Author: Emil Lazarian

ABOUT 500 GROUPS ARE ENGAGED IN ILLEGAL FISHING
A1+
[01:19 pm] 07 June, 2006
The February 9 decision of the Minister of Environmental Protection
concerning illegal fishing in Lake Sevan fails to work in the
Gegharqounik region.
According to the order, fishing is strictly prohibited since April 15
until July 15. Nevertheless, illegal fishing still continues in the
Sevan, and the corresponding structures not only fail to prohibit it,
but also encourage the process.
According to Hambardzoum Hambardzoumyan, the head of the administration
of environmental protection, there are about 400-500 groups engaged
in illegal fishing which do not have licenses. It is due to mention
that the Minister of Environmental Protection himself is in charge
of the issue.
TV Company “Qyavar”, Gavar
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GALA CONCERT DEDICATED TO MOZART’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
ArmRadio.am
07.06.2006 10:41
In the framework of the “National Art Gallery” musical festival a
gala concert dedicated to Mozart’s 250th anniversary will be held
in Yerevan. The State Chamber Orchestra of Armenia and famous singer
Araks Davtyan will participate in the concert.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 6, 2006
___________________
YOUNG LOUISIANA COMMUNITY SEES CHURCH AS WAY TO CONNECT GENERATIONS
By Jake Goshert
Vasken and Higo Kaltakdjian feel pride when they see their children, Serop
and Niree, 21 and 17, taking part in church services at the newly
consecrated St. Garabed Church of Louisiana in Baton Rouge. Serop is an
altar boy and his sister often reads from the Bible during the badarak. For
Mr. Kaltakdjian, the parish council chairman, the involvement of his
children is a connection to generations past.
And when Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern), consecrated the mission parish’s sanctuary on
May 14, 2006, it signaled to Vasken Kaltakdjian the continuation of the
Armenian faith for generations to come.
“Our church is something we have to continue,” he said. “It is not
something we can let go. And having our own church building will help our
children feel this is something to be proud of. And they’ve seen us working
hard, and know it is not something that just happens.”
SMALL, YOUNG COMMUNITY
The state of Louisiana has about 60 families and during monthly badarak
celebrations, about 80 people fill the church: a former furniture store
marvelously renovated into a distinctly Armenian-flavored sanctuary.
Kaltakdjian said most of the members are immigrants from Syria or Lebanon,
with strong family ties to the Armenian Church. Kaltakdjian, for example,
came to the United States at 19, after serving as an altar boy in the St.
Sarkis Church in Damascus, Syria, where his grandfather was a parish council
member.
“We all played parts in our churches over there and we want to continue the
traditions our fathers and grandfathers taught us. We learned the church is
very important to the Armenian community,” he said. “So even though we’re a
small community, the church has kept us together. It protects our
nationality, our language, our faith. We thought it was important to have a
church here.”
The mission parish first began to form in the mid-1980s, but the new
immigrants were unable to fund a building. As they found success in the
opportunities of America, they raised enough money to buy and renovate their
church.
The community has many young families with children, and parish leaders see
the newly consecrated church as a way to energize parishioners, who consider
the church to be necessary for their children’s education.
“It was so wonderful, all the community came out to see the service,” said
Boghos Moutafian, the former parish council chairman. “This was our dream.
And the consecration definitely made our community stronger. People are
coming together, the kids are starting to talk Armenian, and they love our
religion. They’re singing and serving at the church.”
Archbishop Barsamian was joined during the badarak by the parish’s visiting
pastor Fr. Nerses Jebejian, Fr. Aren Jebejian from Chicago, Fr. Ararat
Kaltakjian of Canada, and Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, coordinator of music
ministry for the Diocese.
The Primate said that the parish was an example of parents passing the flame
of the Armenian Christian heritage to the next generation.
“Throughout the centuries, Armenians have heard the message of St. Gregory:
‘Come, let us build an altar of light,’ and they have acted on that
message,” the Primate said. “And here in Baton Rouge, they have come
together and built a community based on our faith.”
During a banquet following the consecration, the Primate presented Moutafian
with a pontifical encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians. Kaltakdjian was presented with an
encyclical and the St. Gregory Medal.
“These men learned from their fathers, mothers, and grandparents. They
learned the importance and power of Christianity,” the Primate said. “More
important, they then passed that love for our church on to their children
and into their communities. They are truly passing the flame of our faith
forward to the next generation.”
— 6/06/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Parishioners fill the St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge,
LA, as Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate, leads the consecration service
on May 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): As parishioners look on, the Primate blesses a cross
during the consecration of the St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge, LA, on May
14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): The Primate blesses a cross on the altar of the St.
Garabed Church of Baton Rouge, LA, during its consecration on May 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): The Primate performs the “Opening of Doors” ceremony on
May 13, 2006, the night before the consecration of the St. Garabed Church of
Baton Rouge, LA.
PHOTO CAPTION (5): The Primate, other priests, altar servers, choir
members, and parishioners walk towards the St. Garabed Church of Baton
Rouge, LA, as a prelude to the “Opening of Doors” ceremony, on the first of
a two-day consecration of the church May 13 and 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (6): The Primate presents a pontifical encyclical and the St.
Gregory medal to Vasken Kaltakdjian and his family on behalf of His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, during a
banquet following the consecration of the St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge,
LA, on May 14, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (7): The Primate presents a pontifical encyclical to Boghos
Moutafian, a founding leader of the St. Garabed Church in Baton Rouge, LA.
PHOTO CAPTION (8): The newly consecrated St. Garabed Church of Baton Rouge,
LA.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/06/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Chess Team Returns to Armenia after Winning Gold 2) Armenia And Azerbaijan Announce No Progress in Karabagh Talks 3) US Replaces Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group for Karabagh Settlement 4) MKR Draft Constitution to Be Introduced before Parliament 5) Leader Says Independent Kurdistan is Kurds' Right 1) Chess Team Returns to Armenia after Winning Gold YEREVAN (RFE/RL/Armenpress)--The Armenian National Chess team and their coach Arshak Petrosian received a hero's welcome in Armenia, after winning the 37th Chess Olympiad over the weekend in Turin, Italy. Five of the six men--Vladimir Hakobian, Gabriel Sarkisian, Artashes Minasian, Smbat Lputian, and Karen Asryan--arrived at Yerevan's Zvartnots airport shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Levon Aronian could not return to Armenia immediately after the Olympiad, citing personal reasons. They were greeted at the airport by Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, most members of his cabinet, as well as top police and army generals. Armenia, bronze medalist of three previous Olympiads, won the game's most important team competition, which drew to a close on Sunday, for the first time in its history. Its six top grandmasters, led by the world number three Levon Aronian, were the only undefeated team among 148 participating nations and finished far ahead of tournament favorite Russia. "We've made history," Petrosian said. "This is a great achievement for Armenian chess. We are very happy to have achieved that result." "We were anxious, happy and cheerful. It was great," said Gabriel Sargsian, the youngest member of the Armenian team. The 19 year old grandmaster's strong performance at Turin--8 wins in 13 games--proved crucial for the overall Armenian victory. The Olympic champions then headed to the city's Freedom Square where more than a thousand people waving Armenia's red-blue-orange flags and chanting "Armenia! Armenia!" gathered to cheer them on. The celebration, featuring speeches by senior officials and performances by Armenian pop singers, was broadcast live on state television. Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, who also heads the Armenian Chess Federation, stayed with the Armenian players in the northern Italian city throughout the two-week tournament. "Our chess players have managed to justify our nation's hopes," he said. "Your support from Yerevan was the most important thing for the guys," he told the jubilant crowd in Freedom Square. "This was only our first major victory. More victories lie ahead." 2) Armenia And Azerbaijan Announce No Progress in Karabagh Talks (AP/Yerkir)--The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia said Tuesday that talks between their countries' leaders had made no progress toward a settlement of the dispute over Karabagh, but that they had instructions to continue negotiations. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev discussed the conflict on the sidelines of a Black Sea summit in Bucharest, Romania, on Sunday and Monday. Representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, which is trying to broker a resolution of the 18 year old conflict, were also present. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told state television that the talks had been conducted "in a normal atmosphere, but they did not succeed in registering progress and giving a positive impulse to solving the problem of the Karabagh conflict." Still, he said that he and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov had orders to try to find points on which they could bring the two countries' positions closer. Mamedyarov said that, in spite of the lack of a breakthrough, the Aliyev-Kocharian meeting had seen a "wide discussion" of the details of a settlement. "We decided to continue the process and, if necessary, to hold another meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers," Mamedyarov said. However, Mamedyarov added that, "there is still hope for the peaceful resolution of the conflict and we are eager to continue efforts in this direction." The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said that the meetings took place in a good atmosphere and expressed hope that the conflict can be resolved this year. "The co-chairs still believe that 2006 is the window to reach an agreement regarding Karabagh, and I don't want to characterize exactly where we might be in that process," said Steven Mann, the co-chair representing the US in Bucharest. Mann also said that the mediators believe that the Karabagh conflict can still be resolved this year. "The co-chairs still believe that 2006 is the window to reach an agreement regarding Karabagh," he said. Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov said that the responsibility for the conflict resolution should not be laid on the two sides only. "They should themselves reach an agreement but with the support of the mediators," Merzlyakov said. 3) US Replaces Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group for Karabagh Settlement (Yerkir/Armenpress)Another diplomat will replace the American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Steven Mann, who has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of State on Central and South Asian Affairs. According to Mann, it is a usual rotation. "Another co-chairman will represent the US during the talks about the settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict," said Mann. Azeri Foreign Affairs Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said that changing the American co-chairman will not have a negative impact on negotiations. He told journalists that his conviction is based on the professionalism of American diplomats. "The important thing is that the Americans remain in the regulation process and want to continue it," said Mamedyarov, noting that one or two months will be enough time for the new chairman to become involved in the process. 4) MKR Draft Constitution to Be Introduced before Parliament YEREVAN (Yerkir)Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) held a meeting of its Constitutional Commission working group in Stepanakert, to discuss the introduction of a Draft Constitution to Parliament. During the meeting, MKR President Arkady Ghoukassian said that the Draft Constitution will be introduced before the Parliament. He also commissioned the working group to continue their activities to study and discuss proposals that have been received. Ghoukassian said he appreciated the activities of the MKR Constitutional Commission, noting that their work has received positive feedback from experts. 5) Leader Says Independent Kurdistan is Kurds' Right ERBIL (The New Anatolian)President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, said Monday in an interview with Al-Arabia television that an independent Kurdistan is the right of Iraqi Kurds, but for now remaining within the borders of a federalist, democratic Iraq serves their interest. Asked whether Iraqi Kurdish groups might seek an independent state, Barzani said that struggling for and dreaming about independence is "a right of every Kurdish individual" and further that "nobody can deny this right to the Kurds." "But for now, remaining within the borders of a federal, democratic Iraq fructifies the Kurdish interest. Presumably the dream and desire of an independent Kurdistan for the next generation or even in our time will be realized," Barzani said. Barzani also expressed optimism about the resolution of the Kirkuk issue by the new Iraqi Government and stressed that pursuing the issue is a priority of the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Iraqi Kurdish leader further expressed his belief that "the Kurdish question of neighboring countries" can be solved by democratic and peaceful means, through dialogue. Barzani's remarks are likely to cause concern in Ankara, which fears a civil war in Iraq and wider regional instability should the country fall apart and the Iraqi Kurds seek independence. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Hacker’s mark left on Greenfield paper’s Web site
By George Barnes
WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Jun 6, 2006
GREENFIELD – Visitors to the Greenfield Recorder’s site on the Internet over
the weekend were surprised to discover that instead of a page of news
headlines and links to information, what they got was `Hacked by Metlak.’
A view of the Web site, recorder.com, was blocked Sunday by a picture of a
Turkish flag with the face of what appears to be a soldier superimposed on
it and the words `Hacked by Metlak,’ and `Turkish hacker’ in parentheses
beneath it. In smaller lettering was a paragraph written in Turkish.
Yesterday, the newspaper’s Web site could not be accessed.
Douglas Hillman, operations director for the Franklin County newspaper, said
the problem was not in the newspaper’s equipment, although he said he was
still trying to determine exactly what happened.
`We believe it is in our ISP (internet service provider),’ he said.
Mr. Hillman said he was able to view the paper’s Web pages from his office,
but people seeking to read the newspaper on the Internet were blocked. He
said he was not initially aware of the Metlak issue.
The newspaper’s Internet service provider is eclecTechs, a Northampton-based
company. A spokesman for the company could not be reached for comment
yesterday, but a message to customers left on the company’s answering
machine said, `We have now excised many of our technical issues we had
earlier in the day. However, there may be some lingering issues. If you do,
please leave a message.’
Mr. Hillman said he reached the company and was told its server was down and
the company was trying to fix the problem.
A search for Metlak on the Internet shows many instances of the name in
connection with access problems on Web sites. It is also linked to a Turkish
hacker known as Iskorpitx, who is credited on many sites with committing the
largest Internet hacking in history.
Jason Matthews of Check Point Software, an Internet security company, said
one of the ways people improperly gain access to a Web site is by
surreptitiously gaining access to many computers through a virus. After
gaining access to as many as 1,000 computers, the person then uses those
computers to attack and overwhelm an Internet server, making it vulnerable.
He said firewalls are designed to prevent access to computers by viewing
information coming into the computers and determining if it could pose a
threat.
Mr. Hillman said he was unsure how his paper’s Web site was compromised, but
by late yesterday afternoon, it was up and running and displaying the
current day’s news.
He said that because the new server the pages are on was installed with an
old back-up tape, initially the public saw out-of-date stories and
information on recorder.com, but the newspaper was working yesterday
afternoon to load the new information to replace it.
Jason Feifer of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.
icle?AID=/20060606/NEWS/606060461/1003/NEWSREWIND
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIANS RALLY OUTSIDE RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN YEREVAN OVER HATE KILLINGS IN MOSCOW
AP Worldstream
Jun 05, 2006
Several dozen protesters rallied outside the Russian Embassy in
Yerevan on Monday, protesting a series of attacks on ethnic Armenians
in Russia by skinheads and racist nationalists.
The demonstration, organized by rights activists, came just 10 days
after a group of apparent skinheads stabbed a teenager on a train
outside of Moscow _ the sixth such fatal attack on ethnic Armenians
in or around Moscow this year.
Avetik Ishkhanian, head of the Helsinki Committee of Yerevan, said
protesters were calling on government authorities to condemn the
Moscow attacks.
Russia has seen a marked rise in xenophobia and hate crimes in recent
years, with a series of attacks on dark-skinned migrants, foreigners
and Jews. Rights groups say authorities do little or nothing to combat
the crimes.
According to the Moscow-based Sova human rights center, last year
31 murders and 382 assaults had racist motivations. So far in 2006,
14 people have been killed in xenophobic attacks.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BSEC SECRETARY GENERAL TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN FOR TAKING PART IN BSEC PA SESSION
Noyan Tapan
June 05 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Leonidas Chrisanthopoulos, Secretary
General of BSEC Permanent International Secretariate, will be in
Armenia on June 6-8 for taking part in the general session of BSEC
Parliamentary Assembly (PA) to be held at RA National Assembly. As
Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press and Information
Department, meetings with RA President Robert Kocharian and RA Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian are planned during the visit. Joint press
conference of Leonidas Chrisanthopoulos and RA Deputy Foreign Minister
Arman Kirakosian will take place in the evening of June 6.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPRESRESENTATIVE OF ARMENIAN CHURCH PARTICIPATES IN MEETING OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF EUROPE CHURCHES’ CONFERENCE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
June 05 2006
ETCHMIADZIN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Bishop Natan
Hovhannisian, the Primate of the English Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church participated on May 23-31 in the annual meeting
of the Central Committee of the Europe Churches’ Conference taken
place in the city of Derry, North Ireland. 40 members of the Central
Committee presided by Jean Arnold de Clermont (ECC Chairman) from the
Reformed Church of France and vice-presided by Archbishop Anastasios
from the Orthodix Church of Tirana and All Albania participated in the
meeting. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Interchurch Relations’
Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, issues on the
ECC agenda which relate to configuration of the ecumenic movement,
relations of the World Churches Council and the Commission of Refugees’
Issues in Europe, Council of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences Council
and Europe Protestant Churches’ community with the ECC and the third
European Ecumenic Assembly were discussed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MORE THAN 3 MLN USD ALLOCATED FROM STATE BUDGET FOR MAJOR REPAIRS OF YEREVAN SCHOOLS
Noyan Tapan
June 05 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. 10 bln drams (23 mln 256 thousand USD)
has been allocated to the sphere of education by 2006 RA state budget,
1 bln 350 mln drams out of which is envisaged for major repairs of 15
schools within the jurisdiction of Yerevan Mayor’s Office. As Onik
Vatian, Head of the Education Department of Yerevan Mayor’s Office,
informed at the June 5 press conference, this year repairs will be
implemented at Yerevan schools with the resources of the Foundation
of Social Investments, as well as the Lincy Foundation. The latter has
planned to fundamentally repair 6 comprehensive schools. O.Vatian said
that the repairs of some schools will finish not at the beginning but
at the end of the schoolyear. According to the head of the Education
Department, 132 thousand pupils attended Yerevan schools last year,
while their number was 130707 in 2005-2006 schoolyear. According to
O.Vatian, the number of 10-form pupils is more by 154 as compared
with the previous year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

70% OF ARMENIAN FORESTS DECOMPOSED AND OLD
Noyan Tapan
June 05 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 5, NOYAN TAPAN. 334 thousand ha or 11.2% of Armenia’s
territory is covered by forests, which makes only 0.1 ha per
capita. According to the 2003-2005 Ministerial Report of the RA
Ministry of Nature Protection, about 70% of the country’s natural
forests are decomposed and old. 36% of timber resources are mature
and overmature forests, which are located in areas difficult of
access. According to the report, the inefficient forest management over
the last ten years has brouhgt the forests anf forest ecosystems to
a critical state. Incorrect forest menangement has resulted in aging
and overmaturity of forets in some areas, and to their degradation
and destruction – in others. The energy and economic crises brought
about large-scale deforestation in about 40,000 ha of forests and
green zones. Most of illegal tree cutting has been done by residents
of 230 communities located 5 km from forests – for heating.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress