Author: Badalian Vardan

American Chronicle, CA
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Rights & Concerns of the Lebanese Armenian Community
MustBbe Honored
Elias Bejjani
September 15, 2006
The LCCC (Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council) strongly denounces
the Lebanese Government’s unjust refusal to call off the Turkish
Army’s participation in the UN Peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) mandated
by the UN Security Council to deploy in South Lebanon in the aftermath
of the devastating 34-day long Israeli-Hezbollah war. The denied
request was made officially by Lebanon’s Armenian community in all its
denominational, political and social sectors and representatives. The
same appeal was made to the UN General Secretary, Mr. Kofi Annan.
The government’s refusal of the request is not merely a harsh response
of indifference and an act of condescendence in dealing with one of
Lebanon’s basic eighteen communities that make up the multicultural
and multiethnic Lebanese society, but it is in fact a blatant
infringement on a central article of the Lebanese constitution that
states: “No authority violating the common co-existence character
shall be legitimate”.
Alienating the Armenian community, ignoring its genuine concerns and
keeping a blind eye on its painful history hinders Lebanon’s national
unity, indicates plainly and sadly that the Saniora government is
ruling with the same oppressive strategies of marginalization and
discrimination inflicted by the Baathist Syrian regime on numerous
Lebanese communities during Syria’s 29-year long horrible occupation
that came to an end 16 months ago.
The Lebanese Armenian’s community cry for justice is well understood
and well supported by the majority of the Lebanese people. This
well-respected community does not believe that the Turks should be
allowed under any given circumstances to be a part in any peacekeeping
mission before their state admits publicly the genocidal massacres the
Turkish Ottoman rulers committed in 1915 against the Armenian people.
1.5 million Armenians were brutally murdered in cold blood by the
Ottoman Turkish Army in 1915 and many territories of their country
were confiscated and still are.
This is besides the fact that the Turkish Army is not qualified to
play a neutral role between the parties involved in the current
conflict unfolding on the Lebanese soil. The Turkish Parliament has
made the participation of its troops in UNFIL conditional on not
taking part in any assignment aiming to disarm Hezbollah.
Meanwhile the Lebanese people did not yet forget the hardships,
oppression, starvation, displacement, torture and humiliation
committed by the Ottomans during their 400 years of bloody and
criminal occupation of Lebanon and neighboring countries that ended
with World War I.
The LCCC appeals to both the Lebanese Government and the United
Nations to call off immediately the participation of the Turkish Army
in the peacekeeping mission of UNIFIL in Lebanon, and to block any
other UN similar task involving the Turks before the Turkish
Government publicly and officially admits the Genocide Massacres the
Ottomans committed in 1915 against the Armenian people and accepts all
ethical, moral and legal responsibilities.
The LCCC affirms the fact that any marginalization of any of Lebanon’s
eighteen distinct cultural, ethnic and religious communities is in
effect a flagrant infringement on the Lebanese constitution, the
principle of shared living, consensual democracy, national unity and
the UN Human Rights Charter .
We salute the Lebanese Armenian community in its longing for justice
and fully support its legitimate request submitted for both the
Lebanese government and the UN.
*Elias Bejjani
Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
E.Mail [email protected]
LCCC Web Site
CLHRF Website
—————————- ——————————————–
*Th e lccc is a Federal umbrella for the following nonprofit municipal,
provincial and federal Canadian registered groups:
Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation, (CLHRF), Canadian Lebanese
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM-Canada), Phoenician Club of Mississauga
(PCOM),/Canadian Phoenician Community Services Club (CPCSC),Canadian
Lebanese Christian Heritage Club (CLCHC),World Lebanese Cultural Union
(WLCU)-Canadian Chapter.

AZG Armenian Daily #177, 16/09/2006

Award
VLADIMIR PUTIN AWARDS ARMENIAN DESIGNER
By a decree of President Vladimir Putin of Russian Federation Joseph
Hakobian, chief designer of “Agat” research institute of Moscow since
1986, was awarded with 3d class Order of Merit for the Country.
Hakobian was awarded for his contribution to raising country’s
military efficiency, elaborating a special military technology as well
as for his long conscientious work.

EIGHTH SESSION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY KICKS OFF
Panorama.am
18:01 11/09/06
EIGHTH SESSION OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY KICKS OFF Eight session of
National Assembly kicked off today with Vahan Hovanisyan, the only
deputy speaker of the parliament, being 33 minutes late. By that time,
NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan read out the notice by Viktor Dallakyan and
Tatul Manaseryan saying they are leaving Justice Block. Independent
deputy Hmaiak Hovanisyan complained that he had not received session
agenda saying it is a result of “over lays off” at the parliament. He
said the staff discriminates between the deputies based on the party
affiliation. It turned out the Hmaiak Hovanisyan could not see the
agenda in front of him. Hmaiak Hovanisyan also proposed to find out
what is behind the devaluation of dollar calling it “cheating.”
The parliament declined NA draft decision proposed by Justice block
on establishing an interim committee to study government’s activities
in civil aviation. Only 51 voted for the bill.

AMERICA TO PROVIDE LEBANON WITH ARMS
By Petros Keshishian
AZG Armenian Daily
12/09/2006
The USA elaborated a program for rendering military assistance to
Lebanon. Within the framework of this program, the Lebanese Army will
be provided with new arms and be retrained. The program is aimed to
increase the efficiency of the country’s army so that it can face
and response the attacks of Hezbollah extremist groups.
According to Yediot Ahront newspaper, in the initial stage, USA
will provide Lebanon with $30 million of military hardware and
equipment. American instructors will leave for Lebanon to teach the
Lebanese soldiers.
Steven Headley, Assistant of Bush for Security Issues, represented
the program to the representatives of Ehoud Olmert, the Israeli Prime
Minister, in Washington. Israel is principally for the above program,
fearing only of the risk that the military aid may appear in the hand
of Hezbollah.
They also touched upon the relations between Syria and Israel
in Washington. The Americans are against the negotiations of the
authorities of these two countries and the call Bashar Asadi, President
of Syria, “the hostage of Iran.” The representatives of Olmert assured
the American that Israel is not going to negotiate with Syria.

US EMBASSY TO AZERBAIJAN: TERROR NOT EMANATES FROM ISLAM, AND AMERICA WELL AWARE OF IT
Author: A. Ismayilova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 11 2006
An Azerbaijani man was among the victims of the act of terror
happened on September 11, 2001, Jonathan Hanick, Head of the Press
service of the American Embassy to Azerbaijan told journalists today,
Trend reports.
According to him, there has not been such a death toll in America for
last 100 years. Representative offices of 90 countries were located
in the World Trade Center. Following these events, all civic countries
including Azerbaijan rendered their assistance to US.
Commenting Armenian terror, Mr. Hanick added that America is against
a death of any human. “The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be settled
peacefully, and we hope that the conflict will be resolved in the
nearest time”, he pointed out.
Touching upon the issue on identification of Islam with terror, the
Head of the Press Service of the American Embassy told that terror
does not emanate from Islam, and America is well aware of it. America
has an excellent cooperation with Muslim countries. Several millions
of Muslims live in US.

DAY OF ARMENIA TO BE CELEBRATED DURING EXHIBITION “15 JUBILEE YEARS OF CIS”
Noyan Tapan
Sept 08 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. During the industrial exhibition “15
Jubilee Years of the CIS” to be held in Moscow on October 25-28, Day
of Armenia will be celebrated. The delegation of high-ranking Armenian
officials will participate in the event. Mushegh Sargsian, Director
for Export Promotion of the Armenian Development Agency (ADA), told
NT correspondent that the celebration of Day of Armenia is scheduled
for October 26. He said that unlike the previous jubilee exhibition,
at which the CIS member states presented their economic achievements,
this time other spheres will also be displayed by various ministries
of these countries. 10 Armenian ministries are expected to take
part in the exhibition. 15-20 enterprises expressed an intention to
participate in the exhibition. Private enterprises of various spheres
will also be presented by ministries. Armenian-Russian joint ventures
and projects, as well as Armenia’s high and information technologies
sector will be on display at the Armenian pavilion. Besides, various
investment programs, and the trends of Armenia’s economic development
and growth under the conditions of home political stability will be
presented. “Our purpose is to prove that Armenia, which is currently
undergoing development, is a partner worth cooperating with in the long
run,” M. Sargsian said. He expressed a hope that the Armenian products
will be displayed as successfully as at the exhibition dedicated to
the 10th anniversary of the CIS, after which many Armenian companies
signed agreements allowing them to enter the Russian market. At the
present time, about 200 Armenian companies have shops in Russia or
have formed their own systems of production distribution.

UKRAINE IS READY TO SEND PEACEKEEPERS TO NK
Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2006
Addressing students and professors of Slavic University of Baku on
Friday, Victor Yushchenko said Ukraine was ready to send peacekeepers
to Azerbaijan to help settle the lasting conflict in Nagorno Karabakh,
according to the President’s press-office.
“Ukraine believes it is necessary to recognize the territorial
integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and to withdraw troops from
the occupied territory,” he said.
“The use of force and pressure yields no results and dead-ends the
conflict,” he opined.
The Head of State also said he believed it was important to let
refugees return to their homeland and later decide the status of the
Karabakh autonomy at a national referendum.
He said peacekeeping effort in the region could help stabilize the
situation, adding Ukraine was ready to participate under the aegis
of OSCE or the UN Security Council.
“I told Ilham Aliyev at our meetings Ukraine was ready to offer
peacekeepers to resolve the conflict,” he said.
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SERGE SARGSYAN DOESN’T STRUGGLE AGAINST THE “MISERABLE”
A1+
[05:04 pm] 07 September, 2006
“I neither struggle against the miserable nor ignore them, I simply
neglect them,” this was Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan’s answer to
the question on Hovhannes Galajyan’s suspects.
Reminder: yesterday morning unknown people attacked and beat Hovhannes
Galajyan. The latter has suspects that the incident may be connected
with his analytical article titled “What makes the super minister
nervous.”

“THE PRESENT AUTHORITIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDERS”
A1+
[06:02 pm] 06 September, 2006
According to the statement made by the party “New Times” the murder of
Head of the Operative Investigation Department of the State Tax Agency
Shahen Hovasapyan and the violence against the journalists testify
to the fact that the crisis in Armenia is deepening and threatens
to shatter the basis of the state. The statement claims that the
“present authorities with criminal elements are responsible for all
suchlike crimes”.
According to the statement, “the resignation of the heads of the
power structures is extremely urgent”, as in case of the absence of
radical changes all the spheres of life will collapse.
“Today the necessity of getting rid of the criminal authorities is
more urgent than ever. With this aim the party “New Times” calls
on the society to unite and to fight against the criminals”, the
statement says.

COMMITTEE MEMBER SAYS CRIMINALISM OBSERVED IN DECIDING NATIONAL ANTHEM OF ARMENIA
Panorama.am
14:30 05/09/06
Two out of 5 options of the national anthem of Armenia, which have
passed to the second level, are criminal whereas the remaining three
are worth consideration, David Hovhannes, former member of special
committee on national anthem, told reporters today. David Hovhannes
left the committee on August 28 saying that the work did not satisfy
him. He thinks that the committee reaches too quick decisions due
to the urgency to have the national anthem by the 15th anniversary
of the Armenian statehood. “Is this one day worth to impose a song
on the nation for the next 10-15 years?” he raises the question. Two
texts were proposed under the music of Aram Khachatryan, which David
Hovhannes thinks, are a pile of words and not a piece of art. The
author of one of the texts is Arsen Soghomonyan, who supervises a
division at the Ministry of Culture and Youth Affairs. “As a result of
inevitable political trade the parliament will pass “Our Motherland” as
the national anthem,” David Hovhannes made this forecast.