Month: March 2007

EMINENT FRENCH WRITER TROYAT DIES

BBC News, UK
March 5 2007

Henri Troyat wrote more than 100 books and won numerous prizes The
death has been announced in Paris of one of the greatest figures in
modern French literature, the writer Henri Troyat, at the age of 95.

He was the author of more than 100 works of fiction, history and
biography – the most recent published a year ago.

Mr Troyat was born into an Armenian family in Moscow, but his
businessman father fled the Russian revolution, and the family
eventually settled in Paris.

He wrote in French but many of his works dealt with Russian subjects.

He won his first literary award at the age of 24, le prix du roman
populaire. At the age of 27 he was awarded the prestigious Prix
Goncourt.

His biographies of writers and monarchs included Anton Chekov,
Catherine the Great, Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible and Leo Tolstoy.

At the time of his death, announced in the French newspaper Le Figaro
on Monday, he was the dean of the Academie Francaise.

301.stm

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS: DARCHINYAN, COTTO, MARQUEZ AND MIRANDA, ALL PREVAIL
By Tom Donelson: Showtime and HBO held dueling slugfests

EastsideBoxing.com
March 5 2007

In Showtime first bout, Victor Burgos challenged Vic Darchinyan
for Darchinyan flyweight title. Darchinyan fights with one punch,
the straight left from his southpaw style but that left hand has power.

This is a flyweight who punches like a heavyweight. Every punch is
thrown with mean intention and his hand is quick enough to make his
style successful. When he hit you, it is like being hit with a 2 by
4 club.

Burgos strategy was box and counter punch but as the fight continued,
Darchinyan’s power became the decisive factor. Burgos was the smaller
fighter and it often looked liked a child fighting a grown up. Burgos
looked dwarfed when facing Darchinyan and his punches did very little
damage to the Armenian. The difference of power could be seen. When
Burgos hit Darchinyan; not much happened. When Darchinyan hit Burgos,
Burgos moved backed from the power. By the third round, Burgos faced
suffered welts. And his face showed Darchinyan power as Burgos face
became more swollen as each round progressed. During the twelfth round,
Burgos leg wobbled from one of those nasty Darchinyan’s left and he
staggered around. Burgos did not appear to know where he was.

The referee, sensing that Burgos was hurt and possible injured, stopped
the fight. Burgos ended up in the hospital as the culmination of
punches took their tool. Darchinyan’s left consistently hit Burgos
face all night. The miracle was that Burgos even made it to the
twelfth round.

In the Edison Miranda-Allen Green fight, this was supposed to be the
shootout at the Middleweight corral but Miranda’s power forced Green
into a prudent fight plan.

Miranda fights with reckless abandon and his offense is his defense
but he is becoming a smart fighter. Against Green, he kept his right
to neutralize Green left hook. The only time he did not, he ended up
on his butt from a quick Green left hook in the eighth round. This
was Green highlight as Miranda right hand nailed Green repeatedly.

For the first seven rounds, Miranda pressured Green and his right often
overwhelmed Green ineffectual left jab. Green looked for opportunity
to counter and when it came in the eighth round, Green nearly won
his fight. In the ninth round, Miranda regain his momentum and in the
tenth round, he showed why he is one of the world best Middleweight.

Despite being ahead on points, Miranda wanted a knock out and he jumped
on Green with the idea of ending the fight. One key moment in the tenth
came when Green threw a right but a Miranda right came whistling past
and nailed Green. Green staggered backward and Miranda immediately
went after Green. Green went down after a Miranda combination nailed
the American, ending with a signature Miranda right. Miranda continued
the onslaught and the only thing that saved Green from being knocked
out was the clock.

Miranda is one of the premier Middleweights and on this night, he
sent a message to all of the champions including Jermaine Taylor that
Miranda is a force to be reckoned with.

Rafael Marquez and Israel Vazquez fought for Vazquez 122 championship
belt. Marquez was the king of the 118 pounds. For the first two rounds
and two minutes of the third round as his all round skills kept Vazquez
off balanced, or until Vazquez left hook send Marquez sprawling on
the canvas. The fourth saw a return of the Marquez skills coming to
the forefront but each round were close as both fighters exchanged
left hooks and sharp right. Rafael Marquez advantage lay with his left
jab and right hand following his left jab. Vazquez advantage was his
fierce left hook but Marquez more varied attack carried the day.

While Vazquez left hook knocked Marquez down, it was a Marquez left
jab followed by his right that broke Vazquez nose. Vazquez breathing
became labored as both men went after each other in a frantic pace.

The pace took its toll as Vazquez could not come out for the eighth.

Marquez won a title in his second weight division. The king of the
118 pounds now is the king of the 122 pounds.

Miguel Cotto is a tough left hooking body hitting machine. Cotto may
be a Puerto Rico fighter but the man loves to hit the body like a
young Julio Caesar Chavez. Oktay Urkal put up a tough fight but he
did not have firepower to hurt Cotto. Urkal best punch appeared to
be his head as he butted Cotto, even opening up a cut in the process.

Cotto kept coming forward throughout the fight. And in the eleventh,
Urkal corner put a stop to the proceeding after Urkal lost a point
deduction. His corner knew the score through Puerto Rico’s open
scoring system. So they ended the fight and allowed their fighter to
fight another day. After watching Burgos being beaten nearly to death
and forced to go to hospital, maybe the Urkal team decided that they
will protect their fighter. Cotto is now positioning himself as one
of the best welterweights and his next bout with Jab Judah will be a
money maker. Cotto has one thing in his favor, he is a big draw. If
he gets past Judah in June, then he has more big money bouts and the
welterweight is becoming a deep division.

AZERBAIJAN SOCIETY OF AMERICA HOSTS DISCUSSION FOR MEMBERS OF U.S. CONGRESS

Today, Azerbaijan
March 5 2007

The Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) hosted a lunchtime discussion
for members of the U.S. Congress and Congressional staff members on
Thursday, March 1 in Washington, DC.

"U.S. – Azerbaijan Relations: "From Engagement to Strategic
Partnership" event took place at the Cannon House Office Building,
Washington, DC, APA-Bureau reports.

Moderated by ASA’s Washington, DC representative Bedir Memmedli,
the speakers were H.E. Yashar Aliyev, the newly appointed Ambassador
from the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States, and Mr. Thomas
Goltz, Professor at the University of Montana, journalist, and author
of the book "Azerbaijan Diary."

Among the Congressional members and their staff who attended were
Congressman Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania and many other staff members
of both branches of the U.S. Congress. In February, 2007 Rep. Shuster
made a speech before the U.S. House of Representatives which officially
marked the 15th Anniversary of the Khojaly massacre.

After opening remarks by Mr. Memmedli, Ambassador Aliyev took the
podium and he stressed the importance of Azerbaijan to the United
States. "We are strategic ally of the United States, We were one of
the earliest supporters of America’s war on terrorism and our soldiers
are serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosova next to American soldiers,"
he said.

Ambassador Aliyev also gave background on the history and circumstances
surrounding the tragedy at Khojaly.

He was followed by Professor Goltz, who spoke of his own eye witness
accounts in the days following the massacre and addressed the unjust
U.S. legislation which was attributable in large part to Armenian
lobbying efforts in the United States.

A CNN report on Khojaly was viewed and then the floor was opened to
questions and discussion.

"We are pleased to be able to make this kind of event available to
Congressional members," said ASA president Tomris Azeri. "As we have
said in the past and continue to stress, it is absolutely imperative
that U.S. legislators become educated and aware of the history of
the massacre and the continuing conflict. This will directly impact
on possible future legislation and will also help strengthen the
already excellent relations between Azerbaijan and the United States,"
she continued.

"Ambassador Aliyev is an outstanding representative for the country
of Azerbaijan and Professor Goltz is one of the most knowledgeable
and respected experts on the subject. ASA was proud to be able to
present such informed speakers at this discussion," said Ms. Azeri.

URL:

GREAT WORD OF THE KEY MAN

Sabah, Turkey
March 5 2007

The key man to determine the destiny of the Armenian bill, Lantos
stated: "we saw your rightfulness. We will do our best not to pass
the bill."

The most powerful person of the Jewish lobby in the USA was convinced
after the visits of Gul and Buyukanýt. Lantos (79) the chairman of the
congress of the foreign relations committee sent a message through
the Prime Minister of Israel, Olmert: "we will do our best against
the bill."

Key man is convinced

The key man to determine the destiny of Armenian Bill in the USA,
the chairman of the congress foreign relations committee Tom Lantos
sent the message to Ankara through Israel: "we will do our best not
to pass the bill."

Ankara was relieved after getting the message from the key man to
determine the destiny of Armenian Bill in the USA, the chairman of the
congress foreign relations committee Tom Lantos "we are convinced. We
will do our best not to pass the bill." Turkish authorities were
lobbying in the USA not to pass the bill and trying to convince the
chairman of the congress foreign relations committee Tom Lantos who
has a power in the Congress as he survived the Jewish massacre in
the 2nd World War.

–Boundary_(ID_xALJrqewKOII0FHvDdIl1w)–

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13, 53.26.97
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

March 5, 2007

HERITAGE ISSUES ELECTION DECISION AND RESOLUTION

Yerevan–On March 2, 2007, the Heritage Party Council issued its decision
and resolution on the upcoming parliamentary elections.

DECISION OF THE HERITAGE PARTY’S COUNCIL ON PARTICIPATION IN
THE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF MAY 12, 2007

In accordance with Section 4.10 of the Charter of the Heritage Party, in
pursuit of the national imperative to effect a democratic transformation in
our country, and in recognition of our duties and responsibilities for
securing a dignified life for all Armenian citizens, Heritage’s Council
decides:

1) To take part in the May 12, 2007 parliamentary elections in the
proportional format; and

2) To approve the election list of parliamentary candidates as introduced by
the Executive Board.

Raffi K. Hovannisian
Chairman, Heritage Party Council
March 2, 2007
Yerevan

RESOLUTION

The Republic of Armenia, which regained its independence in 1991, stands now
before a historic decision–between becoming the cradle for citizen and
citizenship and continuing to bear the widespread unlawfulness and
unproductive governance of recent years, which threaten to turn Armenia into
a hopeless territory. The choice is ours to make, and the right choice will
usher our state into a new era of pride and prosperity in which:

— The citizen is the value supreme and the cornerstone of the
country.
— Statehood is the guarantee for civil and national perpetuity,
and the government, with its separate branches, is the constitutionally
affirmed trustee of the people.
— The parliament is the reflection of the political unity of all
citizens and, as it is justly formed by the will of the people and functions
openly and accountably, enjoys the legitimacy of public trust.
— The media, free from censorship and any form of coercion, are an
independent estate of societal oversight.

In such an Armenia, the state is intertwined with the citizen and the
citizen with the state. Free nations shall consider ours an equal,
sovereign, respected, and secure land.

Our creed comprises:

— The interest of the nation;
— The rule of law; and
— The country of the citizen.

Recognizing the difficulties placed against the achievement of that goal,
nonetheless distinguishing the shape of such an Armenia on the horizon, and
endorsed by the power of law and our common resolve, we, the Heritage Party
candidates who are herewith nominated through the proportional format, agree
that to ensure a broad public involvement and to guarantee that every
citizen is the master of the country, it is indispensable:

— to take our message everywhere and to everyone, and to enlist
among our ranks the disappointed and the content, the alienated and the
integrated, the segregated and the self-segregated;
— to awaken the people’s confidence in their own power and Armenia’s
future;
— to fight for the execution of fair elections, a joint battle
against fear, lawlessness and permissiveness, disaffection and apathy;
— to create, in order to secure democratic due processes and
specifically to hold a poll that every citizen deserves, a sound and
participatory environment and, obviating the application of intimidation and
threat, to guarantee conditions that will define free and fair elections;
and
— to respect one another, to believe in our individual relevance
and collective success, and to become the masters of our Homeland–the land
of our dreams and our liberty.

We are determined to gain victory at the parliamentary elections and,
together with other democratic forces in the country, to form a national
government which earns the people’s trust and moves to launch systemic
changes in the current year.

We shall build a nation united and free, starting today and standing
together. In the name of Faith and Fatherland.

March 2, 2007
Yerevan

Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622

E-mail:[email protected]
ww w.anccanada.org

PRESS RELEASE
March 1, 2007

Contact: Kevork Manguelian
Tel. (613) 235-2622

ANCC Parliamentary Advocacy Day in Ottawa

Ottawa- A delegation representing the Armenian National Committee of Canada
(ANCC) launched a Parliamentary Advocacy Day in Ottawa on Wednesday February
28. The delegation was headed by Roupen Kouyoumjian, ANCC member, and Aris
Babikian, executive director of ANCC.

The delegation visited the House of Commons and had meetings with cabinet
ministers and parliamentarians to discuss issue related to the next
parliamentary elections, the Armenian community concern, and its upcoming
activities.

The delegation meet with ministers Peter MacKay, Monte Solberg, Bev Oda;
Opposition Leaders Stéphane Dion, Gilles Duceppe; and MP’s Omar Alghabra,
Bernard Bigras, John Cannis, Irwin Cotler, Meili Faille, Raymonde Folco,
Hedy Fry, Gary Goodyear, Michel Gauthier, Marlene Jennings, Jim Karygiannis
Francine Lalonde, Derek Lee, Dan McTeague, Réal Ménard, Serge Ménard, Maria
Minna, Maria Mourani, Jim Peterson, Karen Redman, Judy Segro, Mario Silva,
Peter Stoffer, Anderw Telegdi, and Lui Temelkovski.

`It was very productive and successful day. Everyone was very attentive and
sympathetic to our issues and concerns. We found positive evaluation and
willingness to work with us on the issues raised,’ stated Aris Babikian, the
ANCC, executive director.

-30-

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of
the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

Regional Chapters
Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St. Catharines
– Windsor – Vancouver

From: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Haigazian University
Rue Mexique – Kantari
P.O. Box 11-1748
Riad El-Solh 1107 2090
Beirut – Lebanon

Haigazian University Features "The Armenian Genocide" of Time Magazine

Beirut, On Friday the 3rd of March 2007, the Book Club of the Haigazian
University’s Women’s Auxilary featured the 52-minute documentary on the
Armenian Genocide, prepared by the French director Laurence Jourdan, and
distributed by the European edition of Time magazine in its Feb. 12, 2007
issue.

Around 50 people gathered in the movie theatre of Club La
Marina, Dbayeh watched the well prepared DVD, which features mass
deportations from Armenia during the First World War, live testimonies of
the genocide survivors, in addition to written correspondences of foreign
ambassadors to their countries, reporting atrocities undertaken at the time.

Mayda Keleshian, a member of the Women’s Auxiliary, gave a
short presentation on the circumstances under which this documentary was
prepared. In fact, it was in response to a Turkish DVD distributed formerly
by Time magazine, on its June 6, 2005 issue, as a paid advertisement
promoting tourism in Turkey, which shows up to be a denialist propaganda on
the Armenian Genocide.

This documentary was the fruit of the dedicated work of many
organizations, to whom the whole Armenian nation should be thankful:
Memoire 2000, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations in France,
Comite de Defense de la Cause Armenienne, j’Accuse, the Movement against
Racism and for Friendship among People, Switzerland-Armenia Association,
the French Association of Armenian Lawyers and Jurists, the
European-Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy and the California
Courier newspaper.

Op Ed: Fighting global warming with trees
By Jeff Masarjian

Providence Journal
March 3, 2007

WATERTOWN, Mass.–With the recent U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change report, the question we all face has become even clearer:
What should we do to reverse the effects of increasing temperatures? Uniform
emissions standards may help, but are best suited for countries with vast
resources. Is there a better path forward, especially for developing
nations?

Yes, the answer is micro-enterprise. For example, in Kenya, Wangari Maathai’
s Greenbelt Movement helps local communities learn to run micro-businesses,
saving forests and improving standards of living. Other non-governmental
organizations employ similar on-the-ground, community-based tactics,
yielding tremendous results. In Haiti, Sun Ovens International trains
villagers to operate bakeries using solar power instead of coals made from
wood.

Similarly, we at Armenia Tree Project (ATP) are implementing two closely
linked micro-enterprise and alternative natural-gas initiatives. To address
Armenia’s environmental and economic challenges, we have established
micro-enterprise tree nurseries in the backyards of over 330
families – leading to both the doubling of household incomes and producing
250,000 seedlings each season to replenish the forests.

Deforestation, in fact, is the second leading contributor to global
warming – making planting trees and conserving forests one of the most
important steps to be taken in the developing world. Trees absorb and `sink’
carbon from the atmosphere and produce oxygen – reducing the impact of
emissions from burning fossil fuel – leading to cleansing rain, cooler
temperatures, and preventing drought, famine and disease.

As an extension of our program, in the next year ATP plans to create a
matching fund through which the villagers can invest part of their profits
in extending natural-gas lines to their homes, thereby reducing their need
for forest fuel.

Also worth noting, in Brazil, Suzana Machado Padua’s Instituto Ipe is
working in Nazaré Paulista, a relatively impoverished area that borders the
coastal forest and is a major water source for São Paulo. There, Instituto
Ipe is establishing deep roots through micro enterprises that conserve
forests and protect wildlife while preserving traditional agricultural
activities, the key to programs with true staying power and long-term
impact.

Environmental crises in poor nations demand a micro approach that addresses
the two starkest problems in the developing world: poverty and
deforestation. This means working at the local level to teach the rural poor
energy alternatives and provide practical solutions to reduce their
over-reliance on wood for fuel. NGOs are leading the way, showing that
modest investment and the right educational programs can produce high social
and economic returns.

If we are truly serious about taking action on climate change, we must
address developing economies – village by village.

Jeff Masarjian is executive director of the Armenia Tree Project.

s/content/CT_mas4_03-04-07_D04KIQG.231df7e.html

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Washington Post

The House’s Ottoman Agenda

By Jackson Diehl
Monday, March 5, 2007; A15

article/2007/03/04/AR2007030401047.html

Can a nonbinding congressional resolution really matter? Most are ignored by
everyone except the special interests they are usually directed at. Even the
House’s recent resolution on Iraq was dismissed by both President Bush and
Democratic antiwar leader John Murtha. Yet a vote expected next month on a
nonbinding House resolution describing a "genocide" in the Ottoman Empire
beginning in 1915 has the potential to explode U.S. relations with Turkey,
sway the outcome of upcoming Turkish elections and spill over into several
other strategic American interests, including Iraq and Iran.
So, yes: The Armenian Genocide Resolution sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff does
matter, logically or not. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spent
several days in Washington last month lobbying against it, though the
Turkish-American agenda is chockablock with seemingly more important issues.
Friends of Turkey in Washington, from American Jewish organizations to
foreign policy satraps, are working the Hill; so is the Bush team. On the
other side is the well-organized and affluent Armenian American community,
1.4 million strong, and some powerful friends — including the new House
speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
Here is a debate that could occur only in Washington — a bizarre mix of
frivolity and moral seriousness, of constituent pandering, far-flung history
and front-line foreign policy. And that’s just on the American side; in
Turkey there is the painful struggle of a deeply nationalist society to come
to terms with its past, and in the process become more of the Western
democracy it wants to be.
Start with the pandering: Schiff, a Democrat from Los Angeles, cheerfully
concedes that there are 70,000 to 80,000 ethnic Armenians in his district,
for whom the slaughter of Armenians by the Young Turk regime during World
War I is "anything but ancient history." Local politics also explains why a
resolution that has failed numerous times in the past 20 years is suddenly
looking like a juggernaut: Pelosi, of San Francisco, also has many Armenian
supporters.
"There’s a sense of momentum now about the resolution that we haven’t had
before," Schiff told me. "The votes are there in the committee. The votes
are there on the floor." If Pelosi allows the resolution to be brought up,
as she has reportedly pledged to do, it will probably pass. Its language is
almost comically heavy-handed: It begins by declaring that the House "finds"
a series of 30 paragraphs of facts about the genocide, ranging from the
number killed (1.5 million) to the assertion that "the failure . . . to
punish those responsible" helps explain subsequent atrocities, including the
Holocaust.
Imagine the 435 members of the House, many of whom still don’t know the
difference between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis, solemnly weighing whether
Schiff’s version of events 92 years ago in northeastern Turkey deserves
congressional endorsement. But the consequences of passage could be deadly
serious: To begin with, Turkey’s powerful military has been hinting that
U.S. access to the Incirlik air base, which plays a key role in the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, could be restricted. Gul warned that a nationalist
tidal wave could sweep Turkey and force the government to downgrade its
cooperation with the United States, which needs Turkey’s help this year to
stabilize Iraq and contain Iran. Candidates in upcoming presidential and
parliamentary elections could compete in their anti-American reactions.
No wonder the Bush administration as well as even Democratic-leaning foreign
policy experts, such as Clinton-era ambassador Mark Parris, are trying to
stop the resolution. Yet theirs, too, is a contorted campaign. After all,
historians outside of Turkey are pretty much unanimous in agreeing that
atrocities against Armenians worthy of the term genocide did occur. Though
Congress may look silly with its "findings," the continuing inability of the
Turkish political class to come to terms with history, and temper its
nationalism, may be the country’s single most serious political problem.
Prominent Turkish intellectuals, including a Nobel Prize winner, have been
prosecuted in recent years under laws criminalizing "insults" to Turkey —
such as accurate accounts of the genocide. In January a prominent ethnic
Armenian journalist was murdered by an ultranationalist teenager.
Maybe Congress has no business debating Turkish history, maybe it is doing
so for the wrong reasons. Yet if Turkey is to become the stable,
Western-oriented democracy that it aspires to be, its politicians will have
to learn, at least, to react the way everyone else does to nonbinding House
resolutions: that is, with a shrug.

ARMENIA TREE PROJECT
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472 USA
Tel: (617) 926-TREE
Email: [email protected]
Web:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2007

ATP Receives $100,000 Grant from Conservation International to Partner with
Yale University’s Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry

A new partnership between Armenia Tree Project (ATP), Yale University’s
Global Institute for Sustainable Forestry (), and
Conservation International () will bring international
`best practices’ of sustainable forestry to Armenia. The joint venture,
`Evaluation and Implementation of Sustainable Forestry Models in Northern
Armenia,’ involves conducting a state of the art analysis of the forest
ecosystems in the Lori region with the aim of producing the first
sustainable forestry training manual tailored to the specific needs of
Armenia.

The severe degradation of forested areas in Armenia necessitates a new and
bold approach to forestry practices. With Yale’s expertise in sustainable
forestry, ATP along with Armenia’s leading academic and government forestry
officials will collaborate in a partnership to bring cutting edge forestry
training to Armenia. It is our hope that the project will literally reshape
the nation’s landscape and ensure a sustainable future for its population.

The goals of the project are to evaluate the condition of the forests in
northern Armenia, paying particular attention to the factors that are
limiting the ability for regeneration. An assessment will be made of plants,
herbs, and other non-timber products that may be sustainably harvested for
generating alternative income for residents living in close proximity to the
forests. Trainings on rotational grazing will be held with livestock owners
to prevent soil erosion and further degradation of forests.

A model forest will be planted to serve as a training site, and paired with
a sustainable forestry training manual specific to the unique environment of
Armenia. This manual and demonstration plot will serve as the focal point
for future trainings with foresters and residents from around the country.

This project is being funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
(CEPF), a joint initiative of Conservation International, International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development, the Global Environment Facility, the
Ministry of Finance of Japan, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation. A fundamental goal of CEPF () is to ensure civil
society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.

Armenia Tree Project (ATP), a grassroots-supported non-profit organization
based in Watertown and Yerevan, conducts vitally important environmental
projects in Armenia’s impoverished and deforested zones and seeks support in
advancing its reforestation mission.

Since 1994, ATP has made enormous strides in combating desertification in
the biologically diverse but threatened Caucasus region. Nearly 1.5 million
trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created
for Armenians in seasonal tree-regeneration programs. For more information
or to support ATP, visit

PHOTO CAPTION: A partnership with Yale University and Conservation
International will help ATP conduct an analysis of the forests in the Lori
region and produce a sustainable forestry manual for Armenia