Month: November 2006

149 BREAKS OF ABOUT 6 MLN DRAMS FIXED AT SOCIAL SERVICE TERRITORIAL AGENCIES OF ARMENIA IN 2006
Noyan Tapan
Nov 01 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. 149 files involving breaches
were found out as a result of controls implemented this year at
14 territorial agencies of the Social Service of Armenia. Vahan
Baghdasarian, the Chief of the Control and Social Monitoring Department
of the RA Ministry of Labour and Social Issues stated about it at
the November 1 press conference. He mentioned that the majority of
fixed breaches, 83 ones, are provided by false references presented
by local self-government bodies, in the consequence of what the size
of damage to the state budget made 721 thousand drams. V.Baghdasarian
mentioned that 26 breaches of non-addressed appointment and payment of
family benefit and one-off financial aid of 2 mln 919 thousand drams
(about 6.7 thousand U.S. dollars) were also fixed. In V.Baghdasarian’s
words, as of September 1, the money subject to exacting back made 5
mln 889 thousand 500 drams. V.Baghdasarian mentioned that as a result
of controls held at 10 territorial centers of the RA Social Insurance
State Fund, breaches were found in documents of 81 pensioners. In his
words, about 2.3 mln drams more and about 200 thousand drams incomplete
payments were fixed. V.Baghdasarian mentioned as an example that as
a result of the control of assurance of necessary documents being
a basis for appointing and recalculating the pension at the Talin
territorial center on social insurance, false references were found
out in files of 6 pensioners which were given by the Talin territorial
representation of the RA National Archives.
From: Baghdasarian

RA CITIZENS ARRESTED WITH ACCUSATION OF VIOLATING GEORGIAN BORDER RELEASED
Noyan Tapan
Nov 01 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. All RA citizens arrested with
the accusation of violating Russian-Georgian border were released
thanks to the efforts of RA Foreign Ministry. NT correspondent was
informed about it by Vladimir Karapetian, Acting Spokesperson of RA
Foreign Ministry. He did not clarify the details. To recap, several
dozens of RA citizens were arrested two months ago in Georgia with
the accusation of violating Russian-Georgian border, for which a
fine of about 2 thousand dollars is established by Georgian Criminal
Code’s Article 334, part 2 and imprisonment of 3-5 years is determined
for its recurrence. In the given case, RA citizens entered Abkhazia
and South Ossetia from Russia. The “circumstantial evidence” was the
seal on entrance and departure in their passports, which was evidence
of visits to the above mentioned territories and became a basis for
Georgian law enforcement bodies to arrest RA citizens.

MILAN STATE COUNCIL CALLS FOR MAKING RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE PRECONDITION OF TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP TO EU
Noyan Tapan
Nov 01 2006
MILAN, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. On October 26, Italian Regional
Council of Milan approved the proposal on recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. This was informed by RA FM official web-site,
which reminds that the Council of the city of Milan had recognized
the Armenian Genocide as early as in 1997. The document calls on
the Italian government, Prime Minister, all political forces, public
and especially youth to make recognition of the Armenian Genocide by
Turkey as a precondition for the latter’s joining EU.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
31-10-2006
Armen Liloyan Appointed Consul General in Los Angeles
Armen Liloyan has been appointed by Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
to serve as Consul General in Los Angeles.
Armen Liloyan was born in Yerevan in 1971. He graduated from the
Faculty of Oriental Studies of Yerevan State University, and received
his Master’s degree from the London Diplomatic Academy.
The newly-appointed Consul General joined the Ministry in 1995. He
worked in the European Department. From 1998 to 2002, he served
at the Armenian Embassy in Great Britain. Since 2002, he had been
head of the European Union Division of the European Department and
was instrumental in the process of developing Armenia’s Action Plan
within the European Neighborhood Policy.

MOSCOW PRESSES FOR CFE TREATY RATIFICATION IN RUN-UP TO NATO AND OSCE SUMMITS
by Vladimir Socor
Eurasia Daily Monitor — The Jamestown Foundation
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 — Volume 3, Issue 201
On his October 25-26 official visit to Moscow, NATO Secretary-General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer successfully resisted demands by Russian
officials for prompt ratification of the adapted Treaty on Conventional
Forces in Europe (CFE) by NATO countries. Russia hopes to induce
some governments in the alliance to proceed with ratification of the
1999-adapted treaty despite Moscow’s ongoing breaches of certain treaty
provisions and of the 1999 Istanbul Commitments, which together with
the CFE Treaty form a package approved at that year’s OSCE summit.
By calling for ratification during de Hoop Scheffer’s visit,
Moscow is signaling that it plans to raise this issue at the OSCE’s
upcoming year-end ministerial conference in Brussels on December
3-4, hoping to break the linkage between ratification of the CFE
Treaty and fulfillment of Russia’s Istanbul Commitments regarding
the South Caucasus and Moldova. The Kremlin apparently even hopes
to talk the alliance into loosening that linkage in the communique
of NATO’s upcoming summit in Riga at the end of November. Russia is
eager for ratification of the adapted treaty in order to extend its
applicability to the territories of the three Baltic states, which
are not covered by the existing treaty’s ceilings on force deployments.
Moscow’s main argument — as presented during de Hoop Scheffer’s visit
— claims that Russia has fulfilled all of its 1999 obligations by
signing the agreements with Georgia to close the Batumi and Akhalkalaki
bases and withdraw the Russian troops stationed there by the end
of 2008. During de Hoop Scheffer’s visit, President Vladimir Putin
signed into law on October 26 the Russian parliament’s ratification
of the March 31 agreement with Georgia on closure and withdrawal from
those two Russian bases (Itar-Tass, October 26).
However, de Hoop Scheffer raised the issue of Russia’s noncompliance
with its 1999 commitment to withdraw its forces from Moldova. Russian
media purported to quote him as urging Moscow to withdraw just the
arsenals from Moldova in order to clear the way for ratification of
the CFE Treaty (Interfax, October 26, 27). Such Russian media reports
would seem to be misquoting de Hoop Scheffer. In fact, NATO’s official
collective position calls for withdrawal of Russian troops, as well
as the arsenals, from Moldova. This position, with emphasis on troop
withdrawal, is enshrined in NATO’s communique at its latest summit
in Istanbul in 2004 and subsequent communiques, as well as documents
endorsed by NATO countries collectively at the OSCE.
During the NATO leader’s visit, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
hinted that Moscow might initiate procedures for abandoning the
existing CFE Treaty, which was signed in 1990 and is currently in
force. Notably dropping the standard reference to the treaty as a
“cornerstone of security in Europe,” Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr
Grushko described that treaty as “out of touch with reality” and
warranting either revision or an exit from it (Russian MFA press
release, October 25).
For their part, a group of Duma leaders meeting with de Hoop Scheffer
warned that they might delay the ratification of the Status-of-Forces
Agreement — the legal basis for a host of NATO-Russia common
activities, intended to be held on Russian territory — if NATO
countries delay ratification of the adapted CFE Treaty. Such insolvent
warnings are political in nature, targeting a few governments in
NATO that might for reasons of their own accommodate Russia in
Europe’s East.
Russia takes the position that it has completed the fulfillment of
the 1999 agreements regarding the South Caucasus and Moldova and that
those agreements did not constitute obligations in the first place.
Thus, Moscow describes its agreement with Georgia on troop withdrawal
until 2008 as a purely bilateral matter, the resolution of which
should precipitate the ratification of the CFE Treaty by NATO
countries. Irrespective of such phrasing and despite the delay
during all these years, the agreement with Georgia does constitute
long-awaited progress toward fulfillment of one aspect of the 1999
Istanbul Commitments.
However, Russia remains in breach of the original and adapted treaty
and the Istanbul Commitments on the following counts:
*Retention of the Gudauta base in Georgia, which was to have been
closed down in 2001 under the Istanbul Commitments;
*Troops unlawfully stationed in Moldova despite those same Commitments;
*Treaty-banned weaponry (“unaccounted-for treaty-limited equipment”)
handed over by the Russian military to their local allies in
Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Karabakh (including
Armenian-held territory in Azerbaijan beyond Karabakh); and
*Stationing Russian troops including so-called peacekeepers in
conflict areas without the “host-country consent,” such consent being
fundamental to both the existing and the adapted CFE Treaty.
Thus, there is no case for NATO countries to take any steps toward
ratifying the adapted CFE Treaty at the NATO summit or the OSCE’s
year-end conference, in view of Russia’s ongoing breaches on multiple
counts.
(See EDM, May 17, 22, June 12)
–Vladimir Socor
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
MEDIA ADVISORY
October 31, 2006
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]
RE: Journey for Humanity Activists to End March in Washington, DC
Washington, DC – A group of Armenian-American activists who are walking
3,000 miles cross-country to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide
and other crimes against humanity, will conclude their march this week
in Washington, DC.
The Journey for Humanity walk began four months ago in Los Angeles, CA
with the support of the Armenian Assembly of America. Since then, the
marchers have crossed a dozen states and held rallies in several major
cities to promote the mission of the Journey, honor the victims and
survivors of all genocidal acts and advance the cause of genocide
prevention.
In Washington, the Armenian Student Network of George Washington
University and others will host a discussion on genocide in today’s
world featuring the Journey for Humanity team and Sam Bell and Mark
Hanis of the Genocide Intervention Network. The event will be held on
Sunday, November 5 at 3:00 pm at the Marvin Center, Continental Ballroom
at George Washington University. Representatives the Save Darfur
coalition, the American Islamic Congress, Citizens for Global Solutions
and the Genocide Intervention Network will also be on hand. All are
welcome. For more information, please contact Karinne’ Hovnanian at
[email protected].
To learn more about Journey for Humanity, visit their Web site at
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
###
NR#2006-095

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206
Tel: 818-243-6222
Fax: 818-243-7222
Url:
PRESS RELEASE
Contact ~ Sarkis Kotanjian
[email protected]
Andre Set to Perform Live During Armenia Fund’s Telethon 2006
Los Angeles, CA – Armenia Fund is proud to announce 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, 8:00AM-8:00PM PST.
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 Karabakh.
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 Karabakh. 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 “Karabakh” touring regions of Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh. 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.
Stay tuned for more Telethon 2006 entertainment news.
Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since
1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $160 million in development aid to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region
affiliate of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Brown, Poochigian still lashing out
Despite an uneven race, the rivals for attorney general trade barbs
in L.A. news conferences.
By Eric Bailey, Times Staff Writer
November 1, 2006
SACRAMENTO — One is the son of a Fresno County farmer, the other
the progeny of a dynastic political family.
Dissimilarities etch the lives and policy positions of Republican
state Sen. Chuck Poochigian and his Democratic opponent in the campaign
for state attorney general, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, the mercurial
former California governor and frequent presidential aspirant.
The pair has waged this election season’s most clamorous battle.
They’ve accused each other of flip-flops befitting a big-time
wrestling match. Crime-fighting chops and character questions have
become central themes in the contest to command the 1,100 attorneys
in the state’s Department of Justice.
In the homestretch, the 68-year-old Brown has ridden his status as
a venerable political celebrity to a healthy lead – 15 points among
likely voters in the most recent public polls.
But in Poochigian the GOP has a campaigner who vows to stay on the
attack until election day, Tuesday, despite dwindling funds for
advertising and a reputation as a nice guy reluctant to throw mud.
“I remain convinced I’m going to win,” the Fresno Republican says.
Brown has spent his two mayoral terms attempting to recast his image
as a crime fighter more interested in fixing public infrastructure
than tilting at political windmills. Now he vows to be a “practical”
and “common sense” attorney general.
“I love the law,” he said. “And I think the law is being undermined.
We need to strengthen our Western legal tradition, emphasize the
norms that give our society identity, structure.”
On Tuesday, Brown and Poochigian brought their campaigns to Los
Angeles for dueling news conferences almost within earshot of one
another.
Brown appeared with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief
William J. Bratton, adding the two high-profile leaders to his list of
endorsements His experience as a former governor and Oakland mayor,
Villaraigosa said, makes Brown “somebody who knows the needs of city
police departments.”
Minutes later, Poochigian held an impromptu news conference on a
nearby street corner, repeating his criticism of Brown’s credentials
for attorney general amid a sharp rise in Oakland’s murder rate.
Poochigian highlighted his own endorsements from the California Peace
Officers Assn. and the California State Sheriff’s Assn., among others
For months, Poochigian has hit Brown with accusations new and three
decades old. He portrays Brown as a flaky extremist, a man long
opposed to the death penalty who has watched over a stratospheric
murder spike this year in Oakland.
In turn, Brown has characterized Poochigian as a hard-right fanatic
who opposed a ban on high-powered sniper rifles and fought the
state’s successful 2004 ballot measure to publicly fund stem cell
research, frequently sides against environmental interests and
opposes abortion rights.
But around the Capitol, Poochigian is better known for collegiality
than ideology. Friends say he’s as consistent as his favorite
breakfast cereal: oatmeal
His grandparents fled the Armenian genocide and the family eventually
settled amid the grape fields of Fresno County. Poochigian, 57, grew
up in Lone Star, a speck of a farm community along the railroad
tracks southeast of Fresno.
After attending Cal State Fresno and law school, Poochigian became
a business lawyer He broke into politics in 1978, volunteering for
George Deukmejian’s successful attorney general campaign, then became
a gubernatorial aide to the conservative Deukmejian and later to Gov.
Pete Wilson.
In private life, Poochigian has survived a few rough patches.
Around the time he first ventured into politics, he lost more than
$100,000 in a failed business deal in Gusher Oil Co., a firm that
drilled mostly in Texas. He and his partners were sued for nonpayment
of a loan. It was “a bad investment,” he says today, that cost him more
than his share to settle debts owed by a few investors who walked away.
Among his partners in Gusher Oil was attorney Richard Wyrick.
Poochigian rented his first office from the older man. When a Wyrick
agricultural partnership was sued in 1983 in a dispute over $150,000
in rent on a farm, Poochigian represented him, settling the lawsuit.
Wyrick later ran afoul of the law and is serving a six-year sentence
in Soledad state prison for pilfering clients’ trust funds.
“I haven’t talked to or seen that guy in 20 years,” Poochigian said.
“I didn’t even know he was in prison.”
After years as a respected gubernatorial staffer, Poochigian ran for
the Assembly in 1994 and won easily. He moved to the Senate in 1998,
earning plaudits as a straight shooter who rarely strayed from the
conservative cause.
During his tenure, he has backed tougher penalties for sexual
predators, gun-toting felons and identity thieves. He also has
opposed legislative efforts to roll back the state’s three-strikes
law.
Throughout his career, Poochigian got rock-bottom scores from
environmental groups but was tops with the California Chamber of
Commerce and the state Farm Bureau. Answering attacks from Brown over
his opposition to the stem cell ballot measure, Poochigian says it
was on fiscal grounds.
Helping crime victims and upholding the death penalty are his top
priorities.
A recent morning found Poochigian on the steps of the Capitol,
surrounded by leaders of the victims rights movement. Harriet
Salarno, president of Crime Victims United, applauded Poochigian’s
“unwavering record of support” and railed against Brown, who as
governor signed a bill expanding the rights of prisoners but opposed
a bill of rights for crime victims.
“Victims of crime have been a primary inspiration driving my
candidacy,” Poochigian said. “My opponent has consistently fallen on
the wrong side of the fence.”
Brown was born into California political royalty. Pat Brown, his
father, was attorney general and governor during the 1950s and ’60s,
and his sister, Kathleen, served as state treasurer and ran for
governor.
After a stint in seminary school, Brown attended Yale Law School. He
won statewide office at 32, becoming secretary of state. He was
governor at 36 and launched the first of three presidential runs
before he was 40.
As governor, Brown jousted with the medfly put death penalty
antagonist Rose Bird on the state Supreme Court and saw his veto of a
capital punishment bill overridden by the Legislature. But he
presided at a time when criminal recidivism was a fraction of its
current level.
His quirky style attracted as much attention as his policies. Brown
renounced the governor’s mansion for a floor mattress in a rented
apartment, dated singer Linda Ronstadt and acquired the nickname Gov.
Moonbeam.
After a last failed presidential bid in 1992, Brown had his own Bay
Area talk radio program. Executions by lethal injection, he
proclaimed to his listeners, put the state at risk of seeming akin to
Hitler’s Germany. He called corporate America “an out-of-control
Frankenstein.”
During two terms at Oakland City Hall, Brown again has proved his
consistent inconsistency. He embraced capitalism and served as head
cheerleader for an urban housing boom in downtown Oakland. He pushed
for more cops and lobbied for curfews on parolees and probationers.
Felonies in the city of 412,000 fell from an annual average of about
40,000 in previous decades to about 28,000 on Brown’s watch.
Poochigian supporters say that’s spin. After an initial dip, crime
has jumped during Brown’s second term, peaking this year. So far in
2006, Oakland has been hit by 124 homicides, more than double the
mayor’s first year in office.
Foes in Oakland say Brown’s redevelopment agenda priced poor people
out of housing. Meanwhile, the city’s deficit-stricken school
district succumbed to a state takeover despite Brown’s intervention.
And his relationship with some black leaders was icy from the start.
He was embraced by the real estate sector, which gave him roughly 20%
of the more than $6 million he has raised for the attorney general
race. Topping Brown’s donor list are developers who won city approval
for big construction projects, sometimes weeks after giving to his
campaign.
Brown insists he feels no obligation to his donors. As for the poor,
Brown said, 2,400 affordable housing units were built or planned on
his watch, a 30% increase over the 1990s. The rise in crime this
year, he notes, mirrors a trend in neighboring Richmond and even San
Francisco, across the bay.
The proof of his potency as a crime fighter, Brown said, is that
“police in my city endorse me, and police in his city don’t endorse
him. In fact, they endorse me”
But to Poochigian and his supporters, Brown is a “fictional crime
fighter” and a flip-flopper.
“At the core, Jerry Brown has no fixed principals,” charged Ken
Khachigian, Poochigian’s campaign strategist.
In the 1992 presidential race, Brown was criticized for having served
as a $20,000-a-year board director for the firm of Milan Panic, a
wealthy biomedical executive and longtime contributor. Panic’s firm
had agreed to pay a $400,000 government penalty for falsely promoting
an AIDS drug. Brown also acknowledged that he telephoned Rep. Henry
A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) in a bid to help resolve Panic’s dispute
with the government over the drug.
Brown downplays the episode and calls Panic “an outstanding
individual and friend of mine.”
Poochigian’s campaign team also cites Brown’s three-decade
relationship with Jacques Barzaghi, a tattooed former French soldier
and the Democrat’s political factotum since statehouse days.
After a female co-worker accused Barzaghi of sexual harassment, the
Oakland city manager suspended him for three weeks without pay. Brown
questioned the credibility of Barzaghi’s accuser, a mother of three.
It was three more years before Brown fired his trusted advisor after
Barzaghi’s 30-year-old wife told police he had tried to push her down
the stairs during a domestic dispute.
“I handled that fine,” Brown said. “Would I do anything different?
Nothing that comes to mind.”
[email protected]
Times staff writer Duke Helfand contributed to this report.
s/cal/la-me-attygen1nov01,0,4359106
.story?coll=la -center-politics-cal

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
01-11-2006
Minister Oskanian Participates in the 15th Meeting
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council of Ministers
Minister Oskanian was in Moscow, participating at the 15th meeting
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council of Ministers. Russia
has held the presidency of that organization since April 2006.
In his statement at the meeting, Minister Oskanian stressed that
there are more commonalities among BSEC members than differences,
and despite the bilateral problems that exist, the positive elements
must and can override these differences in order to allow for a
harmonious environment in which to work and to settle political
issues. He pointed out that in the realm of creating a transport ring,
the efforts by some members to resort to a policy of exclusion and
not include certain members by circumventing or ignoring existing
transport means is unacceptable for members of the same organization.
Finally, the Minister noted that in light of Bulgaria and Romania
joining the EU next year, this makes, with Greece, three BSEC members
who are simultaneously members of the EU, and thus provides new
opportunities for BSEC ~V EU cooperation taking into consideration
both overlapping interests and overlapping memberships.
Further, Minister suggested that in preparation for the organization’s
15th anniversary and the Summit to be held in Istanbul, the time is
right to study the accumulated experiences and the new challenges,
and to make the necessary modification and institutional changes to
become more effective.
As a result of the meeting, a Joint declaration was passed and the
presidency of BSEC was passed on to Serbia.
Within the framework of the BSEC meeting, Minister Oskanian met with
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. They discussed bilateral issues, as
well as regional matters, and the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process.
Earlier in the day, Minister Oskanian had also met with Georgian
Foreign Minister Gela Bezuashvili. The two ministers discussed
Armenian-Georgian relations, as well as the effect of Russian-Georgian
relations on the region, and prospects for reduction of tensions.
The Ministers discussed the upcoming meeting in Brussels with the
EU leadership at which time, the European Neighborhood Action Plan
will go into effect, and the two countries will be better able to
cooperate within Euro-integration processes.
Minister Oskanian and Minister Bezuashvili exchanged views on the
peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region, and in that context,
the prospects for alleviating the consequences of a GUAM initiative
within the UN.

California Courier Online, November 2, 2006
1 – Commentary
Turks Are Troubled by Probable Next
Speaker’s Pledge on Genocide Bill
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – Armenia Marriott Hotel Donates $2,500 to Project Discovery!
3 – Cal State Northridge Hosts Book
Presentation on Egyptian Armenians
4 – Diocese APN to
Host Journalist
Hrant Dink, Nov. 5
5- Mary Terzian Named in Best Books 2006 Award
6 – Balians Named Entrepreneurs
Of The Week in Micronesian Island
7 – 9th Annual Telethon Set to Air Internationally,
Nationwide on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23
8 – L.A. Element Band to Perform Nov. 12
At Fresno’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium
*************************************** ***************************
1 – Commentary
Turks Are Troubled by Probable Next
Speaker’s Pledge on Genocide Bill
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Just when Turkish officials are grappling with the devastating blow
of the French Parliament’s adoption of bill criminalizing the denial
of the Armenian Genocide, it appears likely that they will be
receiving a second blow shortly from the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is expected
to be the next Speaker of the House, should Democrats win the
majority in the House, issued an exclusive statement to this writer
last week pledging to support the passage of the Armenian Genocide
resolution in the next Congress.
She said: “I have supported legislation, including H.Res.316, that
would properly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. It is imperative
that the United States recognize this atrocity and move to renew our
commitment to eliminate genocide whenever and wherever it exists.
This effort enjoys strong bipartisan support in the House, and I will
continue to support these efforts in the 110th Congress.”
If the Democrats control the House after the November 7 elections,
Cong. Pelosi is slated to become House Speaker. As such, she would
control which bills come to the floor for a vote. Based on her
20-year record of staunch support for the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the House of Representatives, there is a high probability
that the Armenian Genocide resolution would finally get scheduled for
a vote in the House.
In contrast, the current Speaker, Dennis Hastert (R-IL), has
repeatedly blocked this resolution from coming to the floor since
October 2000. In July of 2004, following the adoption by the House of
an amendment recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Speaker Hastert
issued a blunt statement vowing to block any future consideration of
the Armenian Genocide Resolution by the full House. For his denialist
efforts, Speaker Hastert has received an “F” rating from the ANCA,
while Cong. Pelosi has consistently received an “A.”
Two weeks before Cong. Pelosi made her pledge to the
Armenian-American community, the Turkish Daily News had already
published an article headlined: “A Democratic victory in the US
congressional elections next month will mean more ‘Armenian Genocide’
trouble for Ankara.”
The Turkish article stated: “A Democratic triumph in the House, or
the Senate, will mean major problems for Turkey in its efforts to
stop genocide recognition. In the outgoing House, the International
Relations Committee in September 2005 approved a resolution for
genocide recognition, But House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a close Bush
ally, has never allowed a full floor vote. But if the Democrats win
in November, it will be Nancy Pelosi, a staunch supporter of Armenian
causes, who most probably will become the new speaker. In the event
of a Democratic victory in the House, pro-Armenian lawmakers will
definitely force a new legislation for genocide recognition shortly
after the new Congress takes office in January.
“Tom Lantos, presently the ranking Democratic member on the House
International Relations Committee, is most likely to lead the
committee. His position is not predictable. Lantos, a Holocaust
survivor, backed Turkey in 2000 but voted for the Armenian side last
year, voicing deep disappointment over what he saw as anti-American
Turkish policies in the Middle East. In any case, a strongly
supported genocide recognition resolution would easily pass the
International Relations Committee hurdles, and reach the full House
controlled by the pro-Armenian Pelosi, who in turn normally would be
expected to favor a quick floor vote. Analysts warn that Turkey is
doomed to lose any vote on any platform, so the key would be to avoid
voting. Would Bush, like Clinton did in 2000, intervene personally at
the last minute again to avoid a floor vote? Or would the Democrats
who hate Bush turn it into a major domestic policy showdown? The
answers are not clear at this point. The only certain thing is that
Turkey will have a major headache on Armenian-related matters in the
event of a Democratic victory in Congress,” the Turkish Daily News
wrote.
After Cong. Pelosi’s pledge, the Turkish Daily News published a
second article on Oct. 29, headlined: “Turkey’s ‘Democratic’ woes:
Ankara fears fallout from likely Democratic victory in U.S.
congressional elections on genocide.” The newspaper quoted an
anonymous Turkish diplomat in Washington (probably the Turkish
Ambassador in Washington), as saying: “I would never think that I
would be wishing a Republican win in the November 7 congressional
elections, but it’s ironic to see that a Democratic victory likely
will be even worse for Turkey.” The Turkish reporter then wrote that
after his earlier report of two weeks ago, Cong. Pelosi made a pledge
on the Armenian Genocide resolution to “a prominent U.S. Armenian
publisher” (yours truly). This confirmed the Turkish reporter’s worst
fears about the likely passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution in
the next Congress.
Another major Turkish publication, Hurriyet, featured a lengthy
analytical article on the same subject on Oct. 27, stating that the
election of a Democratic majority in the House on Nov. 7, would
likely create new storms in U.S.-Turkish relations due to the
Armenian issue. Hurriyet also referred to the statement released by
Cong. Pelosi to this writer, as evidence that things would be much
different (meaning worse) in the next Congress for Turkey.
Several other Turkish newspapers and websites also referred to Cong.
Pelosi’s statement with ominous predictions for Turkey. The Fresno
Bee published a more skeptical analysis. Referring to Cong. Pelosi’s
statement to this writer. The Bee wrote: “Armenian Americans are
accustomed to hearing election-year promises. Now they have another
one to mull over.” The article concluded by raising the prospect that
Cong. Pelosi “may be more willing than Hastert to embarrass the White
House on this issue.”
Let us hope that the Democrats would win the majority in the House on
Nov. 7, thus realizing the Turks’ worst nightmare! Nothing would be
more satisfying to most Armenian Americans than seeing Hastert lose
his “speakership” and become once again the lowly Congressman that he
used be. He would no longer be able to play sleazy political games
with the sacred memory of genocide victims.
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2 – Armenia Marriott Hotel Donates $2,500 to Project Discovery!
YEREVAN – Project Discovery! received a $2,500 donation from the
Armenia Marriott Hotel, the non-profit organization announced last
week.
Project Discovery!provides grants for archaeological research in
Armenia and for the preservation of Armenia’s historic and cultural
monuments.
In making the contribution, Alex Nurock, Director of Sales &
Marketing for the Hotel, said: “The Armenia Marriott Hotel is
pleased to be able to support Project Discovery! in its most
worthwhile efforts to discover and preserve Armenia’s cultural
legacy. We wish Project Discovery! continued success in its
endeavors.”
Project Discovery! president, Teryl Minasian Asher, expressed her
delight in being able to add the Armenia Marriott Hotel to the
growing list of individuals and organizations who recognize the
critically important nature of the work that Project Discovery! is
doing to preserve the archaeologically and historically significant
monuments of Armenia. “We are racing against time”, Asher commented.
“The forces of nature and economic development are working against
us. The Armenia Marriott Hotel’s very generous contribution will
enable us to move more quickly toward our goal of preserving the
monuments that embody Armenia’s legacy.”
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3 – Cal State Northridge Hosts Book
Presentation on Egyptian Armenians
NORTHRIDGE, CA – The Armenian Studies Program, in collaboration with
the Armenian Student Association at the California State University,
Northridge (CSUN) will host a book presentation with author Sona
Zeitlian ON Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. at CSUN’s Sierra Hall, Whitsette Room
451. The event will feature Zeitlian’s latest study on The Armenians
in Egypt: Contribution to Medieval and Modern Egypt,”
The book is the first attempt to present in English the continuous
presence of Armenians in Egypt from the Roman to Byzantine to modern
times. Part I charts the participation of Armenians in the fields of
political, military, economic and cultural life in the 11th-12th
centuries. Part II documents the achievement of Armenians in
leadership positions in the 19th-20th centuries. Part III is an
account of the contribution of Armenians to Egypt’s architecture,
painting, caricature, sculpture, photography, crafting, and designing
jewelry.
Zeitlian was born in Egypt. She has studied social sciences and
psychology at the American University in Cairo (AUC), and has taught
in community schools in Cairo, Beirut and Los Angeles. She has
worked as senior editor at the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica. In
1995 she was nominated to the Advisory Board of Gustav E. Von
Grunebaum Center of Near East Studies at UCLA. Zeitlian is the
author of several monographs and studies.
The public is cordially invited. Admission is free. Parking is
available in Lot B3 ($4.) on Darby Street (at Nordhoff Street
westbound, just before Reseda Avenue).
For further information, contact Prof. Vahram Shemmassian at (818)
677-3456 or [email protected].
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4 – Diocese APN to
Host Journalist
Hrant Dink, Nov. 5
BURBANK – The Armenian Professional Network of the Western Diocese
hosts an “Evening with Hrant Dink,” editor of the Turkish-Armenian
newspaper “Agos,” on Nov. 5 at 5 p.m.
Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Antranik Zorayan at the Arshag and Eleanor
Dickranian Diocesan Complex, 3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd., in Burbank.
The Mistress of Ceremonies will be Sylva Natalie Manoogian.
Admission is free.
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5 – Mary Terzian Named in Best Books 2006 Award
WHITTIER, Calif. – USA Book News announced its Best Books 2006 Awards
on Oct. 16, naming Mary Terzian, a Hacienda Heights, Calif. resident
and member of the Writers’ Club of Whittier, as the winner in the
Multicultural Non-Fiction category, for her first book The
Immigrants’ Daughter, published by Booklocker.com.
Terzian was previously awarded a PEN USA West, Rosenthal scholarship
in 2001, while her book was in progress; first prize in Literature in
the Armenian Allied Arts Association’s annual contests in 1992 and
1994; and recognition from various organizations for her writing (see
).
She is a distinguished speaker with a ready sense of humor. “My
Toastmasters Club was the back door entry to writing,” she chuckles.
Terzian, of Armenian descent, is fluent in English and calls herself
“an imported American.” She lived the first half of her life in
Egypt, and arrived in the United States in the 1960s, after spending
time in the Republics of Congo and Togo on assignment with the United
Nations, and in Lebanon. She is well traveled, sometimes running into
complex situations such as the demise of Khrushchev while visiting
the Soviet Union in 1964. She lived, studied and worked in New York
and Los Angeles, and took advantage of early retirement from a
left-brain occupation to pursue writing.
Her sideline activities include contributions to ethnic and American
newspapers, magazines, books and online publications. She held
several offices in professional and service organizations.
The Immigrants’ Daughter is the universal story of a displaced
family, victim to ethnic cleansing, going through the phases of
acculturation and adaptation with inherent problems of starting a new
life in a foreign country. It is “an easy read, not without its
humorous moments…” per one reader; “captivating, heartwarming and
unforgettable” per Richard R. Blake, in the August 2006 issue of the
Midwest Book Review; “a compelling memoir” per Susan Wittig Albert of
Story Circle Reviews; and “a fine job… reads more like a collection
of short stories…” per Danielle Feliciano of Reader Views. The book
has generated five-star ratings on Amazon.com. It is available in
paperback in regular or online stores and it is downloadable from the
publisher, Booklocker.com.
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6 – Balians Named
Entrepreneurs
Of Week in Saipan
By Walt F.J. Goodridge
Saipan Tribune, Micronesia
SAIPAN – Victory and Linda Balian have been named Saipanpreneuers of
the week by the Saipanpreneur Project.
They are the proud owners of the Golden Lobster Restaurant, located
on the Chalan Lay Lau end of Middle road.
Syrian-born Victor and his wife, Linda, originally from Iraq, are
proud US citizens who took over the restaurant in May of this year.
They will be changing the name of the restaurant very soon to the
Magic Lamp to reflect its new Mediterranean menu.
Victor came to Saipan in 1996 because of a job offer by a
construction company, and stayed there ever since.
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7 – 9th Annual Telethon Set to Air Internationally,
Nationwide on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23
LOS ANGELES – Armenia Fund United States Western Region announced
last week the domestic and international broadcast coverage lineup of
its upcoming 9th Annual International Telethon, on Thanksgiving Day,
Nov. 23.
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 war and years of neglect.
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 eight 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.
Nagorno-Karabagh President Arkady Ghoukasian, and Naira Melkoumian
Chief Executive Officer of Armenia Fund International will be present
during the telethon. The live program is set to air internationally
from Glendale Studios, California..
H1-Armenian Public Television will also air the live program in
Armenia, as well as on satellite in Europe, the Middle East, Asia,
and the United States. Viewers with a Globecast World TV satellite
may tune in to H1-Armenian Public Television and view the live 12-
hour program.
In addition, Horizon Armenian Television, the largest Diaspora based
Armenian cable and satellite network outside of Armenia will air the
telethon on its channel as well. Viewers in North America may watch
the Telethon on Horizon’s satellite channels. The Telethon will also
be webcast live for 12 hours on from 8am-8pm PST.
For detailed broadcast information, log on to
Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno
Karabagh. Since 1991, Armenia Fund has rendered more than $160
million in development aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
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8 – L.A. Element Band to Perform Nov. 12
At Fresno’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium
By Heran Kerashkenian
LOS ANGELES-Award winning Element Band, one of the hottest Armenian
groups around, will be performing at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in
Fresno on November 12 at 5 p.m. Veteran’s Memorial Hall is located at
2425 Fresno Street, Fresno.
Sponsored by the Armenian Technology Group (ATG), the concert
promises many surprises by a band that has taken Southern California
by storm.
The band’s premiere CD “Yev O Phe,” received the 2006 Armenian Music
Awards “Best Newcomer Album of The Year.” With the release of that
CD, Element has attracted an incredible mix of listeners: their fan
base spans not only three generations, but also transcends the
diverse musical preferences prevalent in Armenian culture. It has
also left fans wanting to hear more of their selections, and hear the
band live in concert.
In the two years together, the band gave their first solo performance
at the Ford Amphitheatre in June 2006 to a packed house of 1,200
fans. They have also played at the Kodak Theatre as the warm-up to
legendary Greek singer Demis Roussos, and at the Ford Amphitheatre
with the French Gypsy Band Bratsch.
Their concert in Fresno will feature 24 mostly Armenian and some
English selections.
The band’s sound is bold: Flamenco, Tango, Rembetika waft in and out
of performances of traditional Armenian songs as well as English
selections. And to achieve this, the band uses the accordion,
bouzouki, mandolin, classical guitar, violin, and the purity of the
band’s vocalists to serve-up a compelling combination of fiery
Mediterranean and European sounds that are partnered with hauntingly
raw Armenian.
Tickets for the November 12 performance can be purchased by calling
ATG at 559-224-1000 or 818-481-7172.
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