Month: March 2007

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  +374-10-517163
Fax:  +374-10-517301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
March 14, 2007

Supreme Spiritual Council Meeting in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

Date for Blessing the Holy Chrism Announced

The regular session of the Supreme Spiritual Council convened in the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II,
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, from March 7 through 9,
2007.

Following the Lord’s Prayer, His Holiness opened the meeting, welcomed the
clergy and lay members of the Supreme Spiritual Council and extended his
pontifical blessing and appreciation for their contribution to the
discussions and solutions surrounding the challenges facing the Holy
Apostolic Armenian Church.

The first session was co-chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian
and His Eminence Archbishop Mesrob Krikorian.  The second session was
co-chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian and His Eminence
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. 

Among the items on the agenda which were discussed by the Supreme Spiritual
Council were the following:

The annual administrative and financial reports of the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin were presented to the Council during the first session. The
Council reviewed the reports, paying close attention to the activities in
the spheres of social services, preparation of clergymen, recent
developments in church / state relations, and ongoing relations between the
hierarchal sees.

Archbishop Hovnan Derderian presented an overview of the progress in forming
an International Armenian Church Youth Organization.  His Eminence reported
on the two-day Inter-Diocesan Youth Meeting which had convened in the Mother
See in conjunction with the Supreme Spiritual Council meeting.  Seventy
young men and women from throughout the world participated during the
meeting where an interim Central Council was appointed and given the task of
organizing the inaugural representative international assembly for the ACYO,
scheduled for 2008.

Also discussed by the Council were the continuing issues with the Armenian
Diocese of Georgia and its lack of legal status.  His Grace Bishop Vasken
Mirzakhanian, Primate of the diocese reported on the challenges in
functioning within Georgia.  One major effect of the diocese lacking legal
standing before the authorities is its inability to assert ownership over
the historic Armenian churches and properties in Georgia.  The Supreme
Spiritual Council will continue to work with Georgian state and church
authorities in an attempt to find a solution to these matters.

The Supreme Spiritual Council also deliberated over the proposed diocesan
by-laws, having been amended and modified following the previous Council
meeting by the committee chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Yeznik
Petrosian.  Abp. Petrosian focused on the proposals and suggestions which
were previously offered by the Council members.  The Council also closely
reviewed those articles in the by-laws concerning the election of primates
and the responsibilities of the diocesan councils, and their jurisdictions
and mutual obligations.  Once the work of the committee is completed, the
draft diocesan by-laws will be sent to all Armenian Church dioceses
throughout the world for their review and input.  Following a final
presentation to the Supreme Spiritual Council, the diocesan by-laws shall be
presented to His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians for ratification.

Finally, the Pontiff of All Armenians joyfully informed the members of the
Supreme Spiritual Council that the date for the next blessing of the Holy
Chrism (Muron) has been decided.  The service, which occurs once every seven
years and is offered by His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians, will
take place in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on September 28, 2008.

PACE Standing Committee to discuss international moratorium on the death
penalty

Strasbourg, 14.03.2007 – The Standing Committee of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will meet in Paris on Friday 16 March. A
current affairs debate on the promotion by Council of Europe member
states of an international moratorium on the death penalty (*) and a
debate on the United States of America and international law are among
the highlights of the agenda.

The Standing Committee acts on behalf of the Assembly between plenary
sessions, bringing together some 80 parliamentarians from the Council of
Europe’s 46 member states.

Following the opening of the meeting by PACE President René van der
Linden, the committee will hold an exchange of views with Göran
Lennmarker, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

The agenda also includes debates on the situation of women in the
Caucasus, management of electronic and solid waste, respect for the
principle of gender equality in civil law, the role of ethical and
solidarity-based financing and responsible consumption in social
cohesion as well as professional training of journalists.

Link to the draft agenda of the meeting (PDF format)
< Agenda/EAgenda070316.PDF>

* * * *

The meeting, which is open to the press, takes place from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. on Friday 16 March in the French National Assembly (room 6217) 126,
rue de l’Université, Paris.

Contact:
Micaela Catalano, Head of the PACE Communication Unit, mobile phone: +33
6 08 56 40 65.

——————
(*) Debate requested by the Italian delegation, subject to a decision to
hold the debate by the Standing Committee.

ED037a07

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 0033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

March 14, 2007

Poll Finds Worldwide Agreement That Climate Change is a Threat
Public Divided Over Whether Costly Steps Are Needed

March 14, 2007, 01:00 GMT
Contact, International Findings:
Steven Kull, 202-232-7500
Christopher Whitney, 312-821-7516

March 14, 2007, Yerevan, 16:00
Contact, Armenia Findings:
Stepan Safarian, 37410-528-780
Syuzanna Barseghian, 37410-274-818

Yerevan–An international survey found widespread agreement that climate
change is a pressing problem. This majority, however, is divided over
whether the problem of global warming is urgent enough to require immediate,
costly measures or whether more modest efforts are sufficient. The Armenian
Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) today convened a
roundtable discussion tasked with presenting the first in a series of
reports based on the findings of this survey. The meeting brought together
members of environmental organizations, analysts, and media representatives.

In his opening remarks, ACNIS director of research Stepan Safarian
underscored the need for improvements in Armenia’s foreign and domestic
policies within the framework of environmental issues. "With respect to
these issues, the current attitudes in Armenia are similar to those in many
parts of the world. And yet official Armenian policy geared toward
environmental protection is incomparable with those of developed countries,"
he said. ACNIS analyst Syuzanna Barseghian then presented the survey
results.

The survey was conducted by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and
WorldPublicOpinion.org, in cooperation with polling organizations around the
world. It includes 17 countries–China, India, the United States, Indonesia,
Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Mexico, South Korea, the
Philippines, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Israel, Armenia–and the
Palestinian territories. These represent more than 55 percent of the world
population.

This is the first in a series of reports based on the findings of this
survey that will analyze international attitudes on key international
issues. Not all questions were asked in all countries.

Twelve countries were asked whether steps should be taken to address climate
change and majorities in all but one of them favored action. The largest
majority in favor of measures to combat global warming is found in Australia
(92%).

China and Israel are the next most likely (83%) to favor climate change
policies. In the United States–the world’s largest producer of greenhouse
gases–80 percent of respondents want to take steps to address the problem.

In no country does more than one in four endorse the statement, "Until we
are sure that global warming is really a problem, we should not take any
steps that would have economic costs." Indian respondents are the most
skeptical: 24 percent believe nothing should be done yet to address climate
change. Even in India, nonetheless, nearly half (49%) favor taking some
action (26% do not answer).

Ten countries were asked to evaluate how great a threat global warming poses
to their country’s "vital interests" over the next ten years. Strong
majorities in all ten countries polled consider climate change to be a
threat, with majorities in six countries calling it "critical:" Mexico
(70%), Australia (69%), South Korea (67%), Iran (61%), Israel (52%) and
India (51%) and the rest calling it important.

Although there is general agreement in 12 countries that climate change is
real, there are differences over how much should be spent to address it. In
six countries, the most common view is that global warming is a pressing
problem that needs to be addressed "even if this involves significant
costs." These include: Australia (69%), Argentina (63%), Israel (54%), the
United States (43%), and Armenia (37%).

In five countries, the public tends instead to believe that climate change
is gradual and can be dealt with through less expensive measures. The
countries endorsing a go-slow, low-cost approach are the Philippines (49%),
Thailand (41%), Poland (39%), Ukraine (37%) and India (30%).

In two countries, the public is evenly divided between those who favor less
expensive measures and those who believe the problem requires action even if
this involves significant cost: China (low cost 41%, significant costs 42%)
and Russia (low costs 34%, significant costs 32%).

Additional findings include:

– Majorities or pluralities in five countries (Argentina, Armenia,
China, India and Thailand) agree that if the developed countries are willing
to provide "substantial aid," the less-developed countries should "make a
commitment to limit their greenhouse gas emissions." This includes a large
majority of Chinese respondents (79%) and nearly half of those polled in
India (48% agree, 29% disagree).

– A majority in the United States agrees that less-developed
countries committed to limiting carbon emissions should be given
"substantial aid" by the developed world. More than six in ten Americans
(64%) endorse such assistance.

– In ten of 11 countries, large majorities believe international
trade agreements should require signatories to "maintain minimum standards
for protecting the environment." Those in favor include the United States
(91%), Poland (90%), China (85%) and Mexico (76%).

– In all seven countries asked whether "improving the global
environment" should be an important foreign policy goal, majorities say it
should be considered "very important."

For complete findings and methodology, please visit
and For the Armenian
version, visit

Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, ACNIS serves
as a link between innovative scholarship and the public policy challenges
facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet world. It also
aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and a wider
understanding of the new global environment. In 2007, the Center focuses
primarily on civic education, democratic development, conflict resolution,
and applied research on critical domestic and foreign policy issues for the
state and the nation.

For further information on the Center call (37410) 52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax
(37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected] or [email protected]; or visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  +374-10-517163
Fax:  +374-10-517301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
March 14, 2007

Blessing of Foundation for New Armenian Church in Northern Iraq

>From March 2 through 4, His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of
the Armenian Diocese of Iraq, accompanied by two priests and three members
of his diocesan council, visited a number of cities in northern Iraq and met
with representatives of the Armenian community.

On March 2, His Eminence arrived in the city of Erbil, where priests and
members of the parish councils from the cities of Kirkuk, Mosul, Zakho and
Avzroog joined him and his delegation.  In accordance with the Lenten
Season, Abp. Assadourian offered the Peace and Rest Services in the Armenian
Church of Erbil, followed by his message to the faithful.  After the
service, His Eminence met with the parishioners.

The following day, March 3, His Eminence arrived in the city of Duhok and
presided during a regional meeting with the participation of clergymen and
members of the parish council of that city.  Among the items discussed were
issues related to the difficulties facing the Armenian Diocese of Iraq.

On Sunday, March 4, the Armenian community of northern Iraq celebrated a
joyous event, which took on greater significance in the current difficult
environment of the country.  Abp. Avak Assadourian blessed the foundation of
a new Armenian church for the city of Duhok.  As part of the service, His
Eminence washed each of the 16 foundation stones with wine and water, and
then consecrated each with the Holy Chrism (Muron).

At the end of the service, His Eminence delivered his message to the
Armenians of Iraq, exhorting them to remain faithful to their Armenian
Christian faith and their sacred traditions.  He also noted that although
the Armenians of Iraq are far from their Motherland due to the tragic events
of history, the love of Christ and the peace of the Holy Spirit will console
them and lessen their yearning until they can once again return.

Present for the service were bishops and priests of Sister Churches in
addition to the faithful Armenian population of Duhok.

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]

14-03 -2007

Press Release and Statement by Vartan Oskanian
Following March 14 Karabagh Talks, Geneva

Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian, concluded a regular meeting of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, together with the Azerbaijani FM, in Geneva.

This meeting followed a recent visit to the region by French co-chair
Bernard Fassier, who, on behalf of the other two co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov
of Russia, and Matthew Bryza of the US, attempted to ascertain the positions
of the two presidents, in the run-up to this meeting of foreign ministers.

Minister Oskanian said, "The talks were slow to move, despite the existing
groundwork, as attempt was made to discuss second-layer details pertaining
to the principles in the document. Although there is clearer understanding
of each other’s positions, one thing is evident that there are deep
differences. We believe that there can still be enough progress to warrant a
meeting of the presidents, and for that reason we agreed to another meeting
in April."

The Minister explained that Armenia remains committed to the principles in
the document that is being negotiated. Although there are many secondary
issues outstanding still, the principles contained in the document address
the fundamental issues with the right trade-offs, that could lead to a
lasting resolution.

PRESS RELEASE

March 2007

American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576

Contact: Gaiane Khachatrian
E-mail: [email protected]

American University of Armenia Receives US Accreditation

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has accredited the
American University of Armenia. The American University of Armenia (AUA)
received the maximum of seven years initial accreditation from WASC’s
Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities. WASC is one of
six regional associations recognized by the United Stated Department of
Education that accredit public and private universities and colleges.

"We are extremely proud of achieving WASC accreditation," said AUA President
Haroutune Armenian. "This is an unprecedented event in the history of
Armenian higher education and US accreditation opens new doors for the
University. Accreditation will increase regional and Diaspora interest in
higher education in Armenia and will create new lifelong linkages to
Armenia," continued President Armenian.

Armenian Minister of Education and Science Levon Lazarian explained, "The
accreditation of the American University of Armenia by the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges will exert considerable influence on
Armenia’s educational system. AUA is a University that underwent the very
complex procedure of Western accreditation and it provides the assurance of
quality at international standards. This success is the result of AUA’s
consistent work and self-analysis of many years."

AUA was established in 1991 with support from the Armenian Government, the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, and USAID and from its founding has been
an affiliate of the University of California. The University offers
graduate degrees in the health sciences, political science and international
affairs, industrial engineering, computer and information sciences, teaching
English as a second language, business management, and law.

Accreditation indicates that AUA has undergone a period of intensive and
comprehensive self-study followed by on-site evaluations of institutional
performance and educational processes, that AUA operates at a high level of
quality consistent with WASC Commission standards, and that it has
sufficient resources to support existing and planned programs at a
satisfactory level of quality.

According to AUA Provost and Vice President Lucig Danielian, "As a young
institution that carries the traditions of Western higher education to
Armenia and its region, the American University of Armenia has the important
responsibility of attaining the highest possible standards in education and
academic management. The process of accreditation provides us with the
opportunity to achieve the high standards that we seek."

AUA began the WASC accreditation process in 1998 and was supported
throughout with grants from the US State Department. Three teams of
distinguished American university academics and administrators visited
Armenia to evaluate AUA during the different stages of the accreditation
process.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE

March 14, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SENATORS DURBIN AND ENSIGN INTRODUCE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Over 20 Senators Join as Original Cosponsors to Resolution Calling
for Proper U.S. Reaffirmation of Armenian Genocide

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
welcomed the introduction today of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
in the U.S. Senate by Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL)
and Senator John Ensign (R-NV). The measure is similar to the House
Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res.106), introduced by
Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA), and
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), which currently has over 180 cosponsors.

In introducing the measure, Assistant Majority Leader Durbin noted,
"We must honor those who died in the Armenian Genocide by
recognizing their suffering and by dedicating ourselves to
preventing human suffering and tragedy in the future. It is
important and long past time that the United States speak with
appropriate clarity on this historical fact."

Sen. John Ensign added that "The murder and torture of the Armenian
people was undeniably genocide, and we must recognize this terrible
reality. We are a nation that embraces freedom and justice, and we
have a responsibility to uphold these values in order to not repeat
the mistakes of the past. This important resolution officially
recognizes history and the truth of the crime of genocide
perpetuated against the Armenians."

"We appreciate the leadership of Richard Durbin and John Ensign and
value the strong support of their Senate colleagues for the
introduction today of this anti-genocide legislation," said Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "Armenian Americans
around the nation are joined by all those devoted to ending the
cycle of genocide in looking forward to the early adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution."

Joining Senators Durbin and Ensign as original cosponsors of the
Armenian Genocide resolution are Senators Wayne Allard (R-CO),
Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Norm Coleman (R-MN),
Susan Collins (R-ME), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Elizabeth Dole (R-
NC), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Edward
Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Frank
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Barbara Mikulski (D-
MD), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Charles Schumer (D-
NY), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), John Sununu (R-
NH), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

The resolution calls upon the President "to ensure that the foreign
policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and
sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic
cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record
relating to the Armenian Genocide." The resolution includes thirty
detailed findings from past U.S. hearings, resolutions and
Presidential statements on the Armenian Genocide from 1916 through
the present, as well as references to statements by international
bodies and organizations.

The full text of the Senate resolution is included below.

#####

Text of Senate Armenian Genocide Resolution
Introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL)
and Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

RESOLUTION

Calling on the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the
United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and
genocide documented in the United States record relating to the
Armenian Genocide .

Whereas the Armenian Genocide was conceived and carried out by the
Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of
nearly 2,000,000 Armenians, of whom 1,500,000 men, women, and
children were killed, 500,000 survivors were expelled from their
homes, and which succeeded in the elimination of more than 2,500-
year presence of Armenians in their historic homeland;

Whereas, on May 24, 1915, the Allied Powers issued the joint
statement of England, France, and Russia that explicitly charged,
for the first time ever, another government of committing `a crime
against humanity’;

Whereas that joint statement stated `the Allied Governments
announce publicly to the Sublime Porte that they will hold
personally responsible for these crimes all members of the Ottoman
Government, as well as those of their agents who are implicated in
such massacres’;

Whereas the post-World War I Turkish Government indicted the top
leaders involved in the `organization and execution’ of the
Armenian Genocide and in the `massacre and destruction of the
Armenians’;

Whereas in a series of courts-martial, officials of the Young Turk
Regime were tried and convicted on charges of organizing and
executing massacres against the Armenian people;

Whereas the officials who were the chief organizers of the Armenian
Genocide , Minister of War Enver, Minister of the Interior Talaat,
and Minister of the Navy Jemal, were tried by military tribunals,
found guilty, and condemned to death for their crimes, however, the
punishments imposed by the tribunals were not enforced;

Whereas the Armenian Genocide and the failure to carry out the
death sentence against Enver, Talaat, and Jemal are documented with
overwhelming evidence in the national archives of Austria, France,
Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, the
Vatican, and many other countries, and this vast body of evidence
attests to the same facts, the same events, and the same
consequences;

Whereas the National Archives and Records Administration of the
United States holds extensive and thorough documentation on the
Armenian Genocide , especially in its holdings for the Department
of State under Record Group 59, files 867.00 and 867.40, which are
open and widely available to the public and interested
institutions;

Whereas the Honorable Henry Morgenthau, United States Ambassador to
the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916, organized and led protests by
officials of many countries, among them the allies of the Ottoman
Empire, against the Armenian Genocide ;

Whereas Ambassador Morgenthau explicitly described to the
Department of State the policy of the Government of the Ottoman
Empire as `a campaign of race extermination’, and was instructed on
July 16, 1915, by Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the
`Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian
persecution’;

Whereas Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, 64th Congress, agreed to
July 18, 1916, resolved that `the President of the United States be
respectfully asked to designate a day on which the citizens of this
country may give expression to their sympathy by contributing funds
now being raised for the relief of the Armenians’, who, at that
time, were enduring `starvation, disease, and untold suffering’;

Whereas President Woodrow Wilson agreed with such Concurrent
Resolution and encouraged the formation of the organization known
as Near East Relief, which was incorporated by the Act of August 6,
1919, 66th Congress (41 Stat. 273, chapter 32);

Whereas, from 1915 through 1930, Near East Relief contributed
approximately $116,000,000 to aid survivors of the Armenian
Genocide , including aid to approximately 132,000 Armenian orphans;

Whereas Senate Resolution 359, 66th Congress, agreed to May 11,
1920, stated in part, `the testimony adduced at the hearings
conducted by the subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Foreign
Relations have clearly established the truth of the reported
massacres and other atrocities from which the Armenian people have
suffered’;

Whereas such Senate Resolution followed the report to the Senate of
the American Military Mission to Armenia, which was led by General
James Harbord, dated April 13, 1920, that stated `[m]utilation,
violation, torture, and death have left their haunting memories in
a hundred beautiful Armenian valleys, and the traveler in that
region is seldom free from the evidence of this most colossal crime
of all the ages’;

Whereas, as displayed in the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum, Adolf Hitler, on ordering his military commanders to attack
Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by saying
`[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the
Armenians?’ and thus set the stage for the Holocaust;

Whereas Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term `genocide’ in 1944, and
who was the earliest proponent of the Convention on the Prevention
and Punishment of Genocide , invoked the Armenian case as a
definitive example of genocide in the 20th century;

Whereas the first resolution on genocide adopted by the United
Nations, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 96(1), dated
December 11, 1946, (which was adopted at the urging of Raphael
Lemkin), and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
Genocide , done at Paris December 9, 1948, recognized the Armenian
Genocide as the type of crime the United Nations intended to
prevent and punish by codifying existing standards;

Whereas, in 1948, the United Nations War Crimes Commission invoked
the Armenian Genocide as `precisely . . . one of the types of acts
which the modern term `crimes against humanity’ is intended to
cover’ and as a precedent for the Nuremberg tribunals;

Whereas such Commission stated that `[t]he provisions of Article
230 of the Peace Treaty of Sevres were obviously intended to cover,
in conformity with the Allied note of 1915 . . . offenses which had
been committed on Turkish territory against persons of Turkish
citizenship, though of Armenian or Greek race. This article
constitutes therefore a precedent for Article 6c and 5c of the
Nuremberg and Tokyo Charters, and offers an example of one of the
categories of `crimes against humanity’ as understood by these
enactments’;

Whereas House Joint Resolution 148, 94th Congress, adopted by the
House of Representatives on April 8, 1975, resolved that `April 24,
1975, is hereby designated as `National Day of Remembrance of Man’s
Inhumanity to Man’, and the President of the United States is
authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the
people of the United States to observe such day as a day of
remembrance for all the victims of genocide , especially those of
Armenian ancestry’;

Whereas Proclamation 4838 of April 22, 1981 (95 Stat. 1813) issued
by President Ronald Reagan, stated, in part, that `[l]ike the
genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the
Cambodians which followed it–and like too many other persecutions
of too many other people–the lessons of the Holocaust must never
be forgotten’;

Whereas House Joint Resolution 247, 98th Congress, adopted by the
House of Representatives on September 10, 1984, resolved that
`April 24, 1985, is hereby designated as `National Day of
Remembrance of Man’s Inhumanity to Man’, and the President of the
United States is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation
calling upon the people of the United States to observe such day as
a day of remembrance for all the victims of genocide , especially
the one and one-half million people of Armenian ancestry’;

Whereas, in August 1985, after extensive study and deliberation,
the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination
and Protection of Minorities voted 14 to 1 to accept a report
entitled `Study of the Question of the Prevention and Punishment of
the Crime of Genocide’ , which stated `[t]he Nazi aberration has
unfortunately not been the only case of genocide in the 20th
century. Among other examples which can be cited as qualifying are
. . . the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915-1916′;

Whereas such report also explained that `[a]t least 1,000,000, and
possibly well over half of the Armenian population, are reliably
estimated to have been killed or death marched by independent
authorities and eye-witnesses and this is corroborated by reports
in United States, German, and British archives and of contemporary
diplomats in the Ottoman Empire, including those of its ally
Germany’;

Whereas the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, an
independent Federal agency that serves as the board of trustees of
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum pursuant to section
2302 of title 36, United States Code, unanimously resolved on April
30, 1981, that the Museum would exhibit information regarding the
Armenian Genocide and the Museum has since done so;

Whereas, reviewing an aberrant 1982 expression by the Department of
State (which was later retracted) that asserted that the facts of
the Armenian Genocide may be ambiguous, the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1993, after a review of
documents pertaining to the policy record of the United States,
noted that the assertion on ambiguity in the United States record
about the Armenian Genocide `contradicted longstanding United
States policy and was eventually retracted’;

Whereas, on June 5, 1996, the House of Representatives adopted an
amendment to H.R. 3540, 104th Congress (the Foreign Operations,
Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1997),
to reduce aid to Turkey by $3,000,000 (an estimate of its payment
of lobbying fees in the United States) until the Turkish Government
acknowledged the Armenian Genocide and took steps to honor the
memory of its victims;

Whereas President William Jefferson Clinton, on April 24, 1998,
stated, `[t]his year, as in the past, we join with Armenian –
Americans throughout the nation in commemorating one of the saddest
chapters in the history of this century, the deportations and
massacres of a million and a half Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
in the years 1915-1923′;

Whereas President George W. Bush, on April 24, 2004, stated, `[o]n
this day, we pause in remembrance of one of the most horrible
tragedies of the 20th century, the annihilation of as many as
1,500,000 Armenians through forced exile and murder at the end of
the Ottoman Empire’; and

Whereas, despite the international recognition and affirmation of
the Armenian Genocide , the failure of the domestic and
international authorities to punish those responsible for the
Armenian Genocide is a reason why similar genocides have recurred
and may recur in the future, and that a just resolution will help
prevent future genocides: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate–

(1) calls on the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the
United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and
genocide documented in the United States record relating to the
Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a
just resolution; and

(2) calls on the President, in the President’s annual message
commemorating the Armenian Genocide issued on or about April 24 to
accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation
of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history
of United States intervention in opposition to the Armenian
Genocide.

#####

PRESS RELEASE:
Contact: Scott Gerber 202/224-9629

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Senator Feinstein Cosponsors Senate Resolution Calling on
President Bush to Recognize the Armenian Genocide

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today
announced that she would cosponsor a Senate resolution offered by
Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), calling on the President to recognize
the Armenian Genocide.

The following statement by Senator Feinstein was submitted today to the
Congressional Record:

"Mr. President, as we approach the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, I rise today in support of a resolution introduced by Senator
Richard Durbin, calling on the President to recognize the Armenian
Genocide.

Specifically, this resolution would:

* Encourage the President to incorporate the memory and lessons
of the Armenian Genocide into the foreign policies of the United States,
and;

* Urge the President to accurately portray this terrible episode
as ‘genocide’ in his annual statement.

Between 1915 and 1923, as many as 1.5 million Armenians perished and
500,000 were exiled by the Ottoman government in a systematic campaign
of murder, deportation, and forced starvation.

92 years later, nearly all of the survivors are no longer with us. Yet
their solemn voices still echo, urging us to remember them and work to
ensure that their suffering was not in vain.

In my 15 years in the United States Senate, I have received thousands of
letters from members of the Armenian-American community in my home state
of California, encouraging our government to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. Many of them are descendants of the genocide’s survivors, who
immigrated to the United States and, over the course of a few decades,
built a strong and vibrant community in California and elsewhere.

For the genocide’s victims, there can be no justice. But by preserving
and cherishing their memory, we can begin healing the wounds that still
linger.

The recent murder of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who
championed human rights and advocated Turkish recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, serves as a chilling reminder of the dangers that
loom in our silence. An open, informed, and tolerant discussion of the
genocide is necessary for true and lasting reconciliation between
present-day Turkey and the Armenian people.

Equally important, recalling the Armenian Genocide is essential to the
prevention of ongoing and future atrocities, including the genocide in
Darfur. By taking an unequivocal stance against genocide-regardless of
where or when it occurs-we and other members of the international
community will send a strong message that such atrocities will not be
tolerated. Let us remember Adolf Hitler’s ominous words on the eve of
the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland: ‘Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?’

So today, let us speak loudly. Let us join the hundreds of thousands of
Armenian-Americans in my home state of California and across the United
States, as well as millions of people around the world, in acknowledging
and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. Let us ensure that the legacy
of these atrocities is one of reconciliation and hope.

And let us fulfill the promises our parents made us, and we made to our
children: never again."

###

____________________________
Sc ott Gerber
Director of Communications
Office of Senator Dianne Feinstein
[email protected]
202-22 4-9629

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:

PRESS RELEASE
March 14, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ASSEMBLY WELCOMES SENATE INTRODUCTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Commends Senators Durbin, Ensign for Spearheading Effort

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America today welcomed the
introduction of an Armenian Genocide resolution in the U.S. Senate that
would reaffirm the facts of this calamitous chapter in human history and
recognize the proud record of U.S. humanitarian intervention. The
legislation was introduced by Assistant Majority Leader Senator Richard
J. Durbin (D-IL) and Senator John Ensign (R-NV), both longtime Armenian
issues supporters who have sponsored similar reaffirmation initiatives
in the past.

"The Armenian Genocide was the Twentieth Century’s first genocide — a
crime against humanity that included murder, deportation, torture, and
slave labor. It is long past time that the United States speak with
clarity on this reality," Durbin said.

"Recognizing the Armenian Genocide takes on added importance in the face
of the genocide occurring now in the Darfur region of Sudan," Durbin
continued. "We must honor those who died in the Armenian Genocide by
recognizing their suffering and by dedicating ourselves to preventing
tragedies in the future."

The following Senators are original cosponsors to the measure: Wayne
Allard (R-CO), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Norm Coleman
(R-MN), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Russ Feingold
(D-WI), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry
(D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Joseph Lieberman
(ID-CT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Jack Reed
(D-RI), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow
(D-MI), John Sununu (R-NH) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

"The Assembly commends the leadership of Senators Durbin and Ensign for
spearheading this bi-partisan resolution which, once and for all, will
set the U.S. record straight on the fact of the Armenian Genocide," said
Board of Directors Chairman Hirair Hovnanian.

"Sadly, 92 years after the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, the
scourge of this monstrous crime continues to plague the world,"
Hovnanian continued. "Passing up this opportunity to properly
acknowledge this crime against humanity means burying the past and
ignoring the continuing cycle of genocide. It is past time for Congress
to formally acknowledge the atrocities of 1915."

The Senate bill mirrors legislation introduced in the House of
Representatives, known as H. Res. 106. The House version, spearheaded
by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA) and Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), together with Congressmen Brad
Sherman (D-CA) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), has over 180 cosponsors to
date.

Senators Durbin and Ensign, both longtime supporters of U.S.
reaffirmation efforts, also spearheaded legislation last Congress to
properly recognize the Armenian Genocide. The lawmakers also supported a
resolution to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the U.S.
implementation of the Genocide Convention. The legislation specifically
cited the importance of learning the lessons of the Holocaust as well as
the Armenian Genocide, and the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides in an
effort to prevent the repetition of similar atrocities in the future.

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#2007-035

eadrelease&releaseid=518988&ez_search=1

14 March 2007

500,000 Years of Climate History Stored Year by Year

The bottom of Turkey’s Lake Van is covered by a layer of mud several
hundreds of metres deep. For climatologists this unprepossessing slime
is worth its weight in gold: summer by summer pollen has been
deposited from times long past. From it they can detect right down to
a specific year what climatic conditions prevailed at the time of the
Neanderthals, for example. These archives may go back as much as half
a million years. An international team of researchers headed by the
University of Bonn now wants to tap this treasure. Preliminary
investigations have been a complete success: the researchers were able
to prove that the climate has occasionally changed quite suddenly –
sometimes within ten or twenty years.

Every summer an inch-thick layer of lime – calcium carbonate –
trickles down to find its final resting place at the bottom of Lake
Van. Day by day during this period millions and millions of pollen
grains float down to the depths. Together with lime they form a
light-coloured layer of sediment, what is known as the summer
sediment.

In winter the continual ‘snowdrift’ beneath the surface changes its
colour: now clay is the main ingredient in the sediment, which is
deposited as a dark brown winter sediment on top of the pollen-lime
mix. At a depth of 400 metres no storm or waves disturb this
process. These ‘annual rings’ in the sediment can be traced back for
hundreds of thousands of years. ‘In some places the layer of sediment
is up to 400 metres thick,’ the Bonn palaeontologist Professor Thomas
Litt explains. ‘There are about 20,000 annual strata to every 10
metres,’ he calculates. ‘We presume that the bottom of Lake Van stores
the climate history of the last 800,000 years – an incomparable
treasure house of data which we want to tap for at least the last
500,000 years.’

250 metres of sediment = 500,000 years’ worth of climate archives

Professor Litt is the spokesman of an international consortium of
scientists that wants to get stuck into a thorny problem: using high
tech equipment they want to cut drill cores as thick as a man’s arm
out of the lakebed sediment from a big floating platform – not an easy
task at depths of 380 metres. The researchers want to drill down to a
sediment depth of 250 metres. For this they have applied for funding
by the International Continental Drilling Programme (ICDP). This would
be the first time that an ICDP drilling was headed by a German. The
prospects of this happening are not bad. A preliminary application was
assessed as very good by the ICDP Executive Committee – above all
thanks to a successful preliminary investigation which the researchers
had carried out at Lake Van in 2004. The German Research Council
(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) financed this. It has just
extended the project for two more years.

The sediment promises to deliver a host of exciting results. For
example vulcanologists can determine exactly when volcanoes near the
lake erupted. In this case there will suddenly be a black layer of ash
between the annual layers. ‘With our test drill we counted 15
outbreaks in the past 20,000 years,’ Prof. Litt says. ‘The composition
of the ash even reveals which nearby volcano it originates from.’

Chubby-cheeked pollen

Even earthquakes in this area of high geological activity are
painstakingly stored in these archives. What is the most interesting
aspect for Thomas Litt, however, is the biological filling contained
in the summer layers, especially. The microscopically small pollen
tells the palaeobotanist what sorts of things used to flourish on the
shores of the lake. In a piece of sediment the size of a sugar cube up
to 200,000 grains of pollen can be trapped. Under the microscope the
fine dust reveals a very special kind of beauty. The pollen of yarrow
is as prickly as a hedgehog, the pollen of pine with its air sacs
resembles the chubby-cheeked face of a hamster, ‘and look at the olive
tree,’ Professor Litt enthuses, ‘it’s also got a very nice pollen
grain.’

The researcher normally recognises at once what genus or species the
finds belong to – even when they are several thousands of years old,
since the exine, the outer coat of the grain, successfully resists the
ravages of time. ‘The material is extremely resistant to environmental
influences and even withstands strong acids or bases,’ Professor Litt
explains. Using hydrofluoric acid or potassium hydroxide he dissolves
the pollen grains from the sediment samples; the grains prove to be
completely impervious to such rough treatment. Under the microscope
the botanists then assess how much pollen of which species is present
in the layer in question. ‘At interesting points we take every
centimetre of material from the drill cores; in this way we achieve a
chronological resolution of a few years.’

The pollen permits pretty precise statements to be made about
temperature and average amount of precipitation for the period covered
by the finds, as every species makes different demands on its
environment. ‘If we find pollen in a specimen from different species,
whose demands on its habitat are known, we can make a plausibility
statement about the nature of the climate of the time,’ he adds. ‘Lake
Van promises to provide unique insights into the development of the
climate in Eurasia – and thus for assessing the current warm period.’

© AlphaGalileo Foundation 2003