Author: Badalian Vardan

AZG Armenian Daily #169, 21/09/2005
Holiday
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Today, the Republic of Armenia celebrates its Independence Day. 14 years ago
this day the exclusive majority of Armenia’s population said “yes” to its
centuries-long dream of free and independent fatherland. 14 years were a
vast period for the republic’s population to become disillusioned with the
first then the second presidents and the authorities as a whole. More than 1
million Armenians left the country, fled from independence. Is this the
independence we longed for?
“… A group of mediocre people heinously deceived the people, broke its
back to the extent of creating a yearning for a dependent Armenia. Only
fancy that: one lives in an independent country and misses his dependent
past”, only 4 days ago wrote publicist Pertch Zeytuntsian.
The Independence Day will not cross the threshold of official holiday to
enter every Armenian family as long as presidential, parliamentary and other
elections are being rigged in Armenia as long as the rights of the owners of
independence, the common citizens, are being violated.
By Tatoul Hakobian

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/20/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Cyprus Threatens to Veto EU's Draft Text on Turkey 2) Sharjah Ruler Commemorates Armenian Genocide Victims 3) Youth Activists in Azerbaijan Say They Are Being Targeted By Government 4) Azeri Shots Force OSCE Mission to End Monitoring 5) Catholicos Aram I to Visit Los Angeles Armenian Evangelical Community 1) Cyprus Threatens to Veto EU's Draft Text on Turkey (Bloomberg)--The Cypriot government threatened to veto a European Union (EU) declaration on ties with Turkey, imperiling EU plans to start Turkish membership talks on October 3. The last-minute threat prevented European governments today from agreeing on a response to Turkey's diplomatic boycott of EU member Cyprus and may force the 25-nation bloc to hold an emergency meeting. The UK, current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, brokered an accord among diplomats yesterday and expected routine approval today. "There is no agreement yet," Stavros Papagianneas, a spokesman for the Cypriot mission to the EU, said by telephone in Brussels today. "There is a proposal by the UK presidency which is being studied by us." The month-long debate over the declaration has sidetracked the EU, holding up the passage of a negotiating plan for Turkey that needs the backing of all member nations. The plan covers 35 areas from customs and public procurement to energy and fisheries where Turkey would have to meet the bloc's regulatory standards. The Turkish government said in July that its signature of a protocol extending a European trade accord to Cyprus wasn't tantamount to recognizing the Mediterranean island, whose northern tier Turkey has occupied since 1974. Signing the protocol was a condition the EU set in December for starting decade-long membership talks. RECOGNITION The declaration agreed on yesterday by EU government representatives urges Turkey to ensure free trade with Cyprus while moving toward normal political ties "as soon as possible.'" The EU will review progress in 2006, the statement says. "There was approval at ambassadorial level but not ministerial level," Jonathan Allen, a British government spokesman, said by telephone today in Brussels. He said EU diplomats would return to the issue tomorrow and did not exclude the possibility of a special meeting of EU foreign ministers on September 26. "We don't want to drag foreign ministers to Brussels, but if we he have to, we will," Allen said. Papagianneas declined to say when the Cypriot government would decide on its final position and what the government's remaining concerns might be. Cypriot government demands for tougher warnings against Turkey over trade obstacles and non-recognition helped scuttle four attempts to agree on the declaration this month until yesterday's breakthrough among diplomats. The trade curbs include a ban on Cypriot ships unloading goods in Turkish ports and Cypriot planes landing at Turkish airports. Turkey, a nation of 72 million people, is counting on the accession talks to attract record foreign investment to its $300 billion economy. It would be one of the two most populous EU nations along with Germany, become the bloc's first mainly Muslim member and widen the EU's borders to Iraq. 2) Sharjah Ruler Commemorates Armenian Genocide Victims YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The Ruler of Emirate of Sharjah, HH Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, paid his respects, on Tuesday, to the victims of Armenian genocide by visiting Yerevan's Genocide Memorial and a nearby genocide museum. The Sheikh, who is on an official visit to Armenia to open the Days of Arab Culture there, initially met with the head of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences to review scientific cooperation, specifically joint research projects in the near future. "We are happy that, despite the burden of pressing problems, Armenia opens its doors to Sharjah. We respect that, along with the determination to expand our relationship," said the Arab leader. He said that cooperation with Armenia developed after President Robert Kocharian's visit to the United Arab Emirates in April 2002. The Sheikh also met with Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markarian to evaluate implementation of projects in recent years, and the various cooperation agreements the two countries have in place. They spoke of developing economic cooperation, and noted the need to expand their collaboration in the areas education, science, culture, tourism, and the exporting of agricultural products. The prime minister the Sheikh's visit and the celebration of cultural days of Sharjah in Armenia will give new impetus to their relationship. Margarian stressed the importance of establishing an Arab cultural center in Armenia and thanked the Sheikh for readiness to provide financial support. 3) Youth Activists in Azerbaijan Say They Are Being Targeted By Government (Eurasianet.org)--As Azerbaijan's November 6 parliamentary elections draw closer, opposition and youth organization representatives say they are feeling increased pressure from the government. Their concerns have been fueled by the recent arrests of youth activists, one of them a Ukrainian citizen. On September 12, Yeni Fikir Deputy chair Said Nuri was detained for 48 hours on suspicion of conspiring to stage a coup against the Azeri government. While attending a training session in Poland that was sponsored by the National Democratic Institute, Nuri allegedly received instruction on organizing anti-government protests with the aim of overthrowing the established order, Azerbaijani officials contend. Nuri had assumed responsibility for running Yeni Fikir, a youth group loosely aligned with the opposition Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, shortly after the August arrest of Ruslan Bashirli, the group's leader. Bashirli was charged with conspiring with Armenian special services to foment unrest in Azerbaijan. The same day as Nuri's detention, Ramin Tagiyev, another Yeni Fikir deputy chairperson, was sentenced to a three-month prison term for his role in a supposed coup plot. The US State Department has sharply criticized Nuri's arrest. In a September 15 interview broadcast by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Azeri Service, Terry Davidson, a US State Department official, expressed concern that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's administration was trying to squelch legitimate domestic political opposition. "The US government is concerned [by] the arrest of youth leaders in Azerbaijan as well as the campaign against the Popular Front Party," Davidson said. `We urge the Azeri government to provide basic civil liberties in preparation for the parliamentary elections, including freedom of assembly, equal access to the media and not being a subject of pressure." In an interview with EurasiaNet, Popular Front Party Chairman Ali Kerimli stated that the arrests were motivated by the authorities' fear of Yeni Fikir's increasing popularity and the related need to reduce youth activism in Azerbaijan. "They [authorities] think that the only way to make these young people stop the struggle is to isolate them," Kerimli said "However, the opposition's rallies demonstrate that, more and more, orange-clad youth have joined the nationwide struggle against dictatorship." The scandals surrounding Yeni Fikir show no signs of abating. On September 15, organization members reportedly discovered three hand grenades and a cartridge of TNT in the group's main office in Baku. Media reported that the police officer called to the scene to investigate refused to remove the explosives. The building also houses the offices of the opposition newspaper Azadliq and the Popular Front. Azadliq Editor Ganimat Zahidov, reportedly accompanied by foreign and local journalists, eventually took a bag with the explosives to the local police station. Zahidov claimed that the explosives were deliberately planted by authorities to provide justification for another Yeni Fikir arrest, and to search the organization's headquarters. Zahidov has since ordered all individuals entering the building to be checked. Police pledged to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, but have not issued any updates. Some human rights activists believe that the arrests of Yeni Fikir members are designed to reduce the potential for an election-related protest in Baku akin to those that occurred in Georgia and Ukraine in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Those protests resulted in regime-change in Tbilisi and Kyiv. Georgian and Ukrainian youth groups played key roles in organizing those demonstrations. "The former leaderships of Georgia and Ukraine never took such tough action against youth leaders," said Saida Gojamanli, director of the Bureau of Human Rights and Law Observance. The arrest of a representative of the Ukrainian youth group Pora in Baku has helped fuel speculation that the government plans to discourage such organizations from playing any role in Azerbaijan's parliamentary elections. Azerbaijani authorities detained Sergei Yevtushenko--an advisor to the Ukrainian foreign minister, and a Pora leader--at Baku airport on September 15. Two days later, he was forcibly returned to Ukraine. Yevtushenko had traveled to Azerbaijan at the invitation of the opposition election bloc Azadliq to attend a conference on democratization in Azerbaijan and Belarus. No official reason was given for Yevtushenko's detention. The Ukrainian consul was allowed to meet with Yevtushenko only after the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry lodged a formal diplomatic protest. In a September 16 interview with Trend news agency, the country's ambassador to Baku, Igor Kizima stated that Azerbaijani officials had violated international agreements by making the Ukrainian consul wait five hours before seeing Yevtushenko. Ukrainian officials also accused Azerbaijan of violating bilateral agreements that provide for a no-visa entry to Azerbaijan for Ukrainian citizens. 4) Azeri Shots Force OSCE Mission to End Monitoring YEREVAN (Armenpress)--An OSCE team had to cut short its routine monitoring of the line of contact between Armenian troops of Mountainous Karabagh and Azeri troops near a village in Fizuli region on Tuesday. At the very start of the monitoring, a single shot in the direction of the Mission was fired from Azeri positions. Andrzej Kasprzyk, the special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office supervising the monitoring, reported the observation was ceased for security reasons. Representatives of the Mountainous Karabagh Republic's Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministries were accompanying the OSCE mission. 5) Catholicos Aram I to Visit Los Angeles Armenian Evangelical Community The Armenian Evangelical Union of North America has announced that His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia has accepted the Church's invitation to visit the Evangelical community of Southern California, during His upcoming Pontifical visit to the Western Prelacy, October 5-19. The Evangelical Church will welcome the Catholicos on Friday, October 7, 3PM at the United Armenian Congregational Church located at 3480 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles. A reception will follow at the adjoining Ayvazian Hall. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

FOR HEADY THRASH, THE SYSTEM WORKS: DOWN SERVES UP ENLIGHTENED RAGE LIKE NO OTHER METAL MERCHANTS CAN
by Stuart Derdeyn, The Province
The Vancouver Province (British Columbia)
September 18, 2005 Sunday
FINAL C Edition
Let it never be said that System of a Down are just another metal
band. The Armenian/American quartet has sweet nothing in common with
any of those other tattooed, pierced and peeved angst merchants making
music for middle-class Caucasian males.
Not that this isn’t the core audience that the band brings out. It is.
But that this politically and artistically progressive group has
captured that audience still comes as a surprise.
Choruses of “Why do they always send the poor?” from “B.Y.O.B.” —
the band’s opening number at the Pacific Coliseum last night —
just aren’t drawn from the same creative wellspring as “I did it for
the nookie.” There’s something altogether more serious being offered
up by these guys.Which doesn’t mean that the crew is all agit-prop
preaching and no fun.
Far from it.
Daron Malakian has some of the silliest audience banter this side
of a comedian. Who says “Party people put your hands together” at a
rock show?
The same guy incorporating interpretive modern dance routines and clown
antics into his onslaught of molten-lead heavy riffage, that’s who.
Of course, when your bassist has a braided soul patch that hangs down
to his midriff and ultra-neon yellow socks glaring out from under
his capri pants, you’ve no choice but to be physical to get noticed.
Shavo Odajian’s motoring and John Dolmayan’s relentless pounding
aside, it’s the way that Malakian and Frank Zappa-esque lead singer
Serj Tankian play off one another that really generates the power in
sing-along faves “Needles” and “Revenga.”
Both have distinct pipes that, when put together, make for the
harmonies that lock the choruses in anti-pop culture critiques such
as “Violent Pornography” in your head forever. For all its rage and
lightning-fast time signature changes, there’s almost a folk-song
sensibility to System’s songwriting.
With Mesmerize already getting some of the best reviews of the band’s
career, excitement over the soon-to-be-released companion to that
disc can only build after a gig as tight as last night. Connecting
with your audience to build a collective sense of unified purpose is
always at the heart of a killer show. But this is an act that wants
to see the message carried past the mosh pit; to bring enlightenment
to an audience more open to ideas than it gets credit for.
Hopefully to foster a sense of community carried well outside the
arena.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 14, 2005, Wednesday
NIKOLAI BORDYUZHA WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE EXERCISE OF THE CAUCASIAN
GROUP OF FORCES OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY
IN ARMENIA
Nikolai Bordyuzha, Secretary-General of the Organization of the
Collective Security Treaty (OCST), will evaluate the performance of
Russian and Armenian military units, which are part of the Caucasian
regional group of forces, during the active phase of the exercise on
September 12.
Nikolai Bordyuzha stated on the eve of his departure from Yerevan on
September 12, “My working visit to Armenia is based on the invitation
of the republican leadership and the Armenian defense minister. I
will attend the exercise of Russian and Armenian units of the
Caucasian group. This group created within the framework of the OCST,
and conducts military exercises every year. Military units polish
their skills in hypothetical defense operations on a bilateral
basis.”
The OCST secretary-general noted that two motorized infantry
regiments and logistics units are involved in the exercise. Nikolai
Bordyuzha noted, “This exercise is important for us as an element of
combat training of the joint group of forces.” The OCST
secretary-general noted that he evaluated the performance of the
military units during the active phase of the exercise and inspected
their bases. (…)
The OCST Secretariat noted that the Russian-Armenian exercise is
conducted in Armenia from September 10-13, according the bilateral
agreements signed by Russia and Armenia. Ground and air units of the
Armenian Army and Russia’s 102nd military base are involved in the
exercise. Units will conduct an exercise with combat shooting at the
Marshal Bagramyan training center. This is a defensive exercise of
the Caucasian group of the OCST.
Source: Regions.Ru, September 12, 2005
Translated by Alexander Dubovoi
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US ARMENIANS URGE TO STOP BAKU ARMED AGGRESSION AGAINST KARABAKH
Pan Armenian News
13.09.2005 03:27
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Over 150 Armenian young people in the US held a
rally next to the Azeri Embassy building in Washington a day or two
ago. They urged to stop Azerbaijan’s armed aggression against Nagorno
Karabakh. As reported by the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA), by this move the Diaspora young generation in the person of
the US Armenian Youth Federation tried to draw public attention to the
still available threat by Azeri authorities, who are trying to suppress
the right of the NKR people to self-determination by force. For over
an hour the protest action participants marched in the square in
front of the Embassy building with slogans “Self-determination is
equal to protection of human rights,” “No more blood for oil” and
“Aliyev stop threatening with war.”

ARMENIAN MILITARY MEN READY IF NEED BE TO CONTINUE THEIR PEACE KEEPING IN IRAQ
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13. ARMINFO. The Armenian military men in Iraq are
ready to replace their colleagues in Iraq if the parliament decides
on the continuation of Armenia’s peace keeping in that country,
says Armenia’s Deputy Defence Minister Lieut Gen Artur Agabekyan.
The next rotation in Iraq is in Dec 2005, in Kosovo in Oct 2005. The
Armenian peace keeping in Kosovo started in Feb 2004. The Armenian
peace keepers are part of a Greek battalion. THe rotation is held each
half a year. The Iraq-based peace keepers have been sent for one year.

SPECIAL REPORT
A1+
| 20:42:32 | 12-09-2005 | Official |
The special report of the RA Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan about
the violations of the right of property in connection with the
compulsory sale of the citizens’ property for state needs is
located in the “Reports” section of the RA Ombudsman’s web-site
/
The Ombudsman expects to get the offers and remarks of all the
concerned organizations and people.
The Ombudsman is preparing two other special reports about the activity
of the Real Estate Cadastre and the Court Compulsory Action Service
from the point of view of protection of human rights.

WHO ARE THE “OTHERS”?
A1+
| 20:00:52 | 07-09-2005 | Social |
The RA Ombudsman has sent letters to the RA President and the
head of the Courts Council where she has referred to several court
decisions about confiscating the property of the citizens by the
programs of Yerevan reconstruction. According to the decisions,
the owners are obliged to sign a contract with the customer for
the money he offers. By the same decision the owner, the enumerated
people registered in the area and “other people occupying the area”
are to be evicted.
Mentioning that the “other” people occupying the area must be evicted,
the Court does not mention who these people are – deprived of the
right of the court protection, who cannot participate in the trial.
For example, by the certificate given by the RA Civic Issues Court of
Appeal, on May 1 owners Edward, Rudolf, and Angela Mouradyans, Sergey,
Magdalena and Nelly Asoyans, as well as refugees Emma Aghajanyan and
his two teenage children have been evicted from the house in Buzand
23 as “other” people.
The RA Ombudsman mentions that Emma Aghajanyan has not participated
in the trial and her name is not mentioned in the court decision,
but she and her sons have forcefully been evicted from the house as
“other people”.
As far as suchlike decisions tend to repeat, the Ombudsman has
suggested that the Courts Council should make the issue subject for
special discussion and evaluate suchlike decisions.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
September 6, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LEGISLATION SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
— May be “Marked-Up” as Early as September 14th
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian Genocide legislation appears set to come
before the influential House International Relations Committee as
early as Wednesday, September 14th, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
According to Congressional sources, Committee Chairman Henry Hyde
(R-IL) is prepared to “mark-up” both Armenian Genocide Resolutions
(H.Res.316 and H.Con.Res.195). During this mark-up session, the
fifty members of the panel will have an opportunity to consider
changes and then to vote to either approve or disapprove each
measure.
“We want to thank Chairman Hyde for his leadership in ensuring that
the members of his Committee have the opportunity to vote on
Armenian Genocide legislation,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. “Along with our local chapters around the nation and
coalition partners here in Washington, DC, we are working hard to
support the efforts of our friends – Congressmen George Radanovich,
Adam Schiff, and Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg and
Frank Pallone – in encouraging the Committee to act favorably on
this legislation.
H.Res.316, which was introduced by Representatives George
Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),
calls upon the President to ensure U.S. foreign policy reflects
appropriate understanding of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution
includes thirty detailed findings from past U.S. hearings,
resolutions and Presidential statements, as well as references to
statements by international bodies and organizations. As of today,
a bipartisan group of over one hundred and twelve Representatives
have already agreed to cosponsor this measure.
H.Con.Res.195, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff and cosponsored by
over eighty Representatives, was offered following direct
negotiations with House International Relations Committee Chairman
Henry Hyde (R-IL). The Chairman agreed to Committee-level
consideration of Armenian Genocide legislation in return for Rep.
Schiff tabling a planned June 8th Armenian Genocide amendment to
the House Foreign Relations Authorization bill. The agreement
addressed serious concerns on the part of the Administration and
Congressional leaders that the Schiff Amendment – which had strong
prospects of passing – would overshadow the White House meeting,
held that same day, between President Bush and Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan. This measure, which is in the process of being
amended, reaffirms the Armenian Genocide within the broader context
of regional relationships and addresses Turkey’s efforts to join
the European Union.
The Turkish Ambassador and his lobbyists – including the Livingston
Group – are actively making the rounds to members of the
International Relations Committee, seeking to block any action on
U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide. As part of this
effort, the Livingston Group has been distributing a four-page
genocide-denial document to Congressional offices.

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO HRANT MATEVOSIAN
By Nana Petrosian
AZG Armenian Daily #159
07/09/2005
Recently, many exhibitions were held at the galleries of the Vanadzor
Fine Art Museum. The museum represented over 10 exhibitions to the
art lovers of the city. Seven dozens of pictures by three artists are
being exhibited in Vanadzor these days. The art lovers were excited
and encouraged, visiting such interesting exhibitions at their
city. Khachik Gharabekian, Hrant Tadevosian and Nikol Aghababian,
artists represented pictures rich in colors and emotions. They
depicted the picturesque views of Vanadzor, the region of Lori. The
three artists spend whole August in Ahnidzor and created together
in the studio of Khachik Gharabekian. They opened the exhibition of
their new works created in Ahnidzor on September 2.
“It was really hard to guess that they can open new layers in the
nature of Lori for the local residents in their pictures”, Serge
Baghdasarian, art lover from Vanadzor shared his impressions about
the exhibition.
The artists were inspired not only by the picturesque views of
Ahnidzor, but also by the idea of representing their works at a
joint exhibition. They aimed to celebrate 70th anniversary of Hrant
Matevosian by holding this exhibition.
Khachik Gharabekian said that in the course of the month they worked
together they created paintings that had many things in common.
“Hrant’s absence in Ahnidzor changes something there. That’s why,
we tried to paint from our own viewpoint, including the worldviews
of Matevosian’s characters in Ahnidzor,” Mr. Gharabekian said.
“Everything is different in Ahnidzor. Hrant was different, too. His
presence here is different, too. That’s why people pay tribute to
his literature here,” Hrant Tadevosian explained the success of
the exhibition.
Nikol Aghababian emphasized the importance of such exhibitions,
saying that they help to bring fresh air of the capital’s cultural
life to the regions.
“We tried to combine our own feelings with the image of Hrant
Matevosian’s Ahnidzor. He created his works as a true artist. We were
looking for Hrant in today’s Ahnidzor,” Nikol Aghababian said.
The exhibition will last till September 20.