Month: May 2008

Somerville News, MA
May 2 2008

No more ‘No place for hate’

By Mia Lamar

The city of Somerville suspended its relationship with the
Anti-Defamation League’s `No Place for Hate’ anti-prejudice program
last Thursday, in protest of the ADL’s failure to `unequivocally’
recognize the Armenian genocide, according to a city spokeswoman,
Lesley Delaney Hawkins. Hawkins added that the city specifically chose
to make its announcement on the annual day of remembrance for the
genocide, April 24, a message Hawkins called `significant.’

`We want to send a clear message that bigotry, whether its on a local
level or a genocide level, is not appropriate,’ said Hawkins. She said
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, a member of the Massachusetts Municipal
Association (MMA) who is also president of the Massachusetts Mayors’
Association, received an `immense’ amount of correspondence from
individuals, of both Armenian and non-Armenian descent, expressing
their concern over the controversial position of the ADL. The
Massachusetts Municipal Association withdrew its co-sponsorship of the
"No Place for Hate" program earlier this month, moving Mayor Curtatone
to follow suit with Somerville.

Hawkins stressed that the city’s decision `was not a question’ of the
overall efforts of the ADL. `We certainly do respect and appreciate
their [anti-] bigotry efforts,’ she said.

According to Hawkins, the city has not received any communication from
the ADL concerning its announcement Thursday, and is currently looking
into whether it must take further steps to formally cease its
relationship with the `No Place for Hate’ program. She also said she
expects the city to pass a resolution in coming weeks to join the
National League of Cities Partnership for Working Towards Inclusive
Communities.

A regional spokeswoman for the ADL, Jennifer Smith, did not return
calls for comment.

Somerville joins a growing list of Massachusetts communities taking a
stance against the ADL and its position towards the Armenian genocide,
including nearby Belmont, Watertown, Lexington and Newton.

erville_news/2008/05/no-more.html

The Daily Star, Lebanon
May 3 2008

Visiting Moussa holds out hope for new talks with Berri, Hariri

Would-be interlocutors bicker over reason to meet
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star staff
Saturday, May 03, 2008

BEIRUT: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said after meeting
Speaker Nabih Berrion Friday that a meeting between himself, Berri and
parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri was possible.

Moussa, who arrived in Beirut on Thursday to participate in the Arab
Economic Forum, did not specify when such meeting will take place.

He said that all parties were looking forward to achieve a
breakthrough and end the ongoing political crisis.

"Nobody is against dialogue. It is illogical to reject dialogue, but
it is very important for us to see a sort of a road map that starts
with dialogue and ends with the election of a new president," he said.

Moussa denied discussing new ideas with the rival leaders and stressed
that the only initiative on the table was the Arab League’s
three-point initiative.

Speaking at the Arab Economic Forum, Moussa urged lawmakers to elect a
new president as soon as possible.

"The persisting vacancy in the presidency is a very serious issue,"
Moussa said

Meanwhile, sources close to Berri told The Daily Star on Friday that
Hariri’s insistence that dialogue be in the form of talks between the
two of them was the main reason behind him not meeting the speaker
until now.

"Had Hariri wanted to simply meet Berri, the meeting would have
happened in the past few days, but Hariri wants to hold bilateral
talks while the speaker has repeatedly stressed that his call for
dialogue was aimed at holding all-party roundtable talks," the sources
said.

But MP Ammar Houri of Hariri’s Future Movement told The Daily Star on
Friday that Hariri has requested to see Berri and brief him about the
ruling coalition’s position on his dialogue call.

"Hariri is still waiting for Berri’s response. Speaking about Hariri’s
intentions is equivalent to fortune-telling," Houri said.

Also on Friday, Berri met with visiting Qatari Deputy Prime Minister
Abdullah al-Attiyah. After the meeting, Attiyah told reporters that
the speaker’s dialogue call was positive, hoping that the rival
leaders would meet soon to resolve the country’s crisis.

Later on Friday, Attiyah met Hariri and discussed with him the latest
developments.

"I wish that Lebanese parties would understand that the country is
passing through a critical period," the Qatari said after meeting
Hariri. "All parties are required to do their best in order to end the
crisis."

However, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit seemed less
optimistic about the chances of achieving a breakthrough soon.

He told BBC television on Friday that progress was unlikely in the
near future.

He urged Syria to push for a settlement in Lebanon while reiterating
Egypt’s readiness to do all that is needed to end the political
impasse.

Meanwhile, MP Michel Murr said after meeting US Charge d’Affaires
Michel Sison on Friday that the US was backing a settlement in
Lebanon.

"The US encourages dialogue between the Lebanese and is not imposing
conditions on us," Murr said.

He also urged opposition MPs to head to Parliament and elect a
president.

"It seems that you are happy with leaving the president’s privileges
in the hand of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s government," Murr said,
addressing the opposition. "If you are not happy with Siniora, the
next thing you should do is elect a president."

The Metn lawmaker, who recently separated from Free Patriotic Movement
leader MP Michel Aoun’s parliamentary bloc, said that there should be
no obstacles to electing a president on May 13.

Murr also met Moussa on Friday. Speaking to reporters afterward,
Moussa reiterated that a meeting between Berri and Hariri was very
likely.

The Parliament is scheduled to meet on May 13 to elect a new head of
state.

Eighteen earlier elections sessions were postponed, leaving the
country without a president since last November.

Meanwhile, Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad said after meeting US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington on Friday that a new
Lebanese president should be unconditionally elected on May 13.

"No conditions whatsoever should be attached to the presidential
election," she said. "We are ready to engage in dialogue after and not
before electing a president," she added.

Also on Friday, the Armenian Tashnag Party issued a statement
welcoming Berri’s call for dialogue to help resolve the political
crisis. The statement stressed that the electoral alliance between the
party and Aoun has changed to become a full-fledged political
alliance.

The statement added that the party’s electoral alliance with Murr will
continue despite Murr’s recent separation from Aoun’s parliamentary
bloc. Aoun’s Reform and Change bloc also includes Tashnag.

Late on Thursday, former President Amin Gemayel commented on Berri’s
call for dialogue, stressing that the ruling majority was not against
dialogue given that the proposed talks yield a mechanism for electing
a new president.

In an interview with Al-Arabiyyah satellite news channel, Gemayel
accused the opposition of not wanting to elect the commander of the
Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel Suleiman, as president.

"In the very beginning, opposition leaders were the first to propose
electing Suleiman as president, but when the March 14 Forces decided
to back the election of Suleiman, the opposition started creating
obstacles to prevent the election," Gemayel said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. State Department displeased with Armenia-Iran
cooperation development
03.05.2008 15:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Office of the Coordinator for
Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State has
issued Country Reports on Terrorism 2007.

The Armenia Report says:

`Armenia’s counterterrorism contribution included its
continued commitment to overflight and landing rights
of U.S. military aircraft, additional security support
to U.S. facilities in Armenia during times of
terrorist alert, and the renewed deployment of
peacekeeping forces in Iraq. In addition, Armenia
joined the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism, and expressed interest in joining the
Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear
Terrorism.

In September, a delegation of inspectors from the UN
Counterterrorism Committee Executive Directorate
visited Armenia to ascertain its progress in complying
with UNSCR 1372, and found that 12 of the 13 legal
counterterrorism instruments had already been
implemented or were soon to be implemented. And in
July, the Armenian government succeeded in adapting
the EU export control list of `dual-use’ commodities
to its own national control list.

The Financial Monitoring Center (FMC), a
U.S.-supported financial intelligence unit within the
Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), continued to make
investigative strides against money-laundering. During
the first nine months of the year, the FMC received
twenty-four suspicious transaction reports (STRs),
compared to twenty-three STRs during the same period
in 2006, and six STRs in 2005. Under its current
mandate, the CBA can freeze temporarily financial
assets while referring the STRs to the competent
authorities for further investigation. However, it
must rely on private financial institutions to
self-monitor and lacked an integrated IT system to
store information on financial entities or individuals
of concern. At the end of the year, no cases involving
terrorist financing were uncovered or prosecuted. The
FMC received Egmont Group membership this year.

Armenia improved border security by maintaining an
automated Border Management Information System (BMIS)
that documented and stored the names of travelers at
nearly all official points of entry, and contained
criminal and terrorist watchlists as updated by the
Republic of Armenia Police (RAP) and National Security
Service (NSS). While Armenia has no bilateral
agreement with the United States governing the sharing
of information on travelers, the NSS and RAP shared
information with the U.S. Embassy when they discovered
fraudulent U.S. visas or other documents of interest
to the United States.

Armenia’s warming relations with neighboring Iran
continued, with Armenia hosting official visits by
Iranian President Ahmadinejad (October) and Iranian
Defense Minister Najjar (November). In addition to
fostering closer diplomatic ties, these visits served
to solidify previous bilateral commitments to develop
joint energy and transportation projects. This closer
cooperation has made Armenia more reluctant to
criticize publicly objectionable Iranian conduct or
join other UN member states in advocating for
sanctions on the Iranian regime.

Although Armenia continued to strengthen its
counterterrorism capabilities and enhanced its
counterterrorism cooperation with the United States
and other international security organizations, its
geographic location, porous borders, and loose visa
regime still provided ample opportunities for
traffickers of illicit materials, persons, and
finances. Furthermore, endemic governmental
corruption, a significant organized crime presence,
and a large shadow economy made the country
potentially vulnerable to money laundering and
terrorist financing schemes.’

PanARMENIAN.Net

Azerbaijan to return four Armenian citizens today
03.05.2008 15:50 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 3, at 6 .m. local time, near
the settlement of Yeraskhavan, Ararat region, the
Azeri side will transfer fours Armenians, who several
days earlier lost their way, finding themselves in
Nakhijevan, Azerbaijan, said spokesman for the RA
Defense Minister, col. Seyran Shahsuvaryan who
accompanies Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan in his
northeast journey.

The Minister will visit the military units to meet
with the officers and will also attend the posts at
the Armenian-Azeri border, IA Regnum reports.

Four Armenian citizens – Vanik Zmboyan from Gavar,
Artem Zohrabyan, Karen Torosyan and Aghasi Yenokyan
from Noragyugh village – went to the village of
Khachik to meet a friend. Coming back, they lost their
way finding themselves in Nakhijevan,’ he said.

`Presently, all four are kept in the Azeri National
Security Service cell in Azerbaijan. The Armenian side
addressed to the International Red Cross Office in
Baku for assistance to transfer the captives back to
the Armenia,’ colonel Shahsuvaryan said.

Earlier, the Azeri Press Agency circulated information
that `Armenian special forces planning a provocation
were arrested in Azerbaijan.’

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Azeri side frustrates transfer of four Armenians
03.05.2008 20:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Azeri side frustrated transfer of four Armenian
citizens, who lost their way and found themselves in Nakhijevan
several days ago. The transfer was planned near the settlement of
Yeraskhavan at 6 a.m. The Armenian and Azeri sides met as it was
agreed; however, Azeris said they are not going to return anyone, IA
Regnum reports.

Four Armenian citizens – Vanik Zmboyan from Gavar, Artem Zohrabyan,
Karen Torosyan and Aghasi Yenokyan from Noragyugh village – went to
the village of Khachik to meet a friend. Coming back, they lost their
way finding themselves in Nakhijevan.

Meanwhile, Azeri media reported arrest of `Armenian special troops
planning a provocation in Azerbaijan.’

ICRC (press release), Switzerland
May 3 2008

Azerbaijani serviceman transferred under ICRC auspices

Geneva (ICRC) ` An Azerbaijani serviceman previously detained in
Nagorny Karabakh has been handed over today to the Azerbaijani
authorities under the auspices of the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC).

The handover operation took place in Agdam district of the Republic of
Azerbaijan.

Prior to the release and transfer of the serviceman, ICRC delegates
had visited him on several occasions in order to assess his conditions
of detention and treatment. The organization had also exchanged family
news between the detainee and his relatives.

Acting as a neutral intermediary and in accordance with its mandate,
the ICRC facilitated the transfer of the released serviceman at the
request of all sides and with their full cooperation. ICRC delegates
had visited him before the operation to ensure that he was returning
of his own free will.

For further information, please contact:
Anna Schaaf, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 217 32 17 Jacques Barberis, ICRC
Stepanakert, tel. +37 447 943 740

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ch ance meeting
A Freeno State professor recalls his long-ago visit with the Dalai Lama.
By Doug Hoagland / The Fresno Bee
05/02/08 16:59:26
Quick Job Search

Retiring professor Dickran Kouymjian met the Dalai Lama almost
50 years ago, when both men were in their 20s.

Fresno State professor Dickran Kouymjian met with the exiled Dalai
Lama of Tibet long before the famous spiritual leader rocketed into
the news on the shouts of protestors worldwide.

Thousands of angry people, including many in San Francisco last month,
have railed against China’s crackdown in Tibet.

These events stirred memories for Kouymjian, whose trek across the
Middle East in green Bermuda shorts brought him face to face with the
Dalai Lama nearly 50 years ago. The young Armenian-American carried in
his rucksack a blue-and-white seersucker suit that he would wear
during their brief meeting in 1959 in India. The Dalai Lama, a
Buddhist monk who is both the exiled political and spiritual leader of
Tibet, wore burgundy robes.

Both men were in their 20s. "It was an adventure, and yes, yes, yes, I
wanted it," Kouymjian said of his trip. "I wanted to see things. I
wanted to be in the action."

The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet a few months before Kouymjian met him,
had taken up exile in India, where he lives today. He had yet to
become a figure who regularly confers with popes and presidents and a
Nobel Peace Prize winner.

But even in 1959, the Dalai Lama emanated a peace and tranquillity
that today is associated with his public persona, Kouymjian said. "I
thought to myself, ‘This is what they mean when they say
idealist. This man is either a true spiritualist or terribly nalai
Lama’s Web site. Tibetans believe the Dalai Lamas are "enlightened
beings" who choose reincarnation to serve humanity, according to the
Web site. Dalai means "ocean" in Mongolian, and lama in Tibetan often
is translated as "spiritual teacher." The title means a teacher who is
as spiritually deep as an ocean.

After China’s invasion of Tibet in 1949, the current Dalai Lama
assumed political power and negotiated with Chinese leaders, but fled
to India in 1959 when China put down a Tibetan uprising, the Web site
says.

Chinese authorities blame the Dalai Lama for recent protests in
Tibet. He says a "cultural genocide" is occurring in his homeland.

The Dalai Lama’s nonviolent philosophy is at odds with some youthful
followers, Kouymjian said. "He’s trying to control all these young
Tibetans who expect him to be as militant as they are. They’re not
talking about peace and Buddhist messages of love and
brotherhood. They want action."

Protests in San Francisco — and London and Paris, before that, which
were tied to the upcoming Olympics in China — have helped focus world
attention on the plight of the Tibetans, Kouymjian said: "It is
important for Western leaders to know people are concerned about
this."

Kouymjian, who grew up in the Midwest, was working as a freelance
journalist when he met the Dalai Lama. After graduating from college,
he had gone to Europe in 1958 to report on the World’s Fair in
Belgium. Next stop: Lebanon, where he worked on a master’s degree. He
later earned a doctorate. While living in Lebanon, he and his friend
Andre Dirlik, now a retired professor from Canada’s Royal Military
College, made an overland trip to India.

The two men hitchhiked and rode buses and trains from Lebanon across
Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India. Officials in the Indian
capital of Delhi didn’t give Kouymjian much hope of meeting with the
Dalai Lama, but he persisted.

Kouymjian said he called the Dalai Lama’s representative and was
granted an appointment after saying he had a friend who knew the Dalai
Lama’s childhood tutor — an Austrian.

The Dalai Lama told Kouymjian that despite China’s occupation of
Tibet, he could not hate the Chinese because he needed to love his
fellow man: "The long and short of it, he was trying to give me a
moral lesson about love."

Kouymjian’s traveling companion remembers the meeting with the Dalai
Lama less significantly, calling it a lark.

"You just try your luck, and it worked," Dirlik said. The Dalai Lama
was courteous but not terribly charismatic, and the conversation
wasn’t profound, Dirlik said from his Montreal home. The meeting
lasted about an hour. Dirlik said he took a photo of Kouymjian and the
Dalai Lama.

Kouymjian, 73, found a copy of that photo as he recently packed up his
office. Thirty-two years after starting the Armenian Studies Program
at California State University, Fresno, Kouymjian is retiring and
returning to Paris, where he has lived part time since the mid-1970s.

He savors his memory of the Dalai Lama.

"I thought it was a great privilege to see him," Kouymjian said, "and
he let us believe he had passed a very pleasant hour with us."

Behind Kouymjian is a sample of the documents, books, and
artwork the Armenian studies department has acquired.

Kouymjian’s traveling companion took a photo of Kouymjian and
the Dalai Lama during the 1959 meeting that took place in
India.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6354.

First Boston Armenian Film Festival to be held at Museum of Fine Arts
(MFA)

5/3/08

PRESS RELEASE
Boston Armenian Film Festival
Contact: Jane Minasian:
Tel: 781 643 6164
Email: [email protected]
Web:

BOSTON, MA: The First Boston Armenian Film Festival will be held at

the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on the weekend of May 30 – June 1,
2008. The Boston Armenian Film Festival celebrates Armenian culture
and its filmmakers with documentaries, drama and film shorts.

This series is organized and co-presented by the Armenian Dramatic
Arts Alliance (ADAA), , whose mission is to
present the Armenian voice on a world stage through the arts of
theater and film. The series is also co-presented by The Armenia
Fund, USA, Inc. Founded in 1992, Armenia Fund
USA was one of the first of The Armenia Fund’s 19 international
affiliates and serves Armenians in the Eastern US. The Fund
represents all Armenians and has adopted a policy to go `Beyond

Bricks and Mortar’ to provide sustainability for its projects.

More information about the festival and the films can be found on both
the MFA () and ADAA ( ) websites.

The MFA hopes to make this an annual event, said ADAA President Bianca
Bagatourian, who curated the film selection. Paul Boghosian, ADAA
board member and president of HarborSide Film, who facilitated the
partnership between the MFA and ADAA, said: `My feature film had its
premiere at the MFA, and I witnessed first-hand the prestigious,
high-exposure showcase that the MFA offers filmmakers.’

The Museum of Fine Arts’ Film Program features contemporary
international cinema, restored classics, American independent films
(including films by local artists), films showing for the first time
in Boston, and retrospectives by international film artists. The MFA

Film Program is co-sponsored by Goulston & Storrs. The Media sponsor
is The Boston Phoenix.

The Boston Armenian Film Festival schedule is as follows:

May 30 – Friday
7:45pm Opening Night: The Lark Farm by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
(2007, 122 min.).
All opening night attendees are invited to a complimentary reception
in the MFA lobby. This reception is sponsored by The Armenia Fund,
Inc. ().

May 31 – Saturday
7:45pm: Big Story in a Small City by Gor Kirakosian (2007, 90 min.).
9:30pm: Boston Armenian Film Festival Panel discussion on issues
facing Armenian filmmakers today. The featured panelists are Carla
Garapedian, Michael Goorjian, Gor Kirakossian and Hrag Yedalian. The
panel will be moderated by Bianca Bagatourian.

June 1 – Sunday
6:30pm: The People’s Advocate: The Life and Times of Charles R.
Garry by Hrag Yedalian (2007, 59 min.), preceded by The War Prayer by
Michael Goorjian (2007, 14 min.).
8:00: Calendar (1993, 74 min.), preceded by A Portrait of Arshile
(1995, 4 min.), both by Atom Egoyan.

PETER SEMNEBY TO VISIT KARABAKH

AZG Armenian Daily
02/05/2008

Karabakh issue

EU Special Representative to South Caucasus Peter Semnebey is planning
to visit Nagorno Karabakh in the middle of May.

The visit aims at establishing confidence between communities of
Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

Peter Semnebey acted with the same initiative last summer and expressed
willingness to accomplish it in September, but the visit didn’t take
place for some reasons, "Noyan Tapan" agency reported.

ACCORDING TO THE REPORT OF FREEDOM HOUSE OUR RATING FELL

AZG Armenian Daily
02/05/2008

Statistics

Freedom House published world ratings of freedom of press.

According to the report, Armenia continues to remain as "not free"
country and ranks between 144-149 together with Ivory Coast, Guinea,
Maldivian Republic, Moldova and Pakistan.

Georgia is also among "not free" countries.

Azerbaijani rating is worse, where, according to the report, many
newspapers are closed and eight journalists – put into prison.