Author: Chakrian Hovsep

NO REVOLUTION WITHOUT OUTSIDE FORCE
A1+
03-03-2005
Independent deputy Manuk Gasparyan appealed to the opposition
Today’s guest of the Pakagits club Manuk Gasparyan commented on the
inexpediency of launching revolution at the moment. According his
predictions made many months ago, Robert Kocharyan will resign from
office in 2005 due to the unsettlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Today he says that «in 1997 Robert Kocharryan arrives in Armenia to
assume the post of the Prime Minister and several months later he
succeeded in pressing Levon Ter-Petrosyan to resign. It proves that he
is not a naive official and will not abdicate from his power without
pressure».
The independent deputy also advised the opposition forces of all kinds
not to launch any revolutionary movements without assistance from
outside.
Manuk Gasparyan compared the National Assembly with a ship full with
rats and reminded of an old story telling how to drive rats away, `Ten
rats should be shut in a dark place without any food. Days later they
start eating each other. In the end there is one strongest rat left. It
is let out to the deck to eat up the rest.’
When commenting on contender for the next presidential election the
deputy stated NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan as the most inappropriate
nominee and also excluded Justice Minister David Harutyunyan from the
list of candidates.
Manuk Gasparyan also foretold the collapse of the ruling coalition after
the elections to the local self-government bodies to be held in October
and added even the President will not be able to prevent it.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 1 2005
Ambassador’s statement irresponsible – US Department of State

Baku, February 28, AssA-Irada
The US ambassador to Armenia John Evans’s statement that `Upper
Garabagh can’t be returned to Azerbaijan’, made during his informal
meeting with the Armenian Diaspora representatives at a California
university on February 25, has sparked different responses from
Azerbaijan and the United States.
Steve Tike, a spokesman for the US Department of State, regarded
Evans’s utterance as `an irresponsible statement’, which reflects
only his personal views. `Evans’s statement doesn’t reflect
Washington’s position. The US stance on the Upper Garabagh remains
unchanged’, he said.
The United States has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize
Upper Garabagh as an independent state and supports Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity, the spokesman added.
The Azerbaijani ambassador to USA Hafiz Pashayev has discussed the
matter with US officials, including the US Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy.
During the discussions, Pashayev said that Azerbaijani and American
officials are displeased with Evans’s statement. `Evans’s
undiplomatic and irresponsible statement on the eve of the next
meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Prague is
unacceptable,’ Pashayev said.
Ambassador Evans told a Monday news conference in Yerevan that his
statement on Upper Garabagh was misinterpreted. `I stated in the
meeting that the United States recognizes the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan and that the Upper Garabagh status issue may be
resolved by Armenia and Azerbaijan through talks,’ he said.
Washginton continues its efforts at settling the conflict within the
OSCE Minsk Group and considers the meetings held so far by the two
countries’ foreign ministers reassuring, he added.*

Armenian Genocide stamp and first day envelope to be issued
01.03.2005  16:19    
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – In commemoration of the 90th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, 40,000 stamps and 700 first day envelopes,
featuring broken khachkar (cross-stone) will be issued by April,
Armenpress reported.
Besides, stamps to mark the 125th anniversary of renowned Armenian
artist Martiros Sarian, 70th anniversary of writer Hrant Matevosian
will also be issued in addition to stamps dedicated to other Armenian
celebrities as well as the Armenian national cuisine and Armenian
alphabet.
The 25 stamps will be issued in 25,000 to 30,000 copies.
–Boundary_(ID_dWKvNCCnUNAn6OACZkP++Q)–

Independent on Sunday (London)
February 27, 2005, Sunday
BOOKS: PAPERBACKS
by LAURENCE PHELAN
[parts omitted]
Chinese Takeout
By Arthur Nersesian
MARION BOYARS £9.99
Set among the bohemian art crowd of New York’s lower east side in the
run-up to the 2000 presidential election, Chinese Takeout is a baggy
but agreeable novel about the life of a struggling painter, with an
obvious nod to Bukowski and echoes of Orpheus and Eurydice. Our self-
obsessed narrator is Orloff Trenchant, an Irish-Armenian New Yorker
who is in his mid-30s, just old enough to remember when loft space
was affordable. He lives in his dilapidated van for most of the year,
and supplements the income he makes from his paintings by selling
secondhand books in the street. The story finally gets going when he
falls for a heroin-addicted poet and attempts to rescue her from her
drugs and prostitution hell.
Orr had a successful solo show early in his career, but his saleability
has declined and his youthful idealism dissipated. Though there’s a
bit of room to satirise art-world pretensions, Nersesian generally
takes an ultra-realist’s approach to depicting his milieu, and
Chinese Takeout contains enough detail about the mundane problems
Orr has to deal with to sustain his hand-to-mouth existence to belie
the romantic myth of the starving artist. And while he may describe
Orr’s struggle to make a living in mock-heroic terms, he makes it
clear that if we don’t all maintain a few hopes, dreams and ideals,
our cities can become cruel places.
–Boundary_(ID_q+b6avV71JCzMLODIUGJ9w)–

KARABAKH DOES NOT VIOLATE THE GENEVE CONVENTION
A1+
25-02-2005
Masis Mayilyan, the Nagorno Karabakh deputy Minister of Foreign
affairs, has received Mrs. Isabelle Barras, head of the Red Cross
International Committee Easter Europe Activities.
It was in 1993 that Nagorno Karabakh unilaterally jointed the Geneva
convention and according to Mayilyan is carrying out his
responsibilities. Isabelle Barras was glad to hear that saying that it
will be ground to continue the cooperation in the humanitarian field.
During the meeting the RCIC memorandum about the people missing in the
Karabakh war presented to both parties has been discussed. Mrs. Barras
has mentioned that the solution of the problem of missing people is
delayed due to the fact that the conflict has not been settled. She
underlined that the agreement of the parties to the main point of the
memorandum will make it possible to achieve positive results.
Isabelle Barras has also met Seyran Ohanyan, NK Minister of Defense,
and Victor Kocharyan, head of the NK State Committee of prisoners of
war and people missing in action.

PanArmenian News
Feb 24 2005
ROBERT SIMMONS: KARABAKH CONFLICT HAMPERS REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
24.02.2005 17:28
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If the unsettled conflict was not available,
Yerevan would go farther in relations with the NATO, Armenian Defense
Minister Serge Sargsian stated at a meeting with Special
Representative of the NATO Secretary General for the South Caucasus
and Central Asia Robert Simmons. “I want to emphasize that we intend
to extend our relations with the Alliance,” Serge Sargsian noted. In
his turn, speaking of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Robert Simmons
stated it hampered the development of the countries of the region. “I
think a mutually acceptable agreement will be made. The NATO is not
directly involved in the settlement process. However we closely
follow the developments over solution of the problem,” Robert Simmons
stated.

MosNews, Russia
Feb 24 2005
Georgia Wants to Sell Coastal Pipelines to Russia’s Gazprom
MosNews
Georgia would like to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the
sale of coastal pipelines that supply Russian gas to Georgia and
Armenia. This information was revealed on Thursday, Feb. 24, by
Georgia’s Minister for Economic Reform and former Russian businessman
Kakha Bendukidze.
`We want to sell the coastal pipelines to [Russian gas monopoly]
Gazprom or to a Western investor,’ Bendukidze told Reuters, adding
that the sale would include a clause to guarantee supplies to
Georgia. `The price for the pipeline will not be tens of millions but
hundreds of millions of dollars,’ he said.
He also said the buyer could extend the network, enabling Gazprom to
pipe gas from Russia to Turkey.
The pipelines’ capacity has fallen to 7-8 billion cubic meters
annually since the fall of the Soviet Union, when they supplied 16
billion cubic meters.
Repairs are likely to cost around $200 million, experts say

PanArmenian News
Feb 23 2005
NOVRUZ MAMEDOV: SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF
AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY CAN BE USEFUL FOR ARMENIA
23.02.2005 18:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The meeting of the US and Russian Presidents George
Bush and Vladimir Putin must become an important and useful one for
the Karabakh conflict settlement, head of the department for foreign
affairs of the President administration Novruz Mamedov considers,
Trend news agency reports. In his words, the recent meeting of the
Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents will also effect Bush-Putin
negotiations. “As a matter of fact the settlement process has become
more intensive recently”, Mamedov noted. In his opinion Azerbaijan
strengthened its positions while Armenia’s position weakened. “The
settlement of Karabakh conflict within framework of Azerbaijani
territorial integrity can be useful for Armenia”, he stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
AGBU PRESIDENT BERGE SETRAKIAN VISITS ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM
New York, NY – AGBU President Berge Setrakian, on a visit to Jerusalem
on February 3rd and 4th, met with the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem,
His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, to discuss matters of
mutual interest concerning the Armenian community at large.
During his visit, Mr. Setrakian emphasized the importance of the
spiritual, cultural, and ethnic heritage of the Patriarchate and its
crucial role in the preservation of the historic center of Armenian
Christian faith. He also expressed his appreciation for the work the
Patriarchate undertakes for the benefit of the Diaspora through its
efforts in educating the seminarians who will be serving the various
communities around the world and who will be looking after the
protection of the Patriarchate’s interests in the Holy Land. “After
Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is one of the
most important centers of our Armenian religious heritage, serving as
a focal point for the preservation of our identity and development of
our spiritual values,” said Mr. Setrakian.
The visit also presented an opportunity for Mr. Setrakian to express
to His Beatitude AGBU’s commitment towards working closely with the
Patriarchate in supporting and further developing joint
programs. Mr. Setrakian also met with Father Pakrad Bourjekian of the
Patriarchate Real Estate Office and became familiar with issues
concerning that department. He also toured the Armenian Quarter and
Holy Translators School (Serpots Tarkmantchats Varjaran). While in
Jerusalem, Mr. Setrakian attended a lunch meeting with the Brotherhood
of St. James and a dinner meeting with the seminarians and the
teaching staff of the seminary presided over by His Beatitude.
Established in 1906, AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit
organization in the world and has been at the forefront of promoting
and preserving the Armenian heritage around the world through
educational, cultural, and humanitarian programs. For more information
on AGBU, please visit
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 21 2005
`PACE resolution on Garabagh does not reflect UK government’s position’
Baku, February 18, AssA-Irada
Although the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) on Upper Garabagh was based on a report of the
British Parliament, it reflects the personal views of this MP but not
that of the entire United Kingdom government, the British ambassador
to Armenia Thorda Abbott Watt told Regnum news agency.
`First of all, we are interested in a peaceful resolution of the
conflict, as its presence impedes economic development of the entire
region.’*