Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

SAAKASHVILI APPEALS TO US AS RUSSIAN MILITARY UNITS ENTER GEORGIA

The White House Bulletin
August 8, 2008 Friday

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili appeared on CNN television
today to ask for US help, claiming Russia had invaded Georgia this
morning. Early press accounts reflected the confusion in the area,
but it appears that a smoldering situation caught fire today in
South Ossetia, a province of Georgia which has struggled to win its
independence, with the help of Russia which has deployed peacekeepers
to the provincial capital of Tskhinvali. Open fighting has been taking
place for weeks between South Ossetian separatists and Georgian
military forces, and some news accounts report that this morning
Georgian military units launched an offensive on the provincial capital
to regain control. Georgia lies in the Caucasus region and is bordered
by Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region is a major oil
producing and transit area, and ancient enmities among the Turks,
Armenians and Azeris have repeatedly flared into open hostilities,
with Armenia and Azerbaijan fighting as recently as 1994. Should
fighting from Georgia spill over into that area, it would mark a
third area of open warfare on Iran’s borders.

As of late this morning, the Georgian government was claiming to be
in control of Tskhinvali. A convoy of Russian tanks is expected to
reach that city by nightfall. The Russian military says 10 Russian
peacekeepers have been killed and 30 wounded in South Ossetia. Georgian
President Saakashvili claims Georgian defense forces shot down two
Russian fighter jets over Georgian territory. Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev said today, "I am obliged to protect the lives and dignity of
Russian citizens, no matter where they are located," adding, "We won’t
allow the death of our compatriots to go unpunished." Russian media,
citing South Ossetian rebel sources, said "hundreds" of civilians
were dead in Tskhinvali.

Opening the media front on the war, Saakashvili, speaking in
English, told CNN this morning, "Well, I mean, Georgia is under
attack. And we have Russian tanks moving in. We have continuous Russian
bombardments since yesterday, you know, specifically targeting civilian
population. It happened at — you know, we had lots of bombs today,
but it happened in one occasion I saw firsthand with my own eyes,
I happened to be in that town, two Russian jets coming very low, and
at low altitude at low speed, specifically looking at the marketplace
in a very busy afternoon time. And hitting it — hitting the crowd
of the people. And lots of wounded people there. And, you know,
this is — Russia is fighting war with us in our own territory. And
this — we are in the situation of self-defense against the big and
mighty neighbor. We are a country of less than 5 million people,
and certainly our forces are not comparable."

Asked what he would like the United States to do, Saakashvili said,
"Look, I mean, this conflict is not about separatist area inside
Georgia. There where — the overall population there is less than
25,000 people. It has never been more than 30,000. And it’s ethnically
diverse, and it’s right in the middle of Georgia. Russia has been
preparing for this for years and months now, you know. There have
been amassing troops at our border at that place for already four
months and they made no secret. They are unhappy with our closeness
with the United States, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,
with the West in general. They are happy with Georgian — they are
unhappy with Georgian democracy, and the way Georgia is run. Georgia
is indeed one of small but very prosperous democratic neighbors of
Russia. Not a good example for present people, apparently, in the
Kremlin. And the point here is that, you know, they’ve always told us,
We’ll hit at you because you’re so close to the United States."

Saakashvili continued, "Yesterday the whole thing started. You
know, they had been shelling our position for weeks and weeks and
for — especially the last hours. We didn’t respond, we declared
a cease-fire. And we only responded when Russian tanks started to
move into our country. I mean, at 24:00 a.m., the very moment I got
the news, Russian tanks are in, I told, OK, let’s open the artillery
fire. This was not about separatist area. This a very blunt Russian
aggression.

"So what the — what America can do about it? Well, look, it’s not
about Georgia anymore. It’s about the principles and values America
has. You know, it’s like Finland in 1939 attacked by Stalin. It’s like
Afghanistan in 1979. It’s like Czechoslovakia in 1968, when Soviet and
Russians tanks moved in. We are right now suffering because we want to
be free and we want to be a democracy — multi-ethnic democracy that
belongs to all ethnic groups. And that’s exactly what’s happening
there. So, basically I have to — I mean, it’s not about Georgia
anymore, it’s about America, its values.

"You know, I went to two U.S. universities. I always thought that these
values were also those of my own. We have held them not because we love
America — although I love America — but because we love freedom. And
the point here is that I also thought that America always stands
up for those free-loving nations and supports them. And that’s what
America is all about. That’s why we look with hope at every American."

Saakashvili Claims Georgian Attack Would Be Suicidal.

Asked about the Russian contention that Russia is only protecting
South Ossetians in the face of a Georgian attack, Saakashvili
responded, "You know how well the moment was chosen. Look
at it. You know, there is — there are Olympic Games; nobody
cares about politics. There is a U.S. election, of course, the
internal politics consumes everything. There is — most of the
decision-makers are gone for holidays. Brilliant moment to attack a
small country. Who would care? Please, do care, because it makes lots
of difference." Saakashvili added, "Of course, it would be suicidal
of us to provoke Russia unless Russia — I mean, what happened to us,
it wasn’t about provocation anymore. Russia waited, waited for some
time and then just said, ‘OK, something is happening, you know, there
is artillery fire, there is attack,’ and then tanks move in. This
situation was so artificial, it was like Poland attacking Germany in
1939. It was exact — I’m — for me that the parallel. I mean, and it’s
like Finland attacking the Soviet Union in 1939, when Stalin wanted
part of Finland and therefore that he trying to subjugate that nation."

Saakashvili concluded, "And if this thing — if they get away with
this in Georgia, the world will be in trouble. Georgia is not at stake
right now, although for me Georgia — it’s all about Georgia. It’s
about values, principles and the world order. Is Russia going to get
away this kind of violation? Well, I don’t think so."

White House Appeals For Calm.

The White House today called for both sides to avoid more
violence.? Press Secretary Dana Perino said, "We urge restraint on all
sides — that violence would be curtailed and that direct dialogue
could ensue in order to help resolve their differences."? Another
White House press official, Gordon Johndroe, said Bush discussed the
issue with Russian President Vladmir Putin earlier today during a
luncheon in Beijing, but had no further details.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I RECEIVES THE MECC’S GENERAL SECRETARY AND UNIT CHIEFS

His Holiness Aram I received the General Secretary of the Middle East
Council of Churches (MECC), Gerges Saleh, in Antelias on July 2. Saleh was
accompanied by the directors of different departments of MECC.

The General Secretary and the directors of the departments briefed His
Holiness on the Council’s activities and projects. Listening to the reports
of various MECC officials, His Holiness made several recommendations with
respect to cutting certain projects short and prioritizing some others.

MECC officials also inquired about His Holiness’ views on cooperation
between various ecumenical councils and issues related MECC member churches.

##
View the photo here:
tos/Photos284.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

"GOLDEN APRICOT" INTERNATIONAL FILM-FESTIVAL STARTS JULY 13
By Hasmik Harutyunyan

AZG Armenian Daily
05/06/2008

Culture

The 5th "Golden Apricot" international film-festival will start July
13 this year with Roman Balayan film "Birds of paradise".

Besides favoring film-lovers with 7-days culture festival the
multi-genre program of "Golden Apricot" will be also directed to the
development of the Armenian film, said Haroutiun Khachatrian on June
3 in "Urbat" (Friday) club.

According to him, the program of "Golden Apricot" is very satiated
this year. The office received applications of 400 films from 65
countries to participate in the festival.

The competitive program of the festival is divided into 4 parts –
art of acting, documentary, Armenian panorama and "Film-makers without
borders" regional contests.

In the series of Yerevan premieres the Armenian audience will watch the
film of Frenzies Ford Copola "Youth without youth", Goran Paskalievich
film "Optimists" and Vim Venders film "Shooting in Palermo".

Parajanov Award will be given to Vim Venders and Persian film-maker
Dariush Mehrdzu.

"Golden Apricot" will also touch upon the 100th anniversary of
William Saroyan showing films based on the film scenarios and works
of the writer.

The Armenian audience will be first time shown Saroyan’s film "Good
work" shot in 1942.

Harutyun Khachatrian mentioned that Chairman of the festival Atom
Egoyan will hold mastery classes, and a film will be shot with
participation of Armenian young film-makers.

The closing ceremony of the festival will be held on June
19. A. Egoyan’s film "Worship" will be shown. The film was involved
in the main competitive program of Cannes Festival and got the Prize
of the Ecumenical Jury.

REMEMBERING MODERN HISTORY’S GREATEST CRIME

Foreign Correspondent
June 2 2008
Canada

Toronto – Canada will soon make an important contribution to the cause
of historical accuracy, human rights, and justice. To coincide with
last week’s visit to Ottawa of Ukraine’s president, Viktor Yushchenko,
the Canadian government announced it planned to recognize the mostly
forgotten 1932-1933 genocide in Ukraine.

Ottawa’s decision was motivated as much by ethnic politics as historic
justice: there are 1.1 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent. But
Ottawa still deserves kudos for doing the right thing.

For eight decades, the greatest mass murder in modern history has been
shamefully covered up or ignored. I have been repeatedly shocked to
receive letters from young Americans and Canadians of Ukrainian descent
saying they had known nothing about the 1930’s genocide, or `Holdomor,’
until reading about it in my columns. Hopefully, more will now know.

>From 1932-33, Stalin and henchmen, Lazar Kaganovitch and Vyacheslav
Molotov, conducted a merciless campaign to crush resistance by
Ukrainian farmers to communism and collectivization. They isolated
Ukraine, then cut off all food supplies and seeds. Six to nine million
Ukrainians died from the ensuing man-made famine and mass shootings of
`anti-State elements’ by secret police execution squads. Cannibalism
became common.

Large numbers of Ukrainians were also murdered during the Great Terror
of 1936-38 in which an estimated 2 million Soviet citizens were shot
and the same number died in Stalin’s concentration camps.

In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the Soviet penal system reached
its zenith: 5.4 million people were prisoners in the gulag. Some
300,000 more Ukrainians were sent to concentration camps under
the supervision of Commissar Nikita Khrushchev, and 21,259 were
killed in Soviet `pacification’ campaigns and against independence
fighters. Other Ukrainian nationalist leaders were assassinated in
Western Europe by special Soviet hit teams.

During the same period, Moscow unleashed terror on the tiny Baltic
states. From March to May, 1949, 95,000 Lithuanians, 27,000 of
them children, were sent to concentration camps. In total, 120,000
Lithuanians, 50,000 Latvians and 30,000 Estonians went to the gulag
where the death rate was 51% per annum.

While the Western world rightly commemorates genocide inflicted on
Armenians, Europe’s Jews, Cambodians, Rwandans, and Bosnians, it
shamefully shut its eyes to the Ukrainian Holdomor because it was
conducted by a key wartime ally whom President Franklin Roosevelt
hailed as `Uncle Joe.’

Nor has the West ever acknowledged genocide against other peoples of
the Soviet Union. In the Caucasus, Stalin sent most of the Chechen
and Ingush peoples to the gulag, where 500,000 died. Yet when the
children of the survivors fought for independence from Russia, the
West branded them `Islamic terrorists.’

Up to three million Muslims of the Soviet Union died at Stalin’s hands,
including 1.5 million Kazakhs and Crimean Tatars. Yet no holocaust
memorials exist for them.

Nearly 100,000 Moldovans were murdered in a purge conducted by then
Commissar Leonid Brezhnev, who would later lead the Soviet Union and
be feted by Western leaders. Add to this butcher’s bill Volga Germans,
Greeks, Cossacks, Armenians and Poles.

If we keep demanding that Germany and Japan atone for their wartime
crimes, is it not time for our governments to finally recognize and
atone their alliance with the biggest mass murderer in history, Josef
Stalin, a man whose crimes exceeded those of Adolf Hitler by a factor
of at least three or four times? Particularly so in the United States,
where World War II has become something of a state religion and is
endlessly invoked by conservatives and neocons to justify foreign
military adventures.

Neither Roosevelt nor Churchill cared to admit they had allied
themselves with a greater criminal than Hitler to wage their `Crusade
for Freedom,’ nor that the price of this compact with the devil was
giving Eastern Europe to the Soviets. In the end, the Allies destroyed
a lesser threat, Germany, and in doing so, created a greater one,
the nuclear-armed Soviet Union.

Roosevelt’s and Churchill’s alliance with Stalin, whom they knew
to be a mass murderer and tyrant, in my view denies the Allies any
claim to have been waging a `just’ or `good war.’ When the lingering
clouds of wartime propaganda finally dissipate, future historians will
likely look back on the western Allies as not much morally superior
to Germany or the USSR, though certainly less murderous.

Communists and leftists everywhere joined in covering up Stalin’s
crimes. For example, to the end of his life, Jean Paul Sartre
kept insisting Stalin’s gulag was a fiction created by western
propaganda. The official Communist Party line was that the deaths
of millions of Ukrainians was simply an unfortunate natural disaster
that also affected other parts of the USSR.

In North America, intense attention to the Jewish Holocaust tended
to push all other national historic tragedies into the background or
completely eclipse them. The fact that during the 1930’s, many senior
officers of Stalin’s Cheka, or secret police, were Jewish, including
Kaganovitch, led to ferocious reprisals against Ukraine’s Jews in the
following decade. As a result, Ukrainians were permanently branded
`anti-Semites;’ their suffering received scant sympathy.

Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky demanded a Nuremburg trial for all
the Soviet crimes, but unfortunately this will never happen. Most
of the criminals are dead. The Soviet Eichmann, Lazar Kaganovitch,
died peacefully in Moscow in 1991; Molotov died in 1986. In fact, not
a single Soviet official was ever indicted for the crime committed
by the state from the 1920’s to 1953, though many Cheskisti were
liquidated during Stalin’s purges.

Canada’s recognition of this historic crime is important for
two reasons. First, Canada is one of the world’s most respected
nations. Its acknowledgement of the Holdomor will be heard around
the globe. Second, nostalgia for Stalin is on the rise in today’s
Russia. His memory and politics are being rehabilitated. Russians
must to be reminded of his crimes and reign of terror.

In `les abuses de la mémoire,’ the Bulgarian-born French philosopher
Tzvetan Todorov, who studied the Jewish Holocaust, wrote: `Life
cannot withstand death, but memory is gaining in its struggle against
nothingness.’

–Boundary_(ID_TsbKPUOSFNKg 4zu/wlR0vA)–

KARABAKH PRESIDENT HIGHLY ESTIMATED ARTSAKH WOMEN’S ROLE IN BUILDING STATEHOOD

DeFacto Agency
April 7 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 07.04.08. DE FACTO. On April 6, in the course of a meeting
with the representatives of Motherhood Karabakh NGO, held on the
occasion of April 7 – Motherhood and Beauty Day, the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic President Bako Sahakian mentioned important role Artsakh
women played in state construction and younger generation’s upbringing.

At the meeting the members of Motherhood NGO presented their activity
and further programs to Bako Sahakian. The NKR President positively
estimated the organization’s projects.

At their request the Karabakh President touched upon amendments
being implemented in the country and policy in various spheres of
the NKR life.

Motherhood and Beauty Day is celebrated in the Nagorno-Karabakh on
April 7, which has been declared a day-off.

The NKR PM Ara Harutyunian congratulated Karabakh women on the holiday,
Novosti-Armenia Agency reports.

AZERI FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS BAKU’S STANCE REMAINS UNCHANGED

ARMENPRESS
April 3, 2008

BUCHAREST, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar
Mamedyarov downplayed today media speculations that his government
has toughened its position on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

Speaking to Armenian journalists in Bucharest, the venue of a NATO
summit, Mamedyarov said his Azerbaijan’s position is not different
from what it was in recent years.

In comments on the current stage of the efforts to find a settlement
to the conflict he said during a yesterday’s meeting with the OSCE
Minsk Group cochairmen from Russia, France and USA the Azeri side
discussed the idea of continuing the talks.

"It is now up to Armenia to show its vision of how the talks could
be continued. Azerbaijan’s position has not altered-the conflict
must be settled based on the principle of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, but with the sense that Nagorno-Karabakh is granted a
high-level autonomy within integral Azerbaijan," Azerbaijani foreign
minister said.

According to him, more and more countries are starting to understand
that this is the only solution option.

In comments on Azerbaijan’s application to the OSCE secretariat to
get explanations on how the Minsk Group could be dissolved he said
the institution of cochairmen was established, but no one knows when
it ends.

"In this sense we need to make clear how this institution works and
if it has a beginning then it should have an end, like any other
institution,’ he said.

In response to a question that this stance is being interpreted as
a warning to the OSCE Minsk Group, Mamedyarov said it is rather a
clarification so that the cochairmen realize the responsibility which
they have for the conflicts resolution.

Mamedyarov also said he could not predict when presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan may meet, saying it could happen only after the
inauguration of Armenian president-elect.

IN ESTIMATION OF VIKTOR DALAKIAN, LATEST BILL ON RALLIES NOT TO CONTRIBUTE TO RELAXATION OF TENSION CREATED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The amendments in the law on "Holding
of meetings, rallies, marches and demonstrtions" are conditioned
by the end of the term of the state of emergency on March 21 and
by the necessity for showing an adequate attitude towards possible
rallies. This opinion was expressed by MP Viktor Dalakian during the
discussion of the bill in the National Assembly.

According to him, the presented legislative initiative has a distinct
political implication and direction, and, in fact, is a bill on "Not
privileging rallies in Armenia." The MP called the authorities to be
led by the version that they may vecome opposition tomorrow.

Viktor Dalakian mentioned that after the 2008 presidential elections a
new situation has been created in Armenia. "In consequence of the March
1 tragic events the people, the international prestige of the country,
the authorities and the opposition suffered. Both the authorities and
the opposition should realize that they are in the same ship and are
shipping together," he stressed.

According to the MP, in connection with the consequences of the
created situation, they are trying to solve a situation problem,
however, the reasons are not being discussed. He mentioned that
according to the data of the Central Electoral Commission, more than
350 thousand citizens have voted for Levon Ter-Petrosian and there
is an impression that most of them have voted not for the former
President but against the current authorities, thus expressing their
protest. Levon Ter-Petrosian has, all in all, managed to generalize
the discontent existing among people and under these conditions one
should not think about the person, who has made that generalization,
but clarify the reasons of that discontent.

According to Viktor Dalakian, the domestic political complicated
situation created in Armenia can have two solutions: a repressive
solution of the issue, which is a short-term way and a political
solution of the issue, which is more expedient. He mentioned the
statement of the current Prime Minister, according to which those,
who were holding rallies in the Liberty square "are our brothers and
sisters", as well as his suggestion for forming a coalition. The MP
expressed an opinion that both the authorities and the opposition
should go along the way of agreement and that such legislative
initiatives do not contribute to the relaxation of the tension created
in Armenia.

AZG Armenian Daily #240, 27/12/2007

Industry

URANIUM EXPLORATION WILL START IN ARMENIA IN 2008

Exploration of uranium deposits in Armenia will start
in 2008, said yesterday on a press conference Armenian
Environment Minister Aram Haroutiunian.

According to the Minister, deposits are prospected by
a recently created Armenian-Russian joint venture
whose shares are divided equally. The license for
prospecting activities will be given to the company
for 5 years.

To be reminded, the Armenian Government recently made
decision on joining the agreement on creation of an
international center for uranium enrichment in
Angarsk. The founders of the center are Russia and
Kazakhstan.

Earlier, during his visit to Yerevan, head of RosAtom
Sergey Kiriyenko said that the latest research
discovered that Armenia may posses 1.5-2 times more
uranium resources than it wad been estimated in the
Soviet period. The deposit is located in Syunik region
of Armenia and contains about 30 thousand tons of
uranium bearing ore. Russia is ready to expand the
prospecting works.

For the first time the opportunity of establishing of
the Armenian-Russian uranium processing company was
discussed during the meeting of the Armenian and
Russian Presidents Robert Kocharian and Vladimir Putin
in Sochi, early 2007.

HERITAGE PARTY IS WAITING FROM THE CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT FOR THE ANSWERS TO ALL THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY

2007-12-10 16:38:00

ArmInfo. ‘We shall shortly ask candidates for president several
important questions and after getting the reply and after ending of
the official registration of the candidates, will make a decision
to support one of them’, – deputy of the National Assembly from the
opposition Heritage party Vardan Khachatryan told journalists at
Pastarq club today.

Asked about the biggest defect in the election campaign because of
non-participation of the Heritage party leader Raffi Hovannisian,
he replied that this time the problem of ensuring unification of
the motherland and diaspora suffered most of all. ‘If our neighbours
have sea and oil, we have Diaspora in case of the right using of the
potential of which we may stand the challenges of the country in a
worthy way’, – Vardan Khachatryan said.

PUSH FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL POSTPONED

OverTheLimit.info
Oct 26 2007
Canada

Washington – A congressional resolution which would declare the
Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as genocide was postponed before a
vote could ever take place Thursday. Supporters of the new Armenian
genocide bill dropped their call for a vote on Thursday. Many have been
against this measure including a key NATO ally, Turkey. Many around
the world agree that the killings of Armenians in World War I did take
place but that the designation of genocide was not needed. Turkish
leaders stated that if the vote went through they would cut off
U.S. access to key bases needed in Iraq. The Bush administration, in
hopes of getting on the good side of Turkey to stop them from invading
Iraq and attacking Kurdish rebels, also opposed the bill. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice told the House committee Thursday that if
this bill were passed it would put forth a huge set of consequences
in Iraq. The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution
earlier in the month. The sponsors of the bill though have agreed
not to push a vote. This does not mean that it could not come back
as it is not yet off the table indefinitely.