Author: Adrine Hakobian

ARMENIA WILL LOSE GROUND AT BAKU PRESSURE, AZERI PRESIDENT SURE
Pan Armenian News
03.09.2005 03:19
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Azerbaijan is very strong and Armenia will lose
ground at its pressure. However, we do not want a war, as a large
number of people will die. I believe that we will return our lands
sooner or later. Let no one doubt it,” Azeri President Ilham Aliyev
stated in an interview with the Hurriyet Turkish newspaper, published
September 2. “Each Azerbaijani fully believes that a day will come
when the occupied lands are liberated and the banner of Azerbaijan is
again flutter over Karabakh,” I. Aliyev underscored, also commenting
on the outcomes of the Kazan meeting with Armenian President Robert
Kocharian. “There are no results yet. Armenian expect for us to
give them independence. However, this is not possible. Preserving the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is priority to us. I told Kocharian
we are ready to guarantee the security of the Armenian community
of Karabakh. I emphasized Baku will not allow the community to face
any danger,” I. Aliyev said, adding, “However they [Armed Forces of
Armenia] do not wish to liberate our lands.” Simultaneously I. Aliyev
noted that in the course of the latest telephone conversation US State
Secretary Condoleezza Rice stated Washington wishes for the parties
to come to a resolution of the conflict. “I do not understand why
Armenia being an invader country is not punished, though I understand
that the Armenian lobby is strong. The current situation is utterly
unfair,” I. Aliyev said. He noted that he felt some mitigation of R.
Kocharian’s position after that conversation, however it was not
sufficient to solve the problem. “We made all possible steps. However,
Armenia does not pay attention to the opinion of the international
community. Over 1 million of Azeri citizens are left without a roof
over their heads. The West is for soonest settlement. “We will do
everything possible to that end. Then we will sit down and think,”
I. Aliyev summed up, reported Trend Azeri agency.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Boston Globe, MA
Aug 24 2005
Watertown museum preserves the history and culture of Armenia
By Mark Pratt, Associated Press Writer | August 24, 2005
WATERTOWN, Mass. –Armenia has been conquered by the Romans, Greeks,
Persians, Ottoman Turks and Russians.
“It is a rough and bloody history,” said Gary Lind-Sinanian, curator
of the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown.
The largest Armenian museum in the U.S. preserves and promotes the
distinct and vibrant culture of the Armenian people, who have
survived and thrived despite their sad history.
It houses a collection of 20,000 artifacts, and continually changing
displays of ornate Bibles, Gospels and prayer books; colorful rugs,
clothing and textiles; antique musical instruments; ancient coins
from the time before Christ; dazzling jewelry and more.
“This museum is ethnic wealth and history accumulated in one place,”
executive director Berj Chekijian said.
Founded in 1971 in the basement of a church in Belmont, the museum
moved to its current location in busy Watertown Square in 1990. It
now draws about 7,000 visitors annually.
The Boston suburb has long been a center of Armenian immigration. Of
Watertown’s 34,000 residents, more than 20 percent can claim Armenian
descent, by Lind-Sinanian’s estimate.
In all, there are roughly 90,000 people of Armenian descent in
greater Boston, and about 1 million in the United States.
But it’s not necessary to have Armenian blood to appreciate the
museum. The sheer beauty of the jewelry, rugs and textiles have
universal appeal, and the museum also explains Armenians’
contributions to U.S. and world history.
In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as
its official state religion.
Through Oct. 30, it features an exhibit called “Monks, Merchants and
Missionaries: The Bible in the Armenian Tradition.” There are ornate
and colorful hand-transcribed and decorated Gospels and prayer books,
including one that dates to 1207 and was in the same family for 39
generations before being donated to the museum.
“The book was said to have healing properties,” Lind-Sinanian said.
“People with sick relatives would travel miles to rub bread on the
cover, then bring the bread back for their sick relatives to eat.”
The museum’s one permanent exhibit explores the genocide of Armenians
by the Turks. By some estimates, more than 1 million Armenians were
killed between 1915 and 1922. To this day, the Turkish government
denies the genocide.
But to those who would deny it, Lind-Sinanian waves his hand at the
photographs of emaciated children, of Armenian men dangling from
gallows as Turkish troops stand at attention, and says “Go read some
of the firsthand accounts, listen to the oral histories. I’ve
actually had Turkish visitors to the museum look at this exhibit and
say ‘I’m sorry.'”
The museum also highlights prominent Armenian-Americans, including
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, best known for being an advocate of
doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. But Kevorkian,
currently serving a 10- to 25-year sentence in a Michigan prison for
giving a fatal injection to a terminally ill patient, is also a
writer, artist and composer, and the museum has samples of that work.
His paintings deal mainly with death — including an iris growing
through the eye socket of a human skull — which many visitors find
disturbing.
Moses Hadji Gulesian, a Boston coppersmith, is credited with saving
the USS Constitution. When the Navy wanted to haul the warship into
Boston Harbor to use for target practice, Gulesian recognized its
historical significance and offered to buy it. It’s now one of
Boston’s top tourist attractions.
“He essentially embarrassed the Navy into saving it,” Lind-Sinanian
said.
Doreen Adams of Duxbury grew up in Watertown and is three-quarters
Armenian, but she’d never been to the museum until earlier this
month.
“There is so much here, the beautiful jewelry, the art, but I was
particularly drawn to the exhibit about the Armenian genocide,
because my grandmother used to talk about that,” she said.
Adams also learned a possible explanation for her Armenian
grandmother’s marriage to a Turk. During the genocide, the young,
unmarried women of some Armenian villages would offer themselves to
the Turkish troops for marriage, and in exchange, the Turks would
spare the village.
“There is so much to learn here,” Adams said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
TURKISH PRESS ACCUSES FRANCE IN LYING IN ARMENIAN ISSUE
09.08.2005 08:36
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish press accuses France in lying and asserts the
country that comes against Turkey’s accession to the EU «lies to the world
in the issue of the Armenian Genocide.» According to the Zaman newspaper
writes that there are documents in French sources allegedly proving the
opposite «just Armenians had organized massacre of thousands of Muslims in
Ottoman Turkey.» Naturally, the newspaper does not cite any facts.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse — German
Sonntag, 24. Juli 2005
Ermittlungen gegen türkischen Politiker wegen Völkermord-Leugnung
Zürich, 24. Juli
Wegen Leugnung der Massaker an den Armeniern im Osmanischen Reich hat
die schweizerische Staatsanwaltschaft ein Strafverfahren gegen den
türkischen Politiker Dogu Perincek eingeleitet. Der Chef der
linksgerichteten Arbeiterpartei hatte zuvor auf einer Pressekonferenz
die Verfolgung und Ermordung von bis zu 1,5 Millionen Armeniern
während des Ersten Weltkriegs als “Lüge von Imperialisten”
bezeichnet.
Nach Angaben der Züricher Kantonalspolizei verstieß Perincek damit
gegen die Antirassismus-Gesetze des Landes.
Laut der türkischen Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu wurde der Parteichef
am Samstag dreieinhalb Stunden lang von der Staatsanwaltschaft im
schweizerischen Winterthur vernommen und anschließend auf freien Fuß
gesetzt. Am Sonntag nahm er in Lausanne an den Feiern zum 82.
Jahrestag des Vertrags von Lausanne teil, mit dem 1923 der türkische
Staat gegründet wurde. Mitte Juli hatte auch die Gesellschaft
Schweiz-Armenien Klage gegen Perincek eingereicht, nachdem er im Mai
schon einmal in der Schweiz den Völkermord geleugnet haben soll.
Bei den zwischen 1915 und 1917 verübten Massakern und bei
Todesmärschen starben zwischen 300.000 und 1,5 Millionen Menschen.
Ein Großteil der internationalen Öffentlichkeit, darunter auch die
Schweiz, stuft die Verbrechen als Völkermord ein. Aus Sicht der
Türkei handelte es sich bei den Ereignissen dagegen um die tragischen
Folgen einer Zwangsumsiedlung, die wegen des Krieges erforderlich
gewesen sei.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Service de base français
24 juillet 2005
Situation 14h30 Célébration du Traité de Lausanne Dogu Perincek
persiste et signe
Lausanne (ats) Forêts de drapeaux, chants patriotiques, discours
enflammés, les quais d’Ouchy accueillaient dimanche les nationalistes
turcs. Parmi eux, le chef du Parti des travailleurs Dogu Perincek a
réitéré ses propos sur le “soi-disant génocide arménien”.
Interrogé par l’ats, M. Perincek a une nouvelle fois fustigé “le
mensonge international” à propos du génocide arménien. “Nous avons
défendu notre territoire contre les terroristes”, a-t-il ajouté, “et
nous avons fait confirmer ici au Beau-Rivage ce que nous avons obtenu
par les armes”.
“Quiconque nous agressera à l’avenir obtiendra la même réponse”, a
poursuivi le leader turc. “Nous sommes décidés à défendre
l’indépendance de notre territoire contre l’impérialisme”. Concernant
les plaintes pour négationnisme dont il fait l’objet en Suisse, il a
estimé que “le peuple suisse saura reconnaître la vérité”.
Environ 2000 Turcs et 300 Kurdes célèbrent dimanche dans le chef-lieu
vaudois le 82e anniversaire du Traité de Lausanne. En début
d’après-midi les Turcs se sont retirés en conférence au Beau-Rivage
Palace, là même où se sont tenues les négociations à l’époque.
De leur côté, les Kurdes se sont réunis au centre-ville, devant le
Palais de Rumine où fut signé le Traité de Lausanne le 24 juillet
1923. Plusieurs orateurs se sont succédé à la tribune pour dénoncer
ce traité, qui a “bafoué l’espoir de liberté” de toutes les minorités
vivant en Turquie.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VENEZUELAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
CARACAS, JULY 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Parliament of
Venezuela has adopted a resolution that recognizes the Armenian
genocide and asks the European Union (EU) to place preconditions on
Turkey’s EU bid, “Yerkir” reported. Adopted on July 14, the resolution
was introduced by Parliament Member Victor Hugo Morales and attorney
Janet Madris. Venezuela’s Armenians have worked for years to have
their country officially recognize and denounce the genocide of fellow
Armenians by Turkey’s Ottoman government. With Turkey’s recent
aspirations toward Europe, however, the resolution also appeals to the
EU to “postpone Turkey’s membership bid until its also recognizes the
1915 genocide of 1.5 million Armenians.” The text of the resolution in
full reads: “The National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela Whereas The first scientifically planned, organized and
executed genocide in the history of humanity took place 90 years ago,
perpetrated by the regime of the “Young Turks” and their ideology of
“Panturkism,” against the Armenian People, involving the extermination
of almost two million people. Whereas Crimes of this nature must be
denounced in order to prevent them from happening again, in order to
restore to the victims their human and national rights and to condemn
the perpetrators. Whereas This genocide deserves repudiation from the
Turkish People and all the peoples of the world. Whereas The People
and the State of Venezuela have continuously condemned terrorism and
racial, ethnical, religious and political discrimination. Whereas The
People and the State of Venezuela fight permanently against all types
of terrorism, including State Terrorism. Whereas Due to political
causes and interests, there is an ongoing attempt to change history
through the negation of this genocide. The National Assembly resolves
First: To express to the Armenian People, to their government and to
the strong Armenian-Venezuelan Community, support on their valid and
delayed humanitarian aspirations of justice. Second: To request the
European Union to postpone Turkey’s membership bid, until the
recognition by Turkey of the Armenian Genocide. Third: To designate a
Committee in charge of delivering this resolution to the Armenian
Parliament and to the Armenian Religious Authorities. Fourth: To form
the Parliamentary Group of Friendship to the Armenian People.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

New York Times
July 23 2005
John Herald, 65, Folk Singer and Guitarist, Dies

By BEN SISARIO
Published: July 23, 2005
John Herald, a guitarist and singer whose group the Greenbriar Boys
was among the first bluegrass bands in New York in the 1960’s, died
on Monday at his home in West Hurley, N.Y. He was 65.
Jack Vartoogian/FrontRow Photos
John Herald in 2001.

Forum: Popular Music
The Ulster County medical examiner has not ruled on the cause of
death, but the state police said it appeared to be suicide. Mr.
Herald’s body was found on Tuesday.
A regular presence on the folk and bluegrass scene for more than four
decades, Mr. Herald was known for his accomplished guitar picking and
his strong and boyishly nasal voice, which grew gentle in later
years. A noted songwriter, his songs were performed by Linda
Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul and Mary.
The Greenbriar Boys, formed by Mr. Herald with Eric Weissberg and Bob
Yellin in the late 1950’s, were active on the New York folk scene. In
a review in 1961, Robert Shelton of The New York Times praised a
young Bob Dylan at Folk City in Greenwich Village; the headlining act
that night was the Greenbriar Boys.
The band “whips up some of the fastest, most tempestuous bluegrass
music this side of Nashville,” he wrote of the concert. “They join
Mr. Herald, a leather-lunged tenor whose athletic, high-range country
yodeling is a thing of wonder.”
The Greenbriar Boys became the first “Yankee” band to win the Galax
Fiddlers Convention in Virginia. The group recorded for Vanguard and
Elektra and underwent various personnel shifts until disbanding in
the late 60’s.
Born in Manhattan, Mr. Herald grew up in Greenwich Village, the son
of Leon Serabian Herald, an Armenian immigrant who was a published
poet. He was inspired to play music when he was at summer camp and
saw Pete Seeger perform.
Mr. Herald performed solo and with the John Herald Band through the
70’s. He also performed with the Woodstock Mountain Revue. He
recorded an album, “Roll On John,” released in 2000, and was working
on a new CD at the time of his death.
His marriage to Kim Chalmers ended in divorce. No other immediate
survivors are known.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UEFA.com, Switzerland
July 22 2005
The real Tractor Boys
Friday, 22 July 2005
By Denis Orlov
Vladimir Romanov’s vision saved MTZ-RIPO from extinction
For a club playing their very first European fixture it was a
remarkable result. Belarussian minnows FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk had little
right to expect anything other than a drubbing in their UEFA Cup
first qualifying round match away against Hungarian giants
Ferencvárosi TC, but wound up as 2-0 winners.
Tractor boys
A goal after 38 minutes from talismanic Armenian international
midfield player Hamlet Mkhitaryan set the team named after a Minsk
tractor factory on their way and substitute Vitali Tarashchik piled
on the misery for the home supporters with a second goal deep into
added time.
Viachaslau Hleb has joined the club on loan
Battling win
MTZ-RIPO qualified for Europe after beating FC BATE Borisov 2-1 in
the Belarus Cup final in May. In that game, Yuri Puntus’ side were a
goal behind before strikes from Denis Fedorov and Artem Kontsevoy
earned them their first-ever trophy.
Near miss
Nonetheless, they only narrowly avoided relegation in 2004, finishing
14th in the table, and they made a similarly miserable start this
season. After six games they lay 12th in the table with just four
points, but five wins in their next seven games have seen them
surging up the table.
Stern test
“Initially we were being beaten again and again but I was not
ashamed,” said Puntus. “The poor start we had was a kind of test for
my young players: will we survive or will we start to shy out of it?
I think we have passed this exam and proved we have a tight-knit and
battle-ready side.”
New owner
MTZ-RIPO have had their share of testing times in recent seasons.
Back in 2002 they were on the verge of bankruptcy and glued to the
foot of the table after the first half of the season, until
Lithuanian entrepreneur Vladimir Romanov – who also owns Heart of
Midlothian FC and FBK Kaunas – took charge.
Rebuilding process
“Before we came to MTZ-RIPO, they had all but lost their place in the
top division,” remembered Romanoc. “Our chances of staying up where
about one in ten, but we managed it. Now we’re in a tough process of
building. MTZ-RIPO will be strengthened by their own academy and
players from the former USSR.”
Important signing
Romanov’s promises are not hollow. The MTZ-RIPO academy is up and
running with 63-year-old Eduard Malofeev, the man who won the Soviet
Supreme League with FC Dinamo Minsk in 1982 and coached the Belarus
national team from 2000 to 2003 having taken charge.
Foreign bodies
Moreover, as they prepared for the new season, the club made good use
of their connections to sign Georgian striker Gia Todua and Slovenian
midfield player Denis Zilavec. The result is a very young squad –
with an average age of just over 23 – with enormous potential.
Youthful promise
With Puntus still working as Belarus Under-21 coach, MTZ-RIPO boast
excellent young players in the likes of striker Artem Kontsevoy and
midfielder Mikhail Afanasyev, and have been strengthened by the
arrival of Viachaslau Hleb – younger brother of Aliaksandr – on loan
from Hamburger SV.
Rotation policy
Romanov is keen for the young MTZ-RIPO players to get a chance to
play at the other clubs he owns, saying: “It is often a case that a
player cannot fulfil himself in one team. That is why we have a
rotation system – maybe it will help footballers to find their best
form in one of our other clubs.”
Big plans
Puntus, meanwhile, is starting to get ambitious. “Our strategic goal
is to advance to the group stage of the UEFA Cup,” he said. Stranger
things have happened.
–Boundary_(ID_4eUrCfBDAT+V69baTrqJ4A)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Karabakh FM: Nagorno Karabakh independence is not subject of discussion
21.07.2005 16:45
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – “The independence of Nagorno Karabakh is not a
subject for bargain, it is a supreme value for the people and cannot
be discussed,” Karabakh Foreign Minister Arman Melikian told a news
conference on Thursday, Armenpress reported.
He added that Karabakh views the country’s status and the peace
settlement as two separate issues, and that offsetting the consequences
of the war should be considered under international norms.
Melikian also noted that Nagorno Karabakh could return to the
negotiations table though there are certain obstacles too. The
minister also said that only time would show whether there would be
one state or two after the conflict is settled. He mentioned that the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are working effectively but the principles
for a settlement have not been formulated yet and it is not clear
when they would be ready.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Los Angeles Times, CA
July 20 2005
Couple Allegedly Bilked Medicare of $5.8 Million
The Burbank residents are accused of billing for medical procedures
that were never performed.
By Monte Morin, Times Staff Writer
A Burbank couple accused of bilking the federal government out of
$5.8 million in Medicare payments will appear in court today to answer
to more than 119 felony counts, including grand theft, tax fraud and
money laundering.
Sarkis Musoyan and his wife, Azatui Dilboyan, both 37, were arrested
at their Scott Road home early Tuesday after an investigation into
billing practices at four medical offices they helped manage in Los
Angeles and Orange counties. According to prosecutors, the couple
hired doctors and then submitted false Medicare bills for procedures
that were never performed.
The medical offices were in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Long Beach
and Huntington Beach.
Prosecutors allege that from July 1, 2002, to Nov. 30, 2004, the
couple submitted fraudulent bills in the doctors’ names. Much of that
money was wired to accounts in Armenia and the United Arab Emirates,
or converted to cash, prosecutors said.
Richard A. Moss, a defense lawyer representing Musoyan, said his
client would plead not guilty. Dilboyan’s defense lawyer, Leo Fasen,
could not be reached for comment.
Moss said the medical offices were run by the physicians; the couple’s
management corporations, Queens Medical Management and American
Professional Management, ran the business parts of the practice.
He described at least two of the doctors involved as “disgruntled
individuals” upset with the management companies. Moss said the couple
were aware of the district attorney’s investigation for the past year.
Bail for Musoyan and Dilboyan has been set at $6 million each.
It was unclear Tuesday whether charges would also be filed against
the doctors hired by the couple.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress