Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

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TOP STORIES
08/02/2006
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1. Christian and Muslim Leaders Appeal for Immediate Cease-Fire
2. Homenetmen Pan-Armenian Jamboree Begins in Armenia
3. Armenian Community In Rostov Condemns Church Desecration
4. Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Meet in Paris
5. Extent Of ‘Victory’ In Kodori Offensive Unclear

1. Christian and Muslim Leaders Appeal for Immediate Cease-Fire

ANTELLIAS, Lebanon–His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great See of
Cilicia
Tuesday joined Lebanon’s spiritual leaders to call for an immediate cease fire
and urge the international community to monitor the crisis more seriously.
The conference, which was held in Bekerkeh region of Lebanon, was attended by
Christian and Muslim leaders and carefully examined the current military
crisis
afflicting Lebanon.
"This is the true Lebanon; this togetherness of Muslim and Christian
Spiritual
leaders concretely manifest the real image of Lebanon. This very meeting by
itself is a living message. It is a message of the crucial importance of
coexistence; it is a message of peace with justice; it is a message of
compassion tolerance and mutual respect. In fact, violence is not the way to
solve problems. Dialogue, mutual understanding and compromise based on justice
and peace for all, is the most efficient way of dealing with complex issues
and
situations," Aram I told the press after the conference.
"Together with one voice in our joint declaration we appealed for immediate
cease-fire and cessation of all hostilities. We expressed our full support to
all actions and initiatives taken by the government of Lebanon. We emphasized
the importance of the expansion of the state’s authority over all the
territories of Lebanon. It is our firm expectation that international
community
and particularly the United Nations will act decisively to stop violence and
help Lebanon to recover itself," added the Catholicos.

2. Homenetmen Pan-Armenian Jamboree Begins in Armenia

BIURAKAN, Armenia–More than 650 scouts representing 16 countries gathered
at a
campsite Monday for the opening of the 8th pan-Armenian scouting jamboree
organized by Homenetmen.
Present at the opening ceremonies for were chairman of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Bureau Hrand Markarian, Primate of the Argadzotn
Diocese Rev. Torgom Donikian, members of the Homenetmen Central Executive and
other guests.
At the beginning of the inaugural, representatives from each country
participated in a flag ceremony where the flags of each guest country was
raised. This was followed by the raising of the Armenian tri-color and the
Homenetmen flag.
This impressive ceremony was followed by a message delivered by Lucine
Kazezian who spoke on behalf of the Homenetmen Lebanon Regional Executive,
expressing disappointment that its members were unable to participate in this
event due to the continuous bombing of the country by Israel.
Kazezian explained that despite months of preparation and excitement, the
scouts from Lebanon were unable to attend, adding that while they were not
physically present at the jamboree each and every scout in Lebanon was there
with heart and soul.
Hratch Shmavonian, chairman of the Homenetmen Armenia (HASK) Regional
Executive welcomed all the participants and expressed hope that this jamboree
will, once again, become an opportunity to create new memories.
Following remarks by jamboree director Alec Khatchatryan, who underscored the
important role of gatherings such as the jamboree in the lives of young
Armenians, ARF Bureau chairman Markarian welcomed the participants.
In his remarks, Markarian stressed that the mission of the Homenetmen and the
ARF did not differ from one another, stressing that the Homenetmen has an
important mission in Armenia as the nation continues to become strong country.
By comparing Homenetmen to a volunteer army, Markarian underscored the
important role the organization plays throughout the world in bringing
together
Armenians and especially the Armenian youth.
On behalf of the Homenetmen Central Executive, Garbis Kabasakalian
highlighted
the significance of being able to convene the jamboree in Armenia as the most
natural setting for the organization since its mission of bringing Armenians
together is fully realized when its scouts gather in the homeland.
After the convocation by Primate Donikian, the jamboree officially began,
with
the participating scouts each beginning to take part in the various
activities.
The jamboree will conclude on Wednesday, August 9, at which time the
participants will tour Armenia.

3. Armenian Community In Rostov Condemns Church Desecration

ROSTOV, Ukraine (Armenpress)–Armenian intellectuals and community leaders
Wednesday condemned the desecration of Holy Cross Armenian Church in Rostov,
Ukraine and an attempt to burn down the Russian-Armenian friendship situated
inside the church.
Unknown assailants Monday reportedly desecrated the temple and tried to burn
it. Failing to enter the church they broke and burnt the windows and sprayed
the slogans "white justice has come" and "Russia is for Russians" on the
church
walls.
A meeting was held Tuesday at the Armenian Consulate General in the Southern
Russian, during which Consul General Ararat Gomtsian condemned the act of
vandalism and read a message directed to the town and provincial authorities,
as well as to law-enforcement bodies. The message demands that the persons
responsible for this be found and punished.
The Russian-Armenian Yerkramas newspaper reported that the director of the
Rostov regional monuments protection agency Alexander Kozhin said "the
desecration of historic monuments is terrible." He added that the Holy Cross
Church was the only architectural monument in Rostov that date back to the
18th
century.

4. Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Meet in Paris

PARIS–The US, French and Russian Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minks Group were
joined by the special representative to the chairman in office of the OSCE
Wednesday to discuss the Karabakh peace process, following the recent by
the US
Co-chair Matthew Bryza to the region.
Bryza briefed his Russian and French counterparts Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard
Fassier Yuri, as well as the OSCE Chairman in Office representative Andrzej
Kasprzyk about his recent visit to Yerevan, Stepanakert and Baku.
Sources close to the discussion stated that the Minsk Group leaders are
expected to recommend a meeting between Armenian foreign minister Vartan
Oskanian and his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammedyarov to be held in Prague.
In Yerevan, director of political affairs for the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Giro Manoyan told the Hayots Ashkhar daily that Bryza’s visit to
the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic could be viewed as an indication that the Minsk
Group
was considering to bring back Stepanakert into the negotiating process.
Manoyan told the newspaper that before agreeing to a future referendum of
independence in Karabakh, the Armenian side must make sure that Azerbaijan
would not be able to thwart the vote or reject its results.
"If the parties agree to hold a referendum clarifying Karabakh’s status three
or five years after signing an accord, it must be made clear that in case of a
failure to hold it for any reason Karabakh will automatically become a part of
Armenia," he says.
Meanwhile, the human rights group Refugees for International Law, in a
letter,
appealed to the OSCE Co-chairmen to include the issue of Armenian refugees
displaced by Azeri ethnic cleansing efforts in Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan
within the ongoing negotiations.
In the letter, the organization pointed out that the status of the 500,000
Armenian refugees from the Baku and Sumgait pogroms in the late 1980’s and
early 1990’s, as well from ethnic cleansing operations in Nakhichevan at that
time needed to be a part of the Minsk Group peace process agenda.
"From the legal point of view the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the only legal
successor of Soviet Azerbaijan. We believe a partial resolution of the issue
would be if Karabakh citizenship were granted to the Armenian refugees in
territories outside Karabakh boundaries but within its jurisdiction today,"
stressed the human rights organization’s appeal.
Similar letters have been sent to leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan by
the same group.

5. Extent Of ‘Victory’ In Kodori Offensive Unclear

PRAGUE (RFE/RL)–Georgian officials have sought to present last week’s
incursion into the Kodori Gorge as a major territorial gain. But such claims
gloss over the Georgian failure to apprehend former Kodori Governor Emzar
Kvitsiani, whose defiance of the Georgian authorities served as the catalyst
for what Tbilisi claims was simply a police operation.
Speaking on national television on July 28, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili said that Georgia now "directly controls a very important
strategic
part of the territory of Abkhazia," and will "establish Georgian jurisdiction
and constitutional order in the heart" of that breakaway region.
"We have a good army in Georgia. They are really good boys…but the
commander…is an idiot. He knows nothing about military strategy." —
Kvitsiani
Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said the same day that
"practically the whole of the gorge is under the control of the police."
Such claims are, however, an exaggeration, insofar as Georgia has merely
extended its control over the upper reaches of the gorge — formerly a
no-man’s-land controlled by Kvitsiani’s Monadire (Hunter) militia — as far as
the border between Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia.
Kristian Bzhania, a spokesman for Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh, derided
the
Georgian claims, telling regnum.ru that "we have another word for what
Saakashvili calls the heart."
Bagapsh himself warned when the Georgian forces first entered Kodori that he
would mobilize his army if the Georgian contingent actually advanced onto
Abkhaz territory.
Saakashvili and Okruashvili praised the conduct of the Kodori operation,
which
was supervised by Okruashvili and Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili
personally as both army and Interior Ministry troops took part. (Okruashvili
subsequently clarified the division of responsibilities between the Defense
and
the Interior ministries, saying that the latter carried out the operation and
the armed forces merely provided "logistical support," according to "Novye
Izvestia," as cited on August 1 by apsny.ru.)
Former Governor Emzar Kvitsiani (InterPressNews, undated)US military
personnel
in Georgia described the Georgian troops’ performance to one Washington
analyst
as less than stellar, noting that morale among the Georgian servicemen was not
good and that at one point the operation was halted due to "inclement weather
conditions."
The Russian newspaper "Vedomosti" on July 28 likewise quoted unnamed
"experts"
as saying the Georgian military is not yet professional enough to conduct
large-scale operations.
Former Kodori Governor Kvitsiani, who managed to evade the advancing Georgian
troops and whose current whereabouts are unknown, was particularly
scathing. He
said in video footage broadcast on July 30 by the independent Georgian
television channel Imedi that claims that his fighters were surrounded were
"laughable."
Kvitsiani claimed that the Georgian troops "do not know the area and cannot
read maps…. We have a good army in Georgia. They are really good boys…but
the commander…is an idiot. He knows nothing about military strategy."
Russian experts have pointed out that even if, as Abkhaz presidential
envoy to
Gali Raion Ruslan Kishmaria has alleged, Georgia is deploying more troops to
the upper reaches of the Kodori Gorge with the aim of advancing into the lower
reaches and attacking Sukhum, the Abkhaz capital, such an offensive is fraught
with risk.
"Izvestia" on August 1 quoted an unnamed Russian general as saying that
"starting a campaign in Kodori in summer would be suicidal." He pointed out
that the mountains are covered in foliage, providing the enemy with excellent
cover, and that it would be virtually impossible to use armor or heavy
artillery. A Russian military analyst similarly noted that at one point the
gorge narrows to the point that two platoons of Abkhaz special forces could
easily block any further Georgian advance.
Georgian First Deputy Foreign Minister Valeri Chechelashvili said on July 31,
however, that Tbilisi has no intention of using Kodori as a bridgehead to
advance further into Abkhazia. And Abkhaz President Bagapsh apparently sees no
danger of such an advance at this point.
Bagapsh told volunteers from the North Caucasus on August 1 that there is no
need at this juncture to mobilize the entire male population of Abkhazia,
Caucasus Press reported, although he added that "there are people within the
Georgian government whose ambitions are so high they are incapable of rational
decisions."
But Abkhaz Defense Minister Lieutenant General Sultan Sosnaliyev told
Interfax
on August 1 that Tbilisi is secretly replacing the Interior Ministry troops
deployed to Kodori with regular military personnel — a claim that has not
been
verified.
The Russian Foreign Ministry released a statement on July 31 demanding the
immediate withdrawal of all Georgian forces from Kodori. That statement warned
that the Georgian authorities’ actions risk fueling tensions and provoking an
unanticipated "confrontation."
Meanwhile, Okruashvili responded on July 31 to Russian Defense Minister
Sergei
Ivanov’s demand for international monitoring of the Georgian troops in Kodori
by saying Tbilisi would consent only after international military experts have
been allowed to inspect the former Russian military base in Gudauta,
Abkhazia.
Under an agreement signed in November 1999, Moscow undertook to withdraw its
troops and materiel from that base by July 1, 2001, but the Georgian
government
claims that some Russian personnel are still there. Whether Okruashvili is
trying to buy time in order to prepare for a new offensive is as yet unclear.

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From: Baghdasarian

Novelist takes on Turkish ‘taboo’

Arizona Republic, AZ
July 30, 2006

University of Arizona Professor Elif Shafak has a freedom problem.

She used the freedom of speech to exercise the freedom to tell
her truth.

But by doing so, she may have cost herself, well, her freedom.
advertisement

Shafak, a 35-year-old native of Turkey, is waiting to stand trial
in Istanbul on charges of "insulting Turkishness." A trial date has
not been set. The reputed insults appear in her novel The Bastard of
Istanbul, written in English but translated into Turkish and published
in Turkey on March 8. The book is already a bestseller there.

The problem comes down to a disagreement about what happened to the
Armenian population living in Turkey in 1915. Ethnic Armenians say
Turkey killed up to 1.5 million of their people during a genocidal
war that lasted about eight years.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars, the definitive
body of researchers who study genocide, has affirmed the historical
fact of the Armenian Genocide. Polish jurist Raphael Lemkin, when
he coined the term genocide in 1944, cited the Turkish extermination
of the Armenians and the Nazi extermination of the Jews as defining
examples of what he meant.

A character in Shafak’s book talks about "genocide survivors who lost
all their relatives in the hands of Turkish butchers in 1915."

In a telephone interview from Turkey, Shafak said that "the Armenian
Question is one of the biggest political taboos in Turkey."

Though she hasn’t been jailed and is free to do what she wants,
Shafak has endured weeks of interrogation by a Turkish prosecutor.
She was indicted under Turkey’s Article 301.

That law states that "a person who publicly denigrates Turkishness,
the Republic or the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, shall be
punishable by imprisonment of between six months and three years."

Shafak calls it "a huge obstacle in front of freedom of expression"
in her native land.

So does the European Union, which has repeatedly warned Turkey that the
existence of the law could hinder its chance to become an EU member.

"The biggest danger concerning the article is its vagueness," Shafak
said. "It penalizes those who ‘defame Turkishness’ but what exactly
that means, no one knows. The article is so vague, it is open to
interpretations and therefore, misinterpretations."

Many authors, publishers and journalists have been charged under
Article 301.

What’s unusual about Shafak’s case is that she has been indicted
for writing a work of fiction. The ultranationalist lawyers have
specifically singled out Armenian characters in the book for
denigrating Turkishness.

One of Turkey’s newspapers even asked, "Are you going to bring
fictional characters into court?"

Minister Counselor Tuluy Tanc of the Turkish Embassy in Washington,
D.C, points out another element of uncertainty in implementing
Article 301.

"In the last paragraph it says that expressions of opinion made for the
purpose of criticism cannot be a crime. If the purpose is criticism,
then that’s all right. It’s a good point: What’s the difference?"

Tanc, too, said the law is too general.

But, Tanc said, just as the Turkish government does not view
what happened to the Armenians in 1915 as genocide, the Turkish
government does not view Article 301 as the suppression of the
freedom of speech. Despite acknowledging the international criticism
of Article 301, he said that due to the separation of powers under
Turkey’s democracy, "the government cannot comment on its merits. The
Parliament has passed it. The courts that interpret this are also
entirely independent of Parliament. Anything I would say would be an
invasion of their duties."

Tanc added that Turkey is not concerned about the criticism of
Article 301.

A Turkish court convicted an Armenian-Turkish journalist in February
under that law. He received a suspended six-month sentence.

Tanc said case law will determine how Shafak’s and others’ indictments
are handled.

Authors, artists, scientists and professors in the United States and
around the world are campaigning for the charges against Shafak to
be dropped.

Shafak appreciates the international community’s passion for her cause.

Yet, she emphasizes that it is precisely because Turkey’s culture is
becoming more progressive that this tension between ultranationalist
and democratic forces has arisen.

Shafak urges those outside Turkey to ally themselves to the
progressives within her country to propel democracy forward. She
cautions people not to paint all of Turkish society black.

"This is precisely what the Turkish ultranationalists want. They
want to increase the distance between Turkey and the Western world
by defining them as mutually exclusive. We need to prove them wrong
by building more and more intercultural dialogues that transcend
nationalist and religious boundaries."

For discussion on this article, go to
of0730.html
From: Baghdasarian

WORLD BANK CITES WIDESPREAD CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA

AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 26, 2006 Wednesday

Corruption and bribery in Armenia has increased compared to previous
years, the World Bank said in a recent report. A survey conducted
among representatives of numerous private companies of the country
suggests that Armenian companies continued to give bribes last year,
the WB Yerevan office said. Armenian customs and taxation bodies
are the most corrupt, as businesspeople and potential investors
continue to face serious problems in this area and are regularly
prompted to give bribes, according to the study. Corruption is also
ingrained in the judiciary field, although its levels remain unchanged
compared to 2002, the WB said. The World Bank experts indicated that
corruption poses serious risks to business in Armenia, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan. The reforms in Armenia, Russia and Albania carried
out in 2002-2005 to solve the problem were very slow. The cases of
corruption are widespread in the registration of companies in Armenia,
Russia and Moldova, the report said. The WB research of this kind is
conducted in 26 countries and Turkey three times a year.
From: Baghdasarian

UN WFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JAMES T. MORRIS TO VISIT ARMENIA

Armenpress

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS: A delegation led by the United Nations
World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director James T. Morris is due
to travel to Armenia on 1-3 August, at the invitation of the Armenian
Government, the WFP Country Office in Armenia informed Armenpress.

During their two-day stay, the high-ranking WFP officials will
visit WFP project sites and meet with the Armenian authorities. WFP
first began operations in Armenia in 1993. To date, it has mobilized
137,840 metric tons of food assistance and fed on average 220,000
people a year.
From: Baghdasarian

A WEEK OF ARMENIAN FILMS TO BE HELD IN SAO-PAOLO, BRAZIL

Yerevan, July 25. ArmInfo. On September 19-24, during celebrations
dedicated to the 15-th anniversary of the independence of the Republic
of Armenia, a week of Armenian films will be held at the Cultural
Complex of Sao-Paolo, Brazil.

The press center of the Armenian Foreign Ministry films by Sergey
Parajanov, Harutiun Khachatrian, Vigen Chaldranian, Albert Mkrtchian
and Ruben Kochar will be demonstrated to the Brazilian public. Films
from the Armenian diaspora will be represented by the works of Atom
Egoyan, Henry Vernoy and Robert Keshishian.

According to information received the event will be organized by
the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, Culture Ministry of Armenia and the
Culture Department of Sao-Paolo City Administration.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF JUSTICE HAS NO PLANS TO BECOME A PRESIDENT

Panorama.am
14:46 25/07/06

Armenian minister of justice David Harutunyan shared his political
plans with reporters today, saying he does not intend to become the
president of Armenia.

Harutunyan said there are a number of newly establishing parties
which he may think to team up with when asked if he may join Gagik
Tsarukyan’s new party "Prosperous Armenia." However, he also said
there are a number of other parties he will definitely not join.

The minister refrained to share his political priorities promising
to inform reporters about it when he decides on his next step. "If I
decide to stay in politics, I will definitely team up with a party," he
said, also saying he has already made up his mind to stay in politics.

Harutunyan informed the reporters that he is not going to create
his own political movement, saying "this notion has lost its value
in Armenia."/Panorama.am/
From: Baghdasarian

EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus paying a two-day visit to Armenia

ArmRadio.am
24.07.2006 11:05

EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby is in
Armenia. During the two-day discussions with the leadership of
the Republic reference will be made to Armenia-European Union
bilateral relations, the current stage of settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. Today RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and Peter Semneby
will give a joint press conference.
From: Baghdasarian

Baku Aggressive Policy Hampers Karabakh Settlement

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.07.2006 13:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A package of proposals of the OSCE MG co-chairs over
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict could have been acceptable,
Chair of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan stated in Yerevan. In his words, Azerbaijan’s aggressive
policy hampers it.

"The RPA is committed to peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. This includes international recognition of NKR, impossibility
of NK being part of Azerbaijan, securing NKR population, a common
border with Armenia," Margaryan said. He underscored that NK should
take part in the talks without fail. "The solution of the conflict
should be acceptable to all parties," the RPA Chair said.
From: Baghdasarian

The tender for the sale of "ArmenTel" shares may extend

ArmRadio.am
19.07.2006 13:35

The results of the tender announced for the sale of 90 percent of
"ArmenTel" shares may be summed up in August instead of July as it
was scheduled, well-informed sources told MEDIAMAX Agency.

According to the source, the second round of the tender is still in
progress. Four candidates are participating in the second round.
From: Baghdasarian

Fed: Families relieved young dancers are safe

Australian Associated Press Pty. Ltd.
AAP Newsfeed
July 18, 2006 Tuesday 8:28 AM AEST

MELBOURNE July 18

The families of Australian children with an Armenian dance troupe on
tour in the Middle East say they are relieved their loved ones are
among 86 Australians rescued from war-torn Lebanon.

The Sevan Dance Group’s 45 young performers and 36 parents and
supervisors were this morning safe in the Jordan, the federal
government said. The government had organised three buses to pick
up the group and some others from their Beirut hotel. The convoy
headed north along the Mediterranean coast road early last night
(AEST) and crossing the Syrian border to the capital, Damascus.

Parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs Teresa Gambaro said
today the group had now arrived in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Silva Vartabebian, whose 18-year-old daughter is part of the dance
troupe, said she had yet to speak to her daughter, but was relieved.

"Very relieved, very relieved," she told the Seven Network. "It’s a
bad experience, I’m sure it was worse for them. Very anxious waiting
at home. No sleeping, just constantly worrying, talking to parents
all the time, asking if they’d heard anything. "Nothing crossed our
minds that something like this would happen, to this extent anyway."

She said her daughter originally wasn’t going to go, but a job she had
fell through and there was a last-minute cancellation in the troupe.

Ms Vartabebian said Australian foreign affairs officials had gone to
the Armenian Cultural Centre to reassure parents and update them on
what was taking place. She said she was not sure when they would be
coming home. Tatiana Arabian, whose 15-year-old son and 16-year-old
daughter were also on the tour, said it had been a tense wait.

She said she would not relax until she knew her children were to
catch a flight home. "Since Thursday 2pm it’s been terrible and
… now I can finally say that they are safe, but still I can feel I
might even receive a phone call saying it’s not going as positive as
you are think, so fingers crossed that they will be home as soon as
they reach Jordan," she told Channel Nine. "Last time I talked to
them, they were in Beirut, in the hotel, they were in a safe place.

"That was two days ago. "My son was quite all right but my daughter,
who is 16, and she was a bit scared because she could hear the bombs
and she said:`The building is shaking, and Mum it’s really scary.

"I said: `You have to hang on there until the embassy will try and
get you all out’." Ms Arabian said she expected her children home
tomorrow morning.
From: Baghdasarian