Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

NorthJersey.com, NJ
Dec 3 2011

Neighbors vow lawsuit if Emerson OKs project

Friday, December 2, 2011
BY CHRIS HARRIS, STAFF WRITER, The Record

Hundreds of residents from the neighborhood surrounding the Armenian
Home for the Aged have signed a petition urging the Land Use Board to
reject a proposed $15 million reconstruction project for the facility.

The 400-signature petition was presented Thursday as the board
continued to hear testimony on the Armenian Home’s application to raze
its facility and construct a 2 1/2-story building on the Clinton
Street side of the property.

Resident Theresa Cannata, who presented the petition, said approval of
the project would ensure that “disaster will be this board’s legacy.”
The residents also threatened to sue if the application is approved.

The home sits on Main Street, toward where the property abuts Glenwood
Avenue. The proposed reconstruction would increase the number of beds
at the home from 86 to 120.

Allen Bell, an attorney representing the home, said several revisions
had been made to the proposal since it was last on the agenda two
months ago.

These modifications, Bell said, were a direct response to fears raised
by residents and board members during previous meetings.

An unruly crowd turned out for Thursday’s meeting to oppose the
project. Residents claim the site proposed for the new facility is a
swampland, and that the new building would worsen flooding.

Residents also claim the plans, if approved, would increase traffic to
the neighborhood, compromise drinking water in the area, and diminish
their overall quality of life.

The newest revision of the plans eliminates a previously proposed
service driveway on Clinton Street, and reverse previous plans to use
that same street for truck traffic.

A loading dock on the northeastern side of the proposed building would
be accessible from the parking lot, Bell said. Meanwhile, the new
plans call for a 10-foot wall, to shield trucks making deliveries to
the home from public view.

One resident from the audience compared the newly introduced wall to
“the one Reagan tore down.”

The new plans also relocate a Dumpster and generator to the eastern
side of the property. The generator will require hourlong test runs
once a month and be fueled by a 600-gallon underground tank. Both the
Dumpster and generator would be buffered by plantings and masonry
walls, Bell said.

The new plans also include a small driveway on the western portion of
the building as well as a garage, to be used only by hearses “when
needed,” Bell said.

The latest plans also increase the size of an existing easement pipe
from 15 inches to 36 inches, which Bell said will improve existing
drainage problems in the area.

Cannata said “the water [will have] nowhere to go but our basements.”

Cannata presented photographic evidence of recent ground testing done
at the new home’s proposed site, which she said shows the ground is
saturated.

“The residents who will be affected by this injustice will be filing a
class-action lawsuit if this development is approved,” Cannata warned,
who also criticized the home’s management for a recent article written
for its internal newsletter, comparing those opposed to the new home
to the Ottoman Empire.

Richard Massiello, a 50-year resident of Clinton Street, said the
proposed site has “a high water table,” and called the plans
“ridiculous.”

Referencing the 10-foot wall added to the plans, Massiello said “it’s
going to look like Fort Apache. Or Osama bin Laden’s compound.”

Ken Hoffman, a former borough councilman and former environmental
commission member, said the project “has way too many unknowns to
receive a confident stamp of approval from the board,” and urged the
board “to say `No’ to this application now.”

Emerson Board of Education President John DiNiro spoke during
Thursday’s meeting, and said the district had retained an engineer to
study the home’s plans.

DiNiro said the school board is concerned “about water coming onto our
property at the high school,” and asked the Land Use Board to delay
its vote until their engineer’s report was complete.

The Land Use Board did not vote on the application Thursday night.

From: Baghdasarian

Turquie Europ�ne
28 Nov 2011

Turquie : l’�nomie anatolienne avant et après 1915

Baskın Oran
dimanche 27 novembre 2011 – 07:00

`En 1907, Diyarbakir �it la troisième ville d’Anatolie en ce qui
concerne le textile, le secteur principal de l’economie. Aujourd’hui,
elle est en 66ème position. Les Arm�ens et les Syriaques ont �
extermin� il s’en est suivi un exode des cerveaux et du capital. Ils
sont partis et la paix n’est plus jamais revenue sur ces terres. Nous
nous sommes appauvris. Nous n’avons connu de stabilit�ni �nomique,
ni politique depuis. Nous avons � maudits parce qu’il avait �
port�tteinte �une valeur sacr�’ Ces paroles marquantes furent
celles du maire de l’agglom�tion de Diyarbakir, Osman Baydemir, lors
d’une conf�nce historique qui s’est d�ul�entre le 11 et le 13
novembre derniers et qui portait sur l’histoire socio-�nomique de la
region de Diyarbakır.

La fin du tissu productif et du haut niveau culturel
En Turquie, l’enseignement de l’histoire eut toujours deux qualit�compl�ntaires : 1) Nous tenir pour plus blancs que blanc afin de
nous mettre en avant ;

2) R�ter un simple refrain chronologique d�rsant de simples faits
(faits que nous d�rmons comme cela nous arrange) et d�urvu de tout
contenu socio-�nomique. Aujourd’hui, après la conf�nce sur les
Arm�ens ottomans de septembre 2005 et la campagne de demande de
pardon aux Arm�ens de d�mbre 2008, le troisième moment de la
confrontation de la Turquie avec son propre pass�st venu. Le premier
pas lanc�n direction de l’effondrement du tabou de l’enseignement
historique.

Ce que j’ai dit lors de mon allocution d’ouverture venait appuyer par
des chiffres les propos de M. Baydemir . `Les massacres arm�ens et
syriaques de 1915 ont d�uit toute la bourgeoisie anatolienne. Le
commerce, les exportations et la production industrielle de l’ensemble
du pays d�ndaient de ces gens-l�: les soieries, la faïence, la
manufactures de tapis, le tissage, la teinturerie, la dinanderie, la
joaillerie, la taille de pierres, le textile industriel ; et la
production des plantes �utilisation industrielle, �commencer par les
pistaches et le tabac. İmaginez un peu : en 1882, entre Trabzon et
Istanbul, ce sont cinq compagnies de bateaux qui assurrent la liaison
; le port de Trabzon enregistrait plus de cinq cents appareillages.
Chaque semaine, il y avait quatre liaisons aller-retour entre Istanbul
et Giresun, et trois entre Ordu et Istanbul. Aujourd’hui le nombre de
bateaux arrivant �Bodrum (le port de tourisme par exellence de la
Turquie – NdE)est de 48 �l’ann� Et la catastrophe n’est pas rest�limit��l’�nomie. Nous avons �lement d�uit le seul tissu
culturel de haut niveau pr�nt en Anatolie. Par exemple, dans la
seule vall�d’Harput, il y avait 92 �les dans lesquelles �diaient
8660 �diants. Atatürk est n�n an après qu’a ouvert un th�tre
arm�en dans la même ville. Ici, le studio photographique des frères
Sursuryan avait ouvert en 1890. On peut se poser la question de savoir
s’il y a un th�tre �Harput aujourd’hui ?’

Ce qu’ont dit les Kurdes
Mais qu’ont donc dit les petits-enfants des Kurdes qu’ont utilis�les
Unionistes et nationalistes turcs �qui nous devons cet effondrement
du pays ? Voici ce qu’a dit Cengiz Aktar, le co-coordinateur de la
conf�nce, dans son allocution d’ouverture : `La m�ire fait un
retour sur ces terres. Nous n’en sommes encore qu’au d�t ; le chemin
�parcourir est encore long. Mais la chose est ainsi lanc�d�rmais
qu’on ne pourra plus l’arrêter. L’�asante majorit�e ceux qui
vivent sur ces terres ne nient pas cette m�ire en fait ; ils ne font
que r�ter l’erreur qu’ils ont apprise.’

Dans cette conf�nce, ce refrain de la m�ire, on ne l’a quasiment
pas entendu chez les Kurdes. Un ou deux des participants ont tent�e
dire une chose du genre : `Ce sont les chefs de tribus et l’Etat qui
ont pouss�u crime ; sinon les peuples cohabitaient bien’. Mais
c’�it �peine audible et on ne l’a pas r�tendu. Osman Baydemir
s’est lanc� `Si nous aspirons �une vie libre, nous sommes oblig�de nous confronter au pass�Nous sommes oblig�de savoir ce qu’il
s’est pass�u XIXè siècle, nous sommes contraints de l’accepter. S’il
est des hontes dans le pass�e notre peuple, il est de notre devoir,
de notre devoir politique et moral, de les refuser et de ne pas nous y
associer. Pas un turc ou un kurde n’est responsable de ce massacre ;
mais �condition de condamner l’infamie de cette �que. En ce qui me
concerne, je refuse la parent�e mes ancêtres qui ont pris part �ce
massacre. Je pr��re que mon grand-père ait � des gens qui ont pay�e prix de leur r�stance �ces massacres.’

C’�it l’ambiance de cette conf�nce. Et c’est le maire
`multiculturaliste’ de Turquie, Abdullah Demirbaş qui l’a conclue :
`C’�it en 2005, un Syriaque est venu me voir. `Vous allez nous faire
ce que les K�listes vous ont fait ?’ m’a-t-il dit. Moi j’�is
Kurde. J’avais beaucoup souffert �cause de ma langue natale. Et
plutôt que de faire vivre ces souffrances �un autre, nous avons
d�d�u’il �it n�ssaire de ne pas les imposer aux autres. Moi si
je veux une chose pour moi-même, je le veux �lement pour les
autres.’

Ce qu’a dit la diaspora arm�enne
Il y avait beaucoup d’auditeurs et d’intervenants venus de la
diaspora. L’un deux �it assis devant moi. Et puis j’ai vu qu’il me
prenait en photo. Je lui alors demand�on nom et d’où il venait. Il
s’appelait Manouk Paboudjian et venait de Lyon, l’une des r�ons les
plus dures de la diaspora. Son père et sa mère �ient de Sivas. Il
s’est mis �parler : `Je ne suis pas un intellectuel. Je suis un homme
d’affaires. Alors que les d�craties europ�nes sont en train de
tomber malades et que les gens ne parlent de rien d’autre que
d’endettement, nous ici, nous r��issons aux voies de la
d�cratie. Je suis transport�’enthousiasme en ce moment. Je suis
très heureux d’être ici �lutter �vos côt�pour la d�cratie et
l’identit�Pour moi, ce sera une première. A mon retour, je traduirai
et diffuserai ce qui s’est dit ici. Je suis très heureux, vraiment
très heureux d’être ici avec vous.’ Et pourtant, la diaspora que moi
je connais ; sans même parler de dire de telles choses ou de
participer �une telle conf�nce, elle aurait r�s�’être pr�nt� des Turcs, avant notre campagne de demande de pardon aux Arm�ens.
Aujourd’hui, je reçois un e-mail en provenance d’une personne de
souche arm�enne, d’une universit�arisienne, et que je connais pour
ses messages très durs post�sur une liste de discussion ouverte aux
USA : `Pour aller au plus bref, je pourrai dire que dans ma jeunesse
et même jusqu’après mes quarante ans, je n’avais jamais pens�u’un
jour j’aurais des amis turcs que j’aime beaucoup.’

L’�gie de Rakel (Dink) �
Cengiz Aktar a donn�e dernier mot �Rakel, la veuve de Hrant Dink.
Rakel est mont��la tribune avec sa m�ncolie et son �rnelle
dignit�Elle a dit : `Ce que je vais dire est une �gie d’adieu
sortie de la bouche de celui qui s’�int alors qu’il est avec les
siens, si proche. Mais moi, ces mots, je les d�e au souvenir de tous
les Kirkor Zohrap morts sous la torture et la barbarie, dans les rues,
�ceux dont on ne trouve même plus les os. C’est en kurde.’ Et Rakel
entame une complainte en kurde, sa langue maternelle… Nous en
fr�ssons tous…

La complainte se disait sur un air vraiment très connu de nous : `Vois
les pierres d’Ankara, Vois les larmes de mes yeux.’ Et de la sorte,
nous en avons appris l’original…

PS ` La conf�nce a � diffus�en direct sur Internet. Elle est
d�rmais disponible �l’adresse suivante.

Traduction pour TE : Marillac

From: Baghdasarian

Gagik Tsarukyan has been notified

02:50 pm | Today | Politics

“Leader of Prosperous Armenia Party Gagik Tsarukyan has been informed
about the political developments that have taken place in the country
during his absence,” PAP leader’s speaker Khachik Galstyan told “A1+”.

According to him, Tsarukyan has taken that as a notice, including ANC
leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s statement and the political parties’
comments in relation to that. “Tsarukyan will give a comment on this
in the next couple of days. I can’t say anything else at this moment,”
the PAP leader’s speaker said.

As for the statements by the coalition partners, particularly the
Republican Party of Armenia according to which PAP won’t step out of
the coalition, Galstyan said:

“We only clarify our party’s steps and statements.”

We remind that Gagik Tsarukyan was out of the country to celebrate his
55th birthday in Dubai.

From: Baghdasarian

HRAPARAK: NAREK SARGSYAN IS DENIED ACCESS TO TV CHANNEL

Tert.am
03.12.11

The paper claims that Yerevan’s Chief Architect Narek Sargsyan has been
complaining here and there recently that Michael Minasyan, President
Serzh Sargsyan’s son-in-law, has blocked his access to TV channels.

The paper claims that upon Michael Minasyan’s instructions TV channels
are not inviting Narek Sargsyan any more. Therefore Sargsyan has lost
his chance to advocate for his architectural projects.

Further, the paper says that now Narek Sargsyan does not have a chance
to respond to all the criticism against him after the recent scandalous
stories, particularly, the construction of a Persian tower in central
Yerevan, the construction of a dome on the Government Building and
the demolition project of the building on Arami Street 30.

The paper also says that even the group on the social networking
website Facebook, titled “Let’s Help Narek Sargsyan,” is against him
as the members of the group are finding and pointing at territories
where they claim the architect can build the next elite building.

And Narek Sargsyan is unable to respond to them, concludes the paper.

From: Baghdasarian

TEHRAN-ANKARA COMPETITION INTENSIFIES IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

Trend
Dec 2 2011
Azerbaijan

Recent events have intensified Turkey’s and Iran’s competition in
three key areas: the Middle East, missile defense, and security
(including energy security) in the South Caucasus, Political Risk
Analyst at Menas Associates, London, Alex Jackson wrote in his article
published in Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) weekly.

“Iran’s antagonistic relationship with Israel has been a major
difference between Tehran and Ankara, but the rapid deterioration of
Turkish-Israeli ties has caused a significant shift in the geopolitics
of the region,” he said.

Turkey’s motivations in this case are mixed, but one of the reasons
is Ankara’s desire to become a champion of the “Arab street”, he said.

Criticizing Israel and embracing the Arabic revolutionaries is enabling
Turkey to outflank Iran.

Tehran has traditionally seen itself as a key player in the region,
he said.

Despite concerns about Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s
(AKP) alleged slide into anti-Westernism and Islamism, Turkey has
recently agreed to host part of NATO’s planned missile defense network,
a network assumed to be aimed at Iran.

Tehran views this gesture as a direct threat and it may lead to a
significant deterioration in ties with Ankara.

“The fact that Turkey has agreed to host the missile defense shield
speaks volumes about its threat perception of Iran,” he said.

“Officially, both states have warm and peaceful ties, and to a large
extent this is true; but clearly, officials in Ankara believe that
Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program is a threat.”

The relations between Iran and Turkey clearly affect Azerbaijan.

Baku’s multidimensional relationship with Ankara would take precedence,
of course, but its ties with Iran would also have to be taken into
account. Azerbaijan will balance between them.

Ankara and Tehran are often portrayed as engaging in a kind of
“soft war” in the Caucasus, with Turkey backing Azerbaijan in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Iran has closer relations
with Armenia.

The reality is more complex, but Iran does represent a vital
lifeline to Armenia, a bridge that allows it to partially offset the
Turkish-Azerbaijani closure of borders with Yerevan.

“At the same time, Turkey’s support is integral to Azerbaijan’s
security strategy,” he said.

Both Turkey and Iran are publicly committed to a peaceful settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but have different approaches, he said.

Iran aims at insisting that the conflict will be settled through the
negotiations of regional leaders.

“At the same time, both Turkey and Iran seek to decrease the others’
influence through promoting their own model of conflict resolution,”
he said. “Turkey conspicuously avoided including Iran in its Caucasus
Stability and Cooperation Platform idea in 2008, while Iran has
lobbied for a more active role in the peacemaking efforts.

Competition could emerge between the two countries. But this would
not be sufficient to significantly damage Turkish-Iranian ties,
but given the fragility and complexity of security in the South
Caucasus, it could lead to a sudden shift in regional dynamics and
spark confrontation, he said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

From: Baghdasarian

PROSPECTS FOR A UNITED CAUCASUS

The Messenger
Dec 2 2011
Georgia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is actively promoting the idea
of a United Caucasus. A year ago he mentioned this idea to Azerbaijani
president Ilham Aliev, a couple of days ago he said the same thing to
the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan. Both leaders of the neighbouring
countries kept silent and left the idea without comment.

Some analysts and the representatives of the Georgian opposition
express their doubt about the possibility of a United Caucasus.

During his meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Saakashvili spoke
in detail about the idea of a United Caucasus, which would mean a
united economic space and in the long run the creation of a political
commonwealth. There is no alternative for our little countries,
stated Saakashvili, adding that all the conflicts in the Caucasus
are initiated by imperialist forces from outside, meaning Russia
of course. Analyst and expert in Caucasus issues Mamuka Areshidze
mentioned that making such statements is senseless and confusing
because the issue is not prepared and is unrealistic. How can one
offer unification between countries which are embroiled in military
confrontation? Areshidze thinks that Saakashvili’s idea is based on
a certain concept probably coming from the west and maybe based on
economic unity which might look attractive, however is not realistic.

Maybe the Georgian president as usual is under the influence of some
attractive idea and wants to promote it in the usual hasty way.

The leader of the Green Party Giorgi Gachechiladze thinks that
Saakashvili is making some steps and it is not only talk. According
to him moving the government to Kutaisi is a move towards the
implementation of the United Caucasus. Thus Saakashvili wants to move
the capital of Georgia to make the capital of a Caucasus confederation
Tbilisi, thinks Gachechiladze. Most of Georgian society assesses
the idea of a Caucasus confederation skeptically despite the fact
that Saakashvili took the decision of moving parliament to Kutaisi
and even stated the date for that, May 26, 2012 though most of the
opposition thinks the move is unacceptable.

As for the idea of a United Caucasus most commentators think that the
idea is not formed and shaped even for Saakashvili himself. There is
no viable plan or calculation, parameters or other technical issues
thought out and these are absolutely necessary when any kind of
serious and solid plans are put together. Even conceptually there
are no ideas about the role and position of Russia with its North
Caucasus republics and their interests and so on. Many question marks
exist and before any move is made everything should be reconsidered.

From: Baghdasarian

ARA SARAFYAN’S BOOK “TALAAT PASHA’S REPORT ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, 1917” TO BE PUBLISHED IN ISRAEL

Mediamax
Dec 2 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The book of the Director of Gomidas Institute
(London), historian Ara Sarafyan “Talaat Pasha’s Report on the Armenian
Genocide, 1917” will be published in Hebrew in Israel.

The head of the Armenian National Committee of Jerusalem, Georgette
Avagyan, said this in the interview to Mediamax.

According to her, the book will be published in 1000 copies and will
be presented to universities as well as to the Israeli Knesset.

Georgette Avagyan noted that the book will increase the awareness of
the Jewish people about the Armenian Genocide.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA TO SETTLE PRISONERS IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 2 2011
Russia

The OSCE Minsk Group has held inspections in the Nagorno-Karabakh areas
and expresses interest in Armenian initiatives for settling occupied
Azerbaijani territories with prisoners. The idea caused shock both
in Azerbaijan and foreign expert societies monitoring the area.

Vestnik Kavkaza reported earlier that Armenia is developing a bill
on free territories for prisoners. It will soon be presented to the
Armenian president and parliament.

Armenia describes as free territories the lands it took from Azerbaijan
in the war of1992-1994.

Pushkin Serobyan, Chairman of the Human Rights Organization ~S23
August, National Alliance~T, said that settling prisoners in the area
would bring economic benefits.

Andrey Areshev, Deputy Director General of the Fund for Strategic
Culture, told Vestnik Kavkaza that he views the initiative as another
act of the propaganda war. It is obvious that such actions cannot be
realized, because Armenia is formally in a state of negotiations. The
co-chairs of the OSCE MG are monitoring settlement in the seven
territories. The idea of settling prisoners is chaotic and goes
against the will of the Armenian authorities. It is caused by the
complicated situation in certain parts of Armenia and overpopulation.

But the main reason is socio-economic. In some cases it is the
patriotic feelings of the settlers. Areshev concluded that realization
of the initiative is impossible.

Ismail Agakishiyev, head of the Center for Caucasus Studies of the
Russian State University for the Humanities, noted that such measures
would not contribute to a settlement of the Azerbaijani-Armenian
conflict and would make it more complicated instead. Looking at the
problem in a wider view, they can indeed move 100,000 or 150,000
people to the area but what would they get?

Armenia is in a difficult economic state, citizens are leaving the
country for a better life beyond their fatherland. And this is a
result of the authorities who have been in power for 20 years. Would
it not be more beneficial for Armenia to take steps towards lifting
the blockade of Turkey and Azerbaijan, rather than aggravating the
tense socio-economic situation?

>From a legal aspect, separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh have some sort
of independence, which fails to explain the reasons for settling its
citizens there. It shows that Armenia does not conceal the occupation
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Such actions cause doubts about whether Armenia really wants to start
peace talks with its neighbor and whether it respects international
decisions, including the demands of the OSCE Minsk Group. The OSCE
MG was chosen as a trustworthy mediator because it consists of
authoritative states, Agakishiyev concludes.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA ISSUES POSTAGE-STAMP MARKING CIS 20TH JUBILEE

ITAR-TASS
December 1, 2011 Thursday 08:43 AM GMT+4
Russia

A postage-stamp dedicated to the 20th jubilee of the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) has been issued in Armenia on Thursday.

A ceremony marking the cancellation of the postage-stamp will be held
in the republic’s Foreign Ministry mansion and will be attended by
participants in the CIS Foreign ministers’ interaction consultations
that are being held here on the initiative of the Armenian side.

The postage-stamp has been designed by David Dovlatyan in
blue-and-lilac colours. In the center, the postage-stamp bears
the emblem of the CIS. An inscription “20 years” in Armenian and
Russian is superimposed upon the outline map of the CIS. The stamp
has been printed in 40,000 copies by the Ottawa-based printing-office
Lowe Martin Groupr, said Anna Gukasyan, head of the postal service
departmen of for philately and foreign relations.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN VIOLATES THE CEASEFIRE REGIME OVER 1150 TIMES IN NOVEMBER

Mediamax
Dec 2 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire regime on the
contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces 1150 times
on November 1-30, 2011.

According to the report of the press service of the Armenian Defense
Ministry, over 200 cases of ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan were
registered on the Armenian border.

According to the data provided by the NKR Defense Army, Azerbaijan
has violated the ceasefire regime on the contact line of the armed
forces over 950 times for this period.

The Azerbaijani side fired different weapons including 300 sniper
rifles.

The Armenian Armed Forces strictly adhere to the ceasefire regime and
resort to retaliatory actions only in case of emergency. The Armenian
Armed Forces fully control the situation on the contact line with
the rival.

From: Baghdasarian