Author: Andres-Papazian

US Fed News
June 25, 2010 Friday 5:19 PM EST

CONTENTS OF WORLD’S OLDEST LEATHER SHOE MAY YIELD CLUES TO ANCIENT AGRICULTURE

WATERBURY, Conn., June 24 — The University of Connecticut issued the
following news release:

The discovery of the world’s oldest known leather shoe set the
archaeological world and the public abuzz. But what really excites
UConn archaeologist Alexia Smith is not the shoe itself but its
contents.

Smith, an assistant professor in the anthropology department in the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is part of a multi-national team
that recently announced the discovery of a 5,500 year-old shoe at the
excavation site of Areni-1 in Armenia.

The shoe, made of cowhide and perfectly preserved, is an
archaeological marvel because of its age – it dates back to around
3500 B.C. – and its pristine condition. It is stuffed with grass,
perhaps to maintain its shape or to prepare it for storage. And that’s
what interests Smith. What a casual observer might see as simply a
handful of grass is for her an intriguing puzzle waiting to be solved.

The shoe contains Poaceae, a family of grasses that includes the
staple food grains and cereal crops grown throughout the world. Smith
is a archaeoethnobotanist, whose primary research interest is the
recovery and identification of ancient plant remains. She uses this
evidence to determine the effects of climate change on food production
in Bronze and Iron Age settlements in the Near East.

“Once the shoe is conserved,” she says, “the grass will be removed and
I’ll conduct a full analysis. By identifying the grasses, I’ll
hopefully be able to reconstruct the specific types of vegetation in
existence at the time it was worn.”

Typically, plant remains are preserved through carbonization, and
certain species do not survive the process. But because the floor of
the cave at Areni-1 was covered by a thick layer of sheep dung, the
artifacts left behind were effectively desiccated, leaving both the
shoe and its contents in superb condition for analysis.

Animal bones found at the site point to a society in which cows,
sheep, and goats were domesticated. The presence of additional
artifacts suggests the existence of a range of household activities,
such as cooking over stone hearths and the grinding of grains for
human consumption.

What especially intrigues Smith is evidence that the inhabitants of
the cave heavily exploited tree fruits. “This was a real surprise to
us,” she says, “because so few are found at other sites.”

In addition to her work at the Areni-1 site, she is working at the
Tell Leilan project in Syria. This is one of the largest
archaeological sites in that country and was one of the most important
cities in northern Mesopotamia during the second and third millennia
B.C.

Work at that site also focuses on the relationship between humans and
their natural and social environment. Located in the Fertile Crescent,
Syria was one of the areas where hunter-gatherers settled and complex
societies based on formal agricultural principles were developed. This
included not only the propagation of grain crops, such as wheat,
barley, and flax, but also trees such as fig and olive.

The realization that fruit trees were an important component of the
agricultural landscape in Armenia, outside the Fertile Crescent and at
a transitional time between the Neolithic and Bronze Ages (the
Chalcolithic period), adds to the intrigue at the Areni-1 excavation,
because so little is known about their process of domestication.
Currently all evidence points to the Caucasus as the most likely
region of origin.

“Very little is known about food production during the Chalcolithic
period in this region,” says Smith, “so any new information is truly
exciting.”

From: A. Papazian

Antiwar.com Original Articles
June 24, 2010 Thursday 1:01 AM EST

Punishing Turkey

by Philip Giraldi

Jun. 24, 2010 (Antiwar.com delivered by Newstex) —

Does anyone remember the movie The Boys from Brazil? It told the
story of how a group of top Nazis had moved to Brazil where they made
a number of clones of Hitler-as-a-child that were being strategically
placed around the world to eventually bring about a Fourth Reich. The
movie ended ambiguously, with many of the Hitler children still alive
and evidently expected to eventually turn into Hitler adults. The
movie makers were clearly on to something because there have been a
lot of Hitler sightings by Israel and its friends over the past few
years. Saddam Hussein was described as a new Hitler while Iran’s
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been depicted in even more heinous
terms as a reborn Nazi leader preparing a new Holocaust. More
recently Israel demonstrators have displayed effigies of Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan with the hairline altered and a
moustache added to create a caricature of Hitler.

The Turkish prime minister’s Hitler-like leanings first appeared when
he dared confront Israel’s President Shimon Peres at an international
meeting in Davos in January 2009. Referring to the slaughter of Gazan
civilians earlier that month, Erdogan told Peres “?

you know well how to kill.” But if there was any lingering doubt,
Erdogan definitely became Hitler through his support of the flotilla
that sought to bring aid to Gaza three weeks ago followed by his
denunciation of the massacre initiated by Israeli commandos. His
diabolical intent was made manifest when he then demanded justice for
the nine Turkish citizens who were murdered. Hitlerization is the
price one inevitably pays for criticizing Israel or opposing its
policies.

Whenever Israel discovers that yet another foreign nation has turned
Nazi and is intent on recreating the Holocaust, the American lap dog
soon picks up the scent. Andrew Sullivan has recently described the
phenomenon as “Israel Derangement Syndrome,” which he describes as a
“?form of derangement, or of such a passionate commitment to a foreign
country that any and all normal moral rules or even basic fairness are
jettisoned. And you will notice one thing as well: no regret
whatsoever for the loss of human life, just as the hideous murder of
so many civilians in the Gaza war had to be the responsibility of the
victims, not the attackers. There is no sense of the human here; just
the tribe.”

The Gaza flotilla has been handled by the mainstream media in
precisely that fashion ?” blaming the victim with a unanimity that
overwhelms both justice and fairness. No humanity, no mention of the
deliberate attempt to starve Gaza most recently endorsed by alleged
United States Senator from New York Charles Schumer who said “strangle
them economically.” Or, if one prefers the wisdom of Representative
Eliot Engel, also from New York, the flotilla was “filled with
hate-filled provocateurs bent on violence.” Confronted by such hatred
it is surprising that the Israeli commandos were so restrained,
killing only nine passengers and wounding about forty more.

As the popular narrative in the media has unfolded, Turkey was the
aggressor and Israel yet again the victim. Turkey now has to be
punished. Congress is already considering passing the frequently
shelved Armenian Genocide resolution and Representative Mike Spence
warns “There will be a cost if Turkey stays on its present heading of
growing closer to Iran and more antagonistic to the State of Israel.”
Representative Shelley Berkley agrees, saying that she would actively
oppose Turkey’s attempt to join the European Union. Just exactly how
she will do that is not completely clear.

The American media and the punditry in Washington has obediently been
lining up to condemn Ankara, using two basic arguments. The first
contention is that Turkey has become a stronghold of Islamism, is
edging towards a political and economic alliance with Iran, and is
even acting friendly to terrorism-supporting neighbors like Syria.
The second narrative is that Turkey is no longer reliable due to its
support of initiatives like the flotilla and also its bid to negotiate
a solution to the Iranian nuclear program dilemma.

Those who know Turkey well realize that the country’s Islamism is a
reflection of the simple fact that many Turks are deeply religious.
It does not mean that Turkish democracy is dead and the desire to make
the state more reflective of religious sentiment will be held in check
by the many Turks in the judiciary and military who see themselves as
guardians of the secular constitution. Educated Turks in liberal urban
environments are also frequently not religious at all and many are
hostile to expressions of piety. It is absolutely in the United
States’ national interest to encourage the development of political
systems in Muslim majority countries that accommodate both democratic
pluralism and religiosity. Turkey is far from perfect but it is a
good example of how such a system might develop and should be
encouraged, not subject to criticism that really has nothing to do
with the Turks themselves and everything to do with Israel.

As for the claim that Turkey is sliding eastward, Turks have always
seen themselves as a bridge between east and west and establishing a
modus vivendi with one’s neighbors is just good politics and good
business in the Near East. As for the charge that Turkey is no longer
reliable, one only has to note that nearly the entire world excepting
only Israel supports the lifting of the siege of Gaza while many
nations welcomed Turkey and Brazil’s initiative to resolve the
stand-off over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The United States,
inevitably lining up in support of Israel and seemingly willing to go
to war with Iran on Tel Aviv’s behalf, is, as usual, politically
isolated in its support of policies that will go nowhere and
accomplish nothing.

The hysteria about Turkey is, if anything, more intense at the various
neocon think tanks and in their websites on the internet where leading
supporters of Israel are calling not only for punishing Turkey but
also for kicking it out of NATO. The Jewish Institute for National
Security Affairs (JINSA) has led the charge. JINSA is the home base
of leading neocons to include John Bolton, Michael Ledeen, Joshua
Muravchik, Richard Perle and Kenneth Timmerman. A JINSA report issued
on June 8th cited Turkey for its “anti-Semitic ravings” and
recommended that Washington “seriously consider suspending military
cooperation?as a prelude to removing it” from NATO. The hue and cry
was shortly thereafter picked up by the other neocon heroes who
continue to feature on the mainstream media in spite of their
inability to get anything right. The National Review Online’s Victor
Davis Hanson called Turkey a “?sponsor of Hamas, ally of theocratic
Iran, and fellow traveler with terrorist sponsoring Syria” conditions
that are “antithetical to its NATO membership.” Professor Eliot Cohen
of Johns Hopkins University added in a June 7th Wall Street Journal
op-ed that “A combination of Islamist rule, resentment at exclusion
from Europe, and a neo-Ottomanist ideology that envisions Turkey as a
great power in the Middle East have made Turkey a state that is often
plainly hostile not only to Israel but to American aims and
interests.”

In a Weekly Standard article on June 21st, Elliot Abrams chimed in
with more of the same, observing that “it’s obvious that our formerly
reliable NATO ally Turkey has become a staunch supporter of the
radical camp. In the flotilla incident, it not only sided with but
also sought to strengthen the terrorist group Hamas.” As always the
neocons speak with one voice in defense of Israel, making it appear
that the entire process is orchestrated, which, of course, it is.
Will the neocons marginalize Ankara and succeed in forcing Turkey out
of NATO? Difficult to say, but one should fully expect moves by
Congress to do just that or to pressure Turkey in such a way as to
make Ankara withdraw from the alliance.

Turkey is a vital strategic partner for Washington. With its large
population and thriving economy, it might well be the indispensible
nation in the arc of states running from the Mediterranean to central
Asia. It has a long history of friendship towards the United States
combined with a national interest that compels it to encourage
stability among the countries that it borders and more broadly
throughout the Middle East. In spite of misgivings about specific
policies, it houses a major US airbase at Incirlik and has supported
Washington’s nation building efforts in Afghanistan. But now it must
be punished because it has crossed the line by opposing the
kleptocracy Israel. And it will be punished, first pilloried in the
US media, a process which is underway right now, and then by the US
Congress and White House, which will together find some subtle and
not-so-subtle ways to bring Ankara to heel. And the loser in all of
this will be the American people, who will alienate a good and staunch
friend in the Middle East and make another unnecessary enemy.

From: A. Papazian

The Armenian Observer
June 24, 2010 Thursday 4:44 PM EST

Parliament passes controversial foreign-language school bill

Jun. 24, 2010 (The Armenian Observer delivered by Newstex) —

Armenia — The National Assembly votes on controversial amendments
allowing foreign-language schools, 24June 2010.

The ruling coalition pushed through parliament on Thursday governments
controversial legal amendments allowing establishment of
foreign-language schools in the country, amid criticism and protests.

Opposition groups, prominent intellectuals and other public figures
who regard the amendments as a serious threat to Armenias sole
official language, have voiced concerns, calling the move a sell-off
to Russia.

They refer, of course, to the Soviet times, when Russian language
schools operating in Armenia were considered more prestigious and
people educated in the regular Armenian-language schools were looked
down upon.

Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Yerevan has officially announced
Russia has no involvement or special interest in the bill.

The government has already altered the bill twice to appease critics,
limiting to 11 the number of schools where the prime language of
education could be in a foreign language (supposedly English, French
or Russian).

With the second round of amendments especially, the Ministry of
Education responsible for the bill, said only two private schools
created with private investment and located outside of capital Yerevan
would have foreign-language education from 7th grade. The remaining 9
schools would be Ë`high-schools (9 to 12th grades).

Putting things in a context, it is important to point out, that
several foreign language schools operate in Armenia currently, even
though their existence is sub-legal, officials say. Quality Schools
International is one example, Russian language schools for the
families of Russian officers appointed to the Russian military base in
Gyumri and border guards, are other examples.

Moreover, all schools offer compulsory Russian, English, French or
German language courses, and there are around 30 schools, which have
enhanced language courses in Russian, English, French.

I have initially been strongly opposed to the bill, but after the
authorities have been forced to agree to very strong limitations, I
dont really see much point in continuing this fight. I was especially
concerned with the possibility, that scarce state funding would be
taken away from public schools to fund those Ë`elit ones, but now, my
understanding is, that those schools will only be privately funded or
be co-funded with inter-governmental agreements, and thats good enough
for me.

Meanwhile, I applaud those civil activists coming from very diverse
backgrounds, who fought against the bill and forced more concessions
on any bill the government has been eager to push through, than any
political force has been able to do in the past decade.

From: A. Papazian

AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 24, 2010 Thursday

ARMENIAN GROUP CLAIMS SHORT WAR LOOMING IN GARABAGH

An Armenian group based in Europe has claimed that it had received
confidential data from European circles in late May saying the United
States and Russia plan to stage several clashes in the Garabagh
conflict zone in the summer that would spark a short-term war. The
plan was allegedly agreed with the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents, the Forum of Armenian Associations in Europe said. The
Armenian sources maintained that tens of people would be killed in the
clashes, followed by a short wave of hostilities, which could claim
more casualties. The fighting would allegedly culminate in US
peacekeeping forces being stationed in Azerbaijans Fuzuli region and
Russian peacekeepers being based in Kalbajar, a strategic Azerbaijani
region. The Forum also alleged that this scenario mostly meets
American interests, because in this case US troops would be stationed
on the border with Iran, Azerbaijans southern neighbor. Azerbaijan and
Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a
cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and
seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law.
Peace talks have accomplished little so far.

From: A. Papazian

Vecernje novosti website, Serbia
June 23 2010

Serbian government against Armenian “genocide” resolution

[Report by “S.S.R.”: “Turkey Matters More to Us”]

The adoption of a resolution condemning the genocide perpetrated by
Ottoman Turkey against the Armenian people from 1915 to 1923 would not
be in Serbia’s foreign political interest.

This is the opinion that the government forwarded to the assembly on
Wednesday [ 23 June] in response to a motion from the Radicals for
adopting such a document.

“The adoption of such a declaration would impact negatively, among
other things, on bilateral political and economic relations with
Turkey, which is an important factor in the region and our significant
foreign political partner,” the government maintains. “The adoption of
the resolution would be counterproductive.”

After the adoption of the Srebrenica Declaration, the SRS [Serbian
Radical Party] deputies in the assembly moved for the parliament to
condemn also crimes against Armenians.

[Translated from Serbian]

From: A. Papazian

AzTV, Azerbaijan
June 24 2010

Azerbaijan holds large-scale military drill

The joint drill conducted by Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, border and
interior troops “aimed to practice the coordination of different
forces in preventing a military aggression against Azerbaijan, causing
damage to the enemy with modern arms and aicraft, large-scale
offensive operations to destroy invading enemy groups, deploying
operational resources and attacking deep into the enemy positions,”
the AzTV report said.

In a speech delivered before the servicemen President Ilham Aliyev
said Azerbaijan’s military spending has increased by more than 13 per
cent over the past seven years: “Over [the past] seven years our
miltary expenses have increased by more than 13 per cent and today the
entire military spending in Azerbaijan in 2010 is equal to 2.15bn
dollars, which is equal and even greater than Armenia’s state budget.”

The president added that 21 military plants operate in Azerbaijan: “At
present 21 military enterprises, miltary plants operate in Azerbaijan
and 30 production sectors have been created.”

AzTV showed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev watching the drill
which, according to the TV report, involved 100 tanks, 77 armoured
vehicles, 125 artillery systems, 17 military jets, 12 armoured
helicopters and four transport armoured helicopters.

Video showed aircraft flying, tanks advancing, servicemen taking positions.

From: A. Papazian

The Daily Star (Lebanon)
June 24, 2010 Thursday

A strong state can help our refugees

by Daily Star Staff

The United Nations marked its world refugee day this week, while the
issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has been generating political
attention and media coverage. But for every reference to the Ain
al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp bordering Sidon, we should remember
that there’s a place called Bab al-Tabbaneh in Tripoli, our own,

Editorial

The United Nations marked its world refugee day this week, while the
issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon has been generating political
attention and media coverage.

But for every reference to the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp
bordering Sidon, we should remember that there’s a place called Bab
al-Tabbaneh in Tripoli, our own, Lebanese version of squalid
conditions and despair. And there’s the Lebanese state’s treatment of
refugees from Sudan, an issue that has entered the media spotlight,
and rankled bilateral relations with a fellow member of the Arab
League.

In this sense, there are “refugees” are everywhere in Lebanon; they
don’t have to be officially registered on United Nations rolls to
qualify.

Our political class is now tackling the humanitarian issue of the
treatment of Palestinian refugees, and how to change the law so that
they can lead a dignified and prosperous life, as they await a
solution to their decades-old problem. Whether our politicians back
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, or the team that exists in the Cabinet to
function as a kind of “opposition,” they should realize that the
public isn’t fooled. Politicians might be able to line up the biggest
rhetorical guns as they face off against each other, but few of them,
if any, have taken practical steps to treat the fundamental problem:
creating a state that’s strong enough to intervene when it should.

In doing so, our politicians do a disservice to Lebanese, and to
non-Lebanese in this country. They’ve failed to act on the issue now
on the table, the list of regulations that block the Palestinians’
ability to function normally in their host society. They fail to
ensure that foreign domestic workers aren’t exploited, and that legal,
non-Lebanese residents aren’t treated like second-class, or worse,
human beings.

The common thread is the weak state, with its powerful individuals.
They might donate millions of dollars to cause like education, by
creating an endowment at a private school or university. But this is
in their private capacity. They need to take the same pride creating
an “endowment” in the public space, to ensure that the state performs
its ideal role: empowering society to better itself.

An older community of refugees, the Armenians, comes to mind. The lack
of state concern with the Armenian-dominated Beirut suburb of Bourj
Hammoud was why it took so long for a refugee camp to turn into a
thriving town – but don’t forget the fact that thousands of Armenians
have emigrated, due to the state’s failure to provide stability or
economic opportunity.

We need less hot air about protecting the country from Washington, or
Tehran, and more work on governance. We can start with our guest
refugees, or with our own, local ones, namely the average citizen.

From: A. Papazian

WPS Agency, Russia
What the Papers Say (Russia)
June 24, 2010 Thursday

NOTHING FORGOTTEN

by Polina Khimshiashvili

HIGHLIGHT: THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE WOULD
NOT CLOSE THE RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN CONFLICT FILE; The Parliamentary
Assembly discussed the Russian-Georgian conflict and chose to leave is
monitoring mission in place.

Konstantin Kosachev, Duma’s Committee for International Affairs
Chairman, and his Assistant Leonid Slutsky were quite optimistic
before the session of the Parliamentary Assembly. They assumed that
constant monitoring of the Russian-Georgian conflict area and
implementation of Parliamentary Assembly resolutions might be called
off and replaced with work within bilateral commissions.

Introduction of the new format was discussed by the Monitoring
Committee. It had been first suggested by David Wilshire and seconded
by the Russian delegation two years ago. Consultations that followed
were supposed to persuade the Parliamentary Assembly to go for it and
to understand at long last that Russia could not implement its
resolutions pertaining the conflict because it would mean instant
bloodshed.

“We know that the Russians went to great lengths to persuade the
Parliamentary Assembly. They failed,” said Georgy Kandelaki of United
National Movement, the ruling party in Georgia. According to Slutsky,
sixteen voted “aye”, sixteen “nay” (including Azerbaijan). The
Georgian delegation had walked out in disgust when the motion to close
the Russian-Georgian conflict file was put on the floor.

Samad Seidov of the Azerbaijani delegation objected and said that the
Azerbaijani delegation abstained from voting. He said that
Armenia-initiated efforts to shut down the Karabakh committee had been
undertaken. “And now they put this Russian-Georgian issue on the
floor. What will the Council of Europe be doing then?” said Seidov.

“Should Russia continue to defy resolutions passed by the
Parliamentary Assembly, its expulsion from the Council of Europe might
be suggested – and not necessarily by Georgia,” warned Kandelaki.

Source: Vedomosti, No 114, June 24, 2010, p. 2

From: A. Papazian

WPS Agency, Russia
What the Papers Say (Russia)
June 24, 2010 Thursday

BAKU IS TALKING WAR AGAIN;
Azerbaijan’s war spendings alone exceed all of the Armenian state budget

by Sokhbet Mamedov, Svetlana Gamova

HIGHLIGHT: NAGORNO-KARABAKH IS IN THE FOCUS OF INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION
AGAIN; Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan made statements that
demonstrate diametric nature of their approaches to Karabakh conflict
resolution process.

Political statements made by national leaders followed a series of
skirmishes along the line-of-contact.

“Karabakh is ancestral Azerbaijani land. I have no doubts whatsoever
that it will be liberated sooner or later,” said Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev addressing the 35th annual meeting of the Islamic Bank of
Development in Baku. Aliyev called occupation of Karabakh and seven
districts along its perimeter “Azerbaijan’s worst problem in all the
years of sovereignty”.

“Respect for territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is the only possible
solution,” said Aliyev and made references to the decisions made by
the UN, OSCE, and Council of Europe. According to the Azerbaijani
leader, however, Armenia was paying them lip service and retaining
presence on the occupied territories.

Press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry makes daily reports
on Armenian provocations and attacks successfully repelled by the
gallant defenders. A major clash occurred on June 19 night, when four
Armenian servicemen bought the farm and four others sustained wounds
of varying severity. The Azerbaijani regular army lost one man that
night.

Commenting on this episode, Defense Ministry’s Press Secretary Eldar
Sobiroglu called it an Armenian provocation. Sobiroglu added that
Armenia’s latest actions plainly showed its lack of interest in a
peaceful resolution of the conflict over Karabakh. He even suggested
that endless skirmishes along the line-of-contact might foment an
actual war in the region. “We logged 101 cease-fire violation on the
part of the Armenian Armed Forces over the last month,” said
Sobiroglu.

“I’d like to point out as well that up to 70% of all the Armenians
drafted into the regular army end up on the occupied territories. What
information we have compiled plainly shows that most servicemen killed
and wounded on June 19 were Armenian nationals. All these facts only
confirm that it is Armenia that is waging an invasive war on
Azerbaijan.”

Disturbed by the wanton use of force resulting in deaths, OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairmen Igor Popov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France), and
Robert Bradtke (United States) made a joint statement. They pointed
out that the June 19 incident had taken place right after the meeting
between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in St.Petersburg
brokered by their Russian counterpart. “The use of force at this point
might be regarded as a deliberate attempt to circumvent the peace
process,” said co-chairmen.

Kanat Saudabayev, OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Kazakh Foreign Minister,
called for peace in the region.

Azerbaijani analysts believe that the latest incidents ought to serve
as a warning to Armenia and foreign intermediaries: the
Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict is anything but latent, outbreak of the
war is a distinct possibility.

Political scientist Rasim Musabekov commented that official Baku
remained a negotiating party for the time being but some of its
actions made it clear that the previous warnings that the course of
events might leave Azerbaijan no options other than going to war, had
been more than just rhetorics.

“Notwithstanding the recommendations made by the Western countries,
the Milli Mejlis [national parliament actually emphasized it in the
recently adopted military doctrine. Moreover, the parliament boosted
war expenses right on the eve of the meeting in St.Petersburg. It
follows that Azerbaijan’s defense spendings will amount to $2 billion
this year which is more than all of the state budget of Armenia,” said
Musabekov.

President of Armenia Serj Sargsjan in the meantime announced that the
process of conflict resolution was impeded by incertitude with regard
to certain issues on the part of the international community.
“Progress is impaired by unclear position of a good deal of
structures, European structures included, with their fears to disrupt
the talks.”

As for the June 19 incident, the Armenians say that Azerbaijani scouts
penetrated environs of the village of Chailu on the territory of the
self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic where they were sighted and
challenged by local sentries.

Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Seyed Ali Saghaeyan said in Yerevan that
Iran would put up with no American peacekeepers in the Karabakh
conflict area. The diplomat said that American servicemen might be
posted in the vicinity of the town of Fizuli. “As matters stand, Iran
is the only country located next door to the conflict area. We are
determined to defend our national security,” said the ambassador.

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No 126, June 24, 2010, p. 5

From: A. Papazian

Scarborough Mirror, ON, Canada
June 24, 2010 Thursday
Final Edition

Street festival brings Lawrence Avenue East alive

MIKE adler, [email protected]

Like the stretch of Lawrence Avenue East that comes alive for a
Scarborough street festival each July, Shirak Tatosian is an
interesting combination.

Growing up, Tatosian learned piano, accordion and guitar before
joining other musicians to play Armenian music, jazz, flamenco and
blues. Then he joined a heavy metal band – in post-Gulf War Baghdad.

“We were the first heavy metal band in Iraq,” said Tatosian, who left
his native land for Canada, specializes in Armenian, English and
Arabic songs and will perform with his Shirak Band at the Taste of
Lawrence Festival, July 2 to 4.

A free street party closing the street from Birchmount and Warden
avenues, Taste of Lawrence is a wild mix of entertainment and food
choices.

Among the stage acts are a Bee Gees tribute band, Night Fever, a
gospel showcase, Bollywood fusion and Chinese lion dancers, as well as
Reggae performers Jay Douglas and the All Star Band.

There are rides, giveaway prizes and a 3:30 p.m. Sunday workshop on
how to dance Michael Jackson’s hit Thriller.

Featured festival eats range from Taiwanese “smelly tofu” to samosas
and curries, and from sharwerma and kabobs to Caribbean dumplings.

Scarborough Centre Councillor Michael Thompson, a festival founder,
will cook up ackee and saltfish – traditional Jamaican salted cod and
onions – in front of Diana’s Seafood Delight at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday, for those who want to watch or sample.

The festival lasts from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, July 2, 11 a.m. to 11
p.m. Saturday, July 3 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 4.

Complete schedules at are

From: A. Papazian