ARMENIA TO PLAY A FRIENDLY MATCH WITH MOLDOVA
armradio.am
01.04.2008 13:45
On May 28 the Armenian national football team will hold an away
friendly match with the national team of Moldova.
Armenpress was informed from the Football Federation of Armenia that a
corresponding agreement has already been reached between the Football
Federations of the two countries.
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The Armenian Weekly; Volume 74, No. 12; March 29, 2008
News:
1. Tarsy Sets the Record Straight
Calls on U.S. Congress and President Bush to Recognize Armenian Genocide
By Khatchig Mouradian
2. ‘We Owe Our Present to Her Generation’
3. Anonymous Donor Pledges Up to $10,000
***
1. Tarsy Sets the Record Straight
Calls on U.S. Congress and President Bush to Recognize Armenian Genocide
By Khatchig Mouradian
BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)-On March 19, former New England director of the
Anti-Defamation league (ADL) Andrew Tarsy, who resigned last fall during the
uproar over his organization’s position on the Armenian genocide, delivered
the Robert Salomon Morton Memorial Lecture at Northeastern University in
Boston.
Titled "The Power of Words: Why the Term Genocide Matters so Much 60 Years
After it Became a Crime under International Law," the public lecture was
Tarsy’s first after his resignation, and was-with its content and message,
with the lines and what was implied between the lines-a groundbreaking one.
Although he avoided directly criticizing the ADL for its denial of the
Armenian genocide and its opposition to congressional resolutions affirming
it, Tarsy’s lecture served as a powerful call against political expediency
and for the unambiguous recognition of the genocide.
"In the past, the Morton Lecture has brought scholars and authors, war
crimes prosecutors, and Holocaust survivors before this academic community
>From all over the world," Tarsy said. "I am none of these things. But last
year I wound up in the center of a storm over genocide right here in Boston,
Massachusetts. You have heard the story by now. And it is not my intention
to relive it with you today." He went on to explain that his lecture is
based on personal experience, recent intense learning, and reflection.
Tarsy discussed in detail how and under what circumstances jurist Raphael
Lemkin coined the term genocide. He said, "The creation of the term genocide
is inextricably linked to the deliberate annihilation of the Armenians by
the Ottoman Turks in the early part of the 20th century and to the Holocaust
itself."
He mentioned the impact Soghomon Tehlirian’s assassination in Berlin of
Talaat Pasha, the genocide mastermind, had on Lemkin, who embarked on a
lifelong quest to make crimes against ethnic groups punishable by
international law.
Tarsy provided an overview of the Armenian genocide. "The first stage was
the murder of Armenian political leaders, priests and intellectuals. Then
Armenian men were driven out of their communities and either executed or
sent to death camps. Next the remaining women and children were taken out of
their homes. Many of the women and girls were raped and murdered in scenes
that are far more obscene than I could convey," Tarsy said.
"The rest, hundreds of thousands, were sent on death marches across their
country, without significant food, water, clothing or shelter. Special units
were organized and given orders by the government to attack the marchers on
their way. Most of those who managed somehow to survive the rape and
beatings died of starvation and thirst. Many surviving women were forced
into the harems of Turkish men and Islamized with their children. Other
groups of Armenians were loaded onto boats, taken offshore and thrown into
the sea to drown."
Tarsy concluded his account of the genocide by saying, "In all, well over a
million Armenians were murdered and left to starve to death by their own
government and by their own countrymen. Hundreds of thousands more were
permanently displaced. And their property personal, religious and historical
artifacts, along with their homes, churches, schools and businesses were
taken, defiled and destroyed."
Tarsy went on to explain Lemkin’s effort to find a name for the crime of
killing an entire group of people, and to lobby to make it an international
crime. He explained, "Lemkin failed to win over the delegates at the 1933
League of Nations conference. Too political, some said. These kinds of
crimes occur too seldom to legislate, said others. … Six years later, in
1939, the Nazis invaded Poland. Lemkin escaped but could not convince his
family to go with him in spite of the danger. He would not know until after
the war, but 49 of his family members, including both of his parents, were
killed in the Holocaust. The painful irony is overwhelming."
Lemkin coined the word genocide in the mid-1940s and his tireless lobbying
culminated in the adoption of the UN Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948, although it would take decades
until mass murderers would be tried for committing genocide.
Why the Word Matters
Tarsy explained that the word genocide matters so much today for four
reasons: validation, justice, reconciliation and prevention. "All four
contain the ultimate reason for the importance of the term and that is our
moral obligation to discern, to the best of our ability, the truth," he
said.
Talking about validation, Tarsy said, "The simple designation of genocide
can be a source of meaningful validation for its victim class. ‘At least the
world understands what happened to us,’ a survivor might say."
He added, "Many of those who avoid using the word genocide in the Armenian
case are simply caught in a political no-win situation and are choosing
politics over truth." He expressed hope that the next president of the
United States would acknowledge the Armenian genocide.
Responding to the argument made by some that the validation conferred by
using the term genocide gives the impression that all genocides are the
same, Tarsy said, "I have seen no evidence of this problem during my
immersion in the issue. To the contrary, the common ground Jews and
Armenians find as victims of genocide seems to make them even more
interested in understanding the particular and unique aspects of each other’s
stories. Their mutual empathy can be a source of healing, and their mutual
efforts can produce wisdom."
He added, "Perhaps it can even strengthen our resolve to intervene the next
time we see the precursors to genocide."
Talking about the second component of his argument, namely, justice, Tarsy
said that mass murder and genocide are not one and the same. "If we don’t
charge people with the crimes they have actually committed, we can never
provide a full accounting of the damage done. This has obvious implications
for redress including reparations for the victim community. But it is much
deeper than reparations. Holding people accountable for precisely the crimes
they commit is fundamental to the administration of justice."
Addressing the issue of reconciliation, Tarsy again underscored the
importance of using the term genocide. He said, "Being specific about what
happened in these catastrophic instances is also a prerequisite to the
possibility of reconciliation and progress. The existence of the term
genocide itself has helped diverse people talk about history with candor and
precision, and turn terrible tragedies into new possibilities."
To drive home his argument, he asked, "How can Tutsi survivors in Rwanda be
expected to go back and live peacefully with their Hutu neighbors in
reconciliation if there is no way to describe the entirety of what was done
to them?" He also argued, "The rebirth of a Jewish community in Berlin is
another example. I will not oversimplify the matter. But can you imagine
this taking place without Germany’s acceptance of what happened in the
Holocaust?"
Finally, Tarsy underscored the importance of the term genocide in the
context of prevention. He noted that when we see the precursors to genocide,
we must effectively petition our leaders to act.
Tarsy called the packed audience, consisting mainly of students, to
contribute to the recognition of past genocides, and the prevention of
future ones. He concluded the speech poignantly, saying, "When the term
genocide applies, as it does for example in the case of the Armenians, it is
imperative that we be unhesitating and unambiguous in applying it,
regardless of the political consequences. Anything less facilitates the
obfuscation of truth. Anything less dishonors the memory of the dead. And
anything less ultimately imperils the safety of the living. This is why
words matter, and this is why the term genocide means so much 60 years after
it became an internationally recognized crime."
Q&A
During the question and answer session following the lecture, Tarsy was
asked what he thought about the congressional resolution on the Armenian
genocide. He responded, "Congress should recognize it as a genocide because
it was a genocide, and our president should recognize it, and maybe our next
president will. The politics are always going to be fierce. We are going to
have troops in Iraq. Turkey is a very important ally that should be handled
with the most care out of strategic reasons and out of care for the people
there, but it was a genocide. So that’s where we’re left."
Asked about justice for the Armenian genocide 92 years after it happened,
when all the perpetrators have long died, almost all the survivors are now
gone and the successor government, the Turkish government, still denies it,
Tarsy said, "You’ve identified a really big problem. The number one rule in
response to it should be, ‘the burden of getting us out of that predicament
should not fall on the victims’ because that is where it is stuck at this
point. For all the Armenian people living in Boston, in the U.S., in France,
or wherever, it’s a really bona fide intellectual dilemma, but somebody took
their houses, somebody took their bank accounts, somebody took their family
Bible."
———————————— ————————————————– –
2. ‘We Owe Our Present to Her Generation’
BETHESDA, Md. (A.W.)-On March 25, ARF Eastern Region Central Committee
chairman Hayg Oshagan attended the funeral services of Alice Sachaklian, an
ardent supporter of Armenian organizations, at the Soorp Khatch Armenian
Apostolic Church in Bethesda. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan officiated over
National Funeral Services. Also present were ARF Bureau member Garo Armenian
and Central Committee member Onnig Bedrossian.
Speaking about the legacy of Alice Sachaklian, Hayg Oshagan said, "It was
the generation of Alice and [her late husband] Unger Harry [A. Sachaklian]
that believed in the mission of diasporan organizations and dedicated
themselves to the cause of nation-building. They provided financial and
moral support to Armenian-American communities and laid the foundations to
our churches and community centers." He added, "What we have today, we owe
to that generation."
Oshagan also commended Sachaklian for the $250,000 endowment fund she
established for the Armenian Review a few years before her passing. He
expressed the condolences on behalf of the ARF-ER to her family and friends.
—————————————– ————————————————– ———
3. Anonymous Donor Pledges Up to $10,000
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(up to $10,000) to the Armenian Weekly.
We thus ask our readers to continue their support of the newspaper by
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Please make your donations out to:
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We thank this donor and all future donors for encouraging our constant
efforts to improve the paper.
ARMENIAN COMPANY TO FACE US SANCTIONS FOR SELLING PLANES TO IRAN
Haykakan Zhamanak
March 25 2008
Armenia
On Saturday [22 March] the US government announced sanctions against
some foreign companies. One of them is the Blue Airways company
registered in Armenia.
Balli Group Plc.,registered in Britain, and an entity linked to it
– an Iranian company called Mahan Air are among the companies that
will face sanctions. These three companies are accused of re-selling
US-made airplanes to Iran, which is prohibited by US legislation. It
is hard to imagine that an Armenian company could carry out such a
transaction without approval from the government, or at least without
its knowledge. Such transactions are simply not possible in Armenia
without high protection.
SEMINAR ON NATO EXPANSION IN CAUCASUS DUE IN YEREVAN, MARCH 27
ARKA
March 26, 2008
YEREVAN, March 26. /ARKA/. Armenian Centre for National and Strategic
Studies will hold a seminar-discussion – "NATO Expansion in Caucasus:
Glance from Yerevan," Former RA defence minister Vahan Shirkhanyan,
senior expert of the Centre Hovsep Khurshudyan and individual expert
Manvel Sargssyan will be reporting at the event.
Armenian Parliament members, representatives of foreign embassies and
international organizations, as well as many analysts and journalists
will attend the seminar.
Armenian Centre for National and Strategic Studies holds these
discussions to find answers to urgent problems, including Armenia’s
possible choice between the NATO and the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, as well as the influence of Georgia’s possible NATO
membership on Armenia and the whole region.
VIKTOR ZUBKOV: ALL PROMISES OF RUSSIA TO BE KEPT IN FULL UNFAILINGLY
arminfo
2008-03-25 11:35:00
ArmInfo. All the agreements and promises of the Russian party, reached
within the frames of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission,
will be fulfilled unfailingly, RF Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said
at yesterday’s Moscow meeting with RA incumbent PM and newly elected
President Serzh Sargsyan.
As the Armenian governmental message reports, V. Zubkov congratulated
S.
Sargsyan on victory at the presidential election in
Armenia. "Undoubtedly, we sincerely wish development to our
friendly Armenia, which may always count on Russia’s support", he
said. V. Zubkov highly appreciated S. Sargsyan’s activity on the post
of a cochairman of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission.
JOBFINDER CAREER CENTRE WEBSITE PRESENTED IN YEREVAN
ARKA
March 24, 2008
YEREVAN, March 24. /ARKA/. JobFinder Career Centre held a presentation
in Yerevan. Arman Margaryan, the representative of Margosoft, the
website founder, said it aims to support Armenian employers to find
employees. The company researched Armenian job market in 2007 and
decided to enter the segment.
Margaryan said, there is a serious problem of finding employees
in Armenia.
The level of job placement in Armenia needs to be improved providing
the country with a new and more efficient internet job finding system.
Margaryan said that JobFinder is also planning to train those looking
for jobs to make a good resume, negotiate with the employer and fill
in all the necessary office documents.
The company has contacted the Universities on possible training of
students to improve their working ethics and job-finding skills.
"We are going to accumulate all the vacancies in our website so that
anyone looking for a job or an employee could solve the problem with
one click only," Margaryan said.
The Company is currently negotiating with the Civil Service Council and
various ministries to place civil servant vacancies in the website. The
Margosft Company was founded in Los Angeles, USA, in 2005. The company
is involved in producing software for database creation. Margosfot
opened an office in 2005 and launched the JobFinder Career Centre
two years later.
5th INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION "CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIRS EXPO 2008" TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON APRIL 11-14
Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2008
YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The 5th international exhibition
"Construction and Repair Expo 2008" will be held at Dynamo Stadium
of Yerevan on April 11-14. NT was informed by the event’s organizer
– Logos Expo Center company that this specialized exhibition is the
najor investor- and expert-oriented one in Armenia. Business meetings
conducted during the exhibition create prospects for increasing foreign
investments in Armenia and provide local construction companies with a
unique opportunity for international cooperation and market extension.
The total area for "Construction and Repair Expo 2008" is envisaged
to make 900 sq.m. Among exhibition participants will be over 85 local
and foreign companies, investment, construction, legal and design
organizations occupying a leading position in the market.
The event will be held with the official assistance of the Ra
ministry of trade and economic development, the RA ministry of urban
development, the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia,
the Union of Architects, the Union of Builders, Yerevan mayor’s office,
and the Armenian Development Agency.
The sections of the exhibition include: "Construction Technologies and
Transport Means", "Building Materials", "Wooden and Metal Prefabricated
Elements", "Energy-Thermal-Heating Supply Systems", "Security Systems",
"Ceramics and Stones", "Decor of Walls and Ceilings", "World of Light",
"Coatings and Insulators", "Heating and Air-Conditioner Systems",
"Varnishes and Paints", "Doors and Windows", "Floor Coating",
"Real Estate", "Interior and Exterior Design", "Stained-Glass
Windows", "Furniture and Accessories", "Design", "Swimming Pools"
and "Sanitaryware Items".
THE SITUATION ON ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONTACT LINE BECOMES A LITTLE STABLE
AZG Armenian Daily
25/03/2008
Karabakh conflict
"The situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line has become a
little stable compared with the beginning of March; there are still
firings, but not so intensive", said Armenian Defense Minister Michael
Haroutiunian while answering the questions of the journalists in the
regiment of the capital.
"12 firings were recorded today night instead of 40-45 of that time
not only on the line of contact with Karabakh, but also Ijevan and
Noyemberian provinces (Armenia).
Though the situation is fully controlled; Azerbaijan is celebrating
its Bayrama and that is another reason to serve in stronger regime.
Anyway, it is clear that Azerbaijani leaders understand that they
should not repeat March 4 steps as they saw the consequences of it.
I am sure that they understand that Karabakh issue will not be solved
by force methods and they should sit at the negotiating table",
said Michael Haroutiunian.
Bloody Elbow
March 23 2008
UFC Fight Night 13 Preview: Karo "The Heat" Parisyan
By Luke Thomas
Posted on Sun Mar 23, 2008 at 01:08:32 AM EDT
My mother was Armenian and I have her maiden name tattooed across the
entire top of my back (Jierjian was her name for the record). I
support any and all Armenian fighters and when Karo tangles with the
ultra-talented Thiago Alves, I’ll be rooting for him more than ever.
This highlight reel shows the enormous talent of the Armenian
welterweight with particular attention paid to his victory over
current UFC welterweight champ Matt "The Terror" Serra. Serra proved
to be a worthy adversary, but Karo is extremely tough and proved it
by weathering a storm St. Pierre could not.
Karo Parisyan is a little gun shy in the wake of losing a title shot,
but let us not forget what he can offer when the opportunity presents
itself. Hopefully April 2nd is one of those days.
1833/89094
Calcutta Telegraph, India
March 23 2008
Dalai goof-up in nuclear deal haste
K.P. NAYAR
Washington, March 22: India allowed Nancy Pelosi, second in the line
of succession to the US presidency, to travel to Dharamsala and meet
the Dalai Lama in the misplaced expectation that the gesture would
wipe off some of the bad blood caused by the stymied nuclear deal
during foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit here from Sunday.
But the effort to bend over backwards to the point of risking India’s
historically calibrated Tibet policy has cut no ice with the Bush
administration.
White House spokesperson Gordon Johndroe told reporters who contacted
him during the long Good Friday weekend that the Bush administration
had no comment on Pelosi’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, instead of
praising the Indian gesture that South Block had hoped for.
State department officials who are garrulous in private about such
issues are stupefied that the Manmohan Singh government has allowed
the US to fire at China from India’s shoulders in total defiance of
their own expectations to clear Mukherjee’s pathway in Washington.
India’s questionable decision to allow the Speaker of the US House of
Representatives to criticise China on Indian soil in the company of
the Tibetan political leader whom Beijing views as a threat to its
territorial integrity is in sharp contrast to the White House’s own
policy of discretion.
Mukherjee, who will meet George W. Bush on Monday afternoon for 30
minutes, will find the US President paying no more than lip service
to the Tibetan cause.
Bush has refused to cancel his visit to Beijing for the Olympics,
saying: `I am going to the Olympics (because) I view the Olympics as
a sporting event’ and not as a political platform.
The President needs China to restrain North Korea’s nuclear programme
and because Beijing’s investments in US treasury bonds are vital in
the looming financial crisis here.
A senior South Block official, who seriously doubted the wisdom of
India’s new activism on Tibet, told The Telegraph that no one told
Mukherjee before Pelosi met him or in the run-up to his trip to
Washington that Bush has so far remained totally silent on the
Chinese crackdown in Tibet.
The official regretted that in the ill-considered haste to shore up
support in the US Congress for ratification of the 123 Agreement to
operationalise the nuclear deal, Mukherjee was also not briefed that
Pelosi was a maverick who has no qualms about putting US strategic
objectives at risk for electoral gains.
Five months ago, her unwavering pursuit of a congressional resolution
to hold Turkey accountable for a genocide of Armenians nearly a
century ago prompted Ankara to recall its ambassador to Washington
and threaten to cut off the use of its military bases that send
supplies to US troops in Iraq.
All because her home state of California is home to the largest
number of politically active Armenians who constitute a vote bank for
five Democratic members of the US House of Representatives from that
state.
While Bush is silent on Tibet, the three candidates in the fray to
succeed him next year have used the freedom of electioneering to
outdo one another in professing support for human rights for Tibetans
and exploiting the fears and suspicions among American voters about
China.
Even so, Republican John McCain has been restrained: he did not
discuss Tibet at all during his 45-minute meeting today with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, but did not miss an opportunity
at a news conference later to roundly criticise China.
As such, by allowing Pelosi to travel to Dharamsala for a photo
opportunity with the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, India may
have unwittingly waded into US electoral waters.
Pelosi is certain to make the most of the photo opportunity she had
with the Dalai Lama both for her own re-election and in support of
the eventual Democratic nominee to be the next US President.
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