Author: Ekmekjian Janet

“KILIKIA” SAILING SHIP GETS INTO A HURRICANE
ArmRadio.am
30.08.2006 14:42
On its way from Sochi to Poti “Kilikia” sailing vessel got into a
hurricane this night. The crew of “Kilikia” applied great efforts to
survive and to save the vessel.
Honorary captain of the ship Zori Balayan said in his talk with
“Armenpress” correspondent that two years ago “Kilikia” faced the
same trial in the same place and in the same period of time. Zori
Balayan expressed the hope that ” Kilikia” will arrive at Poti harbor
September 3-4, and will reach Armenia on September 15.

Refugees At Jemaran School
Armenians and the Left
htm
Aug 24 2006
A Personal Essay by Armenian Volunteer at Refugee Center in Beirut
In mid July, the old Jemaran Armenian school complex in West Beirut
opened its doors to welcome over 90 families fleeing the fighting
in South Lebanon. The nearby Homenetmen Club was converted to a
medical clinic run by the Armenian Relief Society. Area activists took
turns helping the refugees cope with their new surroundings. Shaghig
Meguerditchian, an ARS activist and a high school French teacher by
profession, lives across the street from the Jemaran and volunteered
to help the refugees sheltered there on a regular basis. She sent us
this essay. It is entitled “Parev”.
In a single day, a magic wand changed my neighborhood just as it
had four weeks before. I watched it from my balcony: There was no
one left in the school which only two days ago was packed with women
and children. More than 600 people had managed to lead a precarious
existence there, using foam mattresses as beds, cardboard boxes and
nylon bags as closets, and windowsills as clotheslines.
My “students” have gone back to their homes, or what remains of them.
They waved to me as they left, smiled and made promises. Mohammed,
Ali, Hussain, Hassan, Abbas, Khaled, Haoura, Zeinab, Zahra, Asra,
Amani, Betoul…I must admit that I miss them.
I enter the school through the large gate. To my right are two big
water barrels, and to my left, around a low table, are the directors
of this so-called “campground.” A nod of the head and they say,
” Ejit al moualmeh “, or “the teacher is here.” As I approach them,
the children run towards me from every which way to say “Parev, parev!”
(an Armenian greeting that I taught them).
– Have you brought us storybooks?
= Yes, four of them.
– Are we going to draw afterwards?
= Certainly!
– And then play?
= Well yes, of course!
We all settle in the courtyard, around a table and two benches. They
push each other, some sitting on the table and some on pieces of
cardboard, while others stay standing. It doesn’t matter though,
since we are far from the war and the rumblings of war planes – the
only planes we’ve heard for a month – which have turned our beautiful
blue sky into something deafening and suffocating instead.
Max Velthuijs’s strange bird captivates the children. They adore this
bird that flies out from the painting sold to a rich man by a poor
painter and searches for its rightful place in this vast world.
They want to touch the book and take turns telling the story
themselves, again and again!
= Why can’t the bird find his family?
– Because he’s imaginary.
= Why is he so sad in the forest?
– Because he wants to return home!
This says it all.
I ask them to draw an imaginary bird, strange and never before seen.
Little Mohammad shows me his drawing.
-Excellent! Now go, color it!
He comes back, and his strange bird is now full of color. At the
top of his drawing, he’s written in black: “Samidoun” (“We will stay
strong.”) I tell him: -Your bird is very nice. I like it a lot…but
what does it have to do with what you have written here?
He looks at me, surprised, and walks away without saying a word. Had
he not understood? Yes, he had. He returns and hands me his paper,
from which he has erased the legend completely, so that you can’t see
a letter, not even the slightest hint of a letter! He had understood.
I had, too. The next day, when I ask them to draw using their own
imagination rather than an inspiration from a story, Lebanese and
Israeli flags appear on hilltops, as do fighters with machine guns
and a war plane dropping bombs, its tail proudly displaying the word
“Hezbollah.” Apparently, I had lost: it’s impossible to forget a war
when you’re stuck right in the middle of it.
So, let’s play this game honestly.
Today it’s Tomie de Paola’s Giant of Barletta. Life goes on as normal
in the beautiful city of Barletta, until, one day, an enemy army
invades and destroys everything along its path. “Israel!” exclaim
the children. I wanted to stay tough. “Not necessarily. Nothing shows
that; not all enemies are called ‘Israel.’ If you were in Israel now,
Lebanon would be your enemy. Besides, look at the soldiers wearing
the Roman uniform.” They look at me without really believing me. Just
then, a fight breaks out between Ali and Omar. “He pushed me!” “He
took my place!” I interfere: “So you are enemies now?” They both fall
silent. I had made my point. I continue and finish the story.
I reach into my bag and take out images I had printed from the
internet.
“Look! They are protesting for us in Boston, for peace in Lebanon,
look!” I show them young people waving Lebanese flags and holding
signs, and I explain the slogans. Here is a girl addressing the crowd.
Their little heads come closer.
– For us? An jadd ? (“Really?”) = Who are these people?
-They are Lebanese, Americans, Armenians, Jews.
= What? Jews? That’s impossible, says Rayan.
– Why not?
= The Jews hate us. They are with Israel, affirms Rana.
An impatient voice interjects: – You don’t understand! If they are
protesting for peace in Lebanon, then they are with Lebanon! Khalas
! (“End of story!”) Ibrahim’s flawless logic makes everyone
speechless. Thus, when reality refuses to move, one must play with
the words.
Now the courtyard is empty and quiet.
The children have returned to their homes. Will they grow up in
peace? They deserve it so much! As for me, I will surely never forget
them. I can still hear the joyful “parev” greeting me, and I still
smile at little Mohammed with his mischievous eyes who used to greet
me in his own special way: – Parev! Kilol khiar be elef ! (“One kilo
of cucumbers for a thousand Lebanese pounds!” Note: “parev” and “elef”
rhyme in Arabic.)
Shaghig Meguerditchian-Papazian Beirut, August 16, 2006 (Translated
from the original French by Alik and Nayiri)

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MAY MEET IN SLOVENIA
ArmRadio.am
28.08.2006 14:36
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Vardan Oskanian and
Elmar Mammadyarov are scheduled to meet in Slovenia today, ANS TV
Channel reports.
Acting Armenian MFA Press Secretary Vladimir Karapetyan sais,
however that no agreement has been reached on the meeting between
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Vardan Oskanian and
Elmar Mammadyarov.
Speaking about the possibility of the meeting in Slovenia, Vladimir
Karapetyan noted that the Foreign Ministry possesses no such
information. However, he did not rule out the opportunity of the
Foreign Ministers meeting.
August 27-28 Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan is participating
in the “Caspian Prospects 2008” conference in Slovenia. The conference
welcomes also heads of states, Foreign Ministers, EU and NATO Special
Representatives to the South Caucasus, representatives of international
organizations and political scientists.

TURKS LEAN TOWARD SENDING TROOPS FOR UNIFIL
Compiled by Daily Star staff
Daily Star – Lebanon
Aug. 28, 2006
Cabinet has approved move in principle, will ask parliament to ratify
The Turkish government agreed in principle on Monday to contribute
troops to an expanded United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon
(UNIFIL). “The issue of the UN peacekeeping force was discussed and
it was decided in principle that we participate in the mission,”
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
NATO member Turkey has good ties with both Israel and the Arab
states. The United States, Israel and Lebanon have all urged Ankara
to take part in the peacekeeping force. The Turkish government will
ask Parliament to reconvene this week or next to approve the troop
deployment, but no details of its size were revealed Monday.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is keen to boost
Turkey’s role in the Middle East but has been concerned about the
UN force’s rules of engagement. Some AKP lawmakers are worried that
Turkish troops may be asked to help disarm Hizbullah and could get
dragged into the conflict with Israel.
However, the Tashnak Party, which represents many members of the
Armenian community in Lebanon, reiterated its opposition to Turkish
participation.
During a visit to the Cypriot and French embassies in Beirut, a
delegation from the party said the Armenians in Lebanon “rejected
the presence of the Turkish Army in Lebanon.” It also submitted
documentation of the military and strategic alliance between Turkey
and Israel.
Also Monday, the Italian Cabinet approved the deployment of 2,500
troops to join the expanded UNIFIL. It also approved a $38 million
aid package for Lebanon.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has asked Italy to command the Lebanon
force as of February 2007, when France’s term is set to expire.
Italian General Fabrizio Castagnetti will head the mission’s new
strategic command center from the peacekeeping department at UN
headquarters in New York.
The Italian decision also authorized a $240 million budget for 2006
operations.
“In the coming hours we will initiate the complex logistics for
the deployment of the Italian forces,” Foreign Minister Massimo
D’Alema said.
The Italian Defense Ministry had said earlier in the day that a naval
task force was already being assembled to transport some 1,000 troops
to Lebanon, including marines and engineering corps specialists.
The task force, led by the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, is
scheduled to set sail Tuesday and reach the Lebanese coast on Friday.
Spain is also preparing to send troops to Lebanon. Spanish Defense
Minister Jose Antonio Alonso will go before Parliament next week
to explain his government’s possible contribution to the emerging
international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, the ministry said Monday.
Alonso will make his case on September 7, but it is not yet known if
there will be a vote the same day, the ministry said.
The Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
is reportedly considering sending up to 1,000 troops to the new force
being created to monitor a buffer zone in South Lebanon after 34 days
of war. – With agencies

Lab tests confirm no foot-and-mouth in Armenian district
Regnum, Moscow
25 Aug 06
25 August: The symptoms of the foot-and-mouth disease were found
in 10-15 cows in the pasture Artikskiye Dachi in Armenia’s Shirak
District on 22 August. At about 2330 [1830 gmt] on the same day, it
became known that the veterinary of the town of Artik confirmed this
information. The sick cattle were isolated and measures to prevent
the spread of the disease were taken.
However, Regnum learnt from the press service of the Rescue Service
under the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration that the
next day, 23 August, a report was received which said that according
to the results of laboratory tests, the disease discovered in the
cows in the Artikskiye Dachi had been diagnosed as stomatitis, which
is not infectious.

“KAJATUN” NEWSPAPER RE-PUBLISHED IN AKHALKALAK
AKHALKALAK, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The “Kajatun”
newspaper started to be re-published in Akhalkalak from August,
2006. The periodical was published in 2002-2004 once a month. According
to the “A-Info” agency, the last, 21st edition of the newspaper was in
December, 2004. “Kajatun” will be published with weekly periodicity
starting from the 22nd issue. The newspaper, the editor-in-chief of
which is Hamlet Anatolian, has journalists in Akhalkalak, Akhaltskha
and Ninotsminda.

ARMENIAN FM TO PARTICIPATE IN “CASPIAN PROSPECTS 2008” CONFERENCE
ARMENPRESS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian is going to participate in the “Caspian Prospects-2008”
conference which will be conducted August 27-28 in Bled, Slovenia.
The conference is organized by the joint efforts of the Slovenian
Foreign Ministry and Ljubljana’s Strategic Researches Institute.
Armenian Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress that during
the conference which is dedicated to the EU-South Caucasus relations
a discussion will be held over the geo-political, economic, strategic
and political prospects of the South Caucasian and Caspian regions.
Heads of states, foreign ministers, NATO and EU special representatives
in the South Caucasus, international experts and political analysts
are going to participate in the conference. During the conference
Armenian foreign minister is expected to deliver a speech.

KARABAKH SOLDIER IS WOUNDED AS A RESULT OF ARMISTICE REGIME VIOLATION
ON CONTACT LINE OF AF OF NKR AND AZERBAIJAN
Yerevan, August 25. ArmInfo. A soldier of NKR AF is wounded as a
result of violation of armistice regime on the contact line of Armed
Forces of NKR and Azerbaijan.
As a competent source told ArmInfo correspondent, the soldier was
wounded in the shoulder. The armistice regime violation happened in
Martakert direction.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA TO RESIGN IN SEPTEMBER
RIA Novosti, Russia
Aug. 22, 2006
YEREVAN, August 22 (RIA Novosti) – America’s ambassador to Armenia
announced Tuesday he would be leaving his post in September, after
only two years on the job.
John Evans, who was sworn in as ambassador in August 2004, courted
controversy in 2004 and 2005 for public comments he made on the 1915
Ottoman Empire’s massacre of ethnic Armenians, which the United States
neither denies nor officially recognizes as genocide.
Evans, who was publicly rebuked by the State Department, said: “The
Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the twentieth century.”
The ambassador later said he was expressing his personal viewpoint
and not the position of the United States government.
While the U.S. State Department has said the ambassador’s resignation
was not related to his comments, some members of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee have expressed doubt.
Last month, Senators Joe Biden (D-DE) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) sent
separate letters to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing
concern that the ambassador was fired for articulating a view of the
Armenian massacre not in keeping with administration policy.
The American-Armenian community has also expressed misgivings.
Armenian Assembly of America Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said:
“We have a fundamental policy disagreement with the administration,
and we will not stop work until the U.S. unequivocally affirms the
Armenian genocide.”
On May 23, U.S. President George Bush named Richard Hoagland to
replace Evans as American ambassador to Yerevan. But the Senate’s
Foreign Relations Committee has postponed considering his candidacy
until September.
Testifying before a committee meeting in July, Hoagland, a career
Foreign Service officer and the current U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan,
said: “The State Department has not directed me to make or avoid
specific statements about the tragic events that occurred at the end
of the Ottoman Empire.”
“The U.S. believes that the question of how to characterize these
horrific events is of such enormous human significance that it should
not be determined on the basis of politics, but through heartfelt
introspection among academics, civic leaders and societies,” he said.

ARMENIAN PREMIER SAYS MAJOR PROGRESS ACHIEVED AFTER INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
Arminfo
22 Aug 06
Yerevan, 22 August: Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan has
issued an address on the occasion of the day of adoption in 1990 of
the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, which is
marked on 23 August.
The message, in particular, noted that with the signing of the
Declaration of Armenia’s Independence, Armenian people showed
adherence, accumulated through centuries, to the aspirations and goals
put into life a year later in September as a result of a referendum
on independence, the press service of the Armenian government told
Arminfo.
“Thus, the history of the established independent Armenian state is 15
years old now and we are going to solemnly celebrate this anniversary
with our compatriots,” the Armenian politician noted.
He added that the Armenian state had overcome difficulties and achieved
considerable progress over the past 15 years. “These difficulties
did not break the will, nor did they devalue the most important
achievement – the very idea of independence which is consistently
strengthening, including in the work with the young generation,
towards consolidation of statehood, improvement in the welfare of
Armenian society, resolution of vital problems and integration into
the civilized world on the path of the establishment of civil society,”
the prime minister noted in the address.