Author: Chilingarian Babken

WHO ARE THE YAZIDIS SECT?

Metro/UK
Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Yazidis are predominantly ethnic Kurds whose religion blends elements
of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Small communities of Yazidis can be found in Syria, Turkey, Georgia
and Armenia, but the majority of the estimated 100,000 believers live
in Iraq.

Most Yazidis, even young people, choose to live in these isolated
communities, though they are often face extreme poverty.

Yazidis worship an angel figure, Malak Ta’us, or Peacock Angel,
who is considered to be the devil by some Muslims and Christians.

Yazidis – who don’t believe in hell or evil – deny that.

Many Yazidi rituals center on Sheik Adi, a Sufi Arab who lived in
northern Iraq in the 12th century and is considered the religion’s
chief saint.

Pilgrims hold festivals near his tomb, north of Mosul.

Many Yazidi traditions are shrouded in such secrecy that most have
never been witnessed by outsiders.

Yazidis regard marriage outside their faith as a sin punishable by
ostracism or even death to restore lost honor.

CANADIAN COMPANY TO SEARCH FOR GAS IN ARMENIA

arminfo
2007-08-13 10:22:00

A Canadian company will search for gas in Armenia. As REGNUM News
Agency reports, the Transeuro Energy Canadian Company schedules to
start researches and geological exploration of gas after August 22
in suburbs of Kogbavan village of Armavir region. It is envisaged to
spend about $10 mln for preliminary exploration and well-drilling. It
is scheduled that the first-stage works will last 3-4 months. ‘If
industrial reserves of gas are found, the company will much increase
the volume of investments’, the source notes and adds that according
to the geological data, there are gas reserves in Armavir region,
however, exploration works should be carried out to clarify the
volumes and economic substantiation of gas recovery.

PREPARATORY MEASURES OF THIRD CONFERENCE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF HEIRS OF THOSE, WHO SURVIVED GENOCIDE, HAVE STARTED

Noyan Tapan
Aug 10 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Vardan Oskanian, the RA Minister of
Foreign Affairs, received Karen Mikayelian, a member of the Committee
for organizing the preparatory measures of the conference of the
representatives of the heirs of those, who survived the genocide, on
August 10. According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the
Press and Information Department of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the two previous conferences were held in Yerevan in 1917 and 1918.

Introducing the significance and necessity of organizing this third
conference in respect of jointly nominating and solving national
problems, Karen Mikayelian declared that a few organizational sittings
have already been held and that the Declaration on founding entitled
represantative bodies has been published.

Attaching importance to the initiative on continuing the interrupted
processes of the two previous conferences and holding the third one,
Vardan Oskanian mentioned that in order to hold such a representative
conference, it is necessary to implement great preparatory measures in
the Armenian communities of the Diaspora, with temporal and spiritual
organizations, in particular, by discussing with them all the problems
concerning the organization of the conference beforehand.

GEVOR READY FOR ABRAHAM!

fightnews.com
niversum168.htm
Aug 9 2007

Finally the wait is over. Universum middleweight Khoren Gevor has
his world title fight. The IBF #5 ranked mandatory challenger and
world champion Arthur Abraham will face each other on August 18 at
the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin in an intriguing battle between
German citizens with Armenian roots.

Not only has the ring career of the Gevor had some eventful and
unusual moments but also his private life. He started boxing when he
was 12 years old. Ever since, the Armenian-born fighter has dreamed of
winning a world championship belt. As a amateur he won six national
Armenian titles. But Khoren didn’t see his boxing future in Armenia
and therefore he immigrated to Germany at the age of 16 in order to
fulfil his dream there. When he arrived in Germany he lived in a
children’s home in a town named Gunzenhausen in Bavaria for three
years. As there was no boxing club nearby he had to travel 2½ hrs
every day to Nuremberg and train there. The survivalist Gevor had
more obstacles to take than expected to remain in Germany and continue
his boxing dream in the following years.

After a very successful amateur career with 72 wins in 75 fights
and six national Armenian titles he turned pro in 2000. Khoren Gevor
signed a contract with Universum Box-Promotion and worked together with
Torsten Schmitz for 13 fights. Afterwards he was trained by Michael
Timm and Magomed Schaburow before his final switch to Fritz Sdunek. He
is a very ambitious athlete, sometime a bit overly ambitious. His
trainer and father figure Sdunek says "if I don’t kick him out of the
gym he won’t stop his training." Gevor goes as far as keeping daily
records of his weights and his meals. Although they are a great team,
Gevor states about his daily notes, "He is not inside my body and
I’m doing this for myself."

The 28-year-old middleweight is an absolute family man. He and his
wife Nenel are expecting their first child in September but he is
also a stepfather to her sons Abel (14) and Norayr (16). Both are
also boxers – fighting for a club in Hamburg and have already become
Northern Germany champions. Whenever they have some free time they
are studying boxing videos of their idol: "Dad" Khoren.

Gevor doesn’t have a driver’s license, but he loves to build car
models and gets around by riding a bike. He often spends time in
front of his computer. After his boxing career he wants to work as
a 3D graphic designer to devote to his passion of cars although he
can only currently drive them with a controller.

His only two defeats were in 2002, against Lukas Konecny in fights
for the International German Championship at light middleweight. He
lost both fights due to what he says were intentional head butts
by the Czech which caused heavy cuts above the eyes. Since than he
has won the WBO and IBF Intercontinental belts. After a long wait,
he is now ready to face Abraham for the IBF world championship at
middleweight. It will be his 30th fight.

"I have waited for this moment for so long and here I am. I’m
undertaking a tough training preparation to be in the best shape for
this challenge and dethrone the world champion," the highly motivated
Gevor states. "When I know that there is somebody better than me than
I will retire!"

Also Coach Fritz Sdunek is happy for Khoren and is looking forward to
this tough challenge. "Khoren deserves this chance more than anybody
and he worked so hard. He was already so close before this chance
came up. Our preparation was very intense and we know that Abraham
can be beaten."

–Boundary_(ID_4MJbsv6FUZUggGo0vzX1 4A)–

ARMENIANS SELL AZERBAIJANI CARPETS IN EUROPE

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 9 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. S.Jaliloglu / Jeyran Bayramova, the
director of the Karabakh carpet weaving plant, stated on 9 August
that Armenians appropriated the designs of Azerbaijani carpets in
have been kept in 14 carpet weaving shops, situated in the Azerbaijani
territories occupied by the Armenian Armed Forces.

According to Bayramova, Armenians are weaving carpets similar
to Karabakh samples of ‘Khanlig’ and ‘Shasha’, ‘Nalbaki gul’, Ag
chichaklar’ and many others and are selling them in European countries,
and exhibiting them as ‘Karabakh carpets of Armenia’.

Bayramova added that the price for a carpet with the Karabakh design
is about ~@3,000.

After being occupied, 24 people are working in the Barda carpet
plant. Karabakh carpet shops were established in the 18th Century in
private houses. The Karabakh carpet plant uniting 500 people was opened
in 1939. Weaving of the Karabakh carpets began in the Agdam, Shusha,
Khankandi, Khojali, Jabrail and Lachin regions of Azerbaijan from 1956.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988
due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these
territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time
the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
(Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.

CONTROVERSY STIRRED OVER GENOCIDE
Andrew H. Tarsy Regional Director James L. Rudolph Regional Chairman

Boston Globe
August 8, 2007

THE GLOBE is correct that the controversy in Watertown over the
Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate program is not of our making
("A genocide not to be denied," Editorial, Aug. 3). This ADL program
helps reduce prejudice and build respect for differences. We hope
Watertown will continue to participate irrespective of other issues.

Breaking News Alerts ADL has never denied what happened at the close
of the First World War. There were massacres of Armenians and great
suffering at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. We believe today’s
Turkish government should do more than it has done to come to grips
with the past and reconcile with Armenians. We have said that to
Turkish officials and we have said it publicly. ADL continues to
believe this is the best way to proceed.

Many groups have experienced horrific atrocities. Sharing our
unique histories and building mutual respect is at the core of the
ADL mission.

Jews, Armenians, and other groups should continue to develop positive
relationships out of a genuine desire to better understand one another
and build a safer world. Attacking the integrity of ADL or No Place
for Hate does not advance these goals and should be soundly rejected.

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ______________
RFE/RL Balkan Report
Vol. 11, No. 8

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the
western Balkans.

KOSOVO: FINAL STATUS ‘SHOULD BE DECIDED BY DECEMBER’

Mediators from the international Contact Group on Kosovo are due to
embark on a last-ditch round of shuttle diplomacy this week. The
Contact Group has set up a diplomatic troika to arbitrate the talks
between Serbia and Kosovo?s independence-seeking ethnic-Albanian
majority. The talks are expected to last no more than 120 days.
/adb079e2-1a37-4ab3-aeed-40cc9f69c01d.html

KOSOVO: EU DRIFTING TOWARD SOLUTION OUTSIDE UN

By Ahto Lobjakas

Until now, the European Union has been a firm supporter of resolving
the dispute over Kosovo’s future status in the UN Security Council.
/07/a10ce44b-5bbe-4a7e-b59c-b61f8e9c29e4.html

************************************************* ********
Copyright (c) 2007. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.

"RFE/RL Balkan Report" is compiled on the basis of a variety of sources.

For information on reprints, see:
p
Back issues are online at

Te chnical queries should be e-mailed to: [email protected]

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY
Vinohradska 1, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a private, international
communications service to Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, and
Central and Southwestern Asia funded by the U.S. Congress through the
Broadcasting Board of Governors. Our website is located at

LOSSES OF SUFFERED VILLAGES WILL BE COMPENSATED
S. Khachatrian

Azat Artsakh Tert, Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Aug 7 2007

In the two communities of Mardakert region – Hovtashen and New
Seysulan, on the days in connection with tha taken place elements
with the purpose of getting interpritations we applied to the head
of the region board administration K. Petrosian. He pointed that the
elements took place on July 27th and 28th . It also rained pourily
with strong wind. Above these two villages there is a canal, which
was teared from different parts. The cover of silt compiled 20-30cm.

The head of the region board administration and the head of the
village were in the district and examined house by house the sizes of
damage. The NKR Prime Minister Anoushavan Danielian assigned to clear
up the sizes of damage in a short period of time and represent to the
Governmnet the accountings to render assistance to those communites.

JIRAYR SEFILIANC SENTENCED TO ONE AND A HALF YEAR OF IMPRISONMENT

Noyan Tapan
Aug 06 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The Court of First Instance of the
Kentron and Nork_Marash communities of Yerevan, with judge Mnatsakan
Martirosian at the head, found Jirayr Sefilian, the coordinator of
the non-governmental civil initiative "In defence of the liberated
territories", guilty of carrying an illegal weapon and sentenced him to
one and a half year of imprisonment by the bill of indictment passed
on August 6. With this very judgement, Jirayr Sefilian was found not
guilty of the charge, according to which he had made calls to conquer
the state authorities by using violence.

Vardan Malkhsian, a member of the political board of the "Homeland
and Honor" party, was found guilty of making calls to conquer the
state authorities by using violence and was sentenced to two years
of imprisonment. Vahan Aroyan, a former freedom fighter, was found
guilty of keeping an illegal weapon and ammunition and was sentenced
to one and a half year of imprisonment.

The defensive side declared in its interview with journalists that
they will, no doubt, appeal against this bill of indictment in the
Court of Appeal on Criminal Cases.

RAMIL SAFAROV’S LAWYERS GOING TO ISSUE CASSATION COMPLAINT TO HUNGARIAN COURT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2007 14:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A cassation appeal on the case of Azeri army officer
Ramil Safarov will be sent to the Hungarian court in September,
judge Ikram Shirinov said.

An appeal on "Safarov’s alleged disobedience to the warders" will be
also considered, he added.

Besides, Mr Shirinov informed that lawyer Elmar Kerimov and another
lawyer, whose name is not announced, as the contract hasn’t been
concluded with him yet, are dealing with the Safarov case, Day.az
reported quoting Lider TV channel.

February 19, 2004 Armenian Armed Forces officer Gurgen Margaryan, who
was taking an English language course in Budapest within Partnership
for Peace NATO program, was brutally axed asleep by his Azeri
fellow Ramil Safarov. The Hungarian court sentenced Safarov to life
imprisonment without a right for pardon during the initial 30 years.

In November 2006 the warders brought an action against Safarov. He
was accused of putting up resistance and injuring a state official
and was given an 8-month suspended sentence.