Author: Boshkezenian Garik

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SENDS HIS CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
YEREVAN, April 4. /ARKA/. The Armenian President Robert Kocharian
sent his condolences to Secretary of State of Vatican, Cardinal
Angelo Sodano on the death of Pope John Paul II. As the Press Service
of RA President reports, the message says that together with the
whole Christian world, the Armenian people mourn the loss of His
Holiness Pope John Paul II, who won the sympathy and homage of the
whole mankind. The message also says that the history will forever
keep the mission pleasing to God and selfless devotion of John Paul
II for the sake of dissemination of values common to all mankind,
solidarity between the peoples, strengthening of democracy, human
rights and freedoms and for the peace in the world. “The blessed
memory of John Paul II will forever remain in our hearts. We will
never forget the blessing of His Holiness, his respect and warmth to
our people, which were best displayed during the historical visit of
the Pontiff to Armenia, as well as during our last meeting in Vatican
in January of this year”, says the message of the Armenian President.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijani Convict Fought Beside al-Qaida
The Associated Press
03/17/05
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – The government in this tightly controlled
former Soviet republic said Thursday that the leader of a group of
six men convicted last month on charges of plotting terror attacks
once fought alongside al-Qaida in Afghanistan.
Amiraslan Iskendrov, who was convicted in a closed trial on Feb. 7
along with five other suspects and sentenced to 14 years in prison,
spent time in Afghanistan from 1999 to 2003 and fought in the ranks
of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist group there, the Security Ministry
said in a statement.
After the trial, authorities did not name the men convicted, saying
only that they were followers of Wahhabi Islam, bin Laden’s spiritual
underpinning and dominant in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
According to the Security Ministry, Iskendrov returned from Afghanistan
and began recruiting mostly young people to join a militant group. It
said the group was planning for terrorist attacks, including by
conducting surveillance of crowded areas, the offices and homes of
foreigners and government and law enforcement facilities.
In arresting the six alleged group members, authorities confiscated
large amounts of explosives, detonators and grenades as well as
literature and audio and videotapes containing terrorist propaganda,
the statement said.
Political tensions have grown in Azerbaijan – an oil-rich, mainly
Muslim country on the Caspian Sea – since an October 2003 election in
which Ilham Aliev replaced his father, longtime leader Geidar Aliev,
as president. The opposition said the vote was marred by fraud.
Geidar Aliev, who died in December, voiced support for democratic
reforms but also employed authoritarian means to stay in power. His
son has vowed to follow the same policies.

Newburyport News, MA
Church directory
Saturday, April 02, 2005
ARMENIAN
St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church, Crescent Place, Haverhill,
(978) 372-9227. Sunday worship service at 10 a.m.; Sunday School, 10 a.m.

COURT EXAMINATION OF CLAIMS CONTESTING RESULTS OF ELECTIONS OF CHAMBER
OF LAWYERS POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL 11
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 31, the court of first
instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan (chaired by
Judge Ruben Nersisian) started examining the claims that were
submitted by a a number of lawyers and contest the results of the
elections of the RA Chamber of lawyers. 5 of 6 the claims filed have
been included in one legal action – 2 claims filed by the lawyers
Ruben Sahakian, Artur Grigorian and Ara Zakarian contest the decisions
taken by chairman of the Chamber, the claims of lawyers Liparit
Simonian, Hayk Alumian and Sos Grigorian – all the decisions made by
the constituent assembly. At the sitting, lawyer Ruben Sahakian, a
candidate for chairman of the Chamber of lawyers, submitted an
application requesting to change the grounds and subject of the
claim. The lawyer asked that all the decisions made the constituent
assembly of the Chamber be declared invalid, incliding the results of
the Chamber Chairman elections, since these decisions were made in
gross violation of the RA Civil Code and the RA Law on Advocacy. The
claimant also asked the court to oblige th RA Union of Lawyers and the
International Union of Lawyers to hold the general meetings on the
issues of approving the merger and transfer acts within 15 days, as
well as to oblige them to approve, prior to holding the constituent
assembly of the RA Chamber of Lawyers, the procedure for holding the
Chamber’s constituent assembly, the draft regulations of the Chamber
and the draft regulations of the lawyer behavior at the joint sitting
of the councils and submit these documents to the Chamber constituent
assembly for approval. The lawyer also asked the court to oblige the
eldest lawyer to hold the Chamber’s constituent assembly within 15
days of the decisions of the Union’s general meetings on the approval
of the transfer and merger acts, as well as to put on the agenda the
issues of approving the procedure for holding the assembly, the
Chamber regulations and the lawyer behavior regulations and the issue
of electi! ons of al l the bodies of the Chamber. The court postponed
the examination until April 11 in order to ensure the presence of 12
lawyers on the side of the defandant. The claimant requests that
licences for parctising advocacy given to them by the RA Chamber of
Lawyers be invalidated, since persons who have no certificates of the
Highest Qualification Commission can neither be considered lawyers nor
vote at the general meeting of the Chamber.

ARMAN MELIKIAN: NKR DRAFT LAW ON CITIZENSHIP TENDS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
OF ARMENIANS DISPLACED FROM WHOLE TERRITORY OF AZERBAIJAN
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The NKR Foreign Minister Arman
Melikian stated at the National Assembly hearing on the Karabakh
problem on March 30 that the NKR draft law on citizenship, currently
being developed, also tends to solve the problems of the Armenians
displaced from the whole territory of Azerbaijan. He expressed regret
the problems of this part of the Armenian people were not included in
the negotiations on the conflict settlement. At the same time, a study
in one of Russia’s regions with a large Armenian community showed that
45 thousand Armenians took refuge there. Only half of them were
granted Russian citizenship. Another 1,000-1,500 are the Armenian
citizens, while the rest have no citizenship. According to
A. Melikian, the NKR authorities feel obliged to follow the fates of
these people, protect thier interests at the iternational instances
and insist on compensation of their losses.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PRESIDENT AND ASSISTANT TO NATO SECRETARY GENERAL DISCUSS WAYS OF
KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues concerning Armenia-NATO
cooperation were discussed at the March 31 meeting of RA President
Robert Kocharian with Gunter Altenberg, Assistant to NATO Secretary
General on Issues of Policy and Security. The sides mentioned that the
cooperation proceeds in a constructive and dynamic way. According to
RA President’s Press Service, the interlocutors also touched upon
issues of preservation of security and peace in the region. In this
context they also spoke about the Karabakh conflict and ways of its
settlement.

COMMODITY TURNOVER BETWEEN ARMENIA AND SLOVENIA MADE $1.1 MILLION IN 2004
01.04.2005 03:24
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Armenian-Slovenian business-forum was held in
Yerevan March 31, IA Regnum reports. According to Slovenian Ambassador
to Armenia, Georgia and Greece (residence in Athens) Jozefa Puhar the
forum was organized simultaneously with the visit of OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel. 17
Slovenian businessmen arrived in Armenia to held meetings with the
representatives of the Armenian business circles. Slovenian Foreign
Ministry’s representative on economic policy Natasha Marak
reportedthat the commodity turnover between the two states in 2004
made $1.1 million, $1 million being Slovenia’s export to Armenia and
$100 thousand – Armenia’s export to Slovenia. In part, medicine to the
sum of $700 thousand was exported to Armenia. The latter mostly
exports textile and chemical products.

VARDAN OSKANIAN MET WITH NATO ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL
01.04.2005 03:10
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian met with
NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security
Policy, Ambassador Gunther Altenberg, RA MFA press service
reported. During the meeting the parties discussed the Armenia-NATO
cooperation as well as touched upon the preservation of stability and
peace in the region.

OSCE chief urges Karabakh’s involvement in peace talks – TV
Artsakh Public TV, Stepanakert
31 Mar 05

Text of report by Nagornyy Karabakh’s Artsakh Public TV on 31 March
[Presenter over video of meeting] The NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh Republic]
president, Arkadiy Gukasyan, received the OSCE chairman-in-office and
Slovenian foreign minister, Dimitrij Rupel, at the NKR permanent
representative office in the Republic of Armenia on 30 March.
Mr Rupel said that the people of Nagornyy Karabakh had the right to
participate in discussions of their future. There is a window of
opportunity for Nagornyy Karabakh to sit at the negotiating table,
Rupel said. The OSCE chairman-in-office noted that the OSCE would make
every effort to resolve this issue by summer and it expected the
Karabakh side to come up with initiatives in this respect. Mr Rupel
said provided that Nagornyy Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan reached
agreement, he could organize a trilateral meeting in Slovenia in
spring or summer. Mr Rupel expressed his concern about cease-fire
violations on the contact line between Nagornyy Karabakh and
Azerbaijan and asked the NKR president to comment on this issue.
The NKR president said that the cease-fire violations were the result
of Azerbaijan’s attempts to advance its positions. President Gukasyan
expressed his concern about these attempts. Azerbaijan pursues two
major goals, the NKR president said. The first is to convince its own
population that the authorities are actively trying to regain the lost
territories. The second and more important goal is to blackmail the
international community demanding that its territorial integrity be
restored. President Gukasyan said it was important to create an
appropriate atmosphere for a successful negotiation process. But
Azerbaijan’s bellicose rhetoric does not contribute to that, Gukasyan
said.
Answering Mr Rupel’s question about the future of Nagornyy Karabakh,
President Gukasyan stressed that there is no alternative to the NKR’s
independence.
After the meeting, the NKR president met journalists and answered
their questions. In particular, touching on the issue of a referendum
in Nagornyy Karabakh, the NKR president said that a referendum was
already held in the NKR in 1991. But if the European community insists
on holding a referendum, Karabakh’s answer will be positive, Gukasyan
said.

Agence France Presse
30 mars 2005 mercredi 10:37 AM GMT
Charles Aznavour demande que l’Allemagne reconnaisse le génocide
arménien
BERLIN
Le chanteur et compositeur français d’origine arménienne Charles
Aznavour, a demandé que l’Allemagne parle de “crime contraire au
droit international” à propos du génocide arménien, “comme la France
et la Suisse l’ont déjà fait.”
Fils de réfugiés arméniens, il a expliqué, dans un article à paraître
jeudi dans l’hebdomadaire Die Zeit: “l’Allemagne porte une
responsabilité.
Non pas parce que ses hommes politiques ont ordonné l’extermination
d’Arméniens mais parce qu’ils en ont été les spectateurs. Parce
qu’ils ont dit à leurs alliés d’alors: ‘faites ce que bon vous
semble'”.
“Si les Allemands reconnaissaient ce génocide, ce serait un grand
pas. Alors, leurs alliés se verraient aussi forcés de le faire”,
a-t-il ajouté.
Le chancelier allemand Gerhard Schroeder a été, à côté du président
français Jacques Chirac, l’un des principaux soutiens de la
candidature turque à l’adhésion à l’Union européenne. Ce soutien a
contribué à ce que l’UE donne son feu vert en décembre à l’ouverture
de négociations d’adhésion, qui doivent formellement commencer le 3
octobre prochain.
Ankara, qui a des relations étroites avec Berlin, réagit très
vivement aux moindres allusions par les parlements européens au
“génocide arménien”.