Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

GEORGE BUSH ON KOSOVO PROBLEM: "GOAL – INDEPENDENCE, TIME – NOW"

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.06.2007 13:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U. S. President George W. Bush stated to a press
conference in Albanian capital Tirana that it is the time to stop
"endless dialog" on the status of Kosovo. "The goal is independence,
time – now," he underlined. Bush proposed to fix a deadline for
adopting a resolution by the UN Security Council on Kosovo. Earlier
at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm French President Nicolas Sarkozy
offered to postpone the solution of this problem for 6 months. The
draft resolution, which is based on UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari’s
plan and supposes de facto recognition of Kosovo’s independence,
was introduced in the UN Security Council at the end of May.

Serbia denied the Ahtisaari Plan. And Russia stated that he does
not consider it possible to adopt a decision on the status of Kosovo
without taking into account the opinion of the Serbian leadership. In
his part Bush confirmed that the United States fully supports the
Ahtisaari Plan. Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly has made
it clear that in case of recognizing Kosovo’s independence the world
community will have to also recognize independence of self-declared
republics on the territory of the former USSR, particularly of South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, France Press reports.

RUSSIA AND GEORGIA IMPROVING RELATIONSHIPS
By A. Haroutiunian

AZG Armenian Daily
12/06/2007

Georgia and Russia came to agreement to abolish restrictions on
transportation and trade between the two states, said President of
Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili on a meeting with the Georgian community
of Saint Petersburg.

Saakashvili also added that during the informal meeting of the heads of
CIS member-states he had conversation with Vladimir Putin. The latter
did not object Saakashvili’s proposal to open a Georgian consulate in
Petersburg. Putin said that restrictions against Georgia are caused
only by technical matters and that Russia has nothing against Georgia.

CONGRESSMAN JOSEPH PITTS BECAME 199TH COSPONSOR TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.06.2007 16:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Congressman Joseph Pitts became the 199th cosponsor
to H. Res. 106, which recognizes the Armenian Genocide of 1915
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkey, the Armenian National Committee
of America reports. The Congressman’s support was acquired through
the efforts of the ANCA constituents in Pennsylvania.

"We thank Congressman Pitts for his support and hope that his
commitment will inspire his colleagues in Washington on both sides of
the aisle to pass this important legislation. It is critical that our
government recognizes and condemns the Armenian Genocide to demonstrate
our compassion as a nation and our value for life and human rights,"
Chairman of ANCA branch in Pennsylvania Ara Chalian stated.

H. Res. 106 calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy
of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and
genocide documented in the United States record relating to the
Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes.

Paly Voice, CA –
June 10 2007

Genocide denied

Posted Fri June 8, 11:54:02 PDT 2007
By Web staff of the Paly Voice

This column was submitted by Nanor Balabanian

"Armenian? What’s that?!" I’ve heard this often ever since I’ve moved
to the so-called "melting-pot" of the United States.

I don’t blame students for not knowing what an Armenian is. Most
students have never even learned about what happened to the Armenians
in 1915. They’ve been taught about the Holocaust, and the genocides
in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan. But not about Armenia.

Being the only full Armenian in a school of 1800 students makes me
think about where all the Armenians have gone today. Wouldn’t
millions more Armenians be alive today if it were not for the
genocide?

Two months ago, President George W. Bush had to think hard whether he
could use the word "genocide" for the 92-year-old Armenian Genocide
Memorial Day. Of course he refused to say it and instead called it a
"National day of remembrance of man’s inhumanity to man."

Since when is genocide a simple act of inhumanity? Why is it that we
do not characterize the genocide in Darfur as a simple war?

My great grandmother’s survival stories often come to my mind as I
read about my government’s denial of the genocide. She never got the
chance to live freely, speak out for her rights, or praise her own
God without facing threats of persecution. America would probably
have been a haven for her at the time. Yet, little did she know that
the America she had dreamed about would not believe what had happened
to her in 1915.

Living today in a democratic "haven", I feel ashamed to see that my
country, which strongly advocates for justice and righteousness,
denies that the genocide ever occurred.

April 24, 1915, was a mournful day for many Armenians. Because of
their Christian religion, 200,000 Armenian intellectuals were
purposely slaughtered by the Turks. Following that day, a mass
deportation of Armenians occurred during which 1.5 million Armenians
were brutally massacred because of their faith.

To deny that such a horrific massacre ever happened is to erase a
chunk of reality from our history. Imagine taking out World War II
stories from our history books, or imagine never suggesting that the
Holocaust happened. That’s how Armenians feel today. Betrayed,
killed, massacred, and still they do not receive the recognition they
deserve neither by the Turkish officials nor by the American
government.

What are the consequences of denial? If we deny that a genocide once
happened, we are very likely to do it again. Hitler once said, "Who,
after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"
justifying himself that if he kills the Jews nobody will remember
them, just as Armenians are not remembered. If the Armenian genocide
had gotten the recognition it deserved, Hitler would not have likely
killed all 6 million Jews. Denying the genocide today is in a way
agreeing with Hitler as well because America to this day does not
"speak … of the annihilation of Armenians".

Today, we fight to stop the 21st century’s first genocide. Imagine
one day that our children could be banned from learning about Darfur.
The government will call it a "National day of remembrance of man’s
inhumanity to man" but refuse to call it a genocide because of
political interests with the Sudanese government.

If America chooses to delete history and deny historical events
because of politics, then American politics is corrupt. It is a
moral, and not political, duty of the United States to look at the
historical evidence, listen to the plea of the Armenian people, and
put an end to this 92-year-old lie that genocide never occurred. It
is our responsibility as students to fight for what is right and
true.

I am an Armenian, and want to be heard. I have a right to be heard
because my ancestors were massacred to do so. I want to take time and
enjoy the rights I am given by the Constitution of this country, and
fight for the truth that must be recognized.

Maybe one day instead of hearing "Armenian? What’s that?" I’d hear,
"Armenian? A genocide survivor."

This story originally appeared exclusively online on June 8, 2007.

State Veterinary Service of Armenia temporary bans import of pork from
Georgia

ArmInfo
2007-06-08 17:41:00

The State Veterinary Service of Armenia has imposed a temporary ban on
import of pork and relevant meat products from Georgia in connection
with African swine fever case recorded in that country.

Head of the State Veterinary Inspection Grisha Bagyan told ArmInfo that
all the necessary safe measures have been taken in the country. In
particular, motor vehicles and shoes are being disinfected at the
frontier checkpoints. Moreover, doubtful meat products are confiscated
and liquidated on the border with Georgia. The country’s veterinary
services operate in special regime. The clinical state of
domestic pigs is monitored. Moreover, the bordering swine enterprises
are under control of specialists.

G. Bagyan said no case of the African swine fever has been recorded in
Armenia so far. The disease is not dangerous for human health. At the
same time, in case the fever penetrates into the territory of Armenia,
it may cause a tangible economic damage to the country. The ban will be
effective as long as there is danger of the fever penetration.

Azerbaijan and Russia have also banned the import of pork and relevant
products from Georgia.

ARMENIAN, ASSYRIAN AND GREEK GENOCIDE PUBLICATION BY JOURNEY FOR HUMANITY

Hellenic News of America, PA
June 7 2007

Turkey has committed numerous ethnic and religious cleansings in Asia
Minor, that resulted in major genocides the first quarter of 20th
century against:

1/ 3,5 million Greeks. Most of them were massacred by neo-turks of
Kemal Attaturk. Ssome of them immigrated to the four corners of the
earth. Now there are only 2.500 persons in constantinople.

2/ 1,5 million Armenians. The majority were massacred by neo-turks of
Kemal Attaturk. Now in Asia Minor live only some thousand armenians
that are living under the fear of the killing by the extremist and
islamist Turks.

3/ 500.000 Pontians were massacred by neoturks of Kemal Attaturk. Some
immigrated abroad.

4/ 1.500.000 Assyrians some were massacred by neoturks of Kemal
Attaturk and others immigrated abroad.

5/ During the katastrophy of Cyprus from the "Turkish Attila" 200.000
Cypriots became-and are still- refugees in their land in the free
Cyprus, 5.000 dead, and 1650 still missing- it is soupposed most of
them to be dead- in Turkey and the occupied Northern Cyprus.

6/ Many millions kurds massacred in the past and recently until now,
their villages in Anatolia were destroyed and they became refugees
in Turkey and abroad.

Turkey is governed by two head monster- authority by:

1/ The generals and the Turkish army. They are extreme nationalist and
fascist. They continue the strong fist and sword of Kemal Attaturk,
they are the recent oppressors and buchers of the Turkish people,
Kurds and Cypriots that wish freedom, human rights, social justice
and withrawl of the Turkish troops from Northern Cyprus.

2/ The islamic party and islamic clergy both are xenophobic, racists,
anti-Christians, desppotic, authoritarian that beleive in the Kuran.

Turkey is not a European country and is be compatible with the European
civilization and culture.

In reality Turkey is a multi ethnic state that tried by the force to
create a Turkish nation, but failed.

Turkey is the "ill of Ankara" and one day will not avoid its
dismembering. This will be done after its democratization.

Turkey is an unstable country and exports to the east Mediterranean
its problems and instability.

The only solution is the democratization and disintegration of Turkey
into many autonomous states, such as Kurdish, Pontian, Assyrian,
Ionian, etc.

My email message follows these eight quotations on the Greek Genocide.

"The anti-Armenian and the anti-Greek persecutions were two stages
of one and the same programme on the annihilation of the Christian
element in Turkey."

Johannes Lepsius, Germany missionary, 1915.

"Although the majority of Greek and Armenian civilian men in Asia
Minor have been deported into Angora, into what is tantamount to
slavery, and the majority of women and children exiled, the Turks’
campaign of massacre and terror continues, as the last surviving
Christian communities are wiped out one by one."

Alfred E. Brady, American Smyrna Disaster Committee, 1922.

"The salvation of the Turkish nation was only to get rid of the
Christians from Anatolia and they developed plans at the beginning
of 1913 and they implemented these plans first in Western Anatolia
against the Greeks."

Turkish Professor Taner Akcam, 2005

"Before the World War there were three millions of Greeks in Turkish
territory; a million of them were killed or dispersed in 1915; a
million and a half of them, since 1915, have been killed or dispersed
(dispersal being the more merciless method of driving them to arid
plateaus where they died lingeringly from starvation), and the events
at Smyrna were still fresh before the minds of the delegates. What
assurances could there be against further massacres and forcible
deportations if these helpless and peaceable folk were left at the
mercy of the Turk?"

American Professor Silas Bent, 1923

"It seemed that the aim of the Turks was now the total destruction
of the Greek population."

Oxford Professor R. M. Dawkins, 1915

"… the Greeks of Anatolia are suffering the same or worse fate than
did the Armenians in the massacres of the Great War. The deportation
of the Greeks is not limited to the Black Sea Coast but is being
carried out throughout the whole of the country governed by the
Nationalists. Greek villages are deported entire, the few Turkish
or Armenian inhabitants are forced to leave, and the villages are
burned. The purpose is unquestionably to destroy all Greeks in that
territory and to leave Turkey for the Turks. These deportations are,
of course, accompanied by cruelties of every form just as was true
in the case of the Armenian deportations five and six years ago."

Stanley Hopkins, American employee of the Near East Relief, 1921

"The Turks adopted almost identically the same procedure against the
Greeks as that which they had adopted against the Armenians."

Henry Morgenthau, United States Ambassador to Turkey, 1918

Source (and for more):

"T hese left-overs from the former Young Turkey Party, who should
have been made to account for the lives of millions of our Christian
subjects who were ruthlessly driven en masse, from their homes and
massacred, have been restive under the Republican rule."

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, 1926

Source: ml

Dear Friends,

Please see the attachments regarding the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek
Genocide as produced by the organisation Journey for Humanity.

Source: Journey for Humanity, ,
neyforhumanity.com/downloads/journey_for_humanity_ booklet.pdf

Yours, In Peace, Nikos

ewsid=6872&lang=US

THE PIE WAS DIVIDED UNTIL 2008

Lragir.am
06-06-2007

The representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
Armen Rustamyan stated in the evening of June 6 that three forces, the
ARF Dashnaktsutyun, the Bargavach Hayastan Party and the Republican
Party signed two documents which mark the end of the formation
of the government and the leadership of the National Assembly. The
Republican Party and the Bargavach Hayastan Party signed an agreement
on coalition, and the coalition signed a memorandum on collaboration
with the ARF Dashnaktsutyun. In other words, the ARF did not become
member of the coalition but will name ministers and posts in the
national Assembly. The ARF will name the ministers of education and
science and agriculture. Armen Rustamyan said Levon Mkrtichyan and
Davit Lokyan will probably remain in their posts. At the same time,
they will remain members of Dashnaktsutyun, there is no mentioning
of freezing their membership. In the National Assembly the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun will appoint the deputy speaker and the standing
committees for external affairs and defense.

Vahan Hovanisyan will be named deputy speaker, Armen Rustamyan will
be named chair of the committee of external relations and the former
deputy minister of defense Arthur Aghabekyan will be named chair of
the committee of defense.

Armen Rustamyan says the agreement is a new model of political
agreement, stability, which creates a new culture, which will produce
results.

"Because it is very important to be able to reach political agreement
under any circumstances. And the ARF Dashnaktsutyun underlines the
importance of it because political agreement finally leads to national
agreement," Armen Rustamyan says. Nevertheless, some important issues
remain to agree. First of all, the presidential candidate of 2008. "At
least two reasons, I can point to. First, it is the problem of our
independence and the independent political tactics. Because you know
that Dashnaktsutyun had said to name a candidate in the presidential
election.

And it was long discussed if Dashnaktsutyun was trying to get dividends
in the parliamentary election or to build its tactics on it. Wasn’t it
propaganda? I think the agreements signed after the negotiations gave a
full answer to this question, and it became clear that Dashnaktsutyun
is a party with a strong organization and the decisions that are
passed by the supreme meetings of Dashnaktsutyun are implemented
without reservations," Armen Rustamyan says. He said Dashnaktsutyun
will name president during the Supreme Meeting in the fall. According
to the representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun,
if Dashnaktsutyun had covert aims, i.e. named a formal candidate,
and supported the Republican candidate in the second round, it would
be pointless to negotiate for over a month on the government.

Armen Rustamyan also stated that it is ingenious to think the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun’s candidate will not be competitive. Dashnaktsutyun
is the force which can at least put up a competitive candidate in
the presidential election. He says the situation is not ordinary
because on the one hand they are not part of the coalition, on
the other hand, they name ministers. "I should note, however,
the difference is that a longer-lasting collaboration is set
up through a political coalition. And collaboration is more
flexible," Armen Rustamyan says. The collaboration will last until
the presidential election. Armen Rustamyan says this situation is
not ordinary also because "there was a parliamentary election, and
after the presidential election there are five years until the next
parliamentary election. However, the president’s office will last
until the presidential election, whereas Dashnaktsutyun will continue
to collaborate, continue to do its work, continue the programs, first
of all with the president because the nature of these relations has
not changed."

"We have our sphere of collaboration with the president we support,
and we continue to support the president," Armen Rustamyan said. In
answer to the question if after the victory of Serge Sargsyan in the
presidential election Dashnaktsutyun will become opposition, Armen
Rustamyan says he is reluctant to speak about the presidential
election. "I cannot present long-term programs now, but the
presidential election is coming up and there is time to speak about
it," Armen Rustamyan says.

Group A Round-Up
By Andrew Scurr – Created on 6 Jun 2007
SKY Sports UK

Armenia produced a real shock in Euro 2008 qualifying
as they beat Group A leaders Poland 1-0 in Yerevan.

The minnows came into the game having scored just two
goals and were not expected to get anything against
Leo Beenhakker’s side.

However, Hamlet Mkhitaryan sent the Armenia supporters
home happy with the only goal after 66 minutes.

Armenia were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out and with
a stunning effort Mkhitaryan left Celtic goalkeeper
Artur Boruc with no chance.

Poland will stay five points clear at the top of Group
A as neither Portugal nor Serbia are in action on
Wednesday.

Finland made comfortable work of beating Belgium 2-0
in Helsinki to boost their chances of qualifying for
next summer’s finals.

The Finns are now level on points with Portugal and
Serbia, after goals from Jonatan Johansson (27) and
Alexei Eremenko (71).

Former Charlton striker Johansson put Roy Hodgson’s
men ahead with a well taken goal into the bottom
corner just before the half-hour mark.

Belgium’s Mario Fellaini was dismissed by referee Mike
Riley just after half-time and Eremenko made sure of
victory for Finland with the second.

Ten-man Kazakhstan came from a goal down to secure a
draw at home against Azerbaijan.

Already trailing through Vugar Nadyrov’s 30th minute
opener, the hosts suffered a further blow when Maxim
Zhalmagambetov was shown a red card on the stroke of
half-time.

But despite being a man light, eight minutes into the
second half Ruslan Baltiev met Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev’s
cross to bring Kazakhstan level

"ARMRUSGAZARD" IS A RATHER PERSPECTIVE COMPANY

A1+
[07:05 pm] 05 June, 2007

The RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan met Valeri Golubev, the in-coming
Vice-President of "Gazprom", and the delegation headed by him. The
parties expressed their satisfaction on the cooperation of "Gazprom"
and the RA Government. Among other companies jointly founded in
other countries, Valeri Golubev considered the "ArmRusGazArd"
LLC a perspective company and said that he intended to invite the
representatives of other jointly founded companies to Armenia on the
10-th anniversary of "ArmRusGazArd" and to show them how productive
a company worked and what successes it had accomplished during the
ten years. Mr Golubev presented the Prime Minister their future plans
and discussed issues within the frameworks of their cooperation.

FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER BERNARD KOUCHNER ON NKR
Nikolay Hovanisian

Azat Artsakh Daily, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
04 June 07

In 1995 the Center for International Development and Conflict
Management at the University of Maryland, U.S. started to work
out a program entitled " Partners in Conflict: Building Bridges to
Peace in the Transcaucasus and Central Asia.". The participants were
from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the United States and Israel. I
represented Armenia. In fact, the discussions were in the focus and
framework of interests of the U.S. Department of State, sometimes in
collaboration with the experts of Mason and Hopkins Universities. A
special thing about those discussions was that the American side
provided each participant with valuable documents and materials
in accordance with our profession and responsibility regarding the
program, which otherwise were then unavailable for experts outside
the United States. It was an opportunity to get some highly important
documents on the onset of the Karabakh conflict, the policies and
standpoints of other states on the conflict over Karabakh and its
resolution. One of the documents provided to me, a working document for
the UN Economic and Social Council drafted by human rights defenders
in Geneva in 1994, contained important facts, evidence, opinions on
the Karabakh issue. It holds that Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent
territories were part of Armenia for over 2000 years, and Azerbaijan
first claimed to this region in 1918 when it appeared as an independent
state. It is followed by a statement by Bernard Kouchner, the minister
of humanitarian affairs of France then, now the minister of foreign
affairs of France, he made in a news conference on March 8, 1992 in
Paris. He described the 6 km Lachin corridor separating Karabakh and
Armenia as nonsense, a political and geographic blunder. Apparently,
Kouchner knows the history of the Karabakh issue, the deal between
the Russian bolshevists and the Azerbaijani nationalists to divide
the Armenian territories.

Otherwise, he would not describe this deal due to which Karabakh
and Armenia lost direct border as nonsense and a political
blunder. Kouchner said this blunder should be corrected. He goes on
to state it is better to agree to change the borders than to kill
people. He made this statement during the military operation Koltso
by the Soviet and Azerbaijani military units, when thousands of
Armenians were killed and displaced, devastating a number of Armenian
villages. This important statement by the French minister was rare then
and suited with his theses on humanitarian intervention and sometimes
law should be eliminated to change law. He rejects arbitrary drawing of
borders and causing the death of people for the sake of these arbitrary
borders. He maintains that the territorial integrity stops being a
reasonable and fair law as soon as it becomes a law of slaughter of
people. Our findings were included in a collaboration published by the
University of Maryland in 1997 entitled "Ethnic Political Conflicts in
Transcaucasia. Their origins and ways of resolution". In the same year
we published a Russian book in Yerevan entitled "Karabakh Conflict:
Stages, Approaches, Ways of Resolution" and in 2004 we published a
book in English entitled "The Karabakh Problem: Through Hardship to
Freedom and Independence" which include the abovementioned materials
and contain Bernard Kouchner’s statements. 15 years have passes since
these statements, but he remains loyal to his abovementioned theses.