ARMENIAN REPORTER
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Paramus, New Jersey 07652
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Fax: 1-201-226-1660
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Email: [email protected]
November 11, 2006
1. Midterm election may result in gains for Armenian-American issues
2. NKR president Ghoukasian sets constitutional referendum for
December; will take part in Armenia Fund Telethon, Nov. 23
3. Former U.S. ambassador to OSCE: Border changes are possible but
quick settlement breakthroughs in post-Soviet conflicts are unlikely
4. Chris Zakian is the new managing editor of the "Armenian Reporter"
5. Editorial: Take nothing for granted
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1. Midterm election may result in gains for Armenian-American issues
PARAMUS, N.J.–The November 7 midterm U.S. election has resulted in a
substantial reconfiguration of the Washington political landscape. For
the first time in 12 years, the Democratic party will control both
houses of Congress.
Divided government is expected to have significant implications for
domestic and international affairs–and implications, too, for
Armenian-American issues. The present House Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi (D-Calif.), a longtime supporter of those issues, is presumed
to become House Speaker when the new 110th Congress convenes.
In a statement released prior to the election, Ms. Pelosi said, "I
have supported legislation, including House Resolution 316, that would
properly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. It is imperative that the
United States recognize this atrocity and move to renew our commitment
to eliminate genocide whenever and wherever it exists. This effort
enjoys strong bipartisan support in the House, and I will continue to
support these efforts in the 110th Congress."
In the Senate, one of the most hotly contested races was for the New
Jersey seat occupied by Robert Menendez, who retained the seat.
Senator Menendez had the strong support of the Armenian-American
community because of his leadership on Armenian issues. The senator
has said he will maintain a hold on President Bush’s nomination of
Richard Hoagland to be the next U.S. ambassador to Armenia until the
nominee is allowed to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
In the House, other members of the Congressional Armenian Issues
Caucus were overwhelmingly reelected to their seats. A scorecard of
the Senate and House winners and losers endorsed by the "Armenian
Reporter" appears below. In the immediate aftermath of the election,
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stepped down from his position of
the last six years in the administration of President George W. Bush.
President Bush himself had this to say on the day after the election:
"Yesterday, the people went to the polls and they cast their vote for
a new direction in the House of Representatives." He added: "The
message yesterday was clear: The American people want their leaders in
Washington to set aside partisan differences, conduct ourselves in an
ethical manner, and work together to address the challenges facing our
nation."
–CHZ
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2. NKR president Ghoukasian sets constitutional referendum for
December; will take part in Armenia Fund Telethon, Nov. 23
Paramus, N.J.–On Friday, November 3, 2006, the president of
Nagorno-Karabakh ordered a constitutional referendum to be held next
month. President Arkady Ghoukasian set the referendum for December 10,
2006, his office said. The region’s population will vote on a proposed
constitution already approved by Karabakh’s national assembly.
The draft constitution says that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, also
called the Republic of Artsakh, is a sovereign democratic nation. On
the same date 15 years ago, a referendum on independence was held in
Nagorno-Karabakh, in which voters almost unanimously cast their
ballots for establishing Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent republic.
NKR has organized three presidential elections and four legislative
votes since 1991, despite the fact that its independence is not
officially recognized by the international community. In anticipation
of the December 10 referendum, public discussions and roundtables are
being planned, involving academics, journalists, and political figures
in Karabakh.
Meanwhile, on November 7, President Ghoukasian departed his country
for a visit to the U.S.A. to take part in the annual Armenia Fund
telethon, which is scheduled for November 23–Thanksgiving Day–in Los
Angeles. As in the past, funds raised will be used to help NKR and its
economy. During his U.S. visit, President Ghoukasian will hold
meetings with representatives of political, public, religious, and
business circles.
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3. Former U.S. ambassador to OSCE: Border changes are possible but
quick settlement breakthroughs in post-Soviet conflicts are unlikely
by Emil Sanamyan (Special to the "Armenian Reporter")
Washington, DC–While international norms protect the territorial
integrity of states, borders can be changed by "peaceful means" and
through international consensus. The former U.S. ambassador to the
Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Stephan Minikes
said this during a November 6 lecture on unresolved conflicts in the
former Soviet Union. The lecture was hosted by the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars.
The OSCE is the main forum for international mediation efforts in the
Karabakh conflict. The organization’s Minsk Group, to which the matter
is delegated, is led by France, Russia, and the United States.
In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh used existing laws and international norms
to secede from Soviet Azerbaijan following years of anti-Armenian
pogroms and a Soviet government-enforced crackdown and violence
against the population of Karabakh. Azerbaijan subsequently launched a
full-scale war, trying to expel Karabakh’s Armenian population. The
war eventually resulted in Azerbaijan’s defeat and a cease-fire
agreement in May 1994.
The OSCE-mediated talks have continued since. In his remarks, Mr.
Minikes noted the difficulty of reversing the outcomes of conflicts
like the one in Karabakh. "Life goes on," he said, and "de-facto
states, much contrary to everyone’s expectations, are in fact
functioning." Besides, there is a dearth of interest by major players,
particularly Russia, to see these conflicts resolved, he said.
Another former U.S. official in the audience, Ambassador William Hill,
noted the uniqueness of each conflict and argued that each case
therefore needs a unique settlement approach. This has also been the
official U.S. position on the unresolved conflicts. While Karabakh is
treated as a "disputed area" between Armenia and Azerbaijan, South
Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Transdnistria are viewed in the West as
breakaway regions of Georgia and Moldova, respectively.
Discussing the Karabakh conflict, Mr. Minikes argued that Armenia’s
president Robert Kocharian "is willing to make a settlement." But both
the late Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev and his son and successor
Ilham Aliyev fear a domestic backlash over a deal that is viewed as a
"defeat" for Azerbaijan.
The most recent Karabakh peace talks focused on settlement formulas
that would formalize Nagorno-Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan.
Citing threats made by regional leaders to resolve the conflicts by
force, Mr. Minikes stressed the strong U.S. opposition to resumption
of fighting. Mr. Minikes recalled the "difficult meeting" he and the
former U.S. ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles had with Georgia’s
President Mikhail Saakashvili, a close U.S. ally, in August 2004. At
the time, Georgia had launched a military buildup in the South Ossetia
conflict area. Mr. Minikes said he and Mr. Miles told Mr. Saakashvili
in no uncertain terms that "if he were to engage in a hot war between
South Ossetia and Georgia, he was on his own."
Asked by this correspondent whether the OSCE should introduce
additional measures to safeguard the twelve-year self-regulated
cease-fire in Karabakh, Mr. Minikes reiterated the need for a
comprehensive settlement rather than cease-fire strengthening. When
asked the same question, Mr. Hill said that "it could be helpful" to
expand international presence in Karabakh to diffuse tensions, but
cited a lack of consensus between the parties and leading OSCE members
as the reason why such a presence has not materialized.
Ambassador William Hill served as the head of the OSCE Mission to
Moldova until 2001 and again from 2003 to 2006. A career foreign
service officer, Mr. Hill had also served as chief of analysis for
Eastern Europe in the State Department, European Division chief in the
Voice of America, and senior advisor for Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and
Belarus in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon. He
is currently an Associate with the Georgetown University Institute for
the Study of Diplomacy in Washington, DC.
Stephan Minikes was appointed the U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE in 2001.
Prior to the appointment and again since his return from the OSCE
headquarters in Vienna in 2005, Mr. Minikes has been a partner with
the Washington law firm of Thelen, Reid and Priest, LLP. His
presentation was moderated by the Wilson Center’s Russia Program
associate Joseph Dresen.
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4. Chris Zakian is the new managing editor of the "Armenian Reporter"
Paramus, N.J.–Christopher H. Zakian has been appointed managing
editor of the "Armenian Reporter," announced Sylva Boghossian, the
newsweekly’s publisher. He will lead the newspaper’s growing reporting
staff in the United States and serve as the point of contact with
freelance contributors and commentators.
"Over the years that Chris led the communications efforts of the
Diocese, I formed a very high opinion of him, and we built a great
working relationship," said Ms. Boghossian. "In the past few weeks
since Chris has come on board, he has already proven that he is most
capable of taking on this difficult task. I am so very pleased that he
has agreed to join us at the ‘Reporter.’"
"Before coming on board," Mr. Zakian said, "I knew Vincent Lima from
his publishing and scholarly accomplishments, and I knew Sylva
Boghossian from the ‘Reporter.’ My admiration for both of them has
only increased in these past weeks, as we’ve begun to work together.
The folks at CS Media are wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive,
full of ideas and ambitions for the paper. I feel lucky to be here, on
the ground floor of an important new venture in Armenian journalism."
"Chris is meticulous and also quick, a remarkable combination," said
Vincent Lima, editor of the "Armenian Reporter." "That, and his
experience and skill as both a wordsmith and an administrator will
come in handy. So will his cheerful disposition. We feel very
fortunate to have Chris as a key member of our editorial team."
About his role as managing editor, Mr. Zakian said: "It’s daunting to
follow someone of the literary stature of Aris Sevag. He’s a friend,
and I look forward to his continuing contributions to the paper. The
‘Reporter’ has a proud heritage–a credit to its late founder, Edward
Boghosian–and we want to live up to that, while taking the paper to
new heights. It’s an exciting time for the ‘Reporter,’ for CS
Media–and for our readers, as well."
Although he has lived in the New York area for the past 16 years,
Chris is a native of Philadelphia, one of three children of Jack (d.
1980) and Laura Zakian. He received his schooling at the University of
Pennsylvania.
In 1990 he joined the staff of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America, headquartered in New York’s Saint Vartan Cathedral complex.
As director of Public Relations, Chris set a high standard for the
official communications and publications of the Diocese, giving them a
distinctive literary style and depth of meaning.
He is the author/editor of "The Torch Was Passed" (1998), which
chronicles the century-long history of the Armenian Church in America,
and editor of several volumes of essays and interviews by the late
catholicos of all Armenians, His Holiness Karekin I Sarkissian.
His tenure at the Diocese included projects in video production and
web design, and close collaboration with the Diocesan primate,
administration, and staff. Mr. Zakian joined the "Armenian Reporter"
in October of this year. He says he regards his most important job as
being a husband and father. He and his wife Kristen live in Maplewood,
NJ, with their children, Jack, Vincent, Suren, and Genevieve.
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5. Editorial: Take nothing for granted
On Tuesday, November 7, voters in the United States handed control of
the House of Representatives to the Democratic party. The Democrats
also gained at least five seats in the Senate. Control of the Senate
depends on the outcome of a probable recount in Virginia. [Update: The
Democratic caucus will control the Senate as well.]
In the Senate, incumbent Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who was the
Republican party’s number-one target, will retain his seat. Senator
Menendez, whose candidacy was strongly endorsed by this page, has
distinguished himself as a key voice in Armenian affairs. Likewise
reelected were most other senators endorsed by this page for having
supported the Armenian-American community’s policy and legislative
agenda. (See the table on this page [of the print edition] for
details.)
In the House of Representatives, at this writing, 142 members of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues have been reelected. Among
them are Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), and Joe
Knollenberg (R-Mich.), co-chairs of the Armenian Caucus. Nine members
of the Caucus, all Republicans, have been defeated. Three other
members were in races too close to call.
With Democrats in control of the House, Representative Dennis Hastert
(R-Ill.) will relinquish the Speaker’s gavel; it will almost certainly
go to Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a member of the Armenian
Issues Caucus. In 2000, at the urging of President Clinton, Speaker
Hastert killed a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide just
hours before it was about to be voted on–and assuredly adopted.
Representative Pelosi, a long-standing advocate of Armenian-American
concerns, was a supporter of that bill. She has indicated recently
that she would support such a bill again in the future. This is, of
course, welcome news.
With Democrats in control of the House, several members of the
Armenian Issues Caucus are in line to take over committee
chairpersonships. Democrats will be added to committees of special
interest, including Ways and Means, Appropriations, and International
Relations. These committees will be making critical judgments during
the 110th Congress that will affect every aspect of the U.S.-Armenia
and U.S.-Karabakh relationships.
Armenian Americans can take nothing for granted.
In the House, we will have old friends in new positions of authority,
working with a White House of a different party. The membership of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues had grown to a record high
during the last Congress. We must bring more members on board to match
and break that record. To begin, we must reach out to the new members
of the House and the Senate, making them aware of our issues and
concerns. Regardless of which party controls the Senate, we must also
develop relations with Republicans and Democrats in new roles.
Having paused on Tuesday to vote, we must now resume our efforts to
educate, advocate . . . and move our agenda forward.
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