Author: Emil Lazarian

THEY GET DOWN TO HADRUT WITHOUT GETTING THROUGH THE RECONSTRUCTION OF MARTAKERT
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 16 2006
During the meeting of the NKR National Assembly yesterday Speaker Ashot
Ghulyan called the members of parliament and the members of government
to contribute to Telethon 2006. He also stated that the personnel of
the parliament and the members of parliament decided to donate 350
thousand drams to Armenia Foundation, which is 5 percent of salaries.
Member of Parliament Sergey Ohanyan representing the region of
Martakert expressed his worry that without finishing the reconstruction
of Martakert we get down to raising funds for the reconstruction
of the region of Hadrut. He informed that the reconstruction of
the ruined school of the village of Harutiunagomer, Martakert had
been included in the project but “now they say the school will not
be reconstructed.” In answer NKR Prime Minister Anushavan Danielyan
said these decisions are made by the foundation.
“We have inquired, they said the pledged sums were not donated,
therefore they have to cut the projects,” said the prime minister.
The estimated costs of the project of the reconstruction of Martakert
was 17 million dollars. Last year 5 million dollars was raised. 1
million was raised in Armenia and Karabakh, 2.5 million was donated
by benefactors. Hence, hardly 1.5 million out of the pledged amount
was raised.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVENTS DEDICATED TO WOODROW WILSON’S MEMORY HELD IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 16 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The November
16 event organized at the Armenian Union of Writers was dedicated
to the 150th anniversary of 28th U.S. President, Nobel prize-winner,
Armenia’s great friend Woodrow Wilson. In the words of Levon Ananian,
Chairman of the Armenian Union of Writers, the Armenian people has
always highly estimated W.Wilson’s activity for the sake of Armenian
people and numbers him among such friends of Armenia as Anatole Franz,
Fridtjof Nansen, Johann Lepsius, Franz Werfel and other great people.
In 1920 W.Wilson made decision On Delimitation Between Turkey
and Armenia, Armenia’s Outlet to the Sea and Demilitarization of
Turkish Territories Adjacent to Armenian Borders having a historic
significance. According to the decision, Wilson completed and
ratified Articles 88-89 of the Treaty of Sevres giving them an
international-legal final form.
In the words of Rafael Hambartsumian, Chairman of Board of the Azgayin
Miasnutian Ukht Party, the Treaty of Sevres signed on 1920 August 10
is considered a document that has preserved its international legal
significance up to present. But, according to the Party Chairman,
it is more than 80 years the Treaty of Sevres is presented wrongly in
the History of Armenian People textbooks. Six out of 480 points of the
treaty concern Armenia, but none of this points has been fulfilled,
while ten states achieved independence by this treaty. “The main reason
of Armenians’ failure was the policy carried on by the Bolshevik
Russia, as it had contacts with Turkey and would not permit Armenia
to have an integral territory,” R.Hambartsumian said. In his words,
the treaty also envisaged to create a large Armenian community in
Turkey, which, however, was not realized. In R.Hambartsumian’s words,
a number of measures and mechanisms should be worked out today for
using the treaty.
For perpetuating the name of Armenian people’s friend W.Wilson
the Azagayin Miasnutian Ukht Party members proposed naming streets,
schools after him in Yerevan and in the regions, erecting a monument to
Wilson in Yerevan, releasing stamps dedicated to his 150th anniversary,
as well as holding Wislon Days in Armenia and Diaspora.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PEACEMAKING CONTINGENT’S STAY IN IRAQ WILL BE MEANINGLESS IN 15-18 MONTHS: MEMBER OF ARF DASHNAKTSUTSYUN PARTY
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 16 2006
The Armenian peacemaking contingent’s stay in Iraq will be meaningless
in 15-18 months, Kiro Manoyan, the head of the Armenian office of the
“Hay Dat” organization and a member of the ARF Dashnaktsutsyun Party,
said at a press-conference in the National press-club, Thursday.
He reminded that the ARF Dashnaktsutsyun Party strongly objected to
sending the Armenian peacemakers to Iraq for a number of reasons,
first of all, because of Diaspora’s concern about this. However,
the authorities of the country had to send the contingent under the
pressure of the USA. Official Yerevan has conducted complimentary
foreign policy – it yielded to the pressure of the USA, resisting
the pressure of Russia which was against, Manoyan noted. However,
he is convinced that in 15-18 months the necessity of the Armenian
peacemakers in Iraq will be no longer relevant, as even such a loyal
ally of the USA as Great Britain has already declared its intention
to withdraw its peacemakers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VENICE’S HAUNTED PALAZZO IS SOLD: GRISLY TALES HOLD NO FEAR FOR AMERICAN BUYER
National Post (f/k/a The Financial Post) (Canada)
Calgary & Vancouver Edition
November 16, 2006 Thursday
ROME – Venice’s most famous haunted house, the Ca Dario on the Grand
Canal, has been sold to an unnamed American entrepreneur, despite
its grisly past.
The four-storey palazzo, elegantly clad in pink marble, has lain
vacant for the past decade because Venetians are so scared of its
history. Almost all of its inhabitants in the five centuries since
it was built have come to an untimely end.
Its last owner, Raul Gardini, a business tycoon, shot himself shortly
after buying the house because he feared arrest for allegedly paying
out more than (ps)50-million ($107-million) in bribes to politicians.
Before him, in the 1970s, Giordano delle Lanze was bludgeoned to
death with a statue by his gay lover, an 18-year-old Croatian sailor.
Christopher Lambert, an Englishman who bought the house in the ’80s,
fell down the stairs of his London house shortly after signing the
deeds, in an apparent suicide.
Local folklore claims the curse on the house comes from the Knights
Templar cemetery it is built over. The palazzo was completed in 1487
by Giovanni Dario, a senator. He lived in it with his daughter and
son-in-law, until she committed suicide.
In the 16th century, the house was lived in by the Barbaro family
until their son, Giacomo, was killed in an ambush. An Armenian jewel
merchant went bankrupt after buying it.
In later centuries, there was a suicide at a party in front of guests
and an American who bought the house fled the country when rumours of
his homosexuality leaked out. His lover then killed himself in Mexico.
The buyer of the palazzo has not revealed his identity, but has
paid $11-million for it, according to the newspaper La Stampa. In
recent years, the Dario palazzo has been offered to the Guggenheim
and Benetton families, both of whom turned it down.
It has also been marketed to Woody Allen and Elton John. Venetians
currently go on ghost tours of the property during the day, but are
loath to stay there past sunset.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KYO PLANNING ‘ARMCHAIR’ CONCERT
Peterborough Examiner (Ontario)
November 16, 2006 Thursday
The Kawartha Youth Orchestra performs Nov. 26 at The Market Hall.
“The musicians of the Kawartha Youth Orchestra and their conductor
Michael Newnham invite you to join them in a musical excursion for
the ears, and no passport is required,” states a press release.
The armchair trip takes place at 3 p.m. “On this voyage you will
not only experience the impressive musicality of this group of young
talented musicians, but also discover a number of genres of music as
witnessed in the composers’ motivation.”
Composer Franz Schubert wrote his Rosamund Overture as a commission
for a well-heeled client, as incidental music to accompany an
ill-fated opera of the same name. The impetus for Aram Khatchaturian’s
composition Masquerade Suite came not only from Lermontov’s dramatic
saga of a couple’s jealousy and mistrust, but also from the troubled
history of his Armenian homeland.
Claude Debussy’s composition Petite Suite evokes, in part, the sense
of floating in a small boat on a stream. From a musical excerpt in
Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffman written to illuminate a young
university student’s stories of his three greatest loves as recounted
to his drinking buddies, to Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata Jesu Joy
of Man’s Desiring drawn from a larger hymn meant to be played during
a church service, you the listener are in for a varied experience!
In a single afternoon’s concert the audience will travel musically
from Bach’s Germany of the 17th century, through Debussy’s France of
the late 1880s to Katchaturian’s adopted home of Russia in the mid
20th century.
Advance tickets are $10, available at Happenstance Books and Yarn
in Lakefield, Titles Bookstore in Peterborough or by calling 705
740-9018. Tickets will also be available at the door for $12.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH ARMY SUSPENDS RELATIONS WITH FRANCE OVER ARMENIAN QUESTION
Agence France Presse — English
November 16, 2006 Thursday 1:03 AM GMT
The Turkish army has suspended its military relations with France
in retaliation for a French parliamentary bill which would make it a
crime to deny that the World War I massacre of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks constituted genocide, the army chief said late Wednesday.
No high-level visits had taken place between the two countries for
that reason, General Ilker Basbug was quoted as telling journalists
at a reception here by the semi-official Anatolia news agency.
Turkey has warned that bilateral ties will suffer a great blow if
France adopts the bill, which foresees one year in jail for anyone
who denies that Armenians were the victims of genocide by Ottoman
Turks between 1915-17.
The bill was approved by the lower house of the French parliament last
month but still needs the approval of the Senate and the president
to take effect.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their people were slaughtered
in orchestrated killings during the last years of the Ottoman Empire,
modern Turkey’s predecessor.
But Turkey rejects the use of the term “genocide”, saying some 300,000
Armenians died when the Ottoman Empire fell apart, but at least as
many Turks did too.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA’S VIMPELCOM CLOSES DEAL TO BUY 90% IN ARMENIA’S ARMENTEL
Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
November 16, 2006 Thursday 7:22 PM EET
Russia’s second largest mobile operator VimpelCom has completed a deal
to buy a 90% stake in Armenia’s incumbent telecom operator ArmenTel
for a total of 381.9 million euros, an official with VimpelCom told
Prime-Tass Thursday.
VimpelCom in early November agreed to buy the stake from Greece’s
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (OTE) for 341.9 million
euros plus assuming ArmenTel’s debt of about 40 million euros.
The Armenian government holds the remaining 10% stake in ArmenTel
and said earlier this month that it may sell the stake to VimpelCom.
ArmenTel is a fixed-line and mobile operator in Armenia with licenses
in the GSM 900 and CDMA standards. ArmenTel’s subscriber base
includes approximately 600,000 fixed-line subscribers and 400,000
GSM subscribers. Armenia’s population is about 3.2 million people.
VimpelCom operates in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan and plans to launch services in Georgia soon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEL DE LA COOPERATION MILITAIRE: LES RELATIONS FRANCO-TURQUES A L’EPREUVE
Par Christophe De Roquefeuil
Agence France Presse
16 novembre 2006 jeudi 1:05 PM GMT
Le gel de la cooperation militaire de la Turquie avec la France,
annonce par l’armee a Ankara, traduit la degradation du climat entre
les deux pays mais ne devrait avoir, selon Paris, que des effets
limites.
Cette suspension, première mesure de retorsion après le vote par
l’Assemblee nationale en octobre d’une proposition de loi reprimant la
negation du genocide des Armeniens en 1915, survient dans le contexte
deja tendu des difficiles negociations d’adhesion de la Turquie a
l’Union europeenne.
Le porte-parole du ministère de la Defense a assure jeudi que l’annonce
faite la veille par le chef de l’armee de terre turque n’etait pas
“le signe d’une crise ou d’une difficulte majeure” avec Ankara.
Sur le plan pratique, Paris envisage des effets limites sur la
cooperation militaire bilaterale, sans consequence pour les operations
multinationales où les deux pays sont presents (Afghanistan, Bosnie,
Kosovo, Liban, Republique democratique du Congo).
Paris a egalement cherche a minimiser la portee des declarations
du general Basbug, soulignant qu’il s’etait exprime de manière
“informelle” lors d’une reception.
“A ma connaissance, nous n’avons pas eu de communication officielle a
ce sujet de la part des autorites turques”, a declare le porte-parole
du ministère des Affaires etrangères.
Les menaces contre les achats de materiel militaire, que le general
Basbug n’a pas mentionnees, existent mais ne sont pas nouvelles,
fait-on valoir a Paris.
La France tente depuis longtemps d’eviter des represailles
en soulignant que nombre de fournisseurs “francais” sont en fait
largement europeens, comme la societe franco-germano-espagnole
Eurocopter, filiale du groupe EADS, en lice pour une marche de 52
appareils civils et militaires.
Mais quelles que soient ses consequences pratiques, la mauvaise humeur
des militaires turcs s’inscrit sur fond de malaise croissant et de
polemiques a repetition entre les deux pays.
Le contexte politique dans les deux pays, où des elections sont
prevues en 2007, n’aide pas a calmer le jeu.
L’entree de la Turquie dans l’UE est devenu un thème recurrent du
debat francais, tandis que le desenchantement vis-a-vis de l’Europe
et le mecontentement a l’egard de la France progressent en Turquie.
“La France est en train de devenir un bouc emissaire pour les Turcs
dans un contexte de surenchère nationaliste, tout comme la Turquie
est devenue un bouc emissaire en France sur l’elargissement de l’UE”,
relève Dorothee Schmid, specialiste de la Turquie a l’Institut francais
des relations internationales (Ifri).
Le president Jacques Chirac avait provoque la colère d’Ankara lors
d’une visite en Armenie fin septembre, où il a estime que la Turquie
devrait reconnaître le genocide armenien si elle voulait entrer
dans l’UE.
La polemique s’etait aggravee avec le vote quelques jours plus tard
par l’Assemblee d’une loi punissant toute negation de ce genocide. Le
texte doit toutefois encore etre approuve par le Senat pour entrer
en vigueur.
Une large majorite de Francais (58%) se disent opposes a un
elargissement de l’UE a la Turquie, contre 28% qui y seraient
favorables, selon un sondage publie en octobre.
Le principal candidat de la droite a la presidentielle, Nicolas
Sarkozy, est resolument hostile a l’adhesion d’Ankara, avec qui il
propose de negocier un simple “partenariat privilegie”.
La favorite des sondages a gauche, Segolène Royal, n’a pas ferme la
porte a une entree de la Turquie, mais prône une “pause” pour tout
nouvel elargissement de l’UE.
–Boundary_(ID_kC3jtwhsJRpjIqtn8pQwpQ)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LE PARI TURC DE JACQUES CHIRAC
Par Natalie NougayrÈde
Le Monde, France
15 novembre 2006 mercredi
Lorsqu’il parle de la Turquie, Jacques Chirac evoque rarement la
promesse, faite en 1963 par de Gaulle et Adenauer, d’integrer un
jour ce pays dans l’Europe. En onze ans de pouvoir, le president
francais ne s’est jamais rendu en Turquie en visite d’Etat. En 1998,
Jacques Chirac accueillait pourtant son homologue turc, Suleyman
Demirel, a Paris. C’etait la première visite du genre depuis 1967. La
diplomatie turque attendait, en retour, un deplacement de M. Chirac,
en se souvenant que le general de Gaulle, lui, avait fait le voyage
d’Ankara en 1968.
Cette visite qui n’a pas eu lieu, M. Chirac l’envisageait pourtant
pendant son premier mandat. A partir de 2002, la chose est devenue
difficile. Le rejet montant de la Turquie dans l’opinion francaise,
les doutes inspires par le grand voisin musulman de 70 millions
d’habitants, la lassitude face aux elargissements europeens, tout cela
a concouru a une omission. M. Chirac a bien fini, en septembre, par
aller contempler le mont Ararat, mais c’etait du côte armenien de la
frontière. Pourtant, a entendre ses conseillers, M. Chirac est reste,
toutes ces annees, fermement convaincu de la ” vocation europeenne
” de la Turquie.
Sur ce point, il n’a pas evolue. Ce qui a change, ce sont les
circonstances, et notamment le tournant pris en 2002 par les Turcs,
lorsqu’ils ont elu un gouvernement, certes modere, mais islamiste.
Sur la question turque, M. Chirac s’est mis a composer, au risque de
brouiller le message.
On lui a connu, par le passe, de forts elans pro-turcs. En 1999,
au lendemain du Conseil europeen de Luxembourg qui avait accorde le
statut de ” pays candidat ” a la Turquie, M. Chirac avait prete son
avion a l’emissaire europeen, Javier Solana, pour qu’il apporte la
bonne nouvelle a Ankara. En 1997, le president francais regrettait
publiquement que la Turquie ne soit pas invitee a rejoindre l’Europe
au meme titre que les pays de l’Est. Et, en 1995, c’est grâce aux
efforts de son ministre des affaires etrangères, Alain Juppe, qu’une
union douanière etait conclue entre la Turquie et l’Europe.
Le tropisme turc de M. Chirac a ceci de particulier que, contrairement
a la politique qu’il a longtemps menee en direction d’autres pays du
Proche-Orient et du monde musulman, cette approche n’a jamais repose
sur un fort lien personnel avec tel ou tel dirigeant local. Certains
evoquent, certes, l’amitie nouee dans les annees 1980 par M. Chirac,
alors maire de Paris, avec l’ambassadeur turc de l’epoque. Mais
Ankara a connu depuis le debut des annees 1990 une succession de
gouvernements differents sans que M. Chirac devie de sa ligne.
Celle-ci repose sur plusieurs considerations. L’aspect strategique
et geopolitique : l’Europe aurait interet a s’elargir a la Turquie
pour contribuer a la stabilite de ces regions orientales, et sa
puissance n’en sera que renforcee (sur ce point M. Chirac est en
parfait accord avec la diplomatie britannique). La question de l’islam
et de la laïcite : l’Etat turc, avec son heritage kemaliste inspire
des valeurs de la Republique francaise, a valeur d’exemple dans un
monde musulman travaille par les extremismes. L’interet propre de
la France : en etant l’avocat de la cause turque, Paris conforte ses
liens specifiques avec le monde arabo-musulman. Enfin, il y a l’effet
pedagogique : en lui ouvrant la porte, l’Europe aide la Turquie a se
reformer, estime le president francais.
Depuis quelque temps, M. Chirac manifeste pourtant bien plus
d’ambiguïte que d’enthousiasme sur ce dossier. En octobre 2004,
après que son parti, l’UMP, se fut prononce contre l’integration de
la Turquie dans l’Union, il annoncait que la question, le moment venu,
serait soumise a un referendum. En 2005, au lendemain du rejet par les
Francais de la Constitution europeenne, son gouvernement pesait auprès
des ” Vingt-Cinq ” pour que la reconnaissance de Chypre devienne une
obligation pour Ankara.
En septembre, pendant sa visite a Erevan, c’est le deni turc du
genocide armenien qui a ete erige par M. Chirac en nouvel obstacle
a l’adhesion, sans que cette position soit endossee par l’Union
europeenne, qui s’en tient aux critère dits ” de Copenhague “. M.
Chirac, qui evitait encore en 2004 d’employer le terme ” genocide ”
pour designer les evenements de 1915, n’a pas toujours tenu le meme
discours. Il etait peu favorable, en 2001, au vote d’une loi francaise
reconnaissant le genocide armenien.
INFLEXIONS SUCCESSIVES
Ces inflexions successives font que M. Chirac a aujourd’hui de grandes
peines a rassurer les responsables turcs. L’Elysee a ete decontenance
d’entendre le premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, presenter
comme des ” regrets ” les paroles que lui avait tenues M. Chirac au
telephone, le 14 octobre, deux jours après le vote de la proposition
de loi sur la penalisation du deni du genocide armenien. M. Chirac
voulait, dit son entourage, simplement se demarquer d’une loi qu’il
juge inutile, tout en soulignant la necessite du travail de memoire.
Alors, que croire ? ” Jacques Chirac a sans doute convaincu les Turcs,
ces derniers temps, qu’il etait un adversaire de l’integration de
leur pays “, constate Kirsty Hugues, de l’institut ” Amis de l’Europe
” a Bruxelles. ” Mais la realite, c’est qu’aux moments cruciaux il a
toujours pese dans le bon sens : pour l’integration. La question de
Chypre, qui pourrait faire derailler les negociations, sera, d’ici
au mois de decembre, un test important de l’attitude de M. Chirac. ”
Les flottements de M. Chirac ont pu etre attribues a
l’instrumentalisation de la question turque dans le debat francais. ”
Sur ce dossier, il fait oeuvre tactique “, observe Didier Billion,
directeur adjoint de l’Institut des relations internationales et
strategiques (IRIS), a Paris, ” mais il reste fondamentalement
favorable a une entree de la Turquie dans l’Europe “. Le refus de
la Turquie, en 2003, de laisser les troupes americaines utiliser son
territoire pour la guerre en Irak, et, plus recemment, l’envoi d’un
contingent turc au Liban, sont des gestes qui ont plu a l’Elysee.
Pour y voir plus clair, peut-etre faut-il se pencher sur les termes
exacts de M. Chirac : ” Negociation ne veut pas dire adhesion “,
declarait-il en decembre 2004. Le processus prendra ” probablement
dix ou quinze ans “, ajoutait-il, et ” s’il s’averait que la Turquie
ne veut, ou ne peut pas, adherer a l’ensemble des reformes – qui
lui sont demandees, NDLR – , l’Union mettra alors en place un lien
suffisamment fort, qui ne soit pas l’adhesion “.
La grande inconnue residerait donc dans les intentions de la Turquie.
Il sera toujours temps, ensuite, d’ajuster l’offre des Europeens.
Pour M. Chirac, l’adhesion est destinee a une Turquie hypothetique,
reformee en profondeur, resolument democratique, laïque, alignee
sur les normes de l’Europe. Il ne sait s’il elle existera un jour,
mais il en fait le pari.
–Boundary_(ID_4Ld/uFjnqaeNE+xb1fHh2w)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
November 17, 2006
New Bishops to be Ordained in Holy Etchmiadzin
On Sunday, November 19, His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All
Armenians, will ordain and consecrate three new bishops of the Armenian
Church during the celebration of Divine Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral
of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Being elevated to the episcopate are:  Very Rev. Fr. Ararat
Dz. Vardapet Kaltakjian, Dean of the Monasteries of the Mother See;
Very Rev. Fr. Anushavan Vardapet Jamkotchian, Dean of the Theological
Faculty of the Yerevan State University; and Very Rev. Fr. Markos
Vardapet Hovhannisian, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of Gegharkunik.
Divine Liturgy is scheduled to commence at 10:30 A.M.
##
–Boundary_(ID_0cc5Ib+T9cO/rpn8SIBgIg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress