Author: Emil Lazarian

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MAY BE INCLUDED IN DUTCH TEXTBOOKS
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.11.2006 15:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenians of Holland intend to include the topic
of the Armenian Genocide in textbooks. Minister of Immigration and
Integration of Holland Rita Verdonk, known for her strict policy
regarding foreigners, along with Armenian organizations has proposed
to include the topic of the Armenian Genocide in textbooks, as well
as to introduce a punishment system for websites, which would deny
Armenian Genocide, reports the Yerkir.
Representatives of the Federation of Armenian Organizations in
the Netherlands (FAON) met today with Minister of Immigration and
Integration Rita Verdonk.
As the FAON told the PanARMENIAN.Net earlier, the reason for this
meeting was connected with the commotion after the removal of three
MP candidates of Turkish descent from the candidates’ lists of CDA
(Christian Democrat Party) and PvdA (Labor Party) for publicly
denying the Armenian Genocide. In response to that Minister Verdonk
underlined that in the international context the Dutch government
has raised the Armenian question repeatedly, both in EU framework
and in the bilateral contacts with Turkey and will continue to do
so. The Armenian Federation, that got the ball rolling on the matter
of the MP candidates through a letter to the CDA, expressed concern
towards the minister on the one-sided way in which particularly Turks
in the Netherlands are informed about this episode of the history,
which hampers their integration into Dutch society. Moreover, because
of current Turkish legislation, it is in fact impossible for Turks,
also those living in the Netherlands, to give other opinions on the
Armenian Genocide than the official Turkish point of view. The FAON
for this reason urged the minister to adapt the education program
on this subject. By means of objective material, attention should
be paid to this history on different levels, as is the case in
neighboring countries, in one package together with the Holocaust and
other genocides. The Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in
Amsterdam can play an important role in this matter. Minister Verdonk
promised that she will transmit the request of the FAON concerning the
adaptation of the history curriculum on this subject to her colleague
of Education, Culture and Sciences. The minister subscribes to the
need of sound provision of information on the matter.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BAKU: AZERBAIJAN WILL NOT AGREE TO ANY COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
02.11.2006 16:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The solution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue does
not depend on other countries but is the own business of Azerbaijan,
which has to solve it on its own,” Azeri Deputy FM, former Ambassador
to the US Hafiz Pashayev stated November 2. “Azerbaijan, which has
already proved to be as a stronger state, will solve the conflict on
its own,” the diplomat said. When commenting on the opportunity to
form the Caucasian House, the Deputy FM reaffirmed the position of
the country’s leadership, stating that under the current conditions
Azerbaijan will not agree to any cooperation with Armenia, Azeri
media report.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TEMPTING SPHERE
A1+
[02:42 pm] 02 November, 2006
The further reconstruction and development of the Armenian small
hydroelectric power stations requires long-term credits and great
investments.
It can not be implemented with the sum allotted by the state budget
as it is too little.
Today, the Committee Regulating Public Services (CRPS) and “Energy
Economy Fund” convened a joint seminar to present the current state
of hydropower plants to the banks, investors and owners of small
hydroelectric power stations.
Robert Nazaryan, head of CRPS, assures that investments in the
above-mentioned sphere seem to be “attractive, promising and not
risky.”
There were 11 small hydroelectric power stations in Armenia in 1997,
most of them were tumbledown and didn’t work. In 2004 their number
was increased to 29.
At present there are already 46 small hydropower stations in
Armenia. Mr. Nazaryan assumes that they will outnumber 51 by 2010.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE “UNITED JAVAKHK” PUBLIC MOVEMENT, VAHAGN CHAKHALYAN,
CALLED THE ACCUSATIONS, BROUGHT AGAINST HIM, FARFETCHED AND SLANDEROUS.
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 2 2006
To remind, V. Chakhalyan was arrested on October 11 by RA
authorities, having been accused of illegal crossing Armenia’s
frontier. V. Chakhalyan had actively protested against the results of
October 5 municipal elections in Georgia. He had also participated
in numerous protest actions and brawls in Akhalkalaki. He has been
set free several days ago under written undertaking not to leave the
bounds of Armenia.
In his speech in the “Pakagits” discussion club, V. Chakhalyan, having
thanked the Armenian public, the Mass Media and the parliamentarians
for support and having asked not to connect the situation in
Samtskhe-Javakhetia with the Russian- Georgian conflict, Chakhalyan
did not go into details of his case and noted that the investigation
is underway. Asked by ArmInfo correspondent if the information as if
Chakahlyan was prohibited to cross the Armenia’s frontier within 5
years for his earlier misdeed meets the reality, he answered that he
has got acquainted with this information from the Armenian press and he
is aware of nothing about it. “I can say only that all the accusations,
brought against me, are farfetched and slanderous”, V. Chakhalyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN FM PRESS SECRETARY: SETTLEMENT OF OTHER PROBLEMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ONLY AFTER GETTING AGREEMENT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S STATUS
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 2 2006
The Armenian side confirms its position in the Karabakh peace process.
Asked by an ArmInfo correspondent to comment on the Azeri high-ranking
officials’ statements about the stages of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Minister Vladimir
Karapetyan emphasized that the settlement of other problems of the
Karabakh peace process will be possible only after getting agreement
on the Karabakh’s status.
To note, Azeri officials say that first and foremost, Armenian armed
forces should leave the occupied Azeri areas, then the refugees and
forced immigrants should return to their motherland, afterwards works
for normalizing life conditions on this territory will be held and
the communication will be open.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACTIVIST SAYS ARMENIANS MAY BE DISPLACED FROM GEORGIA
Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
2 Nov 2006
Yerevan, 2 November: There is a real threat of the displacement of
Armenians who live in Georgia’s [Armenian-populated] Samtskhe-Javakheti
region, Vaagn Chakhalyan, member of the [Georgian-based] United
Javakhk democratic alliance told a news conference in Yerevan today.
Chakhalyan was arrested in mid-October in Yerevan on charges of
illegal crossing of the Armenian-Georgian border, Mediamax said.
Chakhalyan was released on 31 October, giving a written undertaking
not to leave Armenia.
Chakhalyan refused to speak about charges levelled against him,
pleading that the investigation is still continuing.
Armenian MP Amayak Akopyan, who was present at the news conference,
said that the issue of the displacement of Armenians from
Samtskhe-Javakheti “is the most acute problem for all the Armenians”.
He said that the project of the construction of
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway was aimed at creating a “sanitary
cordon” around Armenia and displacing Armenians from Javakheti. The
MP called on Georgia “not to become a participant in Turkey and
Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian programme”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GENOCIDE ET LOI
M. Robert Jallerat, De Châtellerault (Vienne).
La Nouvelle Republique du Centre Ouest
02 novembre 2006 jeudi
Edition Informations Generales
” A l’annonce d’une proposition de loi interdisant la negation
du genocide des Armeniens en 1915, la Turquie s’est enflammee,
menacant la France de represailles ! Pourtant, ce crime fut commis
sous l’autorite et l’egide du sultan de l’Empire ottoman. On peut
d’ailleurs se demander si ce genocide, dont on a pu penser qu’il fut
ordonne dans la crainte d’un soulèvement du peuple armenien en pleine
guerre, ne fut, en fait, l’achèvement d’un projet ancien qui avait
deja cause, sous l’autorite du sultan Abdul Hamid II, l’extermination
de 300.000 Armeniens en 1894.” Or, l’Empire ottoman a disparu et le
sultanat a ete aboli en 1923. Pourquoi donc la Republique de Turquie,
fondee par Mustapha Kemal, se croit-elle obligee de nier l’existence
d’un crime contre l’humanite par un regime defunt et peu estimable ?”
Au demeurant, on reste perplexe devant cette attitude de notre
legislateur, qui croit indispensable d’interdire l’expression d’un
avis, d’une opinion. Les arguments, les preuves, ne seraient-ils plus
suffisants pour combattre et effacer les opinions contraires a la
verite et a la morale ? Ne faudrait-il pas mediter cette reflexion de
Spinoza : ” Ce serait s’exposer a un desastre certain que de vouloir
obliger les membres d’une collectivite publique a conformer toutes
leurs paroles aux decrets de l’autorite souveraine. ”
” En outre, de telles interdictions ” legales “, marque d’une societe
qui a a ce point perdu ses valeurs qu’elle se contraint a leur donner
une forme reglementaire, sont-elles en conformite avec l’article 19
de la Declaration universelle des droits de l’homme ? ”
–Boundary_(ID_PuLmU03N/AAlIIFjZf4t+g)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COUCHES, LES DAMNES DE LA TERRE !;
PENALISER LE NEGATIONNISME DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN N’EST PAS UN EXCèS COMMUNAUTARISTE MAIS UN DEVOIR DEMOCRATIQUE.
par TORANIAN Ara; Ara Toranian directeur des Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine.
Liberation , France
2 novembre 2006
Il ne se passe pas un jour, depuis le vote par l’Assemblee
nationale, le 12 octobre, de la penalisation du negationnisme du
genocide armenien, sans que la presse ne tire a boulets rouges sur le
“communautarisme” qui presiderait a la mise en place de cette loi. Il
ne s’agit que d’agiter des peurs, de pratiquer des amalgames, de dire
leur fait a toutes ces minorites armeniennes, juives, noires qui ont
le mauvais goût de demander au Parlement, a travers les lois Gayssot
ou Taubira, de prendre en consideration leur dignite, de veiller au
respect de leur souffrance, de proteger leur memoire.
Des revendications “particularistes”, qui viendraient fragmenter
l’unite nationale, voir saper les fondements memes de la republique.
Car, dans la belle tradition que nous opposent ces neo-jacobins,
il ne peut y avoir de place pour l’alterite. Et surtout, cessez de
nous polluer avec vos oppressions depassees, vos morts, vos histoires
d’extermination et d’esclavagisme qui se sont deroulees ailleurs et
il y a longtemps. Et tant pis si le negationnisme et les injures ont,
eux, bel et bien lieu ici et maintenant…
Rappelons en effet que le vote de cette loi controversee a ete motive
par la combinaison de deux facteurs : le negationnisme d’Etat de
la Turquie, qui continue a se faire complice de ce crime, et sa
candidature a l’Union europeenne. La Commission europeenne a voulu
fermer les yeux sur cette contradiction en evacuant, contrairement aux
voeux du Parlement europeen, la reconnaissance du genocide armenien
par Ankara du nombre des critères d’adhesion. Renoncement politique
qui donne a la Turquie, 20e puissance mondiale, toute latitude pour
developper jusqu’en France sa propagande negationniste, sans qu’il
soit possible de lui opposer ni d’obligation de retenue ni de frein
autre que la resistance des refugies et de leurs enfants.
Cette loi visait donc a proteger, effectivement, la memoire des
victimes du premier genocide du XXe siècle, un crime contre l’humanite
cense, en principe, concerner tout le monde. Elle apparaissait
egalement comme une possibilite de recours, legal et pacifique, a la
disposition des heritiers des sacrifies de cette barbarie, qui n’ont
nullement l’intention de laisser les voyous a la solde de l’Etat turc
venir cracher sur la tombe de leurs parents.
Fussent-ils deguises en soi-disant historiens, pour donner plus de
credit a leurs agissements, de meme que d’autres s’abritaient naguère
derrière la science ou la biologie pour justifier le racisme.
Ce debat, qui a ete compris par les deputes, en particulier ceux qui
connaissent bien le problème pour avoir dans leur circonscription
des rescapes du “pays de l’epouvante”, aurait merite d’etre
traite serieusement. Ces elus de tous bords qui ont eu le courage
de voter cette loi et d’affronter cette tempete ont en realite
defendu l’honneur et la noblesse du Parlement, au nom des valeurs
democratiques et de la defense des plus faibles contre les pressions
du lobby militaro-industriel et des laquais de la Realpolitik.
Au lieu d’applaudir, certaines elites, decalees par rapport aux
enjeux et dont on ne sait ce qui l’emporte chez elles, de leur
interet corporatiste ou de leur conception monolithique de l’unite
republicaine, s’erigent en promoteurs d’un liberalisme sauvage de
la connaissance historique, qui aura notamment pour consequence de
permettre a ceux qui ont le plus de moyens, en particulier financiers,
d’imposer leur vision du passe… pour mieux contrôler l’avenir. Ainsi,
l’Etat turc pourra repandre son venin negationniste en achetant – c’est
dans sa tradition – des journalistes, des historiens ou des hommes
politiques (pour memoire, l’affaire Sibel Edmonds aux Etats-Unis et
le docu diffuse recemment sur Canal + sur la corruption de decideurs
americains par Ankara).
Les Armeniens, pas plus que les Juifs ou les Noirs, ne sont les
mauvais elèves de la Republique. Il n’y a pas d’unite qui puisse
faire l’economie du respect dû aux diverses composantes de la nation,
par la nation elle-meme. La modernite, la liberte et la democratie
se construiront autour de la prise en charge de ces questions par les
instances democratiques du pays, et certainement pas par le cynisme a
l’egard des pages sombres de l’histoire et le refoulement des douleurs
qu’elles ont generees.
–Boundary_(ID_Yji5COjk7J15poMi9m+Rig)- –
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THEY PASSED A LAW FOR ARMENIANS TO BREAK IT
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 2 2006
The social and economic problems of Javakheti are the consequence of a
political problem, the solution of which may lead to the settlement of
the social economic problem, stated Vahagn Chakhalyan in an intervew
with the Lragir.
Lragir: There are different opinions whether the problem of Javakheti
is political or social and economic. What do you think the problem is?
“We have been stating since 2004 that the problem of Javakheti is
a political problem, and now it is becoming clear that the problem
of Javakheti is political, the social and economic problem is
secondary, in other words, the social and economic problem stemmed
from the political problem. For instance, the stone working factories
in Javakheti employing 3000-5000 people were closed down. These
factories were closed down artificially, though the stones are
demanded in Russia, but the stone working factories were closed down
in 1996-1997. The same is with timber. They bar transporting timber
via Javakheti, allowing only via Marneuli, which is also a political
problem. Or now they are making a new law on transporting the goods
imported from Armenia to Javakheti via Sadakhlo, which is another
political problem. Or the closed-down shops. On October 5, 2005 10
big shops were closed down in Javakheti and the events followed that
we know.”
Lragir: Is it possible to solve the political problem by solving the
social and economic problem? Or should the problem be political by
all means?
“Political solution.”
Lragir: And in your opinion, what political solution is required?
“The Georgian government should admit at last that Javakheti is the
historical homeland of the Armenians, the Armenians have always lived
there and they must remain there with their culture, language and
their rights. Until they admit… They must admit.”
Lragir: If your alliance, as you say, with its real 70 percent votes
appeared in the regional sakrebulo of Javakheti, would you raise the
question of sovereignty of Javakheti?
“We did not think about it but about cultural sovereignty… This would
be our first problem. In fact, now their law bars work. According
to the law on the local election, if you don’t speak Georgian, you
cannot work in these bodies. In fact, they adopted a controversial
law. On the one hand, Armenians were elected, but these Armenians
do not speak Georgian, how they are going to work. They are going to
violate the law. They passed a law for the Armenians to break the law.”
Lragir: You are against stationing a Georgian military base in
Javakheti. What is your attitude towards the Russian military base?
“The withdrawal of the Russian military base, frankly speaking, this
problem is beyond us. We said our word during the protest meeting
on March 13, 2005 but we saw that the decision was made. But we are
against replacing the Russian military base by any other force. We
are against it.”
Lragir: In other words, either the Russian base or nothing?
“No, it’s not a matter of either or, and now we can see that it
is being withdrawn. Today, however, we think no military presense
or presence of other forces is needed in Javakheti. It is clear,
however, that they will use the Kars-Akhalkalaki project to try to
station joint Turkish and Azerbaijani forces here.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LIST OF 200 MEASURES DEVELOPED BY RA ECONOMIC COUNCIL TO BE SUBMITTED TO ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT
Noyan Tapan
Nov 02 2006
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN . Within the next 10 days, a list
of 200 measures developed as a result of 5 consultations of the RA
Economic Council (composed of the RA prime minister, the chief advisor
to the RA president on economic issues, the minister of finance and
economy, the minister of trade and economic development, and the
chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia) will be submitted to the
Armenian government. The list contains legislative proposals aimed
at reducing the shadow circulation and bringing the powers of the
RA State Commission on Protection of Economic Competition (SCPEC)
into line with market realities and the development level of the
Armenian economy. The RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Karen Chshamaritian stated this at the round table “Foreign Currency
Depreciation Impact on Economic Development, Particilarly on Export”
held in Yerevan on November 1. In the minister’s words, “today the
SCPEC is rather an antimonopoly commission”. He said that with the
assistance of the Armenian-European Policy and Legal Advice Centre
(AEPLAC), the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development is
developing a draft law on advertising. In case of its adoption,
the power of control over advertising will be transferred to the
SCPEC. “Our task is to transform this commission from an antimonopoly
one into a real commission on protection of economic competition,”
he noted.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress