Author: Chavushian

EDITOR OF IRAVUNK WAS ATTACKED

Lragir.am
06 Sept 06

On September 6 the editor of the Iravunk newspaper Hovik Galajyan
was attacked on leaving his house in the morning. He was attacked
and beaten by two skinheads. Fortunately, our colleague did not get
grave injuries. The readers know Hivik for his sharp and bold reports,
and recently he has been making excellent analyses of the political
life in Armenia, namely the criminal corps and is activities. Most
probably, this was an attempt to scare or warn Hovik.

WEB SITE OF STATE HEALTH CARE AGENCY OPENS

Noyan Tapan
Sept 06 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The newly created web site
() of the State Health Agency (SHA) of the RA Ministry
of Health Care will support increase of the population’s awareness
level concerning principles, volumes and methods of organizing medical
assistance, guaranteed by the state. SHA Chief Ara Ter-Grigorian stated
about it at the September 5 presentation of the web site. In his words,
the site is built by separation of information envisaged for state
government bodies, for organizations functioning in the health care
system and for population. A.Ter-Grigorian mentioned that information
concerning SHA goals, functions, legislation and structure is placed
in the main page of the site. In his words, laws which are in force
at present in the health care system, government’s decisions as well
as other sub-legislative acts have a special place. The SHA Director
mentioned that information about the order of organizing and showing
free hospital, out-patient and polyclinical medical assistance,
of getting free medicine, in which the population is particularly
interested, is presented by a separate page.

FANS BID FAREWELL TO AGASSI WITH STANDING OVATION

Trading Markets, CA
Sept 4 2006

(RTTNews) – Andre Agassi bid farewell to his tennis career, aptly at
his home, the United States, and with the U.S. Open at the Flushing
Meadows. But he bowed out of the tournament in the third round itself,
unfortunately yet gracefully. Agassi fans at the New York’s Arthur
Ashe Stadium extended a fitting farewell with standing ovation.

Agassi said, "The scoreboard said I lost today but what the scoreboard
doesn’t say is what I have found. I have found loyalty.

You have pulled for me on the court and in life." He announced his
retirement in June.

Agassi may not be the greatest star of the tennis world or of his own
country or even like his wife and co-player Steffi Graf, who had in
her bag 22 Grand Slam titles. Yet, this charismatic tennis personality
of the U.S. will be the most beloved and most remembered hero beyond
time and period.

And his charity works, mainly through the Andre Agassi Charitable
Foundation and the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, and will
make up for all shortcomings and emboss his name in the hall of fame
in future.

YET NOT THE WAY TO END HIS CAREER…

Agassi eventually lost to German Benjamin Becker 7-5 6-7 6-4 7-5,
after giving his fight till the end of the match. Interestingly, this
German is not in any way related to yesteryear fame Boris Becker,
as many believe.

People had been viewing every match of the U.S Open played by Agassi
as potentially the last match of his career. His second round match
against Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus would have been the last match,
but for the leg cramp suffered by the latter in the latter part of
the match. Baghdatis was in control of the match till then.

Even otherwise, his ‘exit’ should be considered gracious given his
transformation, of late, into a polished personality shedding the
bad boy image of his earlier days of the career. A tribute from the
recent loser to Agassi, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, that "He’s more
than a legend" bodes well for the previous statement.

Of course, his bad boy image went off well with sponsors and ladies,
according to reports. His life post-fame period was full of scenes.

Disregarding all those misgivings, the glorious tennis star of Armenian
origin traveled thus far till the current tournament, the U.S. Open,
at the age of 36.

Yet, if Agassi had clinched the U.S. Open title that would have been
a perfect finale for this ever-fighting tennis ace. His ardent fans
would also have been disappointed at this and would have expected
the exit at a bit higher level.

A NEW TENNIS HORSEPOWER EMERGED

Born to Mike and Elizabeth Agassi on April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas,
Nevada, Andre (KIRK | charts | news | PowerRating) Agassi won 60
titles, including eight Grand Slams, so far, with last title won
being Masters Series, Cincinnati in 2004.

Taking the racket in his hands at the age of three, he started his
lessons in tennis under the tutelage of his father, born Emmanuel
Agassian in 1932 in Armenia, and a boxing champion, who represented
Iran in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. At three itself, he was considered
a prodigy.

He was put in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida at 13,
and turned professional at 16. He became notable for his game on
court and turned out notorious for his rebellion attitude and his
off-court and sometimes, on-court skirmishes.

IMPECCABLE RECORDS….

Ultimately, Agassi finished his career, span over two decades,
creditably yet with 870 wins and 274 losses, and was not without many
landmark achievements. He became the only eighth male player in the
Grand Slam Era to win 50 singles titles and one of only six players to
have won more than 800 matches. He also ended up winning approximately
$31.1 million in his illustrious career, only next to Sampras.

He was also the quickest player in history to surpass $1 million in
career prize money in December 1988, after just 43 tournaments. In
addition, Agassi and his co-player and wife, Steffi Graf, are the
only players in history won all Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal.

Agassi also holds a few impeccable records to his name. When he won
the 2003 Australian Open, Agassi became the oldest man to win a Grand
Slam singles title since Ken Rosewall won the Australian in 1972. He
was also the only the second man to win a Slam after becoming a father.

Further, he became the oldest men’s player to reach the rank #1 at
the age of 32 years, 11 months – in ATP history. Earlier on 10 April
1995, Agassi became #1 for the first time and has spent a total of
87 weeks at this spot. Also, he was the first unseeded player since
1930 to win the U.S. Open in 1994.

BEST PART OF HIS CAREER…

Interestingly, the best part of his career, and even the history
of tennis was his tussle with archrival, Pete Sampras, one of his
contemporaries that include Jim Courier, Michael Chang, in the
nineties. Tennis circle knew very well that Agassi was not that
powerful server as Sampras or Courier, but was the finest returner
of serve in the game of tennis.

And this unrelenting star of the game had registered his first and
only win over Sampras, which occurred at the Australian Open singles
final in 1995 that yielded the first title for him at this open,
that too in his maiden appearance.

Records show Australian Open to be the favorite of Agassi, which he
won four times. He had won the U.S. Open twice but French Open and
Wimbledon eluded beyond only once each. Interesting feature here
is Agassi also won the Wimbledon title on his maiden appearance in
finals and that was also his only title win here.

He came out of the boycott of All England lawn event in 1992 to win
his first major title defeating Goran Ivanisevic in the finals. In
fact, his title tank was dry in his initial years of turning a pro.

His boycott of Wimbledon was in protest of all-white dress code.

Fortunes turned in his favor after this event, and he climbed up
ladders in rankings to fourth place from 25th. In all, he had entered
15 finals of Grand Slams and produced results of 8 to 7 win-loss ratio.

But it should be said that Agassi’s title chances soared even as his
relationship with Nick soured, and when he turned to fellow American
and pro Brad Gilbert to coach him. It clicked as he clinched two Grand
Slam trophies and an Olympic gold medal over the next couple of years.

However, his game took a beating when he squandered lavishly in
off-court activities. His career graph was on a declining trend with
his dating and marriage with famed Hollywood star Brooke Shields. The
affair that started in 1993 culminated eventually in marriage on
April 19, 1997.

During this period, his ranking plunged to 140s, and Agassi surprised
every one by returning to the arena. He made a humble effort of joining
the Challenger circuit and reviving his fortunes on the main Tour,
as he believed he had some more years left in him.

REEMERGENCE OF A STAR…

Rehabilitation by 1999 after breaking his marriage with the Shields
in annulment saw resurgence of fortunes for Agassi as he claimed the
French Open Grand Slam to become only the fifth man in tennis history
to have won all four. Many linked this success to his dating with
Steffi and subsequent marriage in 2001.

However, age did work against him as he faced chronic back problem.

That happened, it seems he is retiring without completing the full
circle of his career.

AGASSI CHARITY…

Andre Agassi revealed his other side long time back when he founded in
1994, the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF | charts | news |
PowerRating) to provide recreational and educational opportunities
for at-risk children in Southern Nevada.

Since its inception, the Foundation has supported more than 20
organizations and raised more than $60 million for programs designed
to enhance a child’s character, self-esteem and career possibilities.

Because all of the Foundation’s operating costs are underwritten,
every penny raised goes directly towards improving the lives of
at-risk youth.

"I have been very blessed and had many opportunities available to
me," said Agassi. "Children today face so many obstacles. If I can
make a positive impact on at least one child’s life, then it has all
been worthwhile."

The Agassi Foundation is also promoting The Andre Agassi College
Preparatory Academy, a charter school for underprivileged children,
funding it jointly with the Nevada State Department of Education. The
academy opens in West Las Vegas.

U.S. AMBASSADOR DOES NOT GIVE RA PRESIDENT AUDIO CASSETTE RELATING TO FACT OF CORRUPTION

Noyan Tapan
Sept 04 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The U.S. Ambassy to the RA spread
an information on September 1, which reads the following: "Rumours,
as if U.S. Ambassador gave a recording to RA President Robert Kocharian
which proved the Minister’s involvement in corruption, have often been
spread in press lately. We have no information about existence of such
a recording and have given no recording to the President. We are in
a continuous dialogue with the RA Government officials at different
levels connected with the official corruption problem. When trustworthy
information about involvement in corruption reaches us, we, of course,
pass that information to corresponding high-ranking officials of the
RA. We inexorably call on the RA officials to investigate accusations
of an involvement in the corruption and to carry out a pursuit,
especially in those cases, when it is spoken about ministers and
high-ranking officials.

Armenia may not become a fully succeeded democratic and economically
solid state if impartiality is not guaranteed at all levels of the
government."

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
September 1, 2006 Friday 11:44 AM MSK

Georgia, Armenia make border delimitation plan

Georgian and Armenian foreign ministry experts approved a plan to
mark off sections of the Georgian- Armenian border that have not yet
been agreed upon at talks in Yerevan on Monday and Tuesday, the
Georgian Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Thursday.

"At the meeting, the sides agreed on the legal groundwork for the
delimitation of sections of the common border that remain unsettled,
to coordinated approaches and mapped out a program of action," a
ministry source said.

The next meeting on the demarcation of the border between the two
countries will be held in Tbilisi in October, the ministry told
Interfax.

Festive events started in Stepanakert

ArmRadio.am
01.09.2006 12:05

The festive events dedicated to the 15th anniversary of declaration of
independence started in Nagorno Karabakh.

This evening a festive meeting, featuring NKR authorities and society,
guests from Armenia, Russia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and other
countries will be held in Stepanakert, ArnInfo reports.

The delegations invited to participate in the celebration will be
received by NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan.

The first day of the academic year in Karabakh was dedicated to the
15th anniversary of declaration of NKR independence. In the framework
of the celebration war veterans will be awarded orders. Participants
of the Great Patriotic War, families of those who fell during the
Artsakhi war and the handicapped will receive financial assistance.

A number of cultural and sport events are also scheduled. The actors
and singers from Karabakh and Armenia will perform both in capital
Stepanaeket and in the regions of the Republic.

The celebration will be concluded with a salute.

AZERBAIJAN’S JEWISH ENCLAVE
By Sabuhi Mamedli in Krasnaya Sloboda

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Aug. 31, 2006

"Mountain Jews" live harmoniously with their Muslim neighbours in
the north of the country.

"Krasnaya Sloboda is the safest place for Jews at the moment," said
Nisim Nisimov, head of the municipal administration in the village of
Krasnaya Sloboda – which means "Red Settlement". "We are not hostile
towards Muslims. We live on perfect good neighbourly terms with them."

Krasnaya Sloboda, the last surviving compact community of "Mountain
Jews" in the Caucasus, is situated in the mountainous Quba district
of northern Azerbaijan.

This small community has managed to stay immune to both the Jewish
exodus from the region following the end of the Soviet Union and
fallout from the Jewish-Muslim conflict in the Middle East.

During the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the media
in Azerbaijan came out with conflicting reports, with some saying
that Jewish families had fled from Israel to Krasnaya Sloboda, while
others said that residents had gone in the opposition direction to
enrol as volunteers in the Israeli Defence Forces.

Semyon Ihilov, head of the Jewish community of Azerbaijan, told IWPR
the reports were not true and a visit to Krasnaya Sloboda suggested
a much more quiet and harmonious picture – despite it being an island
of Jews surrounded by Muslims.

According to Jewish community leaders, a little over 16,000 Jews live
in Azerbaijan today, of whom 11,000 are Mountain Jews with about
3,600 of them in Krasnaya Sloboda. They speak a dialect of the Tat
language, which is related to Persian, and have lived in the Caucasus
for generations.

Krasnaya Sloboda is a prosperous place, which stands in sharp contrast
to the surrounding area. The roads are in a good state and there are
plenty of expensive foreign cars. Seen from high ground, the village
has a reddish tint, due to the red tiling of the roofs – which may
be the explanation for its name. Frequent signs in Hebrew and the
wearing of skullcaps are the main clues to the different cultural
identity of the place.

"The village has two secondary schools, a college, synagogue, a house
of culture, where we observe all our religious holidays and historical
dates," said Nisimov.

Local residents are mostly well off, but few of them have jobs.

Municipal official Pisah Isakov, said, "There used to be a canning
factory here, which employed at least a thousand people. Nowadays the
plant is running at half capacity, and unemployment has grown. There
are no lands to cultivate in the village either."

Explaining the secret of the village’s prosperity, Isakov said it
was supported by benefactors, all wealthy natives of the village now
living elsewhere He said these included three men Zahar Iliev, Telman
Ismailov, Sergei Kokunov, who have fortunes estimated at between 350
and 540 million dollars and all of whom feature in Forbes Magazine’s
list of the 100 richest people in Russia.

Isakov said Kokunov had donated money for repair work on the schools
in Krasnaya Sloboda, which should be completed by the beginning of
the new school year.

Relations are generally friendly between Krasnaya Sloboda and other
villages and there are cases of inter-ethnic marriages.

"Three years ago my son married the daughter of my neighbour Abraham,"
said Gasym Aliev. "They live in Israel today. Of course we are worried
about them because of the war. But from a financial point of view,
they live very well and send money to us every month too."

However, some neighbouring Muslims – Azerbaijanis, Lezgins and Tats –
are envious of the Jews’ prosperity.

"I have a great respect for Jews," said Abdullayev. "But why have
they been able to make their village look like a small European town,
whereas we cannot do this with ours? You must have seen how terrible
the state of Quba’s bus station is. And that’s the centre of the
district… I’m not even mentioning the villages."

Nisim Nisimov said that the village’s population used to be 19,000 but,
beginning in the 1970s, many Jews began to emigrate to Israel.

In the last few years the outflow has stopped. Several Azerbaijani
and Lezgin families now live alongside their Jewish neighbours.

Nisimov wants to encourage Jews to move back to the village. "It
would be a justified step for our compatriots to move from warring
Israel back to our peaceful village," said Nisimov. "During the many
years we’ve lived in the village surrounded by Muslim communities,
there have never been any ethnic or religious differences. We’ve
lived in peace and harmony for many years.

"Krasnaya Sloboda is in fact the safest place in the world for Jews
to live. But despite the safety of our village, not a single Jewish
family has come from Israel to live here. Even those who left the
village have never come back."

School headmaster Yaushva Silanduyev said they get many visits from
former residents, especially on August 3 which is their annual day
of mourning for the dead.

"Lots of people came from America, France, Israel and Russia this
year," he said. "Probably, this year’s mass arrival of Jews in
Azerbaijan was misinterpreted because of the war between Israel
and Lebanon."

The villagers are keen to stress that they are good Azerbaijani
citizens and their first loyalty is to Azerbaijan. "We consider
ourselves to be part of the Azerbaijani people," said Nisimov. "A big
part of the repertoire of the Gubba musical ensemble, which I direct,
consists of Azeri folk songs and mugams (traditional songs)."

Abdulla Abdullayev, from the nearby Azerbaijani village of Nugadi,
said the Gubba group from Krasnaya Sloboda was frequently invited
to Azerbaijani weddings, "They sing our songs well, even better than
many Azerbaijani musicians."

In Krasnaya Sloboda, they also mention the fact that their most famous
son Albert Agaronov, a tank-driver, was made a hero of Azerbaijan
after he was killed defending the town of Shusha in 1992 in the war
over Nagorny Karabakh. Lazar, aged 73, said, "All Mountain Jews are
proud of him. If a new war to free Karabakh begins tomorrow, I’m sure
all the young men from Krasnaya Sloboda will stand up and fight."

However, Lazar adds that no one in the village has displayed any
willingness to go and defend Israel and he doubted that would happen,
"Yes, we are Jews, and when blood is being spilled in Israel, we
feel pain for our brothers. But we are citizens of Azerbaijan, and
our homeland is here. We should defend our homeland, Azerbaijan."

Sabuhi Mamedli is a freelance journalist based in Baku.

SOMA: IRAQ’S NEW PAPER TIGER
Adnan R. Khan

Macleans, Canada
Aug. 30, 2006

Launching a newspaper is hard enough — even without an insurgency.

But a Canadian editor and founder is toughing it out.

A new voice has entered the media fray in Iraq, one with a Canadian
twist. Soma, meaning "perspective" in Kurdish, is a biweekly
English-language digest published out of Iraqi Kurdistan. It’s headed
by a Canadian whose vision is to transform journalism in Iraq. And,
says editor and founder Tanya Goudsouzian, "It’s been a challenge."

Indeed. Goudsouzian is a 29-year-old Montreal native of Armenian
descent who speaks no Kurdish and only very basic Arabic. She launched
the paper in February 2006 with the help of Hiro Ibrahim Ahmad,
the wife of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. And the road to her
cramped office in Sulaymaniyah, a city 275 km north of Baghdad and
the regional headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK),
the political party headed by Talabani, has been anything but smooth.

After graduating from McGill in 1998, Goudsouzian moved to Washington
to work at a magazine focusing on Middle Eastern issues. She left in
2000, moving to Cairo, then landing a staff position at Gulf News
in Dubai. She covered Afghanistan and Iraq, where she met Ahmad,
who worked in journalism before her husband became the Iraqi leader.

Since its launch, Soma has been pumping out 4,000 issues every two
weeks, with website traffic surpassing 100,000 hits. Also remarkable
is the fact that it is distributed nationally. "We print out of
Baghdad," says Goudsouzian. "Every issue has to be sent south for
printing and distribution and then issues have to be flown back to
Kurdistan. The main reason we send the paper south is I want it to
have a national appeal. It’s geared for the English-speaking community
and English-speaking Iraqis throughout Iraq, not just Kurdistan."

Soma must contend with a journalistic mindset still firmly rooted
in the Baathist era. For the most part, the Iraqi media remains a
mouthpiece for those in power, only now there are more mouths. In
Kurdistan, Iraq’s most democratized region, only one of dozens of
publications is fully independent: the weekly Hawlati. And, says its
editor, Twana Osman, 31, "There are certain subjects you just can’t
touch. We’ve had journalists arrested for criticizing the government,
for example. I’ve been formally charged for criticizing the Kurdish
regional prime minister."

Soma has been pigeonholed as a PUK organ, Goudsouzian complains. "I
know it sounds like a contradiction, the wife of the president funding
a newspaper," she says, "but Hiro is genuinely interested in a free
press." There are, after all, very few people with money in Iraq who
are not associated with a party. "So if you receive funding at all,"
Goudsouzian says, "it’s likely you’re receiving it from someone with
party affiliations."

Soma does not consider itself a political watchdog. Goudsouzian
admits she tries to avoid taboo subjects, such as censuring certain
powerful individuals. "I don’t want it to be filled with yellow
news-style personal attacks," she says, noting that tendency in other
publications. "I want to change things. I take young journalists to
interviews so they see how it should be done. I’m training these guys
on how to report, how to construct a story." Injecting professionalism
into an underdeveloped journalistic community is idealistic, and
difficult. But, Goudsouzian says, "You’re taking part in the rebuilding
of a civilization. You have to be an idealist or you’d go nuts. I
don’t plan on being here forever. But I plan on leaving my mark."

INTELLECTUALS’ FORUM: S.KAPUTIKIAN WILL ALWAYS ACCOMPANY US AND FUTURE GENERATIONS TOWARDS ARMENIANS’ DREAMT BRIGHT FUTURE

Noyan Tapan
Aug 28 2006

YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The Intellectuals’ Forum Councillor
made a statement on the occasion of famous poetess Silva Kaputikian’s
death. The statement, particularly, reads the following: "Another
Armenian great aesthete of speech, idea and soul bade farewell to
the world. She entirely gifted her talent to the dear people, she
endlessly believed in its bright future. She, with her tender powerful
and deep inner world, leveled a road towards the world of beauty,
kind and justice. Yes, the Great Armenian Lady passed away. But she
only physically passed away. She is a traveller of eternity and will
always accompany us and future generations towards the Armenians’
dreamt bright future." The statement is signed by Yervand Manarian,
Rafayel Ghazarian, Ohan Durian, Dmitri Adbashian, Anna Boyajian,
Khoren Palian, David Sedrakian, Lenser Aghalovian, Robert Karayan,
Hrachia Matevosian, Perch Zeytuntsian. To recap, Silva Kaputikian
was a member of the Intellectuals’ Forum.

337 PRISONERS AMNESTIED IN ARMENIA

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 28, 2006

YEREVAN, August 28. /ARKA/. 337 prisoners have been amnestied in
Armenia on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the country’s
independence. Fifty prisoners’ terms have been reduced.

Press Secretary of the RA Ministry of Justice Anahit Voskanyan reported
that the amnesty applies to the people that committed crimes before
June 1, 2006.

She also said that the information on the amnestied prisoners is as
of August 18, 2006.

"However, the number of amnestied prisoners will not rise, because
the amnestied groups are clearly determined. The process will last
until September 30,"she said.

On July 7, 2006, the RA Parliament made a unanimous decision announcing
amnesty.

Most of the prisoners included in the amnesty are persons sentenced
to three years, persons subjected to punishment not involving
imprisonment, as well as persons subjected to conditional punishment.

In certain cases, people sentenced to 5-10 years will be amnestied
as well.

The perpetrators of serious and grave crimes will not be amnestied.

The last amnesty was announced in Armenia in 2001, on the occasion
of the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia.