Author: Basmajian Ani

NUMBER OF CANDIDATES FOR DEPUTY REGISTERED AT ELECTORAL DISTRICT NO4 DECREASES BY ONE

Noyan Tapan
May 02 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Non-partisan Armen Manukian registered as
candidate for deputy at electoral district No4 by the majoritarian
electoral system officially addressed to the Central Electoral
Commision on May 2, stating about his withdrawal. A. Manukian
stated about it at the press conference of the same day, calling on
his co-thinkers to vote for Hayrapet Hayrapetian, a candidate for
deputy registered at the metioned electoral district. In his words,
H. Hayrapetian and he are lawyers by profession, both are members
of the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia, and he made that decision,
consulting with the Chamber administration. "I decided to refuse
competition, believing in my partner’s fair motives, professionalism,
his readiness to share people’s troubles," A. Manukian explained.

He at the same time mentioned that another reason for decision
to leave the electoral campaign is "great money" needed for the
electoral campaign: "I do not have those financial abilities that
A. Hayrapetian mentioned."

Responding the question of one of journalists to which political
forces from ones partipating in the elections he gives preference,
A. Manukian separated Dashink (Alliance) party. In his opinion,
Dashink leader Samvel Babayan "really enjoys the people’s sympathy."

BULGARIAN OPPOSITION PROTEST OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

BIRN, Serbia –
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network

May 2 2007

02 05 2007 Sofia_ Bulgaria’s opposition parties left the assembly in
protest on Wednesday, after the ruling coalition declined to discuss
a proposal for the official acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide.

The move was initiated by the right-wing nationalist Ataka party,
which had called for a debate on a declaration criticising Turkey’s
actions towards its Armenian minority in 1915 – which is said to have
led to the death of more than one million Armenians – and acknowledging
those actions as genocide. The move, however, may be another attempt
on Ataka’s part to anger one of the ruling coalition partners, the
Movement for Rights and Freedoms, which represents Bulgaria’s ethnic
Turkish minority.

The remaining opposition’s contempt seemed more to do with their
perception of having been denied a voice than with the actual
declaration. "After today’s event, it turns out that the only chance
that the opposition has to propose the agenda – which has always been
the first work day of every month, has in effect disappeared," Veselin
Metodiev, a Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria MP, told Balkan Insight.

The motion, rejected by 95 to 48 votes, was made during parliament’s
first session this month, in which all parties are entitled to propose
points for the agenda on a rotational basis.

Maya Manolova of the Bulgarian Socialist Party from the ruling
coalition opposed the proposal on the grounds that it had already
been made, and turned down, in May of last year. And according to
parliamentary rules such proposals cannot be reconsidered.

Manolova commented for Balkan Insight that she did not oppose the
initiative in principle but stated that "common rules have to be
observed", explaining that once such a proposal has been dismissed –
as this one was on May 10, 2006 – it could be resubmitted only if
changes have been made to it, a regulation which was not complied
with in this case.

"In order not to offend their coalition partner – the MRF, the BSP
held onto this technicality as an excuse," Desislav Chukolov, an Ataka
MP, told Balkan Insight. He added that while the motivation for the
proposal had been changed, the proposal itself could not be changed,
as it still called for the same measure, namely: a statement condemning
Turkey for the genocide it committed against the Armenians.

After the vote, deputies from Ataka and all the other opposition
parties walked out in protest. "This is a precedent and a shameful
act for those in power. In the regulations of the national assembly
it is written that this is a day for the opposition to propose the
agenda – be it convenient or inconvenient for the majority," Ekaterina
Mihailova, deputy head of the DSB, told the assembly.

Wednesday’s walkout followed a similar recent event. On April 25,
MPs from the MRF walked out in protest when the assembly observed a
minute’s silence to commemorate the 92nd anniversary of the killings,
citing opposition to the term genocide. The move was suggested by
Rupen Krikorian, an MP from the National Movement Simeon II party,
also from the ruling coalition.

The parliamentary squabbles resurfaced again on Wednesday, almost a
year after the same proposal was first made by Ataka. Then, all the
opposition parties and some MPs from the ruling coalition supported
the move, but it ultimately failed due to the MRF’s strong opposition,
backed up by its coalition partners.

The Armenian genocide has been subject of heated debate worldwide.

Historical accounts state that between hundreds of thousands and
over a million Armenians were killed and forcibly deported from the
Ottoman Empire in 1915.

According to the BBC, "Armenians say 1.5 million of their people were
killed in this period, either through systematic massacres or through
starvation. They allege that a deliberate genocide was carried out by
the Ottoman Turkish empire". Turkey acknowledges that many Armenians
died, as massacres were committed on both sides, but says there was
no genocide. The international community is also divided on the issue
and while some countries recognise the genocide as such, others –
such as the US, the UK and Israel – use different terminology.

ARMENIA: ANM BOWS OUT

Stratfor
April 30 2007

The Armenian National Movement (ANM), the country’s former ruling
party, has bowed out of the May 12 parliamentary elections early,
Arminfo reported April 30. ANM member Aram Manukyan said the decision
was made in order to consolidate the opposition due to a large number
of participants in the election. He invited other political forces
to do the same.

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
31 Moscovian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 53.69.13
Fax: (+374 – 10) 53.26.97
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

April 28, 2007

Raffi Hovannisian Addresses Transatlantic Forum
Meets with Verhofstadt, Scheffer, Breyer, Rehn, Yavlinskiy

Brussels — Raffi K. Hovannisian, who is participating in the
Brussels Forum for the second consecutive year, offered comments at
the Forum’s opening session, asserting that in direct furtherance of
the European-Atlantic community’s pursuit of universal benchmarks
of human rights and the rule of law, as well as common foreign and
security policies, the Western world must also practice its own
values by ensuring equal application in Europe and its neighborhood
of its policies, precedents, and standards of accountability to all
instances of conflict resolution–from Kosovo to Karabagh–and of
genocide past and present.

He also intervened in specialized sessions on Iran, Russia, and
Turkey. He urged his colleagues to meet the challenge of European
values and membership by bravely facing their past and the collective
legacy of the great Armenian dispossession, and to ask themselves
whether Turkey will not lose Europe if the current mindset remains
in power.

In the margins of this world conclave of movers and shakers,
Hovannisian discussed both domestic and international developments
with Secretary General Javier Solana of the European Union; Belgian
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt; Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt;
U.S. Senator Bob Bennett; U.S. Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno; NATO
Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer; Canadian Foreign Minister
Peter MacKay; European Commissioner for Enlargement Dr. Olli Rehn;
Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court; and Grigoriy
Yavlinskiy, member of the Russian State Duma and chairman of the
Democratic Party YABLOKO.

The Brussels Forum is also being attended by Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan.

Founded in 2002, Heritage has regional divisions throughout the
land. Its central office is located at 31 Moscovian Street, Yerevan
0002, Armenia, with telephone contact at (374-10) 536.913, fax at
(374-10) 532.697, email at [email protected] or [email protected],
and website at

Turkish historian says Western imperialism behind Armenian problem

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
April 27 2007

Trabzon, 27 April: "Aspirations to found a greater Israel and the
terrorist organization PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] lie beneath
the Armenian problem," Turkish History Society (TTK) chairman, Prof
Dr Yusuf Halacoglu, told at a panel discussion on the Armenian issue
in the Black-Sea city of Trabzon.

Halacoglu stated that the Armenian problem emerged in late 15th century
and the "Western imperialism played on the Armenians to conquer the
Ottoman territories".

"During the 20th century struggle, they used Armenians just as they
did for Bulgarians and Greeks before," Halacoglu said.

Halacoglu also rejected allegations that 1.5 million Armenians were
killed at the hands of Ottomans.

"If these people were killed, then where were they buried," he asked.

"There need to be at least 5,000 mass graves, which do not exist."

THE CRUELEST MONTH
Rodel Rodis

Philippine News Online, Philippines
April 25 2007

It was not surprising that the Virginia Tech massacre should occur
in the month of April. The poet T.S. Elliot wrote back in 1922 that
"April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land,
mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain."

The Siege of Waco occurred on April 19, 1993, when FBI agents raided
the headquarters of cultist David Koresh causing a fire which killed
72 people. Two years later, on the anniversary of the Waco Siege,
a right-wing zealot named Timothy McVeigh, seeking to avenge Waco,
bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City killing 168 people and
injuring 800. Four years later, on April 20, two teenage students,
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, entered their Columbine High School
in Littleton, Colorado, and killed 12 students and a teacher. And
this month, on April 16, deranged "Asian" student Cho Seung-Hui,
invoking the memories of Harris and Klebold, massacred 32 students
and instructors at Virginia Tech.

But April is not only cruel to the US, it is also cruel to other
countries.

On April 9, 1942, 66,000 Filipino soldiers and 12,000 American
soldiers surrendered to the invading Japanese Army in Bataan after
defending their posts for three months. The Japanese then forced the
78,000 Bataan defenders to march about 100 miles to Capas in what has
gone down in history as the Bataan Death March. Only 54,000 soldiers
survived the march.

Six years later, on April 9, 1948, Jewish armed factions including
the Irgun, led by Menachem Begin, attacked the Arab town of Deir
Yassine in what was then Palestine killing about 250 men, women and
children. Stories of how they were killed caused many Palestinians to
leave their homes (the Palestinian Exodus) in fear that they would
suffer the same fate, allowing Jews to take over their land and
proclaim the state of Israel. Many believe the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict began on that day.

Before the Nazi genocide of six million Jews, there was the Turkish
genocide of one million Armenians from 1914-1917. The implementation
of the first genocide of the 20th century began on April 24, 1914
when 250 Armenian leaders were arrested and subsequently executed
by the Young Turks led by Mehmet Talat Pasha. What followed was the
forced removal and deportation of all Turks of Armenian descent from
Turkey. While they were being transported out of Turkey, they were
systematically slaughtered.

Perhaps the last genocide of the century occurred in Rwanda in
1994 when 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis were killed by their Rwandan Hutu
neighbors. The first day of the slaughter was on April 24.

To Christians, April is generally when Holy Week falls, with Good
Friday marking the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.

Why is April so cruel? Perhaps because it carries the teasing promise
of spring and rebirth – "lilacs out of the dead land", "stirring dull
roots with spring rain"- but not delivering on that promise.

Perhaps we should remove April from the calendar and get by with the
rest of the 11 other months.

Many of us who remember where they were on September 11, 2001 may
also now recall where we were on April 16, 2007 when the early press
reports identified the Virginia Tech killer as an "Asian man".

Members from every Asian ethnic group must have prayed that the killer
did not share their same ethnic heritage. Filipinos must have heaved
a sigh of relief when it was announced that the lunatic killer was
a Korean immigrant.

The fear that the American public would wreak its collective
vengeance on all Koreans caused South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun
to immediately condemn the killings and offer condolences and support
to the families of the victims.

Even though the 23-year old Cho Seung-Hui immigrated to the US when
he was 8 years old and grew up totally immersed in American culture,
the repeated press reference to him as a "resident alien" caused many
to fear another upsurge in anti-Asian, anti-immigrant sentiment among
the American people.

Many still recall that after the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, press
reports that Arab terrorists had blown up the building caused a wave
of anti-Arab hysteria in the US leading to the killing of a Pakistani
who looked "Arab" to a racist who wanted to avenge the killing of
800 people in Oklahoma.

When Andrew Philip Cunanan began his killing spree in 1997, Filipinos
with his surname were questioned by FBI agents if they were related
to him and if they knew where he was hiding.

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the most popular button
among Chinese and Filipinos was one that declared that they were not
"Japs", just in case people lumped them in the same category. In
fact, the US government lumped all Japanese in the same category,
incarcerating 110,000 of them in concentration camps throughout the
US for the duration of the war.

It was this fear that America would turn its wrath against all Koreans
that prompted the Korean people to stage candlelight vigils all over
South Korea to offer their condolences to the families of the victims,
demonstrating to Americans that they share their grief.

Cho’s murderous rampage had nothing to do with being Korean or Asian
but everything to do with being psychologically disturbed and having
guns and ammunition readily available to even deranged individuals.

The families of the victims can thank the National Rifle Association
(NRA) for guaranteeing Cho Seung-Hui that right.

Our heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of the victims.

article.html?article_id=92012a73ec5629043fc546a18b fcda94

AN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
by Kinga Kali

Budapest Sun, Hungary
April 25 2007

April 25, 2007 08:00 am | The Armenian Genocide of 1915-17 is
commemorated around the world on April 24, wherever Armenians are
living – and that includes Budapest, where cultural events have
accompanied a solemn remembrance of one of the worst massacres of
the last century.

After more than 90 years, the Mets Yeghern (The Great Calamity,
in Armenian) that killed 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey (as well as
many Greeks and Assyrians), it is still a matter of much controversy,
officially denied or not recognized by many countries, despite
eye-witness accounts, documentary and photographic evidence, the
testimony of thousands of survivors and decades of historical research.

Silence often shrouds the issue in Hungary as well and, despite,
or perhaps because of, Hungary’s 150 years of Ottoman occupation,
Hungary still doesn’t officially recognize the Armenian genocide.

The Turkish state denies that its Ottoman predecessor committed
genocide, and protests vehemently against countries and individuals
who insist otherwise.

Armenians may shiver, in fact, that an alley in Budapest’s beautiful
Castle District is named after Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern
Turkish state – and if that state is the successor of the Ottoman
Empire, then isn’t Turkey responsible of the crimes committed by the
Young Turk Party, of which Ataturk was once a member?

Ataturk himself was, in fact, scathing about his people’s behavior
towards the Armenians. At a military tribunal in January 1919, he
said, "Our compatriots committed inhuman crimes, they resorted to
every kind of despotism, they organized deportations and massacre,
they burnt babies alive sprinkled with petrol, they raped women and
girls. They brought such insupportable conditions to people, that no
other people had seen before in history."

Failing to punish

But, as President of Turkey, Ataturk, failed to punish the perpetrators
of those crimes, and the barbarous events of 1915-17 fell into a deep,
silent and secure whirlpool of oblivion.

Due to this terrifying ethnic cleansing, the Armenian Diaspora is
now much bigger than the population of Armenia itself, and Hungary
is home to a significant Armenian community.

Armenians first arrived in Hungary in the 13th century, when legend
says 300 Armenian families fled Ani, one of Armenia’s ancient capitals,
the so-called city of the Thousand Towers, to escape the Tatars.

After wandering in Crimea, Poland, and Moldova, in 1672 they arrived
in Transylvania, where they were settled by Duke Mihaly Apafi and
functioned independently as traders.

They established four towns and initially used their own tongue,
before learning the language of the surrounding people: Hungarian,
Romanian and German. In the late 18th century, Armenian traders
migrated to the Hungarian Plain, and the descendants of these traders
are the foundations of the Armenian community in Hungary.

Over time, they assimilated the culture of the Hungarians they lived
alongside and, nowadays, Hungarian-Armenians don’t speak the language
of their ancestors, although they are well aware of their Armenian
origins. "We are Hungarians during the week, and Armenians on the
weekends, in church," they often say.

The second "layer" of the Armenian community constitutes descendants
of those who arrived after the events of 1915 in Turkey. There is
often tension with the earlier arrivals, because the "newcomers"
refuse to accept those who use Hungarian as their mother-tongue as
real Armenians.

Paradoxically, this year’s Week of Armenian Culture was organized by
the Hungarian-Armenian group, mainly the Transylvanian Armenian Roots
Cultural Association and the Metropolitan Armenian Self-Government,
which was not directly affected by the events in Turkey.

Paying homage

They paid homage to the Armenian martyrs of the Mets Yeghern by putting
flowers at the Armenian Khachkar (a stone cross made by Armenian
monks) near the Danube, close to Petôfi ter, and, from April 19-25,
several cultural events commemorated the genocide.

These include an exhibition of archive photos, entitled The First
Genocide of the Twentieth Century, in Árkad Galeria (Pest, District
VIII, Rakoczi út 30.), at the opening of which a book Nikolaj
Hovhanniszjan: The Armenian Genocide, was presented.

On April 22 at Bela Bartok’s Memorial House, there was a concert
introducing music from the Armenian Miniatures for Piano album,
released during the week. The CD includes a selection of music by
Aram Hachaturian, Komitas and Bartok.

These events surely deserve the support of all those who would give
a belated reply to Hitler, architect of the Holocaust, who allegedly
asked his Nazi aides on August 22, 1939, "Who, after all, speaks
today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

The First Genocide of the Twentieth Century – Archive Photographs
Until April 27.
Árkad Galeria Pest, District VIII.
Rakoczi út 30.

–Boundary_(ID_SOT9khE/WmKljHs0AOOsLg)–

TURKEY MAY LAUNCH MILITARY ACTIONS IN NORTHERN IRAQ IN LATE APRIL

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2007 18:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Joseph Ralston, the United States coordinator
for the fight against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) warned the US
administration that Turkish Armed Forces will conduct a cross-border
operation into northern Iraq in late April, the Washington Post
reported. The Spokesman for the US Department of State Sean McCormack
said on Tuesday that the US did not approve of a possible cross-border
military operation by Turkey in northern Iraq. Stating that Syria and
Iran have no intention of attacking Turkey at the moment, McCormack
indicated that the real problem was between Iraq and Turkey and both
countries should work together to solve their problems.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IS GOING TO VISIT LATVIA

Arminfo
2007-04-20 12:33:00

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan considers his today’s meeting
his Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks very interesting and effective,
he said at the joint press-conference taken place after the meeting.

Oskanyan also added that they discussed the relations between Armenia
and Latvia in details, and made some arrangements. Activating of
the bilateral relations in all directions – political dialogue,
economic contacts, cultural and educational contacts as well as
direct intensive consultations between foreign ministries of the two
states – these are the main aspects of the bilateral relations. In
particular, Armenia will try to make use the Latvian experience of
European integration. They also discussed the problem of Armenia’s
embassy opening in Latvia and visa versa. The parties also arranged
to select one-two specific programmes within the framework of New
European Neighbourhood and try to implement them jointly. They touched
on the regional issues too.

Vardan Oskanyan said that he informed his Latvian counterpart
in details about his meeting Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov on 18 April, in Belgrade. , – the minister emphasized.

TURKISH NATIONALISTS PROTEST AGAINST CIRCULATION OF BIBLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.04.2007 18:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Three people were killed and two injured as result
of attack on a publishing house in the northeast of Turkey, Reuters
reports with a reference to Dogan local news agency. Those injured
were taken to hospital.

According to the preliminary data, the attack was committed by
nationalists who protested against circulation of the Bible in
Turkey. A protest action was also held the other day near Zirve
publishing house in Malatia town.