Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

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
March 30, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA SEEKS ADOPTION OF DARFUR ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

— Launches New ANCA WebFax Campaign in support of
Decisive U.S. Action to Stop Genocide in Sudan

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has joined the growing coalition seeking decisive U.S. action to
stop the ongoing Genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

In an action alert circulated to more than 50,000 activists in
every U.S. state, the ANCA called on Armenian Americans to work for
the adoption of Congressional resolutions in favor of the
appointment of a Presidential Special envoy to Sudan and the
imposition of sanctions against the Sudanese Government.

Known as the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 (S.495), the
measure, introduced on March 2nd by Senators Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and
Sam Brownback (R-KS), calls for a new UN security Council
resolution with sanctions, an extension of the current arms embargo
to cover the Government of Sudan, and as well as the freezing of
assets of those responsible for genocide and war crimes in Darfur.
The Special Presidential Envoy for Sudan would work with all
parties and the international community to stop the genocide in
Darfur and help craft a comprehensive peace plan.

The ANCA WebFax letter reminds legislators that, “The international
community watched as Turkey massacred over 1.5 million Armenian
civilians and drove hundreds of thousands more into the desert to
die during World War I. After this first genocide of the 20th
Century, the nations of the world pledged to prevent such
atrocities in the future. And yet, over 6 million Jews and
millions of others were exterminated by the Nazis during World War
II. The world community again vowed to stop future atrocities,
proclaiming, ‘Never again.’ And yet again, over 1.7 million
Cambodians were killed under Pol Pot’s repressive regime in the
1970’s, and less than 20 years later after that, 800,000 Tutsi
civilians were slaughtered in Rwanda in 1994. I urge you to take
action to end this cycle and move us to finally realize the call –
‘Never Again.'”

Joining Senators Corzine and Brownback in cosponsoring the Darfur
Accountability Act in the Senate are Evan Bayh (D-IN), Barbara
Boxer (D-CA), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Susan Collins
(R-ME), Mark Dayton (D-MD), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Christopher Dodd
(D-CT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russell Feingold (D-WI), John Kerry
(D-MA), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Frank Lautenberg
(D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Patty Murray
(D-WA), Benjamin Nelson (R-NE), and Jim Talent (R-MO).

Similar legislation was introduced in the House on March 17th by
New Jersey Democrat Donald Payne and have 11 cosponsors including
Representatives Michael Capuano (D-MA), John Conyers (D-MI), Tom
Lantos (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-CA), Joseph
Pitts (R-PA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Thomas
Tancredo (R-CO), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

Following the introduction of the Darfur Accountability Act,
Illinois Senator Richard Durbin spoke in the support of the
measure, citing a state’s inherent responsibility to stop genocide:
“‘Genocide’ is a word this is rarely used in human history,”
explained Sen. Durbin. “There have been genocides against the
Armenian people and the Jewish people during the Holocaust, perhaps
in Pol Pot’s times in Cambodia, and other times we can point to.
Rarely do we use the word. It is a word that is freighted with
responsibility. You cannot just say there is genocide in some part
of the world and isn’t that a shame. We signed a genocide treaty
that said once we detect a genocide, we go to international
organizations – the United States does – and demand action. So
using the word “genocide,” as the Bush administration has done, is
a good thing because it prods us to do something, but it is a
challenge that we must meet on something this timely and
important.”

The escalation of Congressional efforts regarding the Darfur
Genocide coincides with an expanded Sudanese government effort to
deny its role in the ongoing tragedy. In a March 22nd front page
Washington Post article, Sudan’s First Vice-President Ali Uthman
Muhammad Taha argued that, “his government had received an unfair
share of the blame for the war in Darfur.” The Washington Post
article, which presented highlights from an interview with the
First Vice-President continued: “We do understand and appreciate
people having sympathy with the victims of Darfur,” said Taha, 57,
who called the situation a ‘sad chapter’ in Sudan’s history. But he
added: “This was not genocide, but an unfortunate internal
conflict… that has nothing to do with ethnic cleansing. We urge
people to see the difference between the innocents caught in the
middle and the rebels who are escalating their claims to gain
sympathy.”

“Genocide denial – of past atrocities or ongoing massacres – only
serves to encourage perpetrators – emboldening them with the
knowledge that their crimes can be committed with impunity,” said
Hamparian. “As Armenian Americans, we are reminded by the Sudanese
government’s efforts to blame the victims – like its hollow claims
of self-defense – of the Turkish government’s campaign – now in its
ninth decade, to escape responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.”

Express your support for the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act of
2005 by sending a free ANCA WebFax to Congress from the ANCA
website Additional information about the Darfur
Genocide can be found at:

Africa Action

Save Darfur

From: Baghdasarian

Kirkorov cancels Yerevan concerts amid protests

30.03.2005 16:54

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Russian singer Philip Kirkorov has cancelled his
upcoming concerts in Armenia, according to reliable sources.

The move followed strong protests staged by over 30 Armenian youth
organizations against the singer, who despite his Armenian origin, is
knownfor his affection for Turkish music. In past, Kirkorov had
performed wrapped in a Turkish flag, and last year, speaking at a news
conference in Russia, he insulted a reporter pointing to her Armenian
ethnicity.
From: Baghdasarian

Conflicts hamper economic development in South Caucasus – OSCE chairman

Aravot, Yerevan
30 Mar 05

Unsettled conflicts in the South Caucasus hamper the region’s economic
development, Slovenia’s foreign minister and OSCE chairman-in-office,
Dimitrij Rupel, has told the Armenian news agency Mediamax. There will
be no real prosperity in the South Caucasus, traditional economic ties
will not be restored and the involvement of foreign investment will
remain a difficult problem until the conflicts are settled, he
said. At the same time, Rupel stressed that the OSCE supports the
dialogue and peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and added that the
organization has been working hard to ensure progress in the Karabakh
peace talks. The following is the text of the Mediamax news agency
report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 30 March headlined “The parties
should be confident about the expediency of the peace
agreement”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

An exclusive interview with the OSCE chairman-in-office, Dimitrij
Rupel.

OSCE’s role is to stimulate the peace process

[Aravot correspondent] At the beginning of the year you gave quite an
optimistic assessment to the Prague process of the Karabakh
settlement. What is the reason for such optimism?

[Dimitrij Rupel] I am closely following the developments within the
framework of the Prague process. I recently discussed this problem
with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. I understand that the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers are involved in a constructive
dialogue, which may ensure significant progress in the negotiations.

[Correspondent] The authorities of Nagornyy Karabakh that represent
the interests of about 140,000 Armenians declare from time to time
that they have to participate in the negotiating process. Azerbaijan
is against this. Do you not think that with this obvious disagreement
the peace process will not yield real results?

[Rupel] The two parties are mainly responsible for the conflict
settlement. The role of the OSCE is to stimulate the peace
process. Thus, the OSCE will support any format of the negotiations
that may ensure progress and is agreed to by the two countries.

[Correspondent] From time to time, Azerbaijan criticizes the OSCE
Minsk Group. Why is the OSCE silently listening to those accusations
and not making Azerbaijan return to the agreements reached in Paris
and Key West in 2001. There is a viewpoint that in that period, the
parties had to make only one step and sign a peace agreement.

[Rupel] The task of the OSCE Minsk Group is to ensure that the parties
have a relevant negotiating format. Since the moment of its
establishment, the OSCE Minsk Group has been working hard to make
progress in the peace process. At the same time, the Minsk Group can
aspire to dialogue and peace only together with the two countries. The
settlement of the conflict is possible only if both parties are sure
that a peace agreement is advantageous.

Armenian-Turkish relations

[Correspondent] Do you not think that the European Union is making a
moral mistake by studying the issue of the Armenian genocide only in a
political, not humanitarian context. In 2002, you visited the memorial
to the victims of the genocide in Yerevan and said that you will
instruct Slovenian experts to learn the problem of the Armenian
genocide of 1915. What conclusion did the experts make?

[Rupel] When I visited Armenia as Slovenia’s foreign minister three
years ago, President Kocharyan told me that Armenia had unsettled
problems with its neighbours. Armenian-Turkish relations are one of
those important problems. I agree that the history of any country is
very important, every country should know and respect its history. But
any country also wants a better future. In this sense, we should not
forget about the wider context of Turkey’s integration into the
European Union, which will have a positive effect on Turkey, as well
as on the whole region. I think Turkey’s relations with the Caucasus
countries, including Armenia, will develop in a new format, which will
create more favourable opportunities for overcoming unsettled
historical problems.

Conflicts hamper economic development in the South Caucasus

[Correspondent] If we look at the publications of the world press, we
shall get the impression that the Georgian and Ukrainian events have
become a “watershed” that worsened disagreements between Russia and
the OSCE even more.

[Rupel] Russia is playing a very important role in the Caucasus and is
actively involved in the process of settling the Georgian-Abkhaz,
Georgian-Ossetian and Nagornyy Karabakh conflicts. For this reason,
Slovenia, as a chairman of the OSCE, thinks it necessary to cooperate
with Moscow closely on matters concerning this region.

[Correspondent] You represent a state that has successfully overcome
the transition period and is a member of the European Union and NATO
today. The South Caucasus states started reforms 15 years ago, but
they are still far from “New Europe”, as well as from the civilized
democracies of western Europe. What is the main reason for this?

[Rupel] There are significant differences between the three states,
but I can say that we support the strategic choice of the South
Caucasus states in favour of democratic reforms. We are closely
following the efforts made in the sphere of legislation, which form
the basis of dynamic development. But the implementation of the new
laws is also important and one can achieve an improvement in the
situation here.

There will be no real prosperity in the South Caucasus until the
conflicts are settled. Traditional economic ties will not be restored
and the involvement of foreign investment will remain a difficult
problem until the conflicts are settled. The refugee problem will not
be settled either. We know what kind of heavy burden it is for the
economies of the region.
From: Baghdasarian

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 29 2005

No plans to resume war – Yerevan

Baku, March 28, AssA-Irada

`The chances for resuming the Armenia-Azerbaijan war are slim.
Official Yerevan has no plans to resume military action’, says
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian. He said that Armenia does
not recognize the independence of the `Upper Garabagh Republic’ to
avoid negatively affecting the ongoing processes.
Margarian said Armenia allocates loans to the separatist regime and
that normal social conditions cannot be provided for the population
in Garabagh without these loans.
Allocation of loans is legalized by the Armenian government, which
means that Armenia de-facto recognizes the independence of Upper
Garabagh.*
From: Baghdasarian

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FILM FESTIVAL IN ARMENIA

Azg/arm
29 March 05

On May 7-13, the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia organizes
“It’s Me” International Youth Film Festival. Young artists from
Armenia, Diaspora and foreign countries are invited to participate in
the festival. The participants should not be older than 35 and should
represent pieces made in 2004-2005. Moreover, the deadline for the
submission of the pieces is April 7. The works should be done in VHS
or DVD formats.

“It’s Me” international film festival has envisaged prizes in the
following nine nominations: the best feature, documentary, animation
films, the best student’s, cameraman’s, director’s work, the best
musical and advertisement clips and the best video art. The jury
consists of 12 members and is led by Ruben Gevorgiants, chairman of
the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia.

Nina Ordoyan, member of the festival’s steering committee, stated that
the documentary films prevail in the 40 pieces that were submitted
till now. She said they received works from Moscow, Iran and the USA.

The International Youth Film Festival will be held in the
Cinematographers’ Union of Armenia. It will be completed on May 13.

By Gohar Gevorgian
From: Baghdasarian

Putin says CIS useful, but does not help economic integration

PRIME-TASS, Russia
March 25 2005

YEREVAN, Mar 25 (Prime-Tass) — The Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS) is useful in solving a great deal of political issues,
but does not help economic integration, Russian President Vladimir
Putin, said Friday.

Putin is currently on an official visit to Armenia.

“European Union countries worked together for unity, whereas the CIS
was created for a civilized divorce,” Putin said.

“The CIS was created to make the break-up of the USSR as civilized as
possible, with minimum losses in terms of the economy and society,”
Putin said. “The CIS has managed to do so,” he added.

The CIS was established in 1991, following the break-up of the USSR,
and included all former USSR republics except for Georgia and the
Baltic states. Georgia joined the CIS in 1993.

“The CIS is an extremely useful club for the mutual exchange of
information and for the settlement of problems,” Putin said.

“We should not lose this instrument, it is very important,” he added.

But Putin said that the CIS has never been tasked with economic
integration. Real integration can be seen in the activities of such
organizations as the Eurasian Economic Community and the Single
Economic Area, he added.

The Eurasian Economic Community is an international organization,
created in 2000, that includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan, and is aimed at promoting economic cooperation among
these countries.

The Single Economic Area is being created by Belarus, Kazakhstan,
Russia and Ukraine, with the main objective being economic cooperation
and the introduction of a single currency.

Putin said that participation in organizations such as the Eurasian
Economic Community and the Single Economic Area should be voluntary.

“It turns out that many partners are not ready to be involved because
of political or other reasons, while the same reasons may cause others
to be interested,” Putin said. The CIS becomes useful here as any
problems that arise can be discussed, Putin said.

Referring to the uprisings and changes of power in some of CIS states,
such as Ukraine and most recently in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said that “the
CIS should undoubtedly be retained, irrespective of the political
colors of the forces that come to power in any particular country in
the commonwealth.” End
From: Baghdasarian

OSCE PA report to be presented to conflicting sides in April

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 25 2005

Baku, March 24, AssA-Irada

The report prepared by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) rapporteur
on Upper Garabagh conflict Goran Lennmarker will be presented to
the conflicting sides late in April, the member of the Azerbaijani
delegation at the Assembly, MP Eldar Ibrahimov said. Ibrahimov also
said that the Azerbaijani side forwarded a copy of the resolution on
the Upper Garabagh conflict adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) to Lennmarker during the March
17-18 meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian parliamentarians held on
the initiative of the rapporteur. Lennmarker is scheduled to hold
another meeting with Azerbaijani and Armenian parliament members
after the sides get familiar with his report.*
From: Baghdasarian

215 Mile, 19 Day Walk Will Honor Victims of Forgotten Genocide

LOS ANGELES, March 24 /PRNewswire/ — California youth will embark on
a 215-mile 19-day walk to raise awareness about the unpunished crime
of genocide committed against the Armenian people between 1915 and
1921. The March for Humanity will begin on April 2nd in Fresno,
Calif. and conclude at the State Capitol in Sacramento on April 21st.

“To avoid accountability for the murder of 1.5 million Armenians,
the Turkish government denies that the systematic annihilation of the
Armenians was genocide,” said Vicken Sosikian, director of the March
for Humanity. “We turn to our nation’s leaders, President Bush and
the U.S. Congress, in the name of truth, righteousness and justice,
asking them to hold the Turkish government accountable for its crime
against humanity.”

The historic walk will commence at 9 a.m. on April 2nd at
Sunnyside High School in Fresno following an opening ceremony the
night before at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church. Upon arriving in
Sacramento, at 11 a.m. on Thursday April 21st, the marchers will be
recognized on the floor of the California State Senate and Assembly.
Thereafter, thousands will gather at the State Capitol for a rally.
The Rally for Humanity is organized to thank the California State
Legislature and the legislatures of over 35 other states for
officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Organizers are expecting thousands of supporters including
legislators from across the country to join the March for Humanity
and the Rally for Humanity. Marchers will sleep in community
centers, churches, schools and in tents and will walk, rain or shine,
for about 15 miles each day.

“Those of us who are familiar with the genocide carried out
against the Armenians bear a special responsibility to make sure that
such crimes are never again repeated,” said Raffi Maronian, a marcher
who will walk the entire 215 mile distance. “The recent events in
Sudan serve to demonstrate that we have not done an adequate job. It
is time to raise our level of activism and put an end to the cycle of
genocide.”

For more information about the March for Humanity, please visit

SOURCE March for Humanity

03/24/2005 07:07 ET
From: Baghdasarian

MG NOT INTERESTED IN SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT, AZERI SOCIETY CONSIDERS

PanArmenian News
March 24 2005

24.03.2005 03:06

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azeri political scientist Mubariz Ahmedoghlu
stated that the OSCE mission report over fact finding on settlement
of territories adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh is not acceptable to
Azerbaijan. In his opinion, the mission made an honest effort,
however, «the OSCE Minsk Group in its political decision inclined
the processes in favor of Armenia – the Nagorno Karabakh government
was allegedly engaged in settling population, not the leadership of
Armenia.» In Ahmedoghlu’s opinion, the decision aims at assisting
Armenia in the talks, «to exonerate the occupier country.» «In
this case there is no one guilty as Nagorno Karabakh is not a subject
of the international law and thus cannot be called to account on the
Helsinki Convention, in compliance with which the settlement of the
occupied territories is prohibited. If the document had mentioned
Armenia, sanctions might have been imposed and pressure might have
been put upon the occupier country. By means of this report the OSCE
Minsk Group merely saved Armenia a danger. In fact, everyone knows
that a considerable part of the assistance being provided to Nagorno
Karabakh goes to Armenia. Even if «Nagorno Karabakh» was engaged in
the settlement, it is clear that it is being done by means and with
the assistance of Armenia. It is strange that knowing it, the Minsk
Group has tried to save Armenia from responsibility,» the political
scientist noted. According to Ahmedoghlu, from the point of view of
that stand of the Minsk Group the report cannot be considered fitting
the interests of Azerbaijan. Having noted the need of a repeated
raising of the issue in the UN, the political scientist said in his
opinion the document will reach the stage of discussion at the UN
Security Council, however the possible veto by Russia or the US will
be a serious message to Azerbaijan. «This means time has come to
understand that the Minsk Group is not interested in resolution of
the conflict at the current period,» Ahmedoghlu noted, adding that
«Armenia’s tactics lies in maximally protracting the talks.»

–Boundary_(ID_igdzXzWwQmKcx90Gzc2VTQ)–
From: Baghdasarian

Reuters.uk, UK
March 23 2005

Africa Lags in Fight Against TB, WHO Report Says
Thu Mar 24, 2005 12:05 AM GMT

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) – Tuberculosis has reached “alarming proportions” in
Africa, where co-infection with the widespread HIV virus makes a lethal
combination, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Thursday.

The number of cases of tuberculosis is rising 3 to 4 percent annually
across the African continent, though the respiratory disease is
being stemmed elsewhere, the United Nations agency said in a report,
“Global Tuberculosis Control.”

There were an estimated 8.8 million new cases worldwide in 2003,
according to the WHO report issued on World TB Day — 2.3 million of
them in Africa.

“The rate of TB infections has tripled in some African countries since
1990 … In Africa we have to face the fact that we have much further
to go,” WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook told a news conference
in London.

Most of the victims of TB, a curable disease spread by coughing and
sneezing, live in developing countries, and an estimated 1.7 million
people died from the disease in 2003.

Nearly one-third of the deaths were in Africa where HIV/AIDS is
prevalent and health services are weak. TB and HIV form a deadly
combination and TB is the leading cause of death among people who
are HIV positive.

Globally, TB prevalence has dropped by more than 20 percent since
1990, and is “falling or stable” in five of the world’s six regions,
according to the WHO. “But for the strongly adverse trends in Africa,
prevalence and death rates would be falling more quickly worldwide,”
it said.

ASIA ON TRACK

India and China, with their vast populations, accounted for an
estimated 1.8 million and 1.3 million new TB cases, respectively,
in 2003 for a combined 35 percent of the global total, according to
the report.

But there has been “tremendous improvement” in the two densely
populated Asian powers, where more and more people are receiving
treatment, Lee said. Indonesia and Philippines are also making
progress.

Mario Raviglione, head of the WHO’s Stop TB Programme, attributed
the success in Asia to the right mix of government commitment and
financial support from the state and donor nations.

Nine of the 22 countries hardest hit by TB are in Africa, including
Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya.

The U.N. Millennium Development goal is to detect 70 percent of all
new infectious cases of TB by the end of 2005, and to cure or treat
successfully 85 percent of them.

A great effort is required to achieve this in Africa and eastern
Europe, where there are high levels of multidrug-resistant TB, the
deadliest form, the report said. The latest data show the WHO is
three percent short of the targets.

Several independent humanitarian organizations issued their own
statements to mark World TB Day.

The Swiss-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said
inmates of overcrowded prisons in the southern Caucasus countries
of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are especially vulnerable to
the disease.

Paris-based Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) called
for the development of a simple, rapid test for TB in poor countries,
where health workers still rely on sputum microscopy.

This method, developed 123 years ago, detects TB in only about half
of those who have it, and is even less reliable for people with both
HIV and TB, the group said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Patricia Reaney in London)
From: Baghdasarian