Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

OVER 20,000 APPEALS SUBMITTED TO UN ON VIOLATION OF AZERBAIJANIS’ PROPERTY RIGHTS IN ARMENIA

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 4 2006

Documents were submitted to the European Court of Human Rights for
restoration of property rights of Azerbaijanis, who have been deported
from Armenia.

Azerbaijan National Academy of Science Human Rights Institute told
the APA.

The documents submitted to the European Court state that the
properties belonging to Azerbaijanis deported from Armenia cost
totally $20 billion.

The UN has received more than 20,000 appeals regarding violation of
property rights of Azerbaijanis.

There are 272 Azerbaijani villages and 89 mixed villages in Armenia.

All Azerbaijani graves in these villages have been destroyed by
Armenians.
From: Baghdasarian

OSKANIAN BACKS DUAL CITIZENSHIP FOR ETHNIC ARMENIANS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
September 4, 2006 Monday 5:41 PM MSK

Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian favors dual citizenship
for all members of the Armenian diaspora.

In Oskanian’s opinion, all ethnic Armenians should be granted dual
citizenship.

"The problem requires a balanced approach making it possible not to
deprive members of the Armenian diaspora of the opportunity to obtain
citizenship, while on the other hand, avoiding the negative impact
of dual citizenship on Armenia’s national interests," the minister
told reporters on Monday ahead of parliamentary debates on the issue.

About the upcoming "Armenia – Diaspora" forum to be held in Yerevan
on September 18, Oskanian noted that more than 1,500 organizations
and individuals had been registered for participation in the event.

The forum will consist of three parts: a plenary meeting with
the country’s president, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
all Armenians and prominent figures of the Armenian diaspora due to
address the audience; discussion about how Armenia and the Armenian
diaspora can unite their efforts to assist in upgrading infrastructure
in Armenia’s rural areas; and also, discussion about the role and
place of Armenians in the 21st century.

Problems facing Armenians in the Dzhavakhetia, an Armenian-populated
district of Georgia, may also be discussed during the forum,
Oskanian said.

Although this is an internal matter for Georgia, "Armenia cannot
remain indifferent to the fate of its compatriots," the minister said.
From: Baghdasarian

IRAQ’S NEW PAPER TIGER
By Adnan R. Khan

Maclean’s, Canada
September 4, 2006

Launching a newspaper is tough enough, even without the insurgency

A new voice has entered the media fray in Iraq, one with a Canadian
twist. Soma, meaning "perspective" in Kurdish, is a biweekly
English-language digest published out of Iraqi Kurdistan. It’s headed
by a Canadian whose vision is to transform journalism in Iraq. And,
says editor and founder Tanya Goudsouzian, "It’s been a challenge."

Indeed. Goudsouzian is a 29-year-old Montreal native of Armenian
descent who speaks no Kurdish and only very basic Arabic. She launched
the paper in February 2006 with the help of Hiro Ibrahim Ahmad,
the wife of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. And the road to her
cramped office in Sulaymaniyah, a city 275 km north of Baghdad and
the regional headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK),
the political party headed by Talabani, has been anything but smooth.

After graduating from McGill in 1998, Goudsouzian moved to Washington
to work at a magazine focusing on Middle Eastern issues. She left in
2000, moving to Cairo, then landing a staff position at Gulf News
in Dubai. She covered Afghanistan and Iraq, where she met Ahmad,
who worked in journalism before her husband became the Iraqi leader.

Since its launch, Soma has been pumping out 4,000 issues every two
weeks, with website traffic surpassing 100,000 hits. Also remarkable
is the fact that it is distributed nationally. "We print out of
Baghdad," says Goudsouzian. "Every issue has to be sent south for
printing and distribution and then issues have to be flown back to
Kurdistan. The main reason we send the paper south is I want it to
have a national appeal. It’s geared for the English-speaking community
and English-speaking Iraqis throughout Iraq, not just Kurdistan."

Soma must contend with a journalistic mindset still firmly rooted
in the Baathist era. For the most part, the Iraqi media remains a
mouthpiece for those in power, only now there are more mouths. In
Kurdistan, Iraq’s most democratized region, only one of dozens of
publications is fully independent: the weekly Hawlati. And, says its
editor, Twana Osman, 31, "There are certain subjects you just can’t
touch. We’ve had journalists arrested for criticizing the government,
for example. I’ve been formally charged for criticizing the Kurdish
regional prime minister."

Soma has been pigeonholed as a PUK organ, Goudsouzian complains. "I
know it sounds like a contradiction, the wife of the president funding
a newspaper," she says, "but Hiro is genuinely interested in a free
press." There are, after all, very few people with money in Iraq who
are not associated with a party. "So if you receive funding at all,"
Goudsouzian says, "it’s likely you’re receiving it from someone with
party affiliations."

Soma does not consider itself a political watchdog. Goudsouzian
admits she tries to avoid taboo subjects, such as censuring certain
powerful individuals. "I don’t want it to be filled with yellow
news-style personal attacks," she says, noting that tendency in other
publications. "I want to change things. I take young journalists to
interviews so they see how it should be done. I’m training these guys
on how to report, how to construct a story." Injecting professionalism
into an underdeveloped journalistic community is idealistic, and
difficult. But, Goudsouzian says, "You’re taking part in the rebuilding
of a civilization. You have to be an idealist or you’d go nuts. I
don’t plan on being here forever. But I plan on leaving my mark."

GRAPHIC: Photo, SOMA EDITOR Goudsouzian, a McGill grad, sits in front
of heroin seized by Kurdish police, PHOTOGRAPH BY IANOS ATHANASIADIS
From: Baghdasarian

The New Anatolian
Sept 2 2006

Opinions
Unrealistic to say ‘no combat forces’

Ilnur Cevik

We keep on hearing from everyone that Turkish forces to be sent to
Lebanon on a peace mission should go there for humanitarian purposes
and thus should not include combat units … Is this realistic?

Yes, of course, our soldiers should be given missions like in Bosnia
where they will be out of harm’s way but let us not forget that
Lebanon, or any other spot like that, will always have its risks and
our non-combat units should not be left to the mercy of local security
forces or United Nations soldiers from other countries …

Turkish combat forces should go to Lebanon to accompany our soldiers
who will shoulder humanitarian missions but they should be protected
by our own combat units.

Any decision by Parliament to send the forces to Lebanon should not
include restrictions on combat units. Our forces should not be sent to
Lebanon to directly confront Israeli troops or any other Lebanese
militia forces like Hezbollah. But our hands should not be tied from
protecting our own soldiers against all eventualities. If our forces
confront any obstacles or even threats while undertaking their
humanitarian missions, our own forces should be there to protect them.

We are told the Lebanese government, the Israelis and several other
Arab countries, as well as the U.S. and the European Union want to see
Turkish participation in the Lebanese peace mission but we are also
aware that there are some circles against, like the Armenian minority
living in Lebanon who oppose a Turkish presence. These people have
financed the killings of Turkish diplomats in the past and have even
collaborated with Kurdish extremists against Turkish interests in
Lebanon. So Lebanon will not be a bed of roses for our soldiers.

However, despite this, Turkey’s presence is needed in Lebanon and we
feel Turkey should be there.

While we feel the debate on the issue of sending troops to Lebanon is
healthy and should be conducted at all levels of society, we also feel
the debate and the controversies should not drag on and Parliament
should convene as soon as possible to authorize the government to send
troops to Lebanon.

Before the aborted attempt to send troops to Iraq, Turkey was plunged
into a lengthy and very harmful debate which hurt our international
credibility. This should not be repeated.
From: Baghdasarian

Arkady Ghukasyan: Declaration of NKR was the only salvation for Artsakh

ArmRadio.am
02.09.2006 15:46

Today the NKR governmental delegation headed by President Arkady
Ghukasyan, RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, other guests from
Armenia, Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Artsakhi people headed
for the communal grave to pay tribute to the memory of those killed in
the national-liberation war in Artsakh. Analyzing and assessing the
way passed in the past 15 years, NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan noted,
`The most important is that we have reached our objective ` we have
won the war, have constructed a state and are now developing it. And
we are confident we have not been mistaken. In his words, the
declaration of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was the only salvation
for Karabakh; otherwise Artsakh would face the fate of Nakhijevan.
From: Baghdasarian

SERGE SARGSIAN: WE ARE NOT GOING TO INCREASE ARMY’S BUDGET AT EXPENSE
OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND OTHER SPHERES

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenia’s
military budget will grow equally with the growth of the country’s
gross national output. Serge Sargsian, RA Defence Minister, Secretary
of the National Security Council under RA President, informed
journalists about it during his visit to the Military College after
Monte Melkonian on the occasion of a new academic year. "3.5 percent
of this output will be our military budget. We are not going to
increase the army budget at the expense of education, culture and
other spheres," the Minister emphasized. Mentioning that the state has
been paying little attention to the Military College after Monte
Melkonian for the present, the Minister assured that this gap will be
filled up in the coming 1-2 years and the college will become a model
educational institution. Congratulating the college students on the
occasion of a new academic year, the Minister stressed that they have
the honor to study at the institution named after legendary Monte
Melkonian and gave assurance that many of them will become deserved
representatives of Armenian army’s officers staff in the future.
From: Baghdasarian

RF PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN ON HIS BIRTHDAY

ArmRadio.am
31.08.2006 16:11

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated RA President Robert
Kocharyan on his birthday.

The message says, in particular, "It is very pleasant that the
multi-sided Russian-Armenian cooperation, based on the traditional
mutual respect and friendship between our peoples, is gradually
developing. We highly appreciate you personal contribution to the
reinforcement of the strategic partnership base between Armenia
and Russia.

Vladimir Putin expressed his gratitude to RA President "for the
efforts directed at the further deepening of mutually beneficial
relations both in the bilateral format and in the framework of the
CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization," Russian Novosti
news agency reports.
From: Baghdasarian

A NUMBER OF FESTIVE EVENTS SCEDULED SEPTEMBER 18-25

ArmRadio.am
30.08.2006 17:58

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Armenia’s independence,
a number of festive events are scheduled September 18-25.

RA President’s Spokesman Viktor Soghomonyan informs that a military
parade will be held in the Republic Square. Third Armenia-Diaspora
forum will be organized, concerts and salutes will be held in the
framework of the celebration.
From: Baghdasarian

STATE INSTITUTIONS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION TO BE FINANCED ACCORDING
TO PUPILS’ NUMBER

YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Government made a decision
at the August 24 sitting on implementing financing of RA state
institutions of secondary education according to pupils’ number. The
RA Minister of Finance and Economy was instructed, after adopting
the RA annual state budget jointly with the RA Minister of Education
and Science, to adopt coefficients of the formula of financing
according to the pupils’ number, arising of the current indexes,
using corresponding coefficients for schools of mountainous, high
mountainous settlements and alone schools of the same settlement
having up to 400 pupils. The order of re-distributions being made
in expenses of state institutions of secondary education was also
adopted by the same decision. The RA Minister of Education and
Science, RA Regional Governors (Yerevan Mayor) were allowed to
make re-distributions in expenses of state instutions of secondary
education being uder their sujection, corresponding to the order
adopted by the mentioned decision. As Noyan Tapan was informed by
the RA Government’s Information and Public Relations Department,
the decision will come into force from January 1, 2007.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN POLITICAL PARTIES URGE LEBANESE GOVERNMENT TO DENY TURKISH PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL FORCES

Yerkir
25.08.2006 13:38

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – At their August 24 meeting in Beirut,
representatives of the three Armenian political parties of Lebanon
– the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Social Democratic Hnchak
Party and Liberal Democratic Party – issued a statement urging the
Lebanese government to reject any participation of Turkish troops in
the international forces to be deployed in Lebanon.

Below is the text of the statement.

We, the leaders of the three Armenian political parties, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, Social Democratic Hnchak Party and Liberal
Democratic Party, deeply appreciate the efforts of the Lebanese
government to set a ceasefire, stop the war bloodshed, establish
peace and stability and restore what has been destroyed in the recent
Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

We also welcome the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that intends
to increase the number of the peacekeepers in South Lebanon. We,
however, voice the Lebanese Armenian community’s rejection of the
idea to include Turkish troops in the peacekeeping forces because:

a. Participation of Turkish troops in the international forces breaches
the principle of impartiality for international forces and therefore
would obstruct the efforts of establishing peace and stability in
Lebanon. No country participating in the international forces should
be an ally of a conflict party.

Turkey, however, has a history of enmity with many countries and
nations, and its history demonstrates the bloody core of its relations
with those nations. In addition, Turkey has a military treaty with
Israel which also includes a cooperation of special services. That
treaty threatens the peace process in the region, and Turkey’s biased
foreign policy makes us mistrust Turkey.

b. Turkey continues its occupation of Cyprus, blockade of Armenia and
refuses to recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide it had perpetrated
and apologize for that crime.

c. Turkey continues to violate human rights and rights of minorities
making it ineligible for peacekeeping mission.

d. There is no doubt that any country participating in international
forces should be accepted by the Lebanese public: Turkey’s history
of violence in Lebanon does not help that country to deserve such
acceptance considering that the Lebanese people in its collective
memory still endures the consequences of the Turkish crimes and
tyranny.

Taking into account these realities, we reaffirm our opposition and
refusal to inclusion of Turkish troops in the peacekeeping forces to be
deployed in South Lebanon and demand that the Lebanese government turn
down the inclusion of the Turkish troops in those forces in support
of the Lebanese Armenian community that is an important portion of
the Lebanese society.

In this letter addressed to the Lebanese government, we demand that the
Lebanese government include the Armenian position in its agenda, taking
into account that all the communities in Lebanon should be respected.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Social Democratic Hnchak Party
Liberal Democratic Party.
From: Baghdasarian