform and failing to meet minimum human rights standards,
according to a draft copy viewed by The Associated Press.
The consequences of worsening relations between Turkey and the EU
could be dramatic and far-reaching: At stake is an ambitious vision
of bringing a Muslim nation into European society, proving that a
clash of civilizations between the West and Islam is not inevitable.
Many analysts say that is why negotiations are likely to continue
for the foreseeable future, with neither side committing to a clean
split that would send the message to Muslims everywhere that the West
is not prepared to deal with them on equal footing.
“Of course I support the EU (bid),” said Bayram Kapici, a 38-year-old
security guard in Istanbul. “But the question is, what will our place
in the EU be? I mean, we’re Muslims. Are we barbarians? How will they
see us?”
For the moment, enthusiasm toward Turkey’s bid has cooled dramatically
on both sides, and Turkish leaders’ passionate claims it could
bridge the gap between Europe and the Muslim world are starting to
ring hollow.
Turkish public support for membership has fallen below 50 percent,
and many believe that perceived insults from the EU _ in the form
of frequent criticism and seemingly endless demands for reform _
play directly into the hands of nationalists and Islamists who are
largely opposed to the bid.
Europeans, meanwhile, have a litany of complaints about Turkey,
including its poor record on human rights, intolerance to free speech
and hardline attitudes toward adultery and homosexuality.
Many Europeans also say Turkey has refused to look objectively at its
past, notably the massacre of Armenians after World War I that many
historians call a genocide. Turkey acknowledges that large numbers
of Armenians died, but says the overall figure is inflated and that
the deaths occurred in the civil unrest during the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire.
Many Turks fault the country’s old rivals Greece and Cyprus for the
growing acrimony, claiming they are lobbying the EU to take a hard
line over Turkey’s refusal to open its ports to planes and ships
from the Greek-speaking part of Cyprus. Turkey does not recognize
the Cypriot government and props up the internationally unrecognized
administration in the north of the island.
A last-ditch meeting last week to settle the Cyprus issue was canceled,
leaving the Turks with very little time to negotiate before the EU’s
year-end deadline to concede or see talks suspended.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in remarks released Sunday that
the standoff over Cyprus was “very serious.” Asked if the talks
would be frozen, she said: “The EU cannot simply carry on. Turkey
must understand that there will be no simple ‘carry on’ if there is
no movement” on Cyprus.
If talks collapse, the symbolic value of having an overwhelmingly
Muslim, democratic nation firmly integrated into the West would be
lost. Turkey’s 71 million citizens, taught to look to Europe for
inspiration since the secular Turkish state was founded in the 1920s,
might look elsewhere for positive reinforcement.
The Islamic countries of the Middle East, Central Asia and North
Africa, with which Turkey’s Islamic-rooted government has been forging
increasingly close ties, could be natural surrogates.
“Nationalists are benefiting from this, there’s no question about it,”
said pollster and political science professor Hakan Yilmaz.
But many Turks feel that a complete breakup with the EU is out of
the question.
Yilmaz said many EU leaders were just playing to the crowd by publicly
belittling Turkey.
“Some in the European Union public love this humiliation _ particularly
in France,” he said, alluding to a proposed French law that would
make it a crime to deny the Turkish genocide of Armenians.
Meanwhile, some leading politicians on both sides are trying to
make the relationship so miserable that Turkey will just walk away
on its own, said Ilter Turan, a political analyst at Istanbul Bilgi
University.
Turan said, however, the government would be excoriated by the Turkish
public if it walked away from the EU, despite the current anti-EU
mood in the country.
The key question appears to be how to persuade Turkey to reform
without damaging national pride.
“There is one thing where the Turkish public seems to be rather
adamant,” Turan said. “If there is to be a union, it is to be on
equal grounds.”
___
Associated Press Writer Stephen Graham contributed to this report
from Berlin.

TURKEY OFFERS TO AMEND DRACONIAN LAW
Al-Jazeera, Qatar
Nov 5 2006
The Turkish prime minister says he is ready to amend a law used to
prosecute writers, including Nobel prizewinner Orhan Pamuk, in an
attempt to head off a crisis with the EU.
“We are ready for proposals to make article 301 more concrete if there
are problems stemming from it being vague,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan was
quoted by state-run Anatolian news agency as saying on Sunday.
“In order to prevent a violation of freedoms … we are studying
several options for how we can handle article 301 in harmony with
the spirit of the [EU-oriented] reforms,” he said.
The article has raised questions in Europe about the country’s
commitment to freedom of speech.
The government has been split, some fearing an amendment would
lessen the centre-right government’s chances of harnessing the rising
nationalist vote in general elections next year.
Article 301
The European Commission is expected to lecture Ankara over judicial
action against journalists, scholars and writers for expressing
peaceful opinions in a progress report on November 8 on Turkey’s
European Union accession process.
The EU says article 301, which makes it a crime to insult Turkish
national identity, unfairly restricts freedom of expression and must
be changed.
It has recently been used to bring charges against Pamuk, later
dropped, and to convict journalist Hrant Dink for articles about the
mass killing of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey.
With elections in November 2007, Erdogan’s scope for more reforms has
narrowed, especially given rising euroscepticism among Turks weary
of EU demands and suspicious that the bloc does not really want to
take in their large Muslim nation.