Author: Emil Lazarian

RA STATE COMMISSION ON PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION DISMISSES ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT OF ARMENTEL
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 31 sitting, the RA
State Commission on Protection of Economic Competition discussed and
dismissed ArmenTel’s administrative complaint about the commission’s
decision to fine the company for using discriminatory conditions (abuse
of its dominating position). To recap, ArmenTel launched a campaign,
during which those persons, who were its mobile contract communication
(SIM) subscribers for a year, were given the opportunity to connect
to each other at a per-minute tariff of 2 drams. The same discount
was also offered for connection to fixed-line phones, whereas a sum
several times as much as this one was required for connection to the
same network under the commutation agreement of another operator –
K-Telecom company: 9.94 drams per minute for connection to the Yerevan
network, and 19.93 drams (busy hours) and 14.04 drams (not busy hours)
for connection to the regional networks. The commission had intiated
the proceedings based on ArmeTel’s application. In its administrative
complaint, ArmenTel informed the commission that the proceedings
should be suspended since another state body, the RA Public Services
Regulatory Commission, has made a decision on the same issue.
However, the RA State Commission on Protection of Economic
Competition stipulated that the law is definite, and in case of
a violation or distortion of economic competition, the power to
give an opinion is reserved for the Commission on Protection of
Economic Competition. Moreover, the Law on Protection of Economic
Competition does not restrict the commission’s powers with respect to
any market. In other words, the competence of economic competition
protection applies to all spheres of economic activities without
exception. At the same time it was noted that these administrative
proceedings have another subject. ArmenTel also indicated in the
administrative compalint that the commission’s opinion that the rival
may be forced out of the market as a result of the above mentioned
behavior of ArmenTel is not substantiated. The company presented some
indices to show that the rival has not been forced out of the market,
and since “it was not actually forced out”, according to ArmenTel,
the commission’s position is not well-founded. However, according
to a press release submitted to NT by the commission, in reality,
based on the necessity to secure equal competitive conditions, the
legislation on economic competition stipulates that the company’s
behavior should be considered, and not the results of its behavior,
which was actually done. Moreover, the commission takes a view that
being forced out of a market does not mean to stop operating on
this market, or to “disappear” completely, also when the reasonable
opportunity to attract new subscribers is restricted. In the third
point of the administrative compalint, ArmenTel asked that the fine
be imposed not in the amount of 1% of its revenues from the mobile
communication market but also in the amount of 1% of the overall
revenues received from the calls made from the mobile to the fixed-line
phone network. Yet in this case the law fixes the amounts of fines and
does not allow the commisison to use its own discretion. So, the RA
State Commission on Protection of Economic Competition dismissed the
administrative complaint of ArmenTel on the above mentioned grounds.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Georgian Defense Minister Satisfied With Agreement On Bases Withdrawal
Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 31 2006
Tbilisi. March 31 (Prime-News) – The agreement on deadlines for
withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Georgia, signed in
Sochi on Friday is of historic importance, Irakli Okruashvili,
Georgian Defense Minister says.
“We have made certain concessions with regard to the time table;
we know that so much time is not necessary for the bases withdrawal
but we agreed with certain arguments by the Russian party”, Irakli
Okruashvili said at the briefing in Tbilisi on Friday.
According to him, the Georgian party committed itself to let military
cargoes for the Russian military bases in Armenia pass through Georgia.
“It may be considered as a compromise as well, but those cargoes
must not be dangerous for the region even in the slightest way”,
Irakli Okruashvili said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA Year in France to Start and Finish on Independence Day
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.04.2006 00:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The third sitting of the committee on the Year
of Armenia in France took place in Paris March 29, reported the RA
MFA press office. The Armenian and French delegations discussed the
preparation process and the agenda. RA Ambassador to France Edward
Nalbandian and Director General for international cooperation and
development Philippe Etienne signed working documents confirming
the agreements achieved. The sitting participants also ratified the
logo and discussed the program of the year of Armenia in France that
includes some 200 events to be held in 40 cities of the state. The Year
of Armenia in France will start September 21, 2006, on the Independence
Day of Armenia and finish July 14, 2007, on the Independence Day
of France.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MORE THAN 200 INTELLECTUALS OF ARMENIA AND LEBANON ADDRESS TO RA
AUTHORITIES, WITH REQUEST TO ANNOUNCE AMNESTY TO ARSEN ARTSRUNI
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. More than 200 cultural, educational
and public figures of Armenia and Lebanon addressed an open letter to
the RA President, National Assembly Speaker and Prime Minister, asking
to announce amnesty to Lebanese Armenian Arsen Artsruni, sentenced
to death on so called “Dro’s” case in 1994. According to the authors
of the letter, “imprisonement of 11 years impaired family father,
modest husband, patricotic intellectual Arsen Artsruni’s health
state, threatening his gradually dicreasing hopes for tomorrow’s
day and living it fully.” It is mentioned that the issue, starting
from 1994, made anxious numerous representatives of intellectuals of
Armenia and Diaspora: the Catholicos of All Armenians, late Garegin I,
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I, late Prime Minister
of Lebanon Rafic Hariri, French Armenian historian Claude Mutafian,
etc. have addressed to the RA authorities with the same request
since 1994. People having different political orientation signed
the letter: poet Silva Kaputikian, actors Sos Sargsian and Vladimir
Abajian, director Vahe Shahverdian, film producer Vigen Chaldranian,
painter Robert Elibekian, writer-publicist Zori Balayan, academician
Rafayel Ghazarian and Lenser Aghalovian, Archbishop Varuzhan Herkelian,
Bishop Narik Aliemezian, Bishop Tirayr Panosian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FIRST ISSUE OF “TESANKYUN” PERIODICAL PUBLISHED IN TAVUSH
IJEVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of mass media of the Tavush
marz was added by one more. The first issue of the “Tesankyun”
(Viewpoint) periodical to be published once in a fortnight was
printed. The newspaper editor is Voskan Sargsian, the Tavush marz
correspondent of the Noyan Tapan Information-Analytical Agency. The
independent periodical of the information character is published
in Yerevan, at the Noyan Tapan publishing house. The newspaper of
2 quire volume is published with 300 copies, but it is envisaged to
add the print run up to 1000.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 31 2006
ARAZ AZIMOV: ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN CAN COME TO COMMON DENOMINATOR
[March 31, 2006, 23:08:37]
On March 30, working visit of the deputy minister of foreign affairs
of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov to Canada and the USA has come to an end.
It should be reminded, that Araz Azimov is the co-chairman from the
Azerbaijan side in the American-Azerbaijan dialogue on safety created
in 1996. The American co-chairman is John Hillen, Assistant Secretary
of State on Political-Military Affairs. Annual dialogue envisages
discussions on cooperation between two countries in military,
political spheres and in the field of security. At the present stage
of dialogue, the Azerbaijan party has been presented by delegation of
high level. Alongside with the deputy minister of foreign affairs, it
included the deputy minister of national security Fuad Iskenderov,
the deputy chief of State Frontier Service Farhad Tagizade and the
commander-in-chief of Navy Shahin Sultanov. The dialogue on safety
passed within a day on March 9 in the State Department. The agenda
included such questions, as cooperation in war with global terror,
prevention of distribution of the weapon of mass destruction,
strengthening of boundary security, activation of the
American-Azerbaijan cooperation in the international organizations.
Araz Azimov, along with participation in the dialogue, has met in
Washington with representatives of the state structures of the USA.
In talks with representatives of the Council of National Security,
Pentagon and Congress, have been considered such themes, as situation
on Southern Caucasus, ways of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan
made statement in the Washington Center for Strategic and
International Studies on the topic “The Diary of Security of
Azerbaijan”.
Araz Azimov has given interview to Washington-based correspondent of
AzerTAc about results of visit to Northern America.
-You are the first official representative of Azerbaijan who has made
visit to Ottawa. At what level is the interest to Azerbaijan in this
country? What can you tell about the held discussions?
-Indeed, it is the first visit of the high-ranking delegation of the
Azerbaijan Republic to Canada. But our dialogue with Canada is going
for some years. I mean the meetings held Baku, bilateral meetings
within the multilateral forums. Canada and Azerbaijan are members of
a number of organizations. We cooperate within the Council of the
Euro-Atlantic partnership, OSCE. Though Canada geographically is far
from the Europe, nevertheless, it shows interest to processes
occurring in region and accepts in them participation. The Canadian
companies as the companies of the country rich with natural
resources, take direct participation in global power projects,
however, their interest to Azerbaijan yet cannot be named wide. For
this purpose, both parties should undertake mutual steps. First of
all, it is necessary to develop legal basis of our connections. Now
we have only one bilateral agreement. As the member of NATO, Canada
can promote performance of obligations of Azerbaijan in the
“Partnership for Peace” program. Besides, Canada has achieved
significant successes in the field of planning natural resources,
their development, creations of institutes, communications of the
state structures with private sector, information technologies, and
this experience can be useful for us.
Though it was not presented possible within one-day visit to discuss
all questions, nevertheless, we managed to concern basic problems
causing our concern. The position of Canada in the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict usually is not shown
distinctly enough. As a member of OSCE, this country till now
satisfied with only superficial moral and political support. But
gradually it is possible further approach of Canada to the given
question. In our region, there is a number of questions connected
with Canada causing our concern: for example, participation of some
Canadian companies in a number of illegal projects in Turkmenistan,
participation of the Canadian company in development of gold mines in
the occupied Kalbajar region of Azerbaijan. We have brought it to
attention of the government of Canada. But the explanations received
by us have shown, that the government of Canada do not connect itself
with the given companies and tries not to interfere with these
questions. We have listened to explanations, but have declared, that
Azerbaijan will continue to lead up the concern to the government of
Canada and to ask its help in the said questions. Certainly, simple
watching from aside will give nothing. Our embassy in Canada has been
functioning for two years. It managed to recover some of the
Azerbaijan societies in Canada. All these are the steps undertaken by
us. Simultaneously, we wait from Canada for reciprocal steps, first
of all, opening of Canadian embassy in Baku.
-The American-Azerbaijan dialogue on safety co-chairman of which you
are, is a frame mechanism. Projects initiated here are lead up to the
country leaders for reception of the right to realization. With what
concrete projects you come back in Baku after the present stage of
dialogue?
-The dialogue of safety – started in 1996 has opened opportunities
for studying questions in the field of safety between the USA and
Azerbaijan. Dialogue is necessary for strengthening even more. In
process of growth of authority and opportunities of Azerbaijan, it
will grow internationally and the threats for security. Azerbaijan
should be ready to it. The significant part of cooperation between
Azerbaijan and the USA concerns military-political sphere, area of
safety, practical works in the said spheres. Though the support
rendered by America to Azerbaijan in these fields, is up to the mark,
nevertheless, we have more requirements. Attitude of America to the
given requirements testify that it is ready to closer cooperation. As
a whole, dialogue passes positively. Issues of the agenda also have
remained unchanged: safety of Azerbaijan at national and regional
level, relations within NATO, increase of the role of OSCE in ongoing
processes, settlement of regional conflicts, the relations among the
Caspian coastal states, military-political situation in the Caspian
basin. The complex of risks and threats in the Caspian region is
complicated enough. Elements of war, terrorism, and environment are
peculiar to it. In this sense, the USA will closely cooperate with
Azerbaijan. We have achieved some agreements. Some groups of experts
will arrive in Baku. They will study opportunities of connection of
Azerbaijan to the initiative on power, sea safety, and also the
initiative put forward by the “Great 8”, against distribution of the
weapons of mass destruction.
-Whether you had touched the question connected with Iran?
-On consideration of the situation in region, discussed was and this
question. We have informed, that the 130-kilometers site of the said
border is under occupation. The threats deriving from here should be
by all means considered. Also has been discussed the conditions in
the sector of Caspian adjacent with Iran. Some steps undertaken by
Iran in this area concerns Azerbaijan. We have repeatedly declared,
that over border of neighboring countries should be peace, it is
necessary to be respectful to these borders and observe them. We also
have noted, that we have various connections, trade relations with
Iran, as with a neighboring country. Many of our compatriots live in
Iran. In this sense, Azerbaijan with interest and concern watches
development of situation in Iran. We would not like, that there was a
crisis. We are for the peace settlement of questions.
-Recently Vartan Oskanian in his statement in Washington has told,
that Armenia approaches to the Nagorno-Karabakh question from the
position of definition of self-government of the mentioned region.
Azerbaijan repeatedly declared, that has faced in Nagorno Karabakh
with a separatist regime. Under what of these aspects the United
States consider the given conflict?
– The USA directly is engaged in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
They support the quick settlement of the conflict and ready to make
active efforts in this direction. Though various expressions are
used, nevertheless, the situation all the same. It is a question of
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the conflict over the
Azerbaijani land, its settlement. Azerbaijan supports joint peaceful
residing of the Armenian and Azerbaijan communities in Nagorno
Karabakh and granting to them corresponding guarantee. I am
convinced, that at any stage Azerbaijan will achieve it as we have
other way. America should understand, and Armenia – to remember, that
the Azerbaijan state not only will disagree with the partition of the
lands, but also will prevent it. It should not be perceived as
toughening of our position. It is a position of principle with which
Azerbaijan holds from the very beginning, from first day of the
conflict. We shall remain on this position. We are ready to show
corresponding flexibility in settlement of conflict. I speak it,
including addressing to my compatriots, – living in Nagorno Karabakh,
the Armenian community should be provided by self-government in any
frameworks. As the Armenians assert, political forces of Azerbaijan
support proscription of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh from this
region. It is not so. We never objected to residing of Armenians of
Nagorno Karabakh as citizens of Azerbaijan, in this region. On the
contrary, we consider, that these people should possess corresponding
socio-political freedom, which it is necessary to provide with. It
should not be regarded as weakness of the Azerbaijan side. Azerbaijan
as the strong, modern, democratic state is ready to provide a normal
life of each citizen of any ethnic origin. However, from both sides,
there are extreme points. It is necessary to refuse them and come to
a common denominator. The extreme position of Armenia consists that
Nagorno Karabakh never was and will not be a part of Azerbaijan. It
is necessary to refuse this position. And the Azerbaijan government
should provide the Armenian population living in Nagorno Karabakh
with model of self-government. Being based on the European models,
this model should recognize our territorial integrity, inviolability
of borders. It is not necessary to forget, that in Nagorno Karabakh
alongside with the Armenians also lived and the Azerbaijanis. In
statement of Vardan Oskanian and other politicians of Armenia they
admit distortions. They approve, that Azerbaijani population of
Nagorno Karabakh was few in number. First, it so not so, there lived
about 50-60 thousand Azerbaijanis. Secondly, what is the difference,
many, or few? Even if the point is of one thousand, value of the
given question cannot be denied. The Azerbaijani community by all
means should return to Nagorno Karabakh. We should provide use by
both communities of the same models of self-government within the
legislation of Azerbaijan. It is a constructive position of the
Azerbaijan side. We are ready to pass from such hard line, as
non-recognition of the rights of the Armenians, to such moderate
position, as maintenance of their rights. Thus, Armenia and
Azerbaijan can come to a common denominator. To name it somehow
definitely is premature, and it is unimportant. The main thing is,
that territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be restored with
assistance of the international community, and it is necessary to
guarantee the rights of the Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh.
This question has been brought to attention of the American side. We
have discussed it with the co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group from
the USA Steven Mann. Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who the next weeks
will visit Washington, will continue discussions with Mr. Steven
Mann.
-Till 2001, one of the objects of discussion of dialogue on safety
was the 907th section. It has been for some years, as it has become
invalid, but continuing, nevertheless, to remain an unfair part of
the American law. Whether the given question on discussions was
touched?
-Yes, the 907th Section is still discussed. But I should tell, that
when the section held good, owing to the work carried out within the
dialogue of safety, it was possible for US to render assistance to
Azerbaijan. Today, nobody considers this Section strong. Very soon it
will be possible to cancel it completely. But our long efforts,
political will are necessary for this purpose and comprehensible
political conditions. Though the canceling of Section is a question
of principle, nevertheless, it should not interfere with our
cooperation with the USA. As I have already told, it has become
invalid. It should serve as a good lesson for the Armenians.
-As a result of work of dialogue on safety, it became possible
creation of the American-Azerbaijan working group on economic
reforms. Whether there are plans of creation in future of working
groups on other spheres of mutual cooperation?
-Owing to efforts of dialogue on safety between the USA and
Azerbaijan, there began our cooperation not only in the field of
economic reforms, but also have begun regular contacts, meetings in
the military sphere. Other power structures also closely cooperate.
Currently, we develop programs of cooperation on the Caspian and the
basin. For realization of it, it will be possible to create
corresponding working groups in coming years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR IMPORTANT PART OF REGIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM TODAY: NKR VICE FM
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 31 2006
YEREVAN, March 31. /ARKA/. Nagorno-Karabakh is important part of the
regional security system today, the Permanent Representation of the
NKR in the USA reported that NKR Vice Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan
stated this during the activity on the topic “The Karabakh Conflict:
View from Stepanakert”.
In his talk Mailyan represented the NKR authorities’ position regarding
the peaceful settlement to the conflict and pointed out factors of
the regional security and stability: strengthening of the ceasefire
agreement, inclusion of the NKR in international processes and its
international recognition.
The meeting was organized by the Center of Strategic and
International Researches on Tuesday. Participating in the activity
were representatives of the US Department of State and Pentagon,
foreign diplomats, NGOs, Azerbaijani reporters and experts, and also
representatives of the Armenian Diaspora.
On the same day Mailyan, together with the permanent representative of
the NKR in the USA Vardan Barseghyan, met with Vice Co-Chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group from the USA, Head of the Department of Caucasian
Countries Elizabeth Ruti. They discussed the current process of
settlement to the Karabakh conflict.
The NKR Vice Foreign Minister also met with members of the committee
of directors of the Americans of Artsakh organization. During the
meeting they discussed the organization’s program in the sphere of
democracy and governance, and also Artakh’s economic development.
Mailyan one more time stated that the NKR Foreign Ministry is ready
to contribute to the organization’s program.

Armenia Transfers Important Energy Objects To Russia
Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 31 2006
Tbilisi, March 31 (Prime-News) – Yerevan newspaper “Aikakan Jamanak”,
referring to reliable sources, states that Russia and Armenia have
signed an agreement on transference of the 5th power unit of Razdan
thermoelectric power station and Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to the
Russian party.
According to the newspaper, the 5th power unit of the thermoelectric
power station will be transferred to the Russian party for USD 250
million, which will allow purchase of Russian gas at the reduced
price for 2,5 years.
Besides, Russian party could become owner of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.
“Iran could hamper the agreement, thus Iranian party will not do
it if Moscow does not put obstacles to its nuclear program” – reads
the newspaper.
According to the newspaper, not so long ago a reception was held at
Armenian Ministry of Energy with participation of Russian ‘Gazprom’
high-ranking officials.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/31/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) ANCA Launches Nationwide Telethon 2) Karabagh Citizens Have Never Been and Will Never Be Azeri Citizens 3) Ankara May Soon Open Its Borders with Armenia, Says Daniel Fried 4) OSCE Has No Problem with Karabagh's Participation in Talks 5) EU Concerned with Violence in Turkey 6) Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to Host Armenian Genocide Exhibit, LAUSD Training 7) USC Armenian Graduate Students' Association Donates $5,000 to Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association 8) Los Angeles Based Architect Redesigns Karabagh Hospital 9) ARF Badanegan Seminar 10) Youth And Our Church: By Pattyl Aposhian 11) Critics' Forum: Film and Music: By Hovig Tchalian 12) Thank You Vecdi: By Garen Yegparian 1) ANCA Launches Nationwide Telethon --Grassroots advocacy organization expanding operations in nation's Capital and across US (WASHINGTON, DC)--The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) will launch its first nationwide telethon on May 21, 2006 with the theme "Securing our roots~E Building for the future." The goal of the telethon, which will air throughout the United States on television stations in major Armenian communities and via satellite TV, is to raise funds to expand ANCA's work and programs in service to the Armenian Cause (Hai Tahd). The ANCA has been stepping up its advocacy efforts over the last decade on many issues important to the Armenian community and the telethon will raise the additional financial resources necessary to meet the growing challenges facing the Armenian people. As a first step in these expansion plans, in early March the ANCA Endowment made a historic announcement regarding a state-of-the-art building it purchased from AOL founder Steve Case, which is located in the heart of the nation's capital, Washington, DC. The building, which is equipped with the latest technology, is located blocks from the White House and near Embassy Row. "Now is the time to build on our successes with a national telethon devoted to 'Hai Tahd'--the Armenian Cause," said Ken Hachikian, Chairman of the ANCA. "We look forward to generating the increased political power, influence, and respect that the Armenian American community deserves--and that the Armenian homeland needs. Purchasing a building in the heart of Washington, DC's political establishment gives the Armenian Cause a permanent home in the US and provides a platform to expand our service to the Armenian nation." The ANCA telethon will be broadcast from 6:00 PM to midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) and 3:00-9:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST) on May 21 and will feature a wide array of engaging programming including documentaries, prominent political figures, community representatives, and artistic performances, all with an eye toward raising substantial funds to support the ANCA's advocacy programs throughout the United States. "The launch of the ANCA Telethon represents a historic occasion to both demonstrate the substantial progress and results the ANCA has achieved for the Armenian Cause and to outline our plans for the future," said Zanku Armenian, spokesperson for the ANCA Telethon. "We are at a defining moment for Hai Tahd and need to expand our infrastructure to meet the increasing challenges from the many forces arrayed against our nation, our homeland, and our struggle for justice. The Telethon will provide a unique forum to unify our community's strength, foster greater participation, and generate the resources we need to advance the Armenian Cause." The genesis of the ANCA Telethon theme, "Securing our roots~E Building for the future," reflects the ANCA's respect for our roots and our aspirations for the future. "Securing our roots" represents our enduring historic roots as a people, our grassroots around the country, and our deep roots in Washington, DC. At its core, grassroots advocacy is the very soul of the ANCA. While "Building for the future" represents the ANCA's constant efforts to expand its effectiveness as a world-class organization, recognized internationally as the principled and forceful voice of the Armenian American community. 2) Karabagh Citizens Have Never Been and Will Never Be Azeri Citizens YEREVAN (Yerkir/Armenpress)-- Azerbaijan's Foreign Affairs Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said Friday that Baku was prepared to negotiate a peace agreement directly with Karabagh's authorities if the Armenians of Karabagh acknowledge that they are citizens of Azerbaijan. Mountainous Karabagh Republic's (MKR) Foreign Affairs Ministry responded by saying that MKR authorities responded that they have always supported direct participation in the negotiations without preconditions. "Karabagh citizens have never been and will never be citizens of Azerbaijan. The statements by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry are made for the Azeri public and do not reflect the reality of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict settlement," added MKR's Foreign Ministry. Mamedyarov also said that Armenia must walk out of the negotiation process and recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. "But I am afraid Armenia would not want Azerbaijan to hold direct talks with Nagorno-Karabagh," he was quoted by Trend news agency as saying. Mamedyarov reiterated that Baku would have to resort to force to end the conflict if the talks did not produce progress. 3) Ankara May Soon Open Its Borders with Armenia, Says Daniel Fried WASHINGTON, DC (Armenpress)--Daniel Fried, the US Assistant State Secretary on Eurasian and European affairs, said after his visit to the South Caucasus that "Ankara may open its borders with Armenia in a short period of time." According to Turkish "Aksham," Fried said that during his meetings in Ankara he discussed the issue of opening the Turkish-Armenian border and told the Turkish government that the US demands the border be opened. Fried also mentioned the issue of the Armenian genocide, saying that works is being done to make Turkey come into terms with its history. 4) OSCE Has No Problem with Karabagh's Participation in Talks (Combined Sources)--The American co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Steven Mann, said that the participation of Karabagh in the negotiating process is up to the conflicting sides. "The approach of the OSCE MG co-chairs is as follows: if the parties are for involving the Nagorno Karabagh in the talks, we will support this option," Mann said. The American co-chair also commented on the more frequent ceasefire violations along the line of contact. "The Personal Envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Andrzej Kasprzyk informs us regularly about this issue," he said, adding that the conflicting parties often discuss how to maintain the ceasefire. "The most optimal method should be agreed on in order to avoid war," said Mann. "The United States thinks that 2006 is a promising year for reaching a peace accord. However, it will not be possible to completely solve the conflict in 2006, because it needs many years." "I think the parties will decrease the risk of war. I do not think anyone is interested in resuming the war," the US diplomat said. "However, the ceasefire violation does not sound good." Mann also said that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs might hold their next meeting in April. He said that the Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers may also meet soon, "but the exact date of this meeting has not yet been set." "We [the co-chairs] are analyzing the situation and specifying our next steps," Mann said. 5) EU Concerned with Violence in Turkey (Reuters/AP)--The European Union expressed serious concern on Friday over violent clashes which have killed six people, including two children, in southeast Turkey and urged Ankara to improve the rights of Kurds in the region. Stone-throwing Kurds have been clashing with riot police in Diyarbakir since Tuesday, turning the city of one million people on the River Tigris into a battle zone. It is the worse violence in the Muslim nation since it began accession talks with the 25-nation European Union last October. "We are very concerned by the latest tensions in the southeast of Turkey and the violence, which have resulted in casualties," said Krisztina Nagy, spokeswoman for the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. "We are aware of the serious terrorist problem in the region but it is a much wider problem than just a security issue." The EU's view was echoed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which governs the northern part of Iraq, bordering Turkey's own Kurdish region. "What happened here is an example of a continuing problem of Turkey using force to solve what is a political and economic problem," Burham Jaf, KRG permanent representative to the EU told Reuters. "There needs to be a focus on a political solution and all sides need to start talking to each other," adds the Iraqi Kurd official. More than 30,000 people, most of them Kurds, have been killed since the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) took up arms for a Kurdish homeland in Turkey in 1984. Turkey, the European Union, and the United States all see the PKK as a terrorist organization, but the EU has also repeatedly urged Ankara to grant greater cultural and linguistic rights to its 12 million Kurds. Under pressure, Turkey's government has passed some reforms, but implementation has remained patchy. The European Commission urged the Turkish authorities to address "urgently" the lack of economic development and cultural rights in that region. "The region needs peace, economic development, and real exercise of cultural rights for Kurds," Nagy said, adding that this was not a new problem and was raised constantly by the European Commission in its talks with Turkey. Asked whether the EU executive was critical of Turkish police actions, Nagy said she was worried by the whole situation. The clashes first erupted on Tuesday after funeral ceremonies for 14 PKK rebels killed by troops last weekend. An eight-year-old child died overnight in hospital. A man and a child were shot dead on Wednesday and a second man was crushed under a police armored car. It was not immediately clear when or how the other two people died. Political analysts say the clashes reflect local anger over high unemployment, poverty and Ankara's refusal to grant more autonomy and cultural rights to the mainly Kurdish region. Police spokesman Ismail Caliskan said the PKK was behind the violence. Police are also claiming that Kurds were behind Friday's explosion in Istanbul, which killed one person and injured 13 others. The blast occurred at a bus stop in the Kocamustafapasa district. A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities suspect that autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels may have been behind the blast. Turkey bars civil servants from speaking to journalists without prior authorization. Video footage broadcast on CNN-Turk television showed debris scattered across a residential street, covering the sidewalk and parked cars. Police carrying submachine guns tried to keep crowds of people from the site. A bomb disposal expert wearing protective gear checked nearby garbage cans. 6) Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to Host Armenian Genocide Exhibit, LAUSD Training LOS ANGELES--City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo will host an exhibit and teacher training workshop for Los Angeles Unified School District teachers about the Armenian genocide at Los Angeles City Hall on April 3. The exhibit, iwitness, features striking portraits and oral histories of Genocide survivors and will be on display through the end of April. The teacher training workshop will be conducted by The Genocide Education Project, a non-profit educational organization, which will ultimately train more than 300 LAUSD world history teachers about the Armenian genocide. The workshop, which incorporates elements of the iwitness exhibit in its lesson plans, will take place at City Hall from 8 AM to 3 PM on April 3, with the opening reception for iwitness at 5 PM. "I am proud to be hosting both iwitness and the training for LAUSD teachers," said Delgadillo. "The photos and personal accounts of these survivors not only humanize the Genocide but also foster awareness through a powerful combination of art and education." Deputy City Attorney Sara Anjargolian, a policy advisor to Delgadillo who also serves as the Office's liaison to the Armenian community, said the program would have a broad impact. "As the City Attorney for one of the most diverse cities in the world, Rocky Delgadillo is keenly aware of the importance of teaching about the Genocide and the crucial historical lessons it provides for all Angelenos," she said. Iwitness, an exhibit by The Genocide Project and photographers Ara Oshagan and Levon Parian, combines portraits of Armenian genocide survivors with their eyewitness accounts. Collected over a nearly 10-year period, iwitness also features historical photos and testimonials from American and other officials stationed in the Ottoman Empire during the Genocide. "Iwitness brings together not only the photos of the survivors and their eyewitness stories but also historical photos of the actual events and accounts by foreigners--American, British, Austrian officials--who saw what was happening and attempted to prevent it," said photographer Levon Parian. "The viewer of the exhibit will not only get a glimpse into the individual personal tragedies of survivors but also an idea of the historical context in which it all took place." The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the Armenian genocide, by developing and distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching resources and organizing educational workshops. It has been involved for nearly a decade in providing invaluable materials for teachers and has created one of the most important genocide resources sites on the net at "We are currently in the process of one of our most important projects--a series of one day workshops targeted at training LAUSD world history teachers about the Armenian genocide," says Raffi Momjian, Executive Director of The Genocide Education Project. "The fact the LA City Attorney's office is hosting one of our workshops in association with the iwitness exhibit is critical in raising awareness of the importance of teaching not only the Genocide but all human rights abuses." Iwitness has been featured in the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine and on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," and has been exhibited in the California and Texas State Senate rotundas and the Rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, DC. It has also been exhibited at the Downey Museum of Art. Iwitness will be on display at the City Attorney's Office through the month of April. For more information, or to schedule a student field trip to the exhibit, please call (213) 978-8100. To RSVP for the April 3 opening reception, please email [email protected] or call (213) 978-1575 by March 31. 7) USC Armenian Graduate Students' Association Donates $5,000 to Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association GLENDALE--At their 2006 Annual Gala & Live Auction in February, the University of Southern California Armenian Graduate Students' Association (USC AGSA) raised nearly $25,000 for charity projects in Armenia. As a non-profit organization working to enhance the lives of the people in Ghapan and surrounding villages, the Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association (GGSCA) received $5,000 from the USC AGSA to renovate a youth center in the Village of Dantsaver. "Our collaboration with the Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association developed naturally since we share the common visionto strategically preserve and fortify our homeland," said Armen Margarian, president of the USC Graduate Students' Association. "The Dantsaver Village Youth Center project was especially near and dear to us as young Armenians living in the US since we feel that an integral part of our duty is to reach out to our fellow siblings in Armenia and develop professional relationships that will aid in their success in the international, academic, and professional arenas," continued Margarian. "We are thrilled and so grateful not only that the USC AGSA students are globally aware, but are actively involved in nation-building by hosting events that assist the not-so-privileged in Armenia prosper and thrive," said Artin Manoukian, president of the Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association. "We encourage other like-minded organizations to come forward as it is through the collaborative efforts of community members and organizations such as the USC AGSA that our mission of cultivating economic cooperation and cultural exchanges can be realized, all the while enhancing the standard of living for our brethren in Armenia" added Manoukian. Since its inception in 2002, the GGSCA has been actively working to fulfill its mission by concentrating its efforts on improving the conditions in the pre-schools, the healthcare system in Ghapan and the surrounding villages. In 2005, a much-needed ambulance donated by the City of Glendale Fire Department was delivered to Ghapan along with 30 hospital beds donated by Dr. Vartkes and Mrs. Mary Najarian. With proceeds from an event held at Hoover High School in Glendale, the GGSCA delivered bedding for 1200 pre school students including sheets, pillow cases, blankets, and uniforms for the staff. This project served a dual purpose by providing needed goods, and also by contributing to Ghapan's local economy by employing the local Blind and Handicapped Association to sew the items. During Easter last year, the Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Association delivered gifts including backpacks, school supplies, and lunch sets to 1200 Ghapan preschoolers. This Easter, the GGSCA is preparing its shipment of similar items to be sent to 1200 preschoolers in Ghapan and 300 others in surrounding villages. In addition to the renovation of the youth center in Dantsaver village with USC AGSA's generous support, some of GGSCA's upcoming projects include the opening of the completely renovated school in Norashenik village by the Armenian Educational Foundation and a section of Pre-School Number 8 by Mr. and Mrs. Kahren Beniassians. Also scheduled for autumn 2006 is a trip to Ghapan with a medical delegation from Glendale Adventist Medical Center. Through the joint effort of the Armenian National Committee of Glendale, the City of Glendale, and the City of Ghapan, the GGSCA was established to help cultivate economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two cities. In December 2002, the Glendale City Council passed a resolution recognizing Ghapan as a Sister City. GGSCA is a non-profit organization that aims to foster goodwill and understanding through cultural, educational, and economic cooperation between the people of Glendale and Ghapan. For more information or to contribute to GGSCA, please contact (818) 828-8882 or email at [email protected]. 8) Los Angeles Based Architect Redesigns Karabagh Hospital LOS ANGELES--In early March, Armenia Fund's Western US Region led a hospital reconstruction team to the war-torn Martakert region of Karabagh. The purpose of the site visit was to formulate architectural and engineering plans for the new regional healthcare facility. The project will be funded by donations collected during the 2005 Telethon as part of the Martakert Regional Development plan. In addition, a number of long time benefactors in the western US region sponsored the reconstruction of specific departments of the hospital. Arturo Fribourg, a Los Angeles based architect specializing in public works and health care facilities, was a part of the team visiting the hospital. Fribourg will provide the conceptual design of the hospital. Karabagh-based architect Mamikon Farsian, will tailor the design to local construction and medical codes and prepare the final drawings in accordance with Fribourg's plan for the hospital. Prior to his departure to Armenia, Fribourg worked with Dr. Alina Dorian, senior program manager at the UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters, to map out the initial plans. Dorian, who is currently in Karabagh, is part of the team as the public healthcare advisor. She will prepare the region's healthcare program and will oversee the development of a modern healthcare administration. Built in the early 1970's, the Soviet-era hospital has deteriorated due to improper maintenance. The hospital was severely damaged in the war, suffering aerial missile attacks and looting. The renovated hospital will be up to western standards and meet the needs of the region. During the visit to Karabagh, Fribourg met with the president of Mountainous Karabagh Republic, Arkady Ghoukasian and Prime Minister Anoushavan Danielian. Ghoukasian thanked Fribourg for embarking on this challenging project and pledged full support for the proper and timely completion of the project. Led by Armenia Fund's Executive Director, Sarkis Kotanjian, the team also met with Health Minister Dr. Zoya Lazaryan and Chief Administrator of the Hospital Dr. Sergei Ohanian to learn about immediate and long term healthcare needs of the Martakert Region as well as problems facing the hospital. According to the schedule, all architectural designs will be completed by late April, paving the way for a full-scale reconstruction during the late spring months of 2006. The project is expected to be completed within the next 12-18 months with a brief hiatus during the harsh winter months. After construction is complete, Armenia Fund will furnish the new hospital with modern medical supplies and state of the art equipment. Currently, Armenia Fund is working on obtaining special grants and in-kind donations from major healthcare providers throughout the United States. For more information on this project, please visit Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501©(3) tax-exempt corporation established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Karabagh. Armenia Fund, Inc. is the US Western Region affiliate of "Hayastan." All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698 9) ARF Badanegan Seminar The ARF Badanegan Organization of Western America held its Annual Winter Seminars during the weekends of February 3-5 and February 24-26. Each year, the Badanegan Central Council of the ARF organizes two weekend sessions, during which Badanees from all over Southern California gather at AYF Camp in Big Pines, California. Session one of this year's seminar had over 50 participants between the ages of 9 and 13. More than 120 badanees between the ages of 14 and 17 participated in second session of the seminars. During the weekend seminars, participants were able to meet and interact with different badanees from various chapters, participate in workshops and educationals, take part in a talent show, as well as go on hikes, play games, compete in a quizbowl, discuss current events, and learn about Armenian history. The ARF BCC would like to thank all badanees and advisors for participating in this year's Seminars. If you're interested in obtaining more information about the ARF Badanegan Organization, please contact us at [email protected] or visit our website at 10) Youth And Our Church By Pattyl Aposhian My hand trembles as I open the rusted mailbox outside my house. This tin box contains my future. Quickly, I begin making promises to myself--be it attending Sunday mass, volunteering as a mentor for the local church youth group, or even a task as simple as lighting a candle~E all in return for a letter of admission. At that moment, I think of everything and anything to deepen my faith and truly seek God before I read the letter that will change my life. As I tear open the envelope, a smile lights up my face when I read the official letter of acceptance. Instantaneously, I forget the small promises made seconds ago and go about my life as I had before--without doing anything differently. It's either the best of times or the worst of times. Teenagers today have come to view faith and the church as an escape from reality or a forum for social happiness. We turn to the church during the birth of a child or the marriage of a friend or loved one. We turn to the church when we have scored a 170 on our LSAT's and received an acceptance letter from Harvard Law School. We turn to the church when our lives are moving in the right direction and we know, without question, that our faith and belief in God had something to do with it. On the other hand, we turn to our church and clergymen to ask "why?" Why didn't I get accepted to Business School? Why did the police officer stop me for speeding and slap me with a DUI? Why are my friends allowed to break curfew and I'm not? Why has life thrown me a curve ball? Seem too simple? Today's youth questions faith on different levels. An older individual reading this article may view hardship and its link to faith differently than a teenager. A teenager may turn to faith because of problems such as peer pressure, materialism, beauty, and perhaps even a need for acceptancein other words, subject matters that adults "just don't understand." Times have changed. Generations before us viewed church differently than we do today. Attending church every Sunday was not an option for our parents or grandparents. Going to the wedding reception and "skipping" the church ceremony was unthinkable. Now, it has become a matter of choice. The "cool" way to attend church is to hang out in the quad or parking lot twice a yearEaster and Christmasas you use the opportunity to wear your Sunday best and socialize with friends. Some of us make a small effort and go into the church to light a candle. We spot a place to sit between two elderly women and think otherwise. We stand near the door for two minutes, observing the sea of salt and pepper hair only to realize that the average age of attendees is double ours. We walk away thinking this sermon really isn't for us anyways. Reality is, the younger generation just doesn't understand--seeking faith is not something that takes place on our clock. Attending church should not be associated with social gatherings or harrowing times. Our faith should surround us every day and be blind to time schedules, daily occurrences, and our own personal lives. Armenian youth are an integral part of the Armenian culture and our faith is an important determining factor in our choice of values. The Western Prelacy of Armenian Churches has committed to taking the youth deeper into the Bible, prayer, and mentoring programs so that Generation X and Y will be grounded to our faith. By witnessing the need for special programs for youth, the Church has responded to the needs of the Armenian community by setting up youth groups and youth services. With every passing day, youth programs are growing stronger and developing along practical lines of life. We are more fortunate than our counterparts of the 1960s and 1970s. Our personalities seem much more cheerful. We do not drift along with the current. Our behavior is more practical and reasonable. We survive by adaptation, and we seek development through creativity. In other words, the manifestation of our sense of values regarding faith, knowledge, spirituality, work, modernization, marriage, consumerism, and other areas of life, all have a special personality, and reflect trends in society's development. If we compare the values of today's youth with those of an older tradition, we find these values significantly different. We, Generation X and Y, not only emphasize the life of the spirit, but we also pay greater attention to material life and the quality of life. For example, the traditional Armenian attitude towards life is: be content with what you have, be hardworking and thrifty, study hard, and bear your burdens. But today's youth seek a life of quality and beauty. We have doubts about the traditional value system, and we challenge it. Sometimes, we do not understand why our parents repeatedly emphasize industriousness and hard work. The atmosphere of consumerism prevails, but the Armenian community still emphasizes duty, practicality, steadfastness, and patience. But today's youth seek novel things. We seek success; we want to travel; we want to enjoy gatherings of family and friends. We also seek a variety of social stimuli. However, we still seek faith and spirituality. With the changes and developments in modern society taking place so rapidly, everyone is adapting quickly, especially the Western Prelacy. The Church understands the challenge of youth involvement and the influence of democratic ideas, equality, and modern technology. The church sees the change in family life, schools, and society and reflects on how it can play the role of prophet and speak out for justice in society. Furthermore, the Church has taken its commitment to the youth further by adapting to their needs. Therefore, I ask the Armenian youth? Where are you? Why can't you log off myspace.com a couple of hours early and attend church on Sunday? Why can't you make friends at youth group gatherings rather than flirt with disaster at local bars and coffee houses? In short, why are you not actively involved with the church? The church has done its share. Now, it's our turn to prove that the Armenian youth is willing, dedicated, and faithful. 11) Critics' Forum Film and Music Belated History: Revisiting Atom Egoyan's "Ararat" By Hovig Tchalian It may seem unusual to review a film released almost four years ago. But as we enter the first year of the tenth decade of commemorating the Armenian genocide, Atom Egoyan's "Ararat" (2002) presents an ideal opportunity to do so in the context of the film's central theme, the uncanny act of remembering--again. "Ararat" is a powerful, reverent and unquestionably personal look at the ravages of the Genocide, both immediate and more distant. But the film as a whole is also deeply flawed, precisely because of its personal nature. Like Egoyan's other films, the premise of "Ararat" is complex and multi-layered. It revolves ostensibly around the making of a film about the Genocide by Edward Saroyan (played by Charles Aznavour), a well-known director now well past his prime. In typical Egoyan fashion, the stories of the other characters weave themselves into the central story of the making of Saroyan's film: Raffi, the main character (played credibly by David Alpay), is in love with his step-sister, Celia; she is locked in struggle with his mother, Ani (played by Egoyan's wife, Arsinée Khanjian); Ani is an art historian interested in Arshile Gorky (played movingly by Simon Abkarian) and his representation of himself and his mother, which Celia accuses her of using as a way of coming to terms with the death (or, according to Celia, her murder) of her second husband, Celia's father; the film's producer, Rouben (played by Eric Bogosian), hires Ani as a consultant, in order to help add elements of Gorky's biography as a plotline in the film. The stories converge on Raffi's attempt to bring (or perhaps sneak) several rolls of film into the United States that he claims to have shot in Anatolia (present-day Eastern Turkey, historically Western Armenia) for use in the production. An aging customs officer, David (played ably by Christopher Plummer), is the only person who stands in his way. David is himself close to retirement and having trouble adjusting to his divorced son's relationship with his half-Turkish gay lover (played by Elias Koteas), an actor who winds up playing the part of the main Turkish antagonist in Saroyan's film, Jevdet Bey. As is clear from the extended synopsis above, the various elements of the film make for a complex storyline. Though it can be argued that some of the details are "wasted" here (other, better films, of Egoyan's are far more "efficient" and less heavy-handed), there is still a clear purpose to them. For instance, the twin details of the director's waning talentsa fact mentioned off-handedly by Raffiand the customs officer's impending retirementrevealed slowly throughoutare subtle but significant. Together, they represent the film's central concern, what we might call the "latency" or "belatedness" of historyin other words, the difficulty of proving after the fact an event that took place in the past. We understand that the Genocide narrative in the imaginary film is told too late to change the facts but, equally, struggling even to transmit them meaningfully to posterity. Like its director, the film is tragically past its prime. The same may be said of any attempt to capture the full weight of history, a fact that Egoyan (as a director of the film that tells its own, similar story) recognizes all too well. The two aging characters and the structure of the film-within-a-film repeat themselves across a host of other dualities: we find out that Ani has been married twice, first to Raffi's father, who was killed in an attempt to assassinate a Turkish diplomat, and second to Celia's father, who apparently (and like Gorky) committed suicide; we discover that Raffi is actually sneaking two sets of films across the border, one set of rolls (that may in fact contain Heroin) given to him by the Turkish soldier who helped him get into view of Ararat and a roll of film that he took on his own camcorder that includes a shot of the Madonna and child in Aghtamar that mirrors Gorky's painting; we are also told that Gorky painted that image in 1934, as a way of coming to terms with the killing of his mother in 1915 (an act that Ani is trying to uncover and understand in the present). Such parallels, sometimes subtle and sometimes less so, all build on the idea of belatedness. They do not represent dualities so much as an almost endless string of repetitions and revisions, of strange but hopeful attempts, as I suggested earlier, to remember--again. By the end of the film, the sheer number and dizzying array of motifs in the film come perilously close to overwhelming its subject as well as its viewer. A surprisingly effective repetition in the film is the one that involves Ali, who plays the part of the Turkish official, Jevdet Bey, in Saroyan's film. He is a half-Turkish American citizen who reveals during the course of filming that he has trouble believing that the Genocide was ever more than a civil disturbance and those killed much more than casualties of war. Raffi's futile attempt to convince him otherwise is more than an act of will. His all-too-human response of confronting a Genocide denierin the person of Alibecomes at the same time a heroic attempt to reach back into and reverse history itselfin the person of Jevdet Bey. History and art collide in Raffi's personal encounter with collective memory and the reconstruction of historical experience. The personal nature of Raffi's encounter ensures the emotional and artistic integrity of the film, its heart and soul. But surprisingly, it also represents the film's undoing. The delicate balance between art and tragedy represented in Raffi's experience begins to unravel as we extend it to include Egoyan's own experience of making a quite personal film about the Genocide. From this broader perspective, the film is unable to navigate the fine line between art and historical commentary. In that sense, the complex associations among the film's various elements must be seen as a heroic but doomed attempt to capture the fullness of the Genocide and its implications, both personal and collective. To put it differently, the film puts forward the idea that a historical event is infinitely complex, all the while attempting to shed light on what actually happened. Not surprisingly, reviews of the film have described it either as "slanted" or "committed," a distinction that even a filmmaker of Egoyan's talents would be hard-pressed to overcome. As mentioned earlier, the film's complex plot converges on Raffi's attempt to sneak the rolls of film out of Turkey and into the States, and in the film's rationale, into the light of day. The customs officer, David, suspects that the roll given to Raffi by the soldier contains drugs. David explains that many of those who ingest those drugs to sneak them past the officers, when confronted with the crime, get so nervous that the packets explode in their system, causing an immediate overdose. The conversation parallels the very first scene in the film, in which Aznavour's character, Saroyan, tries to get a pomegranate ("nour") past customs. (It also parallels the imagined story in Saroyan's film, in which Gorky fails in his attempt to get a letter about the Turkish siege on Van to the American authorities and is caught by Jevdet Bey.) When David refuses to allow Saroyan to bring the fruit across the border, Saroyan ingests the seeds instead, explaining that he expects them to bring him luck. (We find out later that his mother, a deportee, had a single pomegranate with her on her journey and survived by ingesting a seed a day and considering it a full meal.) The most obvious parallel in all these cases is to the truth at the heart of the Genocide, which starts as a letter of distress in Saroyan's film and becomes, in Egoyan's, both pomegranate seed and packet of heroin, sustaining to those who would give it life and a potentially explosive issue to those intent on suppressing it. The film's resolution, if there is one, comes in the form of Raffi's liberation. David releases him from customs, accepting the various lies he has told as a way of getting at the truth, of imagining its possibility. This act in turn leads to David's acceptance of his son and sets everything that has come before it awash in the light of hope. It is reminiscent of perhaps the single most affecting moment in the film, in which Gorky, struggling to paint his mother's portrait, gives himself over to the music playing on his phonograph and dances to it, palette and paintbrush in hand. Egoyan has earlier shown us captive Armenian women made to dance by Turkish soldiers, a scene that transforms Gorky's, by contrast, into the ultimate act of imagination and hope, a dance on the grave of history itself. The film's final scene is of Gorky's mother sewing a button back onto her son's jacket. The button is missing in Gorky's famous portrait but hidden from view, covered over by a flower his mother gives him to hold over it just before the photograph is taken. The humble act of sewing it back on stands in for the far more difficult goal of setting history right, after the fact. It presents the film's hopeful answer to the problems posed by history's belatedness. "Ararat" is not Atom Egoyan's finest film. That distinction belongs to "The Sweet Hereafter" (1997), a simple, graceful and ultimately more powerful meditation on the effects of a school bus crash on the residents of a Midwestern town. The earlier film does not try as hard to confront the full impact of its tragedy, though one admittedly smaller in scope. Paradoxically, Egoyan's personal feelings about the events depicted in "Ararat" render it a painfully personal attempt to address an unresolved historical tragedy in all its complexity. But it is worth revisiting, if only to confront the immensity and hope of the enterprise. Hovig Tchalian holds a PhD in English literature from UCLA. He has edited several journals and also published articles of his own. You can reach him or any of the other contributors to Critics' Forum at [email protected]. This and all other articles published in this series are available online at <;www.critics forum.org. To sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to <;www.cri ticsforum.org/join. Critics' Forum is a group created to discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora. 12) Thank You Vecdi By Garen Yegparian We haven't had this much Turkish fun in the LA basin for a while. I suppose the Turkish government had forgotten where the victims of its genocidal policies reside in large numbers. We of course demonstrated outside the Beverly Hills Hilton where Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul was addressing the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. But other than observing that participation seemed low, I can't speak to how well it went since I was inside being amused by the 'turkey-du-jour' Gonul. He is presumably intelligent and competent at what he does, but it was not in evidence that day. His English seemed reasonably solid, but slow in coming forth. His speech was prepared and he read it in a painfully obvious, tedious way, with an occasional live joke thrown in. He wasn't even able to get through the whole of it. Besides omitting portions of his comments about Iraq, he conveniently consumed the allotted time and left Caucasus and Artsakh issues out along with Central Asia. Nothing about Armenia of any substance was part of his presentation. You'd think we didn't exist (in his wishful thinking). So what did he say? Much of it seemed somewhat general, though he did cite statistics about Turkey's expenditures in the realm of defense, with specifics focusing on purchases from the US and Israel. He emphasized Turkey's "even-handedness" in dealing with Israel-Palestine issues. Turkey's role in NATO was trumpeted to such a degree that the casual listener might think it founded the defense pact and single-handedly kept it alive. He took cheap shots at Syria and other neighbors, pointing out that of 18 current conflicts 13 are in Turkey's neighborhood. This brings us to items of greater specific interest to Armenians. If so many conflicts are in its neighborhood, doesn't that suggest that Turkey is a cause of instability? Not according to good ole Vecdi. You see Turkey is a net "exporter" of security since 6149 personnel from 58 countries have participated in programs at the NATO Partnership for Peace Center established 1998 in Ankara. Translation: Turkey gets to wine and dine these folks in an attempt to win itself friends--and much of it at others' expense. Isn't that a great deal? In addition, "peace at home, peace in the world" is paradigmatic in Turkey (and for Gonul personally--sniffle, I am so touched) as stated by Ataturk, the magnificent peacemaker. Terrorism, the catchall word for the Bush regime and its cohort of cronies and fawners, was prominently on display. Turkey (imagine violins playing) really understands what the US is going through after the September 11 attacks since it's been at war with terrorists (sic: Kurds justly seeking statehood) for 20 years at the cost of 32,000 lives. Gonul ended his presentation with inane niceties and remarks clearly intended to kiss-up to American powers that be, an overabundance of the standard, fatuous fluff that attends such presentations by representatives of countries groveling to be in Washington's good graces. It only got more ridiculous during the question and answer session, but more revealing. In the context of a response to a question about Iran, Gonul referred to Iraq as having been "part of our country." The only time that applied was during the Ottoman Empire (OE). So he clearly admits that the OE and Turkey are integral from the perspective of statehood, in this case successively. So much for arguments that the Genocide was committed by a "different" country. Two questions of direct Armenian interest were posed. An elderly woman asked, in the kindest, most non-aggressive way imaginable, why Turkey refused to simply acknowledge the history of 1915. His response, "We are thinking there is nothing to acknowledge." Then he told of being from "Eastern Turkey" and half his father's family being massacred by Armenians. He also tried without ever making a clear point, to play divide-and-conquer by claiming there exist three types of Armenians: "our Armenians, Armenians in Ermenistan, and Armenians living all over the world." He then proceeded to describe how Armenians and Turks lived happily side-by-side until 1878 when part of the OE was lost to the Russian Empire. In this remark, he built on an earlier theme about how Turkey, continuing the policies of the OE, practiced multiculturalism, just as in the US (please hold your laughter 'til later). Then, the Russians trained young Armenians to hate Turks. When WWI commenced, these 'Turk-hating' Armenians returned to the OE and starting killing Turks. In response, the Turkish Army killed Armenians. Again, it's interesting that the Defense Minister confesses it was the army, an organ of the state, which did the killing. I told you it got more ridiculous. Can you picture a bunch of 50-60 year old Armenians running around in Turkish occupied Armenia, during WWI, mass-murdering Turks? This guy and his ilk ought to try their hand at stand-up comedy! Here, a fed-up outburst from the audience pointed out Gonul's lies. The participant was even threatened with removal. The second Armenian question asked the minister what happened, in 1915, to the Armenian part of the mosaic of cultures and religions he'd claimed during his presentation constituted the OE. Here, the dangers of reading a speech prepared by someone else manifested. Gonul was clueless as to what "mosaic" meant. The question was repeated. Then the MC repeated it as he did with all the questions. Yet Gonul continued his fumbling. He asked what a "museum" had to do with the discussion. Finally, a man approached and clarified it for him, presumably in Turkish. He looked like a complete fool. It was pleasing. When he finally did respond, he claimed 152 nationalities and religious groups lived happily together until the West attacked and awoke the Christian population. Not that he claimed there were no killings, you see. Then he described having an Armenian "aunt"--I guess it's all the rage these days in Turkey to claim an Armenian relative, which in straight talk would be known as a Genocide survivor. And many Armenian boys were orphaned, and went to military schools and now live happily in the mosaic. Yup, believe it or not, his response was as disjointed as the last few sentences. Throughout Minister Gonul's presentation, I was taking notes. One of the Turks at my table kept eyeing me nervously, wondering why. It was a great pleasure to observe his uneasiness. Meanwhile, his friend was busy regaling the woman sitting beside him with the glories of Turkish tourism. Isn't it great to usurp others' legacies, use it to make money and cover up your crimes against those very same people? When all is taken into account, we can only say "Thank you Mr. Gonul, thank you Turkey. Please send him to visit us more often." He's one of the best things for Armenians and others with grievances against Turkey, reminiscent of former Ambassador Sukru Elekdag, the boxer turned diplomat and his "masterful" mouthings. 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. --Boundary_(ID_Qr39csU/ITSXE6IXjVmfnA)-- From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DELEGATION OF POLISH SENATE TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The delegation of the Polish Senate
led by marshal Bogdan Borusevich will be on Armenia on an official
visit on April 3-4. Senate members, government representatives,
businessmen are included in the delegation. On April 3, the
delegation of the Polish Senate led by marshal Bogdan Borusevich
will be received by RA President Robert Kocharian, RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. The
same day the delegation members will lay a wreath at the Memorial
Complex of the Armenian Genocide, will visit the Matenadaran, will
meet with the representatives of the Polish community. On April 4,
the delegation will have meetings with NA Speaker Artur Baghdasarian,
NA Vice-Speakers, commission members, heads of groups and factions
at RA National Assembly. A meeting with business circles is also
planned. According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan from RA NA
Public Relations Department, the official visit of the Polish Senate
delegation led by marshal Bogdan Borusevich will be concluded by a
joint press conference at the parliament.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress