Author: Emil Lazarian

KENYA: EX-MINISTER RECORDS STATEMENT WITH POLICE OVER ALLEGED MERCENARIES
Easy FM, Nairobi
15 Mar 06
[Presenter] Former environment minister and ODM [opposition Orange
Democratic Movement] luminary, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, is at this
very hour recording a statement with police over his involvement with
the alleged Armenian mercenaries.
Kalonzo was directed to report at Kilimani Police Station [Nairobi]
moments after he arrived in the country from a trip in Ethiopia. On
arrival, Kalonzo held a brief discussion with his bodyguards and MP
Kiema Kilonzo at the airport before being led by CID officials to
Kilimani Police Station. Kalonzo who appeared calm told Easy FM that
he would comply with the order requiring him to state what he knows
about the mercenaries saga.
[Musyoka] We have just arrived from Addis Ababa. I gather I’m required
to record a police statement and I am prepared. In fact from here I
want to proceed straight to police HQ.
[Presenter] Meanwhile, Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo and his Westlands
counterpart Fred Gumo today stormed the residence of the two Armenian
nationals accused by Langata MP Raila Odinga of being mercenaries.
The two have given government an ultimatum to explain the presence
in the country of the two foreigners failure to which they have
threatened to mobilize 1,000 youths to flush the alleged mercenaries
out of their Runda residence and have them deported.
However, police were nowhere to be seen when the MPs stormed the
residence.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMUNISTS OF VANADZOR CONVENE NO PRESS CONFERENCE FOR ONE YEAR, BUT THEY DON’T THINK THEY ARE PASSIVE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 14 2006
VANADZOR, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Vanadzor City
Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia convened a press-conference
on March 14, after a year of silence. City Committee First Secretary
Andranik Ghukasian criticized the rise of the gas price accusing in
this issue not Russia but “Hayrusgasard” which, according to him,
pursues a superprofit. On the occasion of the regular rise of the
food prices, Ghukasian made such a statement: “Does fish also come
from Russia: it costs 600 drams in the market.”
Responding the Noyan Tapan correspondent’s question by what the
one-year passivity of the Vanadzor communist party was provided,
the City Committee First Secretary mentioned that it’s right,
they haven’t convened press-conferences for a year, but have had
correspondence relating to the social-economic problems of the marz
with the Governor of the marz of Lori. Responding the next question,
that the Governor of Lori mentioned in the TV interview that no
party presented proposals relating to the conception concerning the
prospects of social-economic development of the marz worked out
by the regional administration, one of the communist gave a cue:
“The Governor tells a lie.” On that occasion A.Ghukasian presented
to media a document consisting of 5 points addressed to the Governor.
Among the other proposals, decrease of the electricity price during
the winter months was also proposed in it. The communists of Vanadzor
also criticized the fact of regular creation of new parties. The City
Committee First Secretary proposed that parties unite according to
the ideology, and repeating the idea of Ruben Tovmasian, the First
Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Armenia,
stated, that the only political party in Armenia is the commmunist
party.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEMOYAN: AZERBAIJAN INTERESTED IN RAPID COMPLETION OF SAFAROV’S TRIAL
Karine Karapetyan
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 15 2006
The Azeri party is interested in the rapid completion of a trial over
Ramil Safarov accused of a willful murder of an Armenian officer Gurgen
Margaryan, a RA Defense Ministry representative on the Budapest trial
Hayk Demoyan stated.
In Hayk Demoyan’s words, the reason is Ramil Safarov’s affidavits,
according to which the Azeri servicemen are trained on the territory of
the North Cyprus. “If Ramil Safarov had been in Azerbaijan, he would
have had to face court martial”, the representative of RA Defense
Ministry stated having added that Safarov’s utterances had already
had a negative response in Azerbaijan.
In the course of a press conference the outcomes of a current, sixth
sitting of the trial on the case of the murder of the Armenian officer
Gurgen Margaryan held in Budapest March 7 were presented.
According to Hayk Demoyan, the sitting has put an end to the history
of a two-year shameless lie of the Azeri party. “The two years
of the trial may be called Ramil Safarov’s period in Azerbaijan”,
Demoyan said.
The injured party’s lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan informed that testimonies
of the two Hungarian officers – Zoltan Balkoni and Attila Demeter –
had been listened in the course of the sitting. According to the
witnesses, there were no conflicts between the Armenian and Azeri
servicemen during the English courses. To remind, the Azeri party
insisted that one of the motives of Gurgen Margaryan’s murder had
been the provocative behavior of the Armenian servicemen, who had
allegedly insulted the Azeri officers.
The conclusion made by the third expert group was also heard at
the sitting. In Nazeli Vardanyan’s words, there was a psychologist,
psychiatrist and stressologist in the expert group. As it is known,
the third group was to compare the materials of the first two
medical examinations and reveal the reason for disparity between the
conclusions of the first and second expert groups. The third expert
group came to the conclusion that the accused was psychically healthy,
and he had committed a premeditated murder.
The last sitting on the case of the Gurgen Margaryan’s murder will be
held April 4, in the course of which representatives of prosecution
and defense will speak, and then Ramil Safarov will get the floor.
The trial will deliver a verdict April 13.
The press conference’s participants refrained from making prognosis
on the precise term of the criminal’s punishment. “For us it is not
important how many years Ramil Safarov will stay at prison. It is a
principle: the Azeri army’s officer is condemned as a criminal, who
can murder a sleeping man”, Hayk Demoyan stressed. He does not doubt
that the trial’s verdict will be just.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JUSTIN MCCARTY: “IF ARMENIANS HAD ANYTHING TO SAY THEY WOULDN’T HAVE MINDED THE TV DEBATES ON “GENOCIDE”
Today, Azerbaijan
March 15 2006
Turkey should maximally speed up the measures undertaken within the
Armenian issue.
Historians should deal with historical issues and Turks should think in
this direction, staunch defender of official Turkey’s position on the
Armenian Genocide Justin McCarty stated during the “New rapprochement
in the Turkish-Armenian relations” symposium held in Istanbul.
McCarty also touched upon the protest of the Armenian lobby against
the TV debates to take place after the show of Andrew Goldberg’s film
titled Armenian Genocide.
“The resolution of the issue is unclear yet. But if Armenians had
anything to say they wouldn’t have minded the program,” the American
historian said, reported Marmara Istanbul-based newspaper.
PanARMENIAN.Net
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US STATE DEPARTMENT AGAIN REFUSES TO DIRECTLY COMMENT ON REPORTS OF AMB. EVANS
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 15 2006
— Spokesperson Continues to Evade Journalists’ Questions; Issues
Non-Responsive Answer to Repeated Inquiries WASHINGTON, DC – For
the fourth time in the last week, the State Department’s official
spokesperson has failed to directly respond to questions raised by
journalists during the Department’s daily press briefing about reports
that the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, has been
recalled due to his truthful statements on the Armenian Genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“It’s certainly disappointing seeing State Department officials
hiding behind their spokesperson to avoid directly answering questions
about whether Ambassador Evans is being recalled because he had the
courage to stand up against what effectively amounts to a ‘gag-rule’
preventing our nation’s diplomats from speaking truthfully about the
Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a March 8th letter to Secretary Rice,
wrote that, “If, in fact, the State Department has taken punitive
steps against Ambassador Evans, you should fully and openly explain
your policies and actions to the American people.
If, on the other hand, the Department has not taken any such steps,
you owe it to the American people to affirm that it is not the policy
of the United States of America to punish its diplomats for speaking
the truth about the Armenian Genocide.” Questions concerning Ambassador
Evans were raised on March 8th and March 10th and again on March 13th
and 14th. Each time journalists asked for official comments about
Ambassador Evans’ reported recall. Reflecting the growing frustration
among journalists over the lack of a clear response to their inquiries,
a member of the State Department press corps publicly described the
answers provided by the official spokesperson as “a bit of a dodge.”
The growing controversy surrounding reports of Amb. Evans’ recal
has resulted in separate letters being sent to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice from ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and Rep. Frank
Pallone (D-NJ), the Co-Chairman of the Armenian Issues Caucus, as
well as formal Congressional inquiries by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
and Grace Napolitano (D-CA).
Speaking last year to an Armenian American gathering at the University
of California at Berkeley, Amb. Evans said, “I will today call it
the Armenian Genocide. . . I informed myself in depth about it. I
think we, the U.S. government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more
frank and honest way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone
who has studied it. there’s no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened
. . . I think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games
here. I believe in calling things by their name.” Referring to the
Armenian Genocide as “the first genocide of the 20th century,” he said:
“I pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this
issue.” Amb. Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with a legal
advisor at the State Department who had confirmed that the events of
1915 were “genocide by definition.”
Within days after his remarks and the conclusion of a speaking tour
of Armenian American communities, Ambassador Evans was apparently
forced to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the
Armenian Genocide were his personal views and did not represent
a change in U.S. policy. He subsequently issued a correction to
this statement, replacing a reference to the Genocide with the word
“tragedy.” Later last year, the American Foreign Service Association
(AFSA), in recognition of his honesty and commitment to principle,
decided to honor Ambassador Evans with the “Christian A. Herter
Award,” recognizing creative thinking and intellectual courage within
the Foreign Service. AFSA states, “The purpose of the [award] is
to encourage Foreign Service career employees to speak out frankly
and honestly.” Sadly, as Washington Post staff writer Glenn Kessler
revealed on June 9th, AFSA withdrew its award following pressure from
“very serious people from the State Department” just days before
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Washington,
D.C. to meet with President George W. Bush.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH DIASPORA FORMS NEW PLATFORMS AGAINST ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 15 2006
The Turkish diaspora is stepping up efforts to rescind recognition of
Armenian genocide claims and to win support against its proponents
ahead of April 24, the date Armenians say is the anniversary of the
so-called genocide, AB Haber reported.
While Turkish associations in France joined forces under an umbrella
committee to overturn the 2001 French law recognizing the Armenian
genocide claims, the Workers’ Party (IP) gathered over the weekend
in Istanbul to outline plans for the Talat Pasha Movement, which
will include a mass rally in Berlin on Saturday to denounce the
Armenian claims.
The Turkish groups’ decision to put forward a unified response to
French recognition of Armenian genocide claims came during a meeting on
Sunday with the participation of representatives from 10 associations
under the leadership of the Anatolian Culture Center and the Kemalist
Thought Association.
Besides starting an initiative to bring about the repeal of a the
French law that recognizes the Armenian genocide, the umbrella
committee decided to launch an initiative to give concrete answers
“based on historic realities to foreign claims that aim at damaging
Turkish independence.” They also decided to conduct programs to
inform and inspire Turkish society against Armenian claims and to
inform French society about the realities of the issue.
Representatives of Turkish associations in France stressed at the
meeting that they are not against the existence of Armenians but aim
at making the historic realities supported by documents an issue of
discussion for French citizens.
Turkish associations also stated they will give priority to the
publishing of a book in French. They also announced that they will
gather again next month to view strategies and activities that will
be followed during the campaigns.
At a press conference last week, the groups organizing the committee
meeting demanded that the French Parliament’s recognition of the
alleged genocide in 2001 be reversed, saying that judging history
was up to historians not lawmakers, making reference to an earlier
statement by French President Jacques Chirac.
As part of the activities to overturn Armenian claims, the organizers
of the Talat Pasha Movement met over the weekend in Istanbul to
finalize preparations to launch the movement in Berlin beginning
on Saturday.
A mass demonstration aimed at denouncing Armenian genocide claims, to
be held in Berlin under the slogan “Take your flag and come to Berlin,”
has caused tension between Turkey and Germany. Flyers announcing the
movement read, “If Western capitals don’t want to be burned like Paris,
unjust treatment towards Turkey must end.”
IP leader Dogu Perincek and former Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) President Rauf Denktas will lead the planned demonstration
with the participation of many representatives from Turkish political
parties and European non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within the
framework of the Talat Pasha Movement. The main aim of the group is to
put pressure on the German Parliament to remove official recognition
of the Armenian genocide claims. The movement also aims to attract
some 5 million supporters, including some 1,000 from Turkey.
Denktas is expected to lay flowers at the place in Berlin where
Talat Pasha was assassinated on March 15, 1921 by an Armenian, and
an assembly will gather in a memorial for Talat Pasha on Sunday.
In an effort to hamper these efforts, the German Embassy in Ankara
turned down yesterday visa applications for some who might be intending
to participate in the demonstration.
The same group last year also held a demonstration to mark the
82nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne. At that demonstration
Perincek lashed out at a decision by Switzerland to punish those who
deny the Armenian genocide claims, saying, “The Armenian genocide is
an international lie,” after which the prosecutor from Winterthur
opened an investigation into Perincek and the incident turned into
a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Switzerland.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA DENIES GEORGIAN-BASED SERVICEMEN INVOLVED IN PUBLIC PROTESTS
Interfax-AVN military news agency website
15 Mar 06
Moscow, 15 March: Claims by Georgian officials that Russian servicemen
were involved in protest rallies in Akhalkalaki (Samtskhe-Javakheti
Province) are unfounded, Interfax-AVN was told by phone today by
deputy commander of Russia’s 62nd Base Col Igor Luzhnikov.
“Servicemen from the 62nd Base in Akhalkalaki do not take part in
rallies and there are no grounds whatsoever for the accusations
levelled at them by Georgian officials,” Luzhnikov said.
There have been mass protest actions in Alkhalkalaki every day since 11
March. The population are demanding a proper inquiry in connection with
the killing on 8 March of an Alkhalkalaki resident of Armenian origin.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WHO ARE THESE ARMENIANS?
Daily Nation, Kenya
March 15 2006
Editorials
For the past two weeks, the country has been gripped by talk about
mercenaries reportedly brought into the country by powerful people
with an improper motive.
Evidence about wrongdoing has been scant and, instead, accusations
and counter-accusations have been flying around, leaving everybody
thoroughly confused.
In the din, nobody has cared to shed any light on the matter, making
it the stuff of suspense thrillers with ominous overtones. When the
issue first came to light, the public thought it was a figment of
someone’s imagination, and that the matter would die as fast it had
cropped up. Instead, the drama has kept heightening, rising to a
pitch with each new day.
It is now critical that we pause and ask some important questions.
The first is: Are there mercenaries in this country? If so, who
brought them here and for what purpose?
So far, two Armenian brothers have come out publicly to declare
that, although they occupy a residence at Nairobi’s Runda estate,
the house which Langata MP Raila Odinga claimed harboured mercenaries,
they are not actually the “dogs of war” being referred to.
More questions than answers
The denial aside, the behaviour of some seemingly powerful people
and the activities surrounding the two brothers raises more questions
than answers.
When they first came out publicly on Monday, the two did so at a
press conference at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport’s VIP lounge,
leading to the question: Whose VIPs are they?
All indications are that the press conference was stage-managed by
influential personalities. For what reason? There never should have
been a need for private businessmen to call the press, ostensibly to
explain their mission in Kenya.
It is also clear that the information provided about the Armenians’
travel details does not add up. There are conflicting stories
that one of them either flew in from Dubai on a commercial flight –
investigations show that his name was never in the passenger manifest –
or that he flew into the country in a private jet.
Again there is no corroborating evidence. No private plane landed
at JKIA at the material time. So, where did he come from and through
which means?
On Tuesday, one of the brothers stopped police officers entering the
Runda residence. In fact, he dared the police to produce a search or
arrest warrant before they could be allowed in.
In ordinary circumstances, although the law forbids them doing so,
police do enter people’s residences, conduct searches and even arrest
them without those documents.
Who are these people?
But, in this case, the police officers were eventually recalled and
the operation shelved. The question is: Who are these people that
the police cannot touch?
Police commissioner Hussein Ali had detailed a senior police officer
to investigate the matter. The way things are going, can Kenyans
realistically expect the police to unravel this mystery?
On the other hand, some people have been trying to make political
capital out of this whole mystery. What is their real interest? And
can they deny, under oath, that they have never had any dealings with
the two who claim to be businessmen?
This country has gone through many crises in recent times and Kenyans
would not want to continue being treated to a bizarre drama of the
nature we are witnessing today.
The people want to focus on important matters with a bearing on
national development, not tantalising sideshows. This is why we ask
the Government to explain the matter, and that can only happen if
thorough investigations are carried out and the matter cleared up,
one way or the other.
The politicians who have loudly spoken about the so-called mercenaries,
starting with Mr Odinga and Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, and any others
who might know anything about the Armenians should provide all the
information they have to police to catalyse the investigations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

L’ECOLE DES SABLONS SE MOBILISE POUR ARTEN ET LEVON
par Emilie Rive
L’Humanite, France
15 mars 2006
Expulsion . Refusant d’examiner une demande d’asile, les autorites
retiennent en retention depuis sept jours une famille avec deux
enfants.
“Bonjour, vous nous manquez beaucoup. C’est difficile pour vous et
nous de ne plus vous voir. On est triste. On vous a soutenus toute
la semaine, pour que vous restiez en France, que vous reveniez a
l’ecole. Pour les droits de l’enfant, des peuples… ” La voix d’Axel
tremble en lisant ce message, hier midi, pour Arten (9 ans) et Levon
(7 ans), les deux enfants en retention depuis sept jours et qui en
etaient, hier matin, avec leurs parents, a deux refus d’embarquement.
Mohammed, avec son echarpe tricolore pour marquer sa qualite de
delegue des enfants, Romuald, Damien, Lena, Steven, Antony, Sandy,
Romain et Cathy, la plus petite, qui me tire par la manche, sont très
sombres. Samedi, ils ont dessine pour Arten et Levon. Lundi soir,
pendant une heure, dans le froid, ils ont hurle sans interruption
devant la prefecture du Rhône : ” Pas d’enfants en prison ! ” ” Quand
les parents sont sortis de la prefecture, ils etaient tout tristes,
racontent-ils. Et nous aussi. Il faut qu’Arten et Levon finissent
leur annee scolaire avec nous. En Russie, ils ne peuvent pas aller
a l’ecole. ” Les deux enfants ont une dizaine d’annees et sont
elèves de l’ecole des Sablons, a Decines. Cependant la prefecture
du Rhône ne partage pas leur emoi. Leur mère est Russe. Leur père,
qui est Armenien, n’a jamais obtenu de papiers en Russie. Ils ont ete
persecutes. Levon n’a pas pu terminer une annee scolaire, et il en
porte les stigmates : une cicatrice sur le front due a une bousculade
dans la cour, par racisme. Ils sont arrives en Europe par la Suède,
où ils ont fait une demande d’asile – qui leur a ete refusee.
” On nous dit que les lois sont les memes partout, explique Cecile
Dubois, de l’association des parents d’elèves. C’est faux. La Suède
a refuse leur dossier sans jamais les entendre. Ils ne sont jamais
passes devant un juge. C’est pour cela qu’ils sont venus ici. Ils ne
peuvent faire une demande d’asile en France qu’au bout d’un certain
temps. Et la prefecture joue la montre, elle veut les expulser avant
qu’ils puissent le faire, avant la fin de l’annee scolaire. Donc
elle ne respecte pas la circulaire qui doit proteger les enfants
scolarises. ” Une nouvelle expulsion etait programmee hier soir, vers
Goteborg, a 20 h 45. Les enfants s’organisaient dans l’après-midi
pour faire de nouveaux messages de sympathie, tandis que parents,
enseignants et elus se tenaient de nouveau prets a convaincre les
passagers de l’inhumanite de ce renvoi.
–Boundary_(ID_hXGh1O6Rqcdhjf55HVYd1A)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

INCREASE IN CREDIT PORTFOLIOS OF ARMENIAN BANKS REGISTERED IN FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Mar 15 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN. During the March 15 meeting of the
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and the newly appointed chairman
of the Union of Armenian Banks, Director General of ACBA Bank Stepan
Gishian, the sides attached importance to the necessity to increase the
number of transactions conducted through the banks, in which case it
will be possible to secure the local resources of economic investments
by concentrating the monetary resources available in Armenia.
S. Gishian reminded the Armenian President that an increase in the
credit portfolios of the banks was already registered in the first
quarter of this year, and consistent steps are being taken to attract
more deposits.
According to a press release of the RA President’s press service,
the sides also discussed the decisive steps expected on the mortgage
market this year, which will open new opportunities for the population.