Author: Emil Lazarian

TURKIC WORLD GOING TO SOLVE CYPRUS AND KARABAKH PROBLEMS
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 16:03 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Turkic world will further make steps aimed at
solution of the Cyprus and Nagorno Karabakh issues,” Turkish PM Recep
Tayyip Erdogan stated at the 10th Congress of Turkic-Speaking Countries
in Antalia. In his words, “up to today the Turkic world has done joint
steps in that issue and it will continue these.” “It is necessary to
make joint efforts in Cyprus and Nagorno Karabakh issues,” Erdogan
underscored, the Zaman writes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA PASSED 15 YEARS WITHOUT SHOCK
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 16:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within 15 years of independence Armenia was able
to pass a long way of development, a way without serious upheaval,
as different from Georgia, head of the operation on liberation of
Shushi, major general Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan stated.
“However, as different from neighboring states, we do not have
friends. Azerbaijan has allied Turkey, which provides much assistance
to it. We were and we remain solitary. Only our Diaspora helps
us. The Armenian people are creators, and it relies only on itself,”
he remarked.
In the general’s words, one of the major achievements of independent
Armenia is creation of strong, efficient army, which is the most
powerful in the region. “Azerbaijan constantly speaks of high rate of
development of economy, threatens us with increase of its military
budget, however the budget size does not decide everything and I do
not trust Baku official numbers. At that it should be understood
that Baku does not stay idle and prepares to a war. However, I am
convinced that in the coming few years hostilities are unlikely in
the conflict zone, as our army excels the Azeri one in alertness,”
Ter-Tadevosyan underscored, reports IA De-Facto.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROGER LIEBERMAN: DIALOGUE ON THE TWO WORLD SYSTEM
By Roger H. Lieberman
Palestine Chronicle, WA
Tuesday September 19, 2006
It is essential to reflect on this background before one can comprehend
the widespread outrage at Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in Germany.
Imagine, for a moment, how much more enjoyable and tranquil our
lives might be today had the US government pursued a thoughtful,
prudent response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Such
a response would, I believe, have rested on two essential elements:
the formation of an international coalition to neutralize al-Qaeda
and bring its leadership to justice, and a sweeping reform of US
Middle East policy to redress the grievances that had kindled the
hatred which inspired 9-11. The paramount aspects of the latter would
have been ending the Clinton Administration’s pointlessly callous and
horribly destructive embargo against Iraq that had cost the lives of
hundreds of thousands of children, and reframing America’s stance on
the Israel-Palestine conflict to recognize the complete equality of
both peoples’ rights in the Holy Land.
There is no reason why any US administration, even a conservative
Republican one like that of George W. Bush, could not have pursued
such policies, given sufficient common sense and decency. But
these qualities, alas, were altogether lacking in the power-crazed
neoconservative ideologues that the President had most unwisely filled
his cabinet with.
Thus, the Bush Administration opted instead to exploit the public’s
anger and fear as a license to embark on a ruthless expansion of US
military power aimed at tightening control over the resources of the
Middle East and Central Asia – buttressed at home by a torrent of lies,
propaganda, and political mud-slinging. And so we find ourselves five
years later with America and the Muslim World more estranged than
ever, and with nearly 3000 US troops, thousands of Afghans, and at
least 100,000 Iraqis dead who would otherwise be among the living.
It is essential to reflect on this background before one can comprehend
the widespread outrage at Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks in Germany
concerning the alleged philosophical differences between Islam and
Christianity. This is the second time this year that unkind references
to Islam from a Western source have elicited violent Muslim protests –
the first being an offensive cartoon published in a Danish newspaper.
Many American observers, not predisposed to thoughtful reflection,
simply take such happenings as vindication of their prejudices.
But such self-congratulatory hubris ignores the unfortunate and
abiding reality that the depiction of Islam as “irrational” and
“violent” represents far more than a theological rumination. On the
contrary, it has been the singular ideological driving force behind
America’s vicious post-9/11 Middle East policy – the “clash of
civiliations” doctrine dispensed like snake oil by neoconservative
quacks, ever since the collapse of the Soviet bloc necessitated the
concoction of a new rationale for maintaining a military industrial
complex. Thus, when the Pope expounds on the “logical” underpinings
of the “Judeo-Christian” West in contrast with the Islamic world,
even as an aside, he is sending the message to all concerned that he
sympathizes with a conceited ideology that has engendered widespread
death, destruction, and misery on multiple occasions.
Benedict’s casual reference to the polemics of a late-14th century
Byzantine emperor engaged in a war with the Turks taps into a long
tradition of Orientalism – the pseudo-scholarly study of Asian
societies that rests on the premise that they are built on moral
and philosophical foundations radically different from those that
inform the cultures of Europe and their derivatives. Ever since the
Crusades of the Middle Ages, Western rulers have encouraged such
propaganda during conflicts with Asian nations as a means to squelch
self-reflection and promote unthinking patriotic obedience among
their subjects.
Yet, it would not take long for a good fifth-grade schoolmarm to
deconstruct this obtuse theory via a brief walk through history.
The Byzantine Empire, as any honest historian knows, was hardly
a paragon of religious tolerance and logical governance. From the
moment Constantine I ascended the throne and wed Christianity to the
remnants of Roman political power, Christians whose interpretation of
scripture did not conform to state-sponsored dogma were persecuted –
particularly the Gnostic sects, whose writings, such as the recently
discovered Judas Gospel, continue to fascinate historians. Jews
were subject to severe restrictions on their social status, and,
in Constantinople, were ostracized into a ghetto. In the political
realm, corruption, intrigue, and murder were commonplace.
Looking at the wider Western world of the late Middle Ages and early
Renaissance, one finds little evidence of morally-conscious rulers
seeking to reconcile faith and reason. Consider the trouble men like
Copernicus and Galileo encountered when they sought to challenge the
Church-sanctioned conception of a changeless universe centered on a
motionless Earth. An Italian philosopher, Giordano Bruno, was burned
at the stake for teaching Copernican theory and speculating about life
on other planets. And, as astronomer Carl Sagan pointed out in one of
his wittiest books, Pope Calixtus III actually excommunicated Halley’s
Comet in 1456 because its appearance in the night sky coincided with
a major Turkish offensive in the Balkans – although, as Sagan points
out, its prior adherence to Catholicism was uncertain!
As for “conversion by the sword”, it is difficult to think of worse
examples than those provided by Christian Spain in the 15th and 16th
Centuries. The subjugation of the Canary Islands and its indigenous
Guanches inaugurated this onslaught. Every high school student who pays
a modicum of attention in class knows about the ruthless expulsion of
Jews and Muslims in 1492 after the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella
unified Castille and Aragon. That year, of course, is also famous
for Columbus’ arrival in the Americas – initiating one of the most
rapid and destructive campaigns of conquest in history. Within fifty
years, the Arawaks of the West Indies were virtually extinct, the
ancient civilizations of Mexico and Peru lay in ruins, and millions
of indigenous Americans had perished from disease, starvation, and
slave labor.
When the conquistadors of Francisco Coronado came upon pueblos in the
American Southwest, a decree was read aloud in every town demanding
the inhabitants embrace Christianity or be exterminated!
Now that we have examined some of the less admirable episodes in
the annals of Western civilization, let us pause to recall some of
the achievements of Muslim lands during the same period. It is a
well-known fact that Arab and Persian scholars not only preserved
and translated the learning of classical Greece, but also greatly
improved upon the Greeks’ understanding of mathematics, geography,
medicine, and astronomy. The golden age of Moorish Spain boasted
many esteemed Jewish, as well as Muslim, scholars – including Hasdai
ibn-Chaprut and Maimonides. When Constantinople fell to the Muslim
Turks in 1453, its Jews were emancipated, and many Sephardic Jews
fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in later years found refuge in the
Ottoman realm – including Palestine. The cities of the classical
Muslim world, from Cordoba to Cairo to Damascus to Baghdad, were
revered throughout Eurasia as centers of learning and commerce.
But before we rush to dismiss Pope Benedict’s recent homily outright,
we must also examine the acts of intolerance and violence which
important Muslim societies have unquestionably committed. Although
Moorish rule in Spain was generally characterized by respect for the
rights of Jews and Christians, it also witnessed episodes of severe
religious persecution – particularly under the fundamentalist Berber
Almoravids. The people of Nuristan, on the northeast Afghan frontier,
were indeed forcibly converted to Islam little more than a century
ago. There is little to praise in the Ottoman Empire’s oppressive
rule over predominantly Christian lands such as Greece, Serbia,
and Bulgaria, where teenage boys were regularly conscripted into the
Turkish army as janissaries.
Moreover, the violent collapse of Ottoman rule during the First World
War witnessed the genocidal massacre of Armenians – a crime against
humanity as grave as the Jewish Holocaust which modern Turkey,
a long-time US ally, continues to stubbornly deny in the face of
indisputable facts.
There is a lesson to be learned here by all humanity – that the
true dividing line in human affairs is not between East and West,
or whites and non-whites. It is between those who recognize that
all cultures – including their own, have the capacity for both the
profoundest enlightenment and the basest evil, and those who persist
in believing that some peoples have inherently superior cultures,
and thus superior human rights. Around the world one sees a veritable
epidemic of blind patriots – Americans who refuse to feel sorrow for
the slaughter of the First Nations, Chinese who harden their hearts
toward the Tibetans whose society they have mutilated, Japanese
who still celebrate the murderous exploits of their bygone empire,
Australians who plead innocent to the subjugation of the Aborigines,
Arabs who belittle the crisis in Darfur, Turks who persist in their
deluded denial of the Armenian genocide, and Israelis (and their
Western supporters) who work themselves into spasms whenever the
Palestinian Nakba of 1948, and the ongoing plight of the refugees,
is mentioned.
The greatest obstacle to constructive self-reflection by members of any
society is, of course, the ongoing experience of conflict. If it has
been difficult for Americans to recognize their societal failings in
the aftermath of 9-11, it is far more difficult for Arabs and Muslims
to come to terms with theirs while under incessant threat of economic
punishment and military assault from the US and its allies. Yet,
in spite of the grotesque disparity between the two sides in this
deepening conflict, thoughtful men and women must transcend national
and sectarian boundaries in the quest for reconciliation – even if,
at times, this means getting our feelings hurt.
-Roger H. Lieberman is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Masters’
Degree in Environmental Science.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
September 18, 2006
____________________
FAR GIVES HOPE TO CHILDREN OF ARMENIA THROUGH SUMMER CAMP
Lucineh Minasyan was only 2 and her sister Armineh was only 1 when both
their parents died. They were adopted by their aunt and uncle, who do their
best to take care of the sisters along with their own two children. The
girls help their uncle grow vegetables, but without enough money to pay for
irrigation, the yield is disappointing.
“So our meals are rather modest and we cannot even dream of fruit or ice
cream,” Lucineh said. “We do not feel we are kids, because we share all the
hardships of our elders.”
This summer, thanks to the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) and a small, but
dedicated, Armenian community in Texas, the sisters have reclaimed their
childhood by attending summer camp. They attended the FAR-run Kaps Summer
Camp, located in a small forest just outside Gyumri.
“At camp, we feel that we are still kids,” Lucineh said. “We feel like
Cinderellas, even though after the camp we have to return to our regular
routine. Nevertheless, I thank God that He gave me and my sister these
wonderful days at camp.”
CREATING CHILDHOODS
During Soviet control of Armenia, authorities provided summer camp
opportunities. But since the independence of the Republic of Armenia, the
fledgling government has not been able to provide these respites.
The children of Armenia live with lingering emotional damage caused by the
war, the 1988 earthquake, and economic problems. With these troubles, their
childhoods easily slip away.
“I have never been to a youth camp before,” said 12-year-old Hasmik
Antonian. “I am happy to be free from household responsibilities. At camp,
I feel a careless childhood.”
When the nation became independent and the communist economy cracked,
unemployed parents and newly widowed, single parents could not afford
leisure activities for their children. When the children were not working
or studying, many could easily find trouble in the streets.
The father of Armen and Arman Gasparyan, 14-year-old twins, died in a car
accident. Now their mother works extra hard just to make a living. But
this year, at the Kaps Camp, they learned that getting into trouble did not
help.
“We realize how hard it is for her, but very often we do not behave and make
her life harder,” said the youngsters. “In camp, being in the oldest group,
we realize that being older is also a responsibility. After camp, we will
be more serious and lessen our mom’s burden.”
To provide high-quality, child-centered leisure activities for disadvantaged
youngsters, the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) began organizing summer camps
throughout the country. In 1998, FAR re-opened the camp in the village of
Kaps, an agricultural community situated 7 miles northeast of Gyumri.
Originally founded in 1828 by immigrants from Bayazet, a town at the foot of
Mount Ararat, the camp was shuttered during Armenia’s difficult transition
to independence. Since its re-establishment, the camp annually welcomes
about 140 children, between the ages of 10 and 14.
FAR re-established the Kaps Camp because, unlike neighboring villages, Kaps
remained below the radar of assistance programs. Along with renovating and
operating the Kaps Camp, FAR made a commitment to village residents by
installing a water pipe and sewage system.
Kaps is currently the only camp 100% run by FAR. Both in the past and
presently, the organization has provided funding and operational assistance
to help other camps begin and expand. Most of these camps now operate with
the help of other organizations or on their own.
TRIP CREATES OPPORTUNITIES
This summer, the Kaps Camp was not going to open because of insufficient
funds. At about the time FAR realized the camp would not open, a group of
young Armenian-Americans was touring Armenia with the FAR Young
Professionals Trip.
During their stay in Gyumri, one Young Professionals member, Ken Maranian of
Austin, Texas, was heartbroken to hear the news. He asked Marina Bazayeva,
FAR’s Gyumri Office Director, how much was needed to open the camp for the
final month of summer. She replied $8,000. Maranian asked others on the
Young Professionals trip to sponsor the Kaps Camp. Just over lunch that
day, they raised more than $3,000.
Going back home to Texas, he and Glyssie Berberian drew together the small
community there to find funding to fill the gap. They were inspired by what
they saw in Armenia on their FAR trips and wanted to make a difference in
the lives of these young children. “We can’t let the camp be cancelled,”
Maranian said. “It’s important to let the children enjoy the summer, let
them have fun and play.”
The small amount of $8,000 made a profound difference in the lives of the
children who were able to go to camp this year.
“The camp gave me an opportunity to relax and feel myself carefree and have
a chance to think of my future,” said 14-year-old Arthur Barsegyan. “I had
enough time to reflect on my life and decided to study math and become a
university instructor and do research to fill my life with sense and not
vegetate as I do now.”
“This is possible thanks to two interested Armenian-Americans who energized
their friends, family, and community,” said FAR Programs Director Arto
Vorperian. “Small amounts of support go a long way to provide hope,
opportunity, and empowerment to our brothers and sisters in Armenia. We
were able to give these children a couple of weeks at camp thanks to the
help of Ken and Glyssie. If you want to make a difference in the lives of
Armenians, you can do that without a big check.”
MORE THAN TIME OFF
FAR’s Kaps Camp is more than time away from chores. It includes activities
designed to develop the children, such as painting, sewing, and needle-work.
Children also take part in guided tours of museums, parks, and nearby
religious heritage sites. Campers receive nutritious meals and have access
to a full-time doctor.
Thanks to the donors from Texas, inspired by a participant of the Young
Professionals Trip, 140 kids were able to take advantage of the
life-changing opportunities of camp.
“In camp I realized that I have a whole life in front of me, whereas at home
I was under an impression that my life is limited to washing clothes and
cleaning floors,” said 13-year-old Hasmik Kirakosyan, whose parents are
unemployed. “Now, I am thinking of studying to become an engineer to design
home appliances that will alleviate housewives’ housekeeping burden.”
ABOUT FAR
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
millions of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in
Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.
FAR, one of the preeminent relief and development organization operating
there, is dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic,
prosperous, and culturally rich Armenia. It works towards a brighter future
by partnering with donors to make life a little better for our people. By
offering hope and more promising prospects in Armenia, Karabagh, and
Javakhk, FAR binds the Diaspora and the Armenian family together around the
globe.
For more information on FAR or to send donations, contact us at 630 Second
Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849;
web ; e-mail [email protected].
— 9/18/06
E-mail photos available on request.
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Campers at the Kaps Summer Camp, run by the Fund for
Armenian Relief (FAR), thank the Armenian community in Texas for providing
the funds that allowed the camp to remain open this summer.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Campers at the FAR-run Kaps Summer Camp perform a dance,
just one of the activities designed to give a normal childhood to the needy
youngsters in the Gyumri area.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIAN MFA: TRANSNISTRIA RESIDENTS USED DIRECT DEMOCRACY INSTITUTION
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 17:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For over 16 years the population of Transnistria
lives under the conditions of an unsettled conflict and out of the
constitutional field of the Republic of Moldova. Various models
of political settlement, proposed by international mediators, and
first of all by Russia, were not implemented, says a comment of
the Department of Information and Print of the Russian MFA on the
referendum in Transnistria.
The Russian MFA Believes that Transnistria residents used direct
democracy institution, i.e. referendum, to express their ideas on
the preferred form of securing stability and predictability in the
region. High level of participation is registered (according to the
Transnistria Central Electoral Commission 78.6% of those having vote
right took part in the referendum) and there were no significant
shortcomings,” says the MFA statement.
The Russian party hopes that in this situation OSCE and Ukraine
mediators, as well as US and EU observers invited in the past will
activate their efforts to form necessary preconditions for restoring
the negotiation process with participation of Kishinev and Tiraspol,
reports the Russian MFA Press Office.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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:
HIS HOLINESS ADDRESSES THE THIRD ARMENIA-DIASPORA CONFERENCE
“WE SHOULD WORK FOR A STRONG NATION AND MOTHERLAND”
declares HIS HOLINESS ARAM I
His Holiness Aram I called on working for a strong Armenian nation and a
strong Armenia in an address to a large number of Armenians from every
corner of the world during the opening session of the third Armenia-Diaspora
Conference in Yerevan on September 18.
At the beginning of an impressive and strongly worded speech, His Holiness
Aram I highlighted the important role of the conference in the life of the
Armenian nation, church and motherland. He considered this conference, the
third of its kind, to be a more conscious approach towards collective
belonging and one dictated by the Armenian nation’s collective history.
Having said this, the Pontiff divided his speech into four parts.
First, His Holiness showed the true path to the future through
self-criticism. “The first condition of success and progress is
self-criticism and then self-correction,” he said, adding that attempts to
veil difficulties and downplay the seriousness of certain situations lead to
undesired consequences.
Secondly, His Holiness Aram I spoke in detail about the approach that would
yield positive results if adopted towards major national issues and
concerns. Talking about the way these issues should be discussed, brought to
the table and solved, he stressed the importance of taking into
consideration the Pan-Armenian factor.
“The Pan-Armenian factor should become the spirit and basis of our thoughts
and plans; it should become our viewpoint and perspective. This factor,
however, should not be confused with a monopole way of thinking and a
centralized functioning. In its correct understanding, the Pan-Armenian
factor does not deny the presence of difference; on the contrary, it makes
them useful and enriching. This is what is demanded from all of us today
both in Armenia and the Diaspora. Any attempt to transform our differences
into a confrontation and pollute relation between our nation’s two poles is
unacceptable,’ assured the Catholicos.
Moving on to his third point, His Holiness Aram I reiterated the importance
of state and national priorities. “Armenia, as a state has its priorities
that are always subject to review based on the region’s geopolitical and
economic circumstances and Armenia’s chief interests.”
Aram I then talked about a number of important national issues that should
be discussed on a Pan-Armenian level with a clear separation in the roles of
the Armenian government and the Diaspora. In this context he particularly
mentioned the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, the situation in Javakhk, and the issues of dictation and dual
nationality. He added that collective discussion on these issues
“strengthens and channels Pan-Armenian thought in our life.”
Aram I then proposed the establishment of a small body from the various
state, spiritual and political entities that would meet with the president
of Armenia at least once a year to discuss Pan-Armenian issues.
In his fourth point, the Catholicos placed the relationship between Armenia
and the Diaspora on a cooperation level, away from emotional dimensions and
the concept of financial aid. He stressed the importance of preserving
national values in the current wave of globalization.
“The cooperation between Armenia and the Diaspora should not be conditioned
by financial standards only and should not be limited to narrow economic
boundaries. In other words, the Diaspora should not be satisfied with
financing projects in Armenia; it has much more to give to Armenia with its
manpower and experience. Armenia in its turn, should not only organize
Pan-Armenian conferences; it also has a lot to offer to the Diaspora
particularly in the fields of culture and Armenology. Our church and
intellectuals have an important role to play in this respect,” he added.
Concluding his speech, His Holiness Aram I reaffirmed the dedication and
commitment of the Catholicosate of Cilicia to the construction of the
homeland. One tangible expression of this is its construction of the “New
Cilicia” village in Karabakh. In this and other future projects, the
catholicos saw the imperative of halting migration, a task in which all
Armenians bear responsibility.
“Let’s walk together with a powerful Armenia towards a strong future with a
firm belief, a united course and committed participation. Here is our
strength; this is our path. Blessings to eternal Armenia; Blessings to the
homeland building Armenian nation that is itself rebuilt and eternalized
with its homeland,” called His Holiness to his audience.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission 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.

AVANT DESERVES RECOGNITION
by Tina Forbes
UConn Daily Campus, CT
Issue date: 9/19/06
Last night at the von der Mehden Recital Hall, the Avant Brass
Quintet played an energetic show to a decent-sized crowd consisting
of students, alumni and other music lovers.
“It was very nice. It was a high quality of dynamics and contour of the
melody,” said Janet Pohli, a 7th-semester music major, “I especially
liked the Mexican piece,” Pohli added, referring to ‘Intermezzo’
by the Mexican musician Manuel Ponce, “it was fun to listen to.”
Commenting on the turnout for the event, “A better showing would’ve
deserved this quality performance,” said Pohli.
The group performed a geographically – diverse selection of pieces
ranging anywhere from Armenia to Argentina. The original instruments
intended for the work were also quite different from the brass quintet
performing them. For instance ‘Adios Nonino,’ by Astor Piazzolla,
was originally a tango performed with an accordion.
“I thought they were fun,” said Jeffrey Motola, a 5th-semester
music performance major about the three Latin pieces performed,
which included ‘Adios Nonino.’
The two other Latin pieces were ‘San Petro en el Espinal,’ by Columbian
musician, Milciades Garavito, and ‘Intermezzo,’ by Manuel Ponce. Motola
heard about the Quintet performance from UConn assistant professor
of music, James Ackley; one of the Quintet’s trumpeters. Ackley
also arranged two of the pieces – ‘San Petro en el Espinal,’ and
‘Adios Nonino.’
The distinguished members of the Avant Brass Quintet included Ackley,
on trumpet, Peter Olson, also on trumpet, Lucy Colwell-Snyder on
horn, Topher Logan on trombone and Adam Crowe on tuba. Olson,
a UConn alumnus, has performed with a variety of local musical
groups including the Hartford Brass Quintet, the Hartford Pops Band,
the American Musical Theater, the Connecticut Repertory Theater and
the Manchester Symphony Orchestra. Colwell-Snyder currently teaches
instrumental music at a junior high school in Massachusetts, she has
also been the principal horn with the Thayer Symphony Orchestra. Logan,
also a UConn alumnus, is the director of the Community School of Arts
at UConn. Logan is the principal trombonist with the Thayer Symphony
Orchestra, the Connecticut Virtuosi Orchestra and the Connecticut
Lyric Opera.
Crowe is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Band and performed with
the Connecticut Virtuosi Orchestra, Lighthouse Blues Quintet and the
Eastern Connecticut Symphony.
Students interested in catching a show at the von der Mehden,
located beside the music building across from Mirror Lake, should
check out the School of Fine Art’s web site. All concerts are free
for students unless specifically noted. Visiting von der Mehden is
one way for students to spend a weekday evening or Sunday afternoon
while also taking in a little culture. The next performance is a
saxophone recital by Tom Wise this Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COURT HEARS MOTION TO DISMISS GENOCIDE DENIERS’ CASE
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 19 2006
In US District Court in Boston on Monday, Assistant Attorney General
William Porter argued for the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by a
Turkish group and others seeking to reinsert genocide denial materials
into the Massachusetts school human rights curriculum guide. In
support of the Attorney General’s position, the Armenian Assembly
filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief, and argued for
the rights of the defendants to recommend teaching the facts of the
Armenian Genocide.
The lawsuit, filed last year by the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations (ATAA), asserts that the Massachusetts Department of
Education’s decision to remove denialist materials in the school
curriculum guide amounts to “censoring” and therefore would be
a violation of the First Amendment. In court, Assistant Attorney
General Porter, who represented the Commonwealth, argued that the First
Amendment cannot be applied to statements by the government and said
that the Statute of Limitation requires that the case be dismissed.
Furthermore, the state pointed out that the plaintiffs have no
standing to sue since there was no harm suffered because students and
teachers may still independently access genocide denial information
from sources not recommended by the state’s curriculum guide.
“If the plaintiffs succeed with this lawsuit, there will be no stopping
point for the demands anyone can make for the inclusion in curriculum
recommendations, no matter how flawed or outrageous,” said Attorney
Arnie Rosenfeld of Kirkpatrick and Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP,
who argued the Armenian Assembly’s Amicus together with Board of
Trustees Counselor Van Krikorian.
Rosenfeld and Krikorian warned that if the court accepts the
plaintiffs’ First Amendment claims, it would open the door for any
extremist group, such as Holocaust deniers, to challenge curriculum
matters in court.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KARABAKH TALKS CALLED “NONSENSE” IN BAKU
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 12:54 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “There are no real negotiations over settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict but there is only an appearance,”
Azeri political scientist Zardusht Alizadeh stated. “None of the
parties wants to retract their positions. There is no real ground
for a compromise. Official Yerevan claims independence of Nagorno
Karabakh and its unification with Armenia.
Azerbaijan says it will never agree to give even part of its land
to Armenia. Outside these principles, there is no serious search
for a trade-off and appeal to public and international laws in the
negotiating process. Taking surface political interests, both the
parties to the conflict and the co-chairs are trying to find a solution
option in interests of the parties will become closer. However,
the interests do not become closer.
The parties make public that they will not make any trade-off. U.S
co-chair Matthew Bryza sated this. He said the parties do not seem
to withdraw from the core principles they insist on. But, one of the
parties need to withdraw from core principles in order to reach an
agreement,” the political scientist underlined.
Alizadeh also said “there are some strong forces, who are making
efforts for freezing and delaying the conflict.” The political expert
said the resolution of the conflict has reached a deadlock and the
negotiations are held only for appearance. Political scientist Vafa
Guluzadeh called the processes for the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict “nonsense”, reports APA.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LAST ECHELON WITH RUSSIAN MATERIEL LEFT GEORGIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.09.2006 13:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The last echelon with materiel, being withdrawn
from Russian military bases in Georgia, left Tsalka station Tuesday,
reported Commander of the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasia
(GRTT), major general Andrey Popov.
Thus, Russia completed executing measures on withdrawal of equipment
and material means, planned for 2006 in accordance with the Agreement
between Russia and Georgia on the terms, order of temporary functioning
and withdrawal of Russian military bases and other military objects
of the GRTT.
“Plan of Withdrawal of Russian military bases from territory of
Georgia, formed for 2006, is fulfilled 100%. No failures are made in
time indicators or order of departure of equipment. All equipment and
reserves of material means, withdrawn from the territory of Georgia are
already in the military units in the territory of Russia and Armenia,”
Popov stated earlier in an interview with RIA Novosti.
In Popov’s words, after September 19 only mobile equipment will stay
in the 62nd military base in Akhalkalaki, which will ensure activities
of the military base up to the end of 2007 – the full closing of the
base, reports RIA Novosti.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress