Author: Boshkezenian Garik

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

"THE ELECTION OF THE NEW PRESIDENT IS IMPERATIVE"

SAYS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I TO THE F2 TV CHANNEL

His Holiness Aram I held an interview with journalists from the F2 French TV
station in Antelias on September 11. Several ecumenical and Armenian issues
were discussed, including the presence of Christianity in the Middle East
and the presidential elections in Lebanon.

Speaking about the Christian presence in the Middle East, the Pontiff
describes it as a "presence mired by conflicts and challenges." He then
asked: "When has Christianity not been so in its history in the region? A
passive approach to this situation is not acceptable. Christianity is a
witness and the witness is commitment and struggle. Christianity should
organize itself with this spirit and vision." His Holiness said. The
Catholicos pointed out that the migration of Christians from Iraq, Iran and
Jerusalem is a serious problem.

On the presidential elections in Lebanon the Catholicos said: "the election
of a new president is imperative. Otherwise, the country can come across new
uncertainties." The Pontiff added: "Lebanon is a family of communities. The
existing internal sensitivities and disagreements should be overcome and the
unity and integrity of the family should be strengthened."

Catholicos Aram I considered the Armenian community as one of the seven main
communities of Lebanon and as such he reminded that it is an active
contributor to Lebanese life in all spheres.

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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

STATE OF CRIME IN ARMENIA IS STABLE

Lragir.am
12-09-2007 16:51:46

The state of crime in Armenia over the past few years has been stable,
Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan stated in his address to the
National Assembly on Wednesday, Novosti Armenia reported. According
to him, the annual rate of crime is 10 thousand to 12 thousand. "The
crime data for the first 8 months of 2007 do not cause worry," the
prosecutor general said.

He said the rate of crime went down by 13 percent compared with the
same period of the past year. Meanwhile, the rate of grave crimes
remains stable. The rate of murder went down by 3, the cases of
robbery and battery and assault went down by 21 compared with 2006.

The rate of grave crimes went down by 110.

"The rate of crime in Armenia is one of the lowest in the CIS,
Tajikistan’s is the lowest," the prosecutor general said, adding that
the law enforcement agencies reveal about 7 to 8 thousand crimes
a year. Hovsepyan said these indices could be described as "soft"
compared with even the European counties.

2800 PIGS KILLED

Panorama.am
16:32 12/09/2007

Today’s data says 2800 pigs with "African plague" were killed
in the republic. Most pigs are killed in the region of Tavush
(about 1500) followed by region of Lory (1200), Gevorg Tovmasyan,
veterinary inspection deputy head, told Panorama.am. In his words,
quarantine is announced only in these two regions so far. He said
quarantine was not announced in Spitak, Stepanavan of Lory and in the
region of Tashir since infection was not detected there. He also said
infection was detected in Yerevan and Village Burastan Ararat region
with restrictions imposed.

PRESIDENT OF RA CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO VISIT GERMANY

armradio.am
12.09.2007 16:39

September 16-22 the President of the Constitutional Court of Armenia
Gagik Harutyunyan will leave for Germany, ArmInfo was told from the
Constitutional Court. It was mentioned that at he invitation of the
Technical Cooperation Agency of Germany the heads of Constitutional
Courts of the South Caucasian countries will visit Germany within
the term specified.

The objective of the visit is to get familiar with the structure of
the German constitutional justice system. Views will be exchanged
on the problems the German judiciary faces and the reforms in the
fields of judiciary and law of the South Caucasian countries. In the
framework of the visit the Heads of Constitutional Courts of Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan will have working meetings in the Bundestag
and the Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation.

NEWS ON SITUATION ON CONTACT-LINE OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES OFTEN ARTIFICIALLY TENSE THE SITUATION, ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

ArmInfo
2007-09-11 14:03:00

News on allegedly activated conflicts on the contact-line of Armenian
and Azerbaijani armed forces often aims to artificially tense the
situation, Armenian Defense Minister Mikael Haroutunyan told ArmInfo,
Tuesday.

"Quite on the contrary, the number of conflicts has decreased almost
by 40%. Everything is clear. There is a constant tension. The nerves
are on the stretch on both parties and isolated shots are made from
time to time. But all this is in the usual regime. There is no tension
of the situation," the minister said.

YEREVAN HOSTS TORCH OF THE EAST FESTIVAL

ARMENPRESS
Sep 10, 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS: An international art festival,
known as the Torch of the East, was kicked off today in Yerevan. Its
motto is "To See Ararat Mount." This festival was started 15 years ago
and was held in India, Japan, Korea, USA, Thailand and other countries.

Apart from a display of paintings the event includes also several
cultural-educational programs.

Razmik Hajikian, a co-chairman of this year’s festival, told a news
conference today that one of the objectives of the festival in Armenia
is to show in one display as many paintings of Armenian and foreign
painters as possible.

The Armenian festival will feature 145 painters from 99 countries,
including 20 Armenian painters, 30 from Japan and 10 from the USA.

As part of the festival a course of ceramics will be organized
for children of a specialized school in Yerevan for children with
impaired vision.

On September 21 the Children Picture Gallery of Armenia will host an
exhibition of children paintings from the participating countries. The
main event of the festival, the Torch of the East Exhibition, will
also open on the same day. The festival is being organized by Los
Angeles-Yerevan Sister Towns Association.

ARMENIAN FORCES VIOLATE CEASEFIRE YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Azeri Press Agency
[ 11 Sep 2007 11:44 ]

Armenian Armed Forces continue violating the ceasefire, Azerbaijan
Defense Ministry’s press service told the APA.

The enemy fired on the positions of Azerbaijani Armed Forces from
their positions in Kuropatkino village of Khojavand region and unnamed
heights in Aghdam and Fuzuli regions with machine and submachine guns
on September 10 and 11. The enemy was silenced by response fire. No
casualties were reported.

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY CONTINUES LEADING ROLE IN OUTREACH TO JEWISH-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

KarabakhOpen
Armenian Assembly of America
10-09-2007 13:03:19

Boston, MA – The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater
Boston credited the Armenian Assembly of America yesterday for raising
public awareness of the Armenian Genocide, which led the organization
to formally recognize the events of 1915 and to successfully encourage
the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to do the same.

During the JCRC’s annual meeting in Boston, Executive Director Nancy
K. Kaufman thanked the Armenian Assembly and the ADL for "being such
bold and courageous partners for change." Kaufman personally recognized
ADL New England Regional Director Andrew H. Tarsy and Armenian Assembly
Public Affairs Chair Anthony Barsamian who were present at the meeting.

"At the request of the Armenian Assembly of America, JCRC took a
public position on this over two years ago at the time of the 90th
anniversary of that genocide when we issued a statement that said: ‘The
Armenian Genocide represented a failure of the international community
to intervene against the worst possible crime, the destruction of
people. We must never forget the Armenian Genocide and maintain our
guard against those who deny its occurrence,’" Kaufman said.

"I want to thank all of you who answered our call and signed the
statement in support of the ADL Regional Board who passed a bold and
unprecedented resolution calling on their National office to change
their position on this issue," Kaufman continued.

The ADL reversed its longstanding policy and acknowledged the
Armenian Genocide last month, following repeated calls by members
of the Armenian, Jewish and other communities, to persuade the human
rights group to change its position. Prior to this, two members of the
ADL Board, Stewart Cohen, a former chairman of the Polaroid Corp. and
Boston City Council member Mike Ross, both stepped down after Tarsy
was fired for breaking rank with national ADL policy and acknowledging
the Armenian Genocide.

Following Tarsy’s departure, Kaufman sent a letter to some 40 prominent
Jewish leaders in Massachusetts, urging them to pressure the ADL to
recognize the genocide and support Tarsy.

"I have never gotten such unanimous support for any position by the
JCRC as I have in the last few days on this one," Kaufman told the
Boston Globe last month. "It doesn’t matter where people are on the
political spectrum – left, right, middle – people are really standing
behind this because it strikes at the core of what it means to be a
Jew and never again means never again."

In 2005, Assembly leaders met with their JCRC counterparts to
encourage the organization to publicly acknowledge the events of
1915 as genocide. As a result of that meeting, the JCRC released a
statement in April 2005, commemorating the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide.

"It has been our privilege to work with leading Jewish-American
organizations, including the JCRC and Nancy Kaufman, within broader
human rights coalitions," said Barsamian. "We are pleased that our two
communities are now working together, like never before, to support
each other on Holocaust and Armenian Genocide affirmation and to
fight denial together at every turn."

Barsamian said that the Assembly is calling on the ADL to follow up
on its new policy by supporting the Armenian Genocide resolutions
pending in the House of Representatives and Senate.

To date, the following Jewish-American organizations support the
Armenian Genocide resolution: American Federation of Jews from Central
Europe (New York, NY), American Jewish World Service (New York, NY),
Center for Russian Jewry with Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (New
York, NY), Jewish Social Policy Action Network (Philadelphia, PA),
Jewish War Veterans of the USA (Washington, DC), Jewish World Watch
(Encino, CA), Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (Wyncote, PA)
and The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring (New York, NY).

The Armenian Assembly has always been mindful of all other instances
of man’s inhumanity to man, and for that reason, was among the first
organizations to support the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
project in Washington.

JCRC works to promote a society that reflects the best of American and
Jewish values — in Greater Boston, Israel and around the world —
by convening and mobilizing the Jewish community. Through advocacy,
organizing, service and partnerships, JCRC pursues social justice,
ensures a vibrant Jewish community, and builds a network of support
for Israel.

The ADL is one of the oldest and most influential Jewish organizations
in the United States and has been working to combat anti-Semitism
and bigotry for more than 90 years.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: WE RECOGNIZE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 6 2007

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov is making an official
visit to Croatia, Foreign Ministry’s press center told the APA.

Azerbaijani FM had a one-on-one and larger-format meeting with Croatian
Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ms.

Colinda Grabar-Kitarovic. Four drafts agreement were considered,
bilateral, regional and international issues were debated.

Croatian official stressed necessity of strengthening the high level
political relations through economic relations. Elmar Mammadyarov
stressed significance of humanitarian relations. The sides debated
cooperation opportunities between the Diplomatic Academies.

Following this, Azerbaijani and Croatian foreign ministers gave a
joint press conference. Croatian diplomat said that they recognize
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and underlined that they support
a peaceful solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict within the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani FM also met with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic today.

The situation in the Balkans as well as economic and political issues
were discussed, and views were exchanged on studying experiences
regarding relations with the European Union and NATO. Minister
Mammadyarov continues official visit to Croatia.

NO CHANGES ON THE NEGOTIATION FRONT
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkharh daily
Sept 7 2007
Armenia

Yesterday Foreign Minister VARDAN OSKANYAN convened a press conference
with the purpose of summing up the results of the meeting held
in Brussels

The Foreign Minister refuted the sensational information according
to which Migel Ankhel Moratinos, OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Spanish
Foreign Minister, had announced that it was time to give up the Minsk
Group format and find a new format for the talks, since "the parties
are not satisfied with the existing formats".

"I don’t know what Mr. Moratinos means. He has made that statement,
but he doesn’t seem to have opened the brackets. It is difficult to
make any comments unless we know what exactly he meant," V. Oskanyan
stated with hesitation. He assured that the Armenian side does not,
in any case, share the viewpoint that the process of the Minsk Group
has exhausted itself and that it is necessary to adopt radically new
approaches in order to move forward with the negotiations. Moreover,
"I strictly doubt that Mr. Moratinos meant that it was necessary to
break off the Minsk Group negotiation process."

As confirmed by V. Oskanyan, the extraordinary meeting that took
place in Brussels did not absolutely introduce a new emphasis or
a fresh note with regard to this particular issue. "I don’t have
much to say at this point. My meeting with the Co-Chairs was not
previously planned. You are aware that out meeting had already taken
place in Paris a few months before, and the Co-Chairs were to have a
meeting Mr. Mamedyarov. The meeting was held, and there was probably a
necessity to have another meeting with me, and I accepted their offer.

Judging by the information reported to me as an outcome of the meeting
with Mr. Mamedyarov, there is nothing new in terms of contents, i.e. we
have no progress after the Presidents’ St. Petersburg meeting. The
only agreement which was achieved is the Co-Chairs’ regional visit
expected at the beginning of next week."

Besides, the Co-Chairs may also visit Karabakh to meet the
newly-elected NKR President.

V. Oskanyan sticks to the opinion the only thing required for achieving
a breakthrough in the negotiations is "for Azerbaijan to make bold
steps." Even in a situation when the Azerbaijani party, in the person
of Foreign Minister Mamedyarov, has ruled out the possibility of
"bold steps", saying that Armenia must not anticipate an unexpected
change of attitude by the Azerbaijani side.

With regard to the Azeri diplomat’s provocative statement that the
Armenian side has taken a "pause" after the St. Petersburg meeting
and deliberately lays obstacles towards achieving the resolution of
the problem, this information does not simply correspond to reality.

That’s to say, it is an obviously false statement, characteristic
to Azerbaijan.

In the estimation of the speaker, the negotiation process pursues
its regular course. It is a different matter that "there is some
disagreement around certain issues. And if Azerbaijan continues to
persist in its extremist attitudes, the process will not, certainly,
move forward. And if they make bold steps by following the spirit
of compromise, I think the document gives them a serious opportunity
for the peaceful settlement of the issue."

Are the Co-Chairs aware of Mr. Aliev’s long-range programs aimed
at carrying out "anti-terrorist actions" in Azerbaijan, and what is
their attitude towards this regular manifestation of blackmail tactics?

Our question made it clear that the topic had not been absolutely
touched upon during the Brussels meeting.

In response to another question, V. Oskanyan assured that the Co-Chairs
use absolutely no pressure against the parties, especially against
the Armenian side, likewise last year and the year before.

"The Co-Chairs are not in the habit of using pressure in general.

They are mediators and have their own methods of persuading people.

Sometimes they prove successful, and sometimes they do not."

The most important thing is that, "they always act within the
frameworks of logic. They listen to the parties’ attitudes, often
containing contradictory viewpoints, but they know how to distinguish
things in between: what to take off the whole stuff and what to put
on the table. The closer your proposal to the logic, the more the
Co-Chairs’ approaches are in harmony with your attitude. In that
regards, we have no specific complaint against the Co-Chairs. I
believe that they carry out their mission as mediators in a proper
manner. Anyway, we do not feel pressures by the third parties, at
least as far as the Armenian side is concerned."

The Foreign Minister also stated that no issue regarding the
replacement of the Co-Chairs is included in the agenda, at least for
the time being. The conversation is about the US Co-Chair Matthew
Bryza, who, as some people believe, has lost his reputation as an
impartial Co-Chair by getting married to a Turkish woman and has to be
replaced by someone else not fettered by the bonds of a Turkish family.