Author: Emil Lazarian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO VISIT BELGIUM
Armenpress
Oct 18 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Robert
Kocharian is leaving October 19 for Belgium on a three-day routine
visit. Kocharian’s press office said the presidential delegation
comprises also deputy parliament chairman Tigran Torosian, foreign
and trade and economic development ministers, Armenian ambassador to
Belgium, other government officials and journalists.
In Brussels Kocharian will meet Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstad,
Senate president Anne-Marie Lizin and parliament chairman Herman
de Kroy.
Kocharian will also meet European Commission President Manuel
Baroso, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security
Policy Javier Solana, president of the European Parliament Joseph
Borell-Fontels, NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and
other officials.
In Brussels Kocharian and the president of Belgian Senate will lay a
wreath to Armenian Genocide Memorial. Kocharian will also attend the
inauguration of the new Armenian embassy building and will also meet
with members of the local Armenian community and visit a fair titled
‘Made in Belgium.’

SAMARA OBLAST GOVERNOR ARRIVING IN YEREVAN TODAY
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 18:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today the delegation of the Samara Oblast headed
by Acting Governor Sergey Sychev is arriving in Armenia on a formal
visit, which is held within the Year of Russia in Armenia. October
17-22 government members, heads of industrial enterprises, art groups
will be visiting the republic.
The agenda includes meetings with the Armenian leadership,
exhibition-presentation of Samara Oblast, attending of the Armenian
Genocide memorial and exhibition of artist S. Scheglov. To note,
during the initial half of the current year the commodity turnover
between Samara Oblast and Armenia made $7.6 million.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

California Courier Online, October 20, 2005
1 – Commentary
TIME Prints Full-Page Letter
To Rectify Turkish DVD Flap
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 – Harvest Gallery Presents
expressionist Exhibit on Oct. 21
3- Building a Bridge Between Silicon Valley
And the American University of Armenia
4 – Dr. Der Yeghiyan
To Speak on Historic
Armenia Pilgrimage
5 – Lincy Foundation Donates $10,000 to
Glendale Association for the Retarded
6 – Armenian National Peace Officers’
Association to Host Gala on Oct. 30
7 – AIWA and AGBU to Honor Cecile Keshishian at Nov. 20 Luncheon
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
TIME Prints Full-Page Letter
To Rectify Turkish DVD Flap
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
TIME magazine came a step closer this week to properly address a major
dispute with Armenians worldwide over its distribution of a Turkish DVD
denying the Armenian Genocide.
In its June 6, 2005 issue, the European edition of TIME ran a four-page ad
placed by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce promoting tourism in Turkey. As
part of that paid ad, the magazine included a DVD insert That had a
70-minute segment that denied and distorted the facts of the Armenian
Genocide. This highly offensive material, hidden behind a couple of benign
segments on tourism in the DVD, was disseminated to half a million TIME
subscribers in a dozen European countries.
Initially, the editors of TIME did not seem to realize the grave error they
had committed by becoming accomplices to Turkish denialists. They dismissed
Armenian complaints about this hateful and hurtful Turkish DVD by simply
stating that TIME did “not endorse the views of any organization or
government.”
However, when the Switzerland-Armenia Association wrote a letter
threatening to sue TIME for violating a Swiss law against the denial of
crimes against humanity and genocide, the magazine’s managing editor, James
Kelly, wrote back stating that no one at TIME had “adequately reviewed” the
offensive segment of the Turkish DVD. He apologized profusely and
repeatedly to the Armenian community and to all its readers. Mr. Kelly said
that the DVD presented a distorted view of history that did not meet the
magazine’s
“standards for fairness and accuracy.” He added: “we would not have
distributed [the DVD] had we been aware of the content.”
The Swiss-Armenian group, however, was not satisfied with this response.
They wrote back pointing out that the magazine had not addressed the issue
of redressing the damage caused by the malicious Turkish DVD to the
descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Meanwhile, five French organizations hired an attorney in order to pursue
their legal rights under French laws that call for the protection of “human
dignity.” Mémoire 2000, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations
of France (CCOAF), the Armenian National Committee of France (CDCA),
J’Accuse, and the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples
(MRAP) wrote a lengthy joint letter of complaint that was published on a
whole page in the October 17 issue of TIME’s European edition.
The French organizations requested that TIME distribute free of charge an
objective DVD on the Armenian Genocide and donate the income from the
Turkish ad to non-profit organizations that advocate the truth about the
Armenian Genocide.
In an “Editor’s note” published along with the letter, TIME restated the
apology that it had expressed earlier to the Switzerland-Armenia
Association. The note added that TIME was publishing this letter “pursuant
to French law (‘droit de réponse’)” [right of reply].
The ANC of France (CDCA) stated in a press release that by printing the
letter and expressing its apology, TIME had partially acknowledged its
error. This right of reply “is the initial result of a common and long-term
initiative by the associations fighting against racism, anti-Semitism and
for the defense of the memory of the Armenian people” said Harout
Mardirossian, Chairman of CDCA. “If TIME magazine thinks that this right of
reply settles all accounts, it is sadly mistaken. TIME magazine’s response
does not redress the terrible suffering of those who saw this sordid tool
of denialist propaganda. Taking into account the most heinous content of
this DVD, our demands for redress go far beyond this simple right of reply
and we intend to attain them,” said Mardirossian.
The Chairman of CDCA reiterated the demand of the five organizations for
the magazine to disseminate free of charge to its European subscribers an
objective DVD on the Armenian Genocide, and to have TIME donate the
revenues from the Turkish ad to non-profit organizations that advocate the
truth about the Armenian and all other genocides.
By acknowledging its error, apologizing for it and publishing a full-page
letter, TIME magazine has begun to take responsibility for the pain and
suffering it has caused to Armenians worldwide.
TIME’s executives and the representatives of French and Swiss organizations
now have to sit down together and consider the proper ways to undo the
damage caused by the Turkish DVD. As has been suggested previously, one
such way would be for TIME to disseminate to its readers an accurate DVD on
the Armenian Genocide. Another possible step would be for the magazine to
donate the revenues from the Turkish DVD to non-profit organizations. It
would be wrong for TIME to profit from tainted funds belonging to
revisionists and denialists of genocide!
**************************************************************************
2 – Harvest Gallery Presents
expressionist Exhibit on Oct. 21
GLENDALE -Harvest Gallery presents expressionism (with a small e), opening
on Oct. 21 in Glendale.
expressionism (with a small e) features four artists from diverse
backgrounds with works expressing their own inner observations. With
differing emphasis and styles, each shares infinite perceptions of the
world; loss, estrangement, isolation, fear, joy, hope, love and dreams.
Vera Arutyunyan attended Yerevan State University, and while her interest
in art was always apparent, she became a geologist. However, it was through
geology and her love of nature that she returned to art. Vera steeps all of
her paintings in exuberant colors and movements.
Gregory Brisson is a graduate of St. Cloud University in Minnesota and the
San Francisco Art Institute. His work is inspired by historical and
religious subjects, and his images often present animals and humans in
humorous ways. Greg recently presented his art in a solo show at The Dream
Gallery in Los Angeles.
Karyn Janowski, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, moved to
Los Angeles in 1992. She has worked for numerous private collections and
has exhibited in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Long Island. Karyn
paints in thin layers and often use the sfumato technique of blurring and
softening one tone into another.
Hrair Simitian has exhibited his paintings throughout the southern
California area, as well as in Washington D.C. and Palm Beach, FL. His art
is displayed in private collections in Moscow, Paris and Los Angeles. Hrair
believes that “art is the soul of life, which gives it color, shape and
taste~E.”
For general information about the exhibit, call Harvest Gallery at
818.546.1000 or visit
**************************************************************************
3 – Building a Bridge Between Silicon Valley
And the American University of Armenia
OAKLAND, CA – Papken and Claire Der Torossian recently opened their home in
Saratoga, Calif., for the American University of Armenia (AUA) to host a
unique evening dedicated to promoting cooperation and communication between
Silicon Valley executives and the AUA School of Business and Management.
Dr. Rubina Ohanian, the Dean of the School of Business and Management, an
accomplished marketing solutions specialist with over 15 years of
consulting and corporate experience, was among the guests. She gave a brief
overview of the MBA program, emphasizing that the School of Business and
Management strives to provide its students with quality instruction and a
state-of-the-art curriculum to help them achieve their professional goals.
Dr. Ohanian spoke very highly of the MBA students’ aptitude and the
potential that they have to make a difference to Armenia’s future. She
invited the Silicon Valley leaders to support the University, get involved
in the future of its students. Outsourcing of successful Silicon Valley
businesses to Armenia will create job opportunities for our youth.
President Haroutune Armenian shared with the guests that AUA is an
institution of change and transformation, offering its students quality
education, technology and know-how for entrepreneurial endeavors. “As a
student-centered university, the top priority is our students, and our most
important objectives are maintaining academic excellence, becoming a
knowledge enterprise and developing regional role”, said Dr. Armenian.
This was an emotional evening for Seta Karamardian, the widow of Stepan
Karamardian, who was the founding Dean of the School of Business and
Management. “Seeing AUA Business School prosper is the realization of my
husband’s dream and vision”, said Karamardian.
Yervant Zorian, Vice President and Chief Scientist at Virage Logic
Corporation, also a member of the American University of Armenia
Corporation (AUAC) Board of Trustees, highlighted the main purpose of the
evening, which is to establish a permanent bridge between the Silicon
Valley Armenian Community and AUA, that will be beneficial to both groups
over the years to come. “AUA is one of the best fruits that the
independence of Armenia resulted in,” said Dr. Zorian. “It fully realizes
the vision of its three founders and it has been materialized with the
great patronage of AGBU”.
Dr. Zorian told the guests that he has had the chance to witness the growth
of AUA at different intervals during the past decade, and has been
impressed with the quality of its programs that Virage Logic employees in
Armenia were offered as part of their continuing education.
Many valuable ideas were exchanged, and pledges for continuous support
renewed. This will help the American University of Armenia to improve its
entrepreneurship programs to enhance the leadership and organization skills
of the students, and to prepare them for active participation in building a
brighter future for Armenia.
***************************************************************************
4 – Dr. Der Yeghiyan
To Speak on Historic
Armenia Pilgrimage
GLENDALE – Mashdots College President Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiyan, will speak
on “Stunning Moments with History: A Pilgrimage to Western Armenia and
Cilicia, on Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Glendale Church of the Nazarene,
411 E. Acacia Street, in Glendale.
A powerpoint presentation will incude more than 400 historic pictures
covering the following cities and sites: Moussa
Ler, Gorigos, Mersin, Beylan, Kirkkhan, Iskenderoun, Adana, Sis, Anarzapa,
Marash, Aintab, Berejik, Urfa, Garmouj, Diyarbekir, Severeg, Kharpert,
Mush, Erzurum, Kars, Ani, Pergri, Van, Akhtamar, Mt. Ararat and Bolis.
The event is organized by the Glendale Church of the Nazarene. Admission is
free.
***************************************************************************
5 – Lincy Foundation Donates $10,000 to
Glendale Association for the Retarded
GLENDALE – Thanks to a donation of $10,000 from the Lincy Foundation, the
Glendale Association for the Retarded will continue to provide vocational
training and social adjustment for developmentally disabled adults at its
work training center.
Currently 38 percent of the clients served in the program are immigrant
Armenians.
“We are deeply grateful to the Lincy Foundation for providing us with
continued support,” said Carole Jouroyan, Executive Director of the
Association. “Gaining independence is a goal we all strive for in life. To
accomplish this in America is important for our clients, as well for their
families.”
The Lincy donation will support programs designed to address language,
cultural and social needs of the clients. Services include English as a
Second Language, academics, social and community skills. The program
provides work opportunities to earn money and develop self-esteem.
In addition to services, the Association owns and operates three group
homes – the Alma House, David Gogian House and Hamilton House. Clients live
in Glendale, Burbank, Hollywood, Eagle Rock and La Crescenta.
***************************************************************************
6 – Armenian National Peace Officers’
Association to Host Gala on Oct. 30
BURBANK, Calif. – The Armenian National Peace Officers’ Association will
host its first Gala Celebration banquet on Oct. 30 at the Western Diocese’s
Nazareth and Sima Kalaydjian Hall of the Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian
Complex, 3325 North Glenoaks Blvd., in Burbank.
California State Senator Chuck Poochigian (R-14th District) will be the
keynote speaker. Robert Philibosian, former L.A. County District Attorney,
will be the Master of Ceremonies.
Association President Vahak Mardikian said the members are proud to have
two distinguished members of the Armenian-American community participate in
their first event.
Poochigian has been a dedicated public servant, having served two terms in
the State Assembly is presently is in his second term in the State Senate.
He has been named “Legislator of the Year” by law enforcement groups and
local law enforcement leaders throughout his legislative career.
Robert Philibosian was a vigorous prosecutor in the L.A. County D.A.’s
Office and served as D.A. from 1983-1984.
The Armenian National Peace Officers’ Association, established in 2993, is
the first Armenian-American law enforcement officers’ association in the
United States. Its mission is clearly stated in their logo: “Upholding the
finest law enforcement traditions in the United States.” The association
currently has approximately 120 police officers representing 22 different
federal state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
One of the highlights of the banquet will be the presentation of the Hagop
:Jake: Kuredjian Scholarship Awards. This scholarship awards program was
created for qualified students in the name of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Deputy Kuredjian, who was tragically slain in the line of duty in 2001
while protecting the citizens of Santa Clarita, Calif.
Applications for scholarships are accepted from current high school seniors
through college seniors of Armenian heritage and cultural background. The
scholarships are in keeping with a major objective of the association, to
recruit more Armenian Americans into a career in law enforcement and to
introduce them to the various types of rewarding positions that exist
within a police department. Ten awards of $500 each will be presented at
the banquet.
For scholarship applications and more information, students should contact:
Armenian National Peace Officers’ Association, Scholarship Committee/Jake
Kuredjian Scholarship, 3436 Foorthill Boulevard, B606, Glendale, Calif.
91214.
**************************************************************************
7 – AIWA and AGBU to Honor Cecile Keshishian at Nov. 20 Luncheon
LOS ANGELES – The Armenian Women’s International Association and the
Armenian General Benevolent Union will honor Ellis Island Medal of Honor
recipient Cecile Keshishian at a gala luncheon, Nov. 20, at 1 p.m., at The
Wishire Country Club in Los Angeles.
The Ellis Island Award is given to distinguished citizens who have embraced
American values and demonstrated service to humanity in any field,
profession or occupation, and who have advanced the traditions of their
ethnic heritage
Keshishian immigrated to the United States from Beirut, Lebanon in 1968
with her husband, Kevork, and two young children, quickly integrating into
the mainstream of American society without abandoning her Armenian
heritage.
Her volunteerism, generosity, determination, optimism and work for the
betterment of mankind, has led her to many achievements.
She founded the AGBU Girl Scout movement in Lebanon. She, along with her
husband, were among the leaders who formed the AGBU “Committee to Aid
Armenia,” raising thousands of dollars for the 1988 earthquake relief.
Keshishian is also a charter member of the Samaritans, a 24-hour teenage
suicide prevention hot line still in existence. She was also the President
of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Medical Society Auxiliary, which
helped provide scholarships for nursing students, raising over $500,000.
In addition, she was a board member of the American Children’s Theater in
New Hampshire. Keshishian was also a delegate to the first world-wide
Armenian Women’s Convention in Yerevan. She also served as a Armenian
Missionary Association of America’s Health Committee Delegate to the White
House Conference for a Drug-Free America with President and Mrs. Ronald
Reagan.
Keshishian is also a founding member of the AIWA, 15 years ago. She was the
Registration Chair and a member of the Award Committee for the first AIWA
International Conference in London.
The honoree has requested that the proceeds from the Nov. 2o luncheon be
used to benefit AIWA scholarships for the Women’s Entrepreneur Project in
Yerevan, and also for similar programs in the United States.
The Wilshire Country Club is located at 301 North Rossmore Ave., Los
Angeles.
For more information and reservations, call: Hermine Janoyan (818) 342-4600
or Lily Balian, (310) 472-2454.
**************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

YEREVAN: ARMENIA’S FOREIGN DEBT TO HIT $1.2 BILLION IN LATE 2005
RIA Novosti, Russia
Oct 17 2005
Armenia’s foreign debt will stand at $1.2 billion in late 2005,
the deputy finance and economy minister said Monday.
Atom Dzhandzhugazyan told a parliamentary session on the 2006 draft
budget that Armenia’s foreign debt would grow by $43.9 million year
on year.
He also said Armenia would repay $50.2 million and $10.9 million in
interest next year. After that, he said Armenia’s foreign debt would
stand at $1.3 billion, or 25.1% of the planned GDP, in late 2006.
“The republic will face no serious problems from the standpoint of
foreign debt repayment,” Dzhandzhugazyan said. “Armenia is considered
a country with a medium and even low debt burden.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
October 13, 2005 Thursday
Eurasian horde
by Mehman Gafarli
SOURCE: Noviye Izvestia, No 187, p.4
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are creating a
jointarmed force
A major group of forces will be created in Central Asia to protect
regional countries from external military threats, Nikolai Bordyuzha,
general secretary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO’s members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan), said on October 12. Independent analysts say the
authorities of Russia and some former Soviet republics of Central
Asia need a joint army to fight “color” revolutions.
This rather big army will “consist not of battalions, as the
Collective Rapid Deployment Forces, but of regiments and divisions,
and possibly larger formations,” Bordyuzha said. The regional
countries need it to “protect the sovereignty of CSTO member states
in all directions against a threat of military conflict.”
In case of an all-out war, four of the six member states (Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) will put their armed forces at
the disposal of the organization. In fact, they are creating a
military bloc under the patronage of Russia. Uzbekistan is expected
to join as well.
The main dangers to stability in Central Asia are drugs, terrorism,
political and religious extremism, organized crime, illegal
migration, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and
man-made and natural disasters. However, independent analysts say
that Russia and Central Asian states are creating their military bloc
to prevent “color” revolutions and fight the growing influence of the
United States in the region.
Political scientist Andronik Migranyan, a professor of the Moscow
State University, said it would not be a joint army of Russia and
Central Asian states but a common group of military forces, which is
a normal practice in the world.

The Economist
October 15, 2005
U.S. Edition
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Bigger problems; The Middle East
IN THE course of 30 years as Middle East correspondent for two London
newspapers, the Times and the Independent, Robert Fisk has filled a
lot of notebooks with a lot of stories. Many of them are excellent.
His new book begins with a ripping yarn about his summons in 1996 to
interview Osama bin Laden. Setting up the encounter takes many
months. The process opens with an intermediary’s call to “Mr
Robert’s” office in Beirut. It continues with a mysterious meeting in
London’s Belgravia Sheraton hotel, moves via New Delhi to a flight
into Jalalabad’s old Soviet military airstrip, pauses for a sweaty
interlude in the Afghan city’s Spinghar hotel and culminates, after
an edgy night drive with machine-gun-toting escorts, in an interview
with Mr bin Laden at a remote mountain hideaway.
Mr Fisk is a gifted writer and an accomplished storyteller, so those
who have not read him before will enjoy the famous correspondent’s
colourful narrative. Mr Fisk tries to tell the story of the Middle
East, but he does not flinch from telling the story of Mr Fisk. So
here is not only a record of what he has seen and reported since 1976
in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Algeria and many other dusty and
violent places, but also a tale of how he got the lead, wangled the
flight, bribed the guard and brought home the scoop. The Times
offered Mr Fisk the Middle East when he was only 29, and his love
affair with the region and the glamorous profession of being a
foreign correspondent finds expression on every page.
Over the years, the vividness of his reporting and the vehemence of
his opinions have turned him into one of Britain’s most controversial
journalists. Two decades ago, in a history of Lebanon’s civil war, he
argued that the job of the journalist was to write a first draft of
history. Since then, he appears to have changed his mind. In the
preface of this book he endorses the view of an Israeli journalist,
Amira Hass, that the proper vocation of the reporter is to “monitor
the centres of power”. The upshot is that the chief villains in his
stories from the Middle East are governments, mainly those of the
West which he believes have been led by folly or knavery to meddle
needlessly in the affairs of a region not their own, and which have
almost invariably turned out to make a bad situation worse.
People who buy the Independent mainly to read Mr Fisk’s Old Testament
rants against the wickedness of Israel and America will love this
book. But is it possible to loathe this point of view and still enjoy
the read? Up to a point. For even if you are turned off by Mr Fisk’s
self-righteous identification with those he deems history’s
victims – and this habit’s subtle corollary of making himself the hero
of every story – he still repays reading. All you have to do is skip
the analysis and tuck into the wealth of hard-won narrative detail
accumulated over the decades of intrepid reporting. With Mr Fisk you
meet the grim Russian crews threading their tanks through
Afghanistan’s mountain passes in 1980; sit at the feet of Sadeq
Khalkhali, the Iranian revolution’s “hanging judge”; witness the
Israelis’ Merkava tanks clattering into downtown Beirut in 1982; and
join Ayatollah Khomeini’s Revolutionary Guards in their fearless,
doomed assaults on Iraqi lines in 1987.
The trouble with reading the reporter and ignoring the polemicist is
that only some of this book consists of reporting. Mr Fisk
interleaves his first-hand accounts with much material of more
doubtful quality: potted histories (of the Palestine conflict, the
Suez crisis of 1956, the Armenian genocide) and warmed-up off-cuts
from old columns (denouncing the George Bushes junior and senior,
Tony Blair and the supposedly supine reporting of CNN, the New York
Times and sundry other media that happen not to subscribe to the full
Fisk world view). As a result, the whole is worth rather less than
the sum of the parts.
When Mr Fisk at last conducts his interview with Mr bin Laden on that
bare Afghan mountain in 1997, the Saudi billionaire, who later
commends him as a rare western reporter who is “neutral”, says: “Mr
Robert, from this mountain upon which you are sitting, we broke the
Russian army and we destroyed the Soviet Union. And I pray to God
that he will permit us to turn the United States into a shadow of
itself.” Four years later, when the hijacked airliners glide into New
York’s twin towers, Mr Fisk recalls this warning and dictates a
column – reprinted in full in his book – in which the perpetrators are
described as representatives of a “crushed, humiliated population”
who are “striking back”.
The Middle East, Mr Fisk believes, is a region of victims, and the
terrorism it generates is the enraged lashing out of the powerless.
Seeing the region this way gives his writing its force. But it also
produces systematic distortion. Mr Fisk seems unwilling to find the
slightest hint of rhyme, reason or justification in the behaviour of
the powerful – especially America and Israel – lest doing so is allowed
to blunt his righteous anger. So he quarrels not only with America’s
invasion of Iraq but also with its invasion of Afghanistan. Israel’s
violence is invariably “brutal” or “ruthless” as it pursues “the last
colonial war”.
As for the American idea of spreading democracy, Mr Fisk says that
Arabs also want “justice, a setting-to-rights, a peaceful but an
honourable, fair end to the decades of occupation and deceit and
corruption and dictator-creation”. But hang on. The Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza came about because in 1967, as
in the decades before, the Palestinians and Arab states were intent
on liquidating the Jewish state; and the Arab dictators – the Nassers,
Saddams and Assads – were created at home, not abroad. The extent to
which Arabs have been the authors of their own misfortune is not
given adequate consideration in this dogged, powerful and often
infuriating polemic against the West.
GRAPHIC: Dangerous deceits; The Great War for Civilisation: The
Conquest of the Middle East.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
A.R.F. Shant Student Association
104 N. Belmont Street, Suite 306 Glendale, CA 91204
Tel: 818-462-3006
Fax: 866-578-1056
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Chris Minassian
October 17, 2005
CATHOLICOS ARAM I MEETS WITH COLLEGE STUDENTS IN LOS ANGELES; STRESSES
IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE, FAITH, AND IDENTITY
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, met
with Los Angeles area college students on Thursday, October 13, at
Glendale Community College (GCC). The Special Student Forum with the
Catholicos was organized by a coalition of local student organizations
chaired by the ARF Shant Student Association (ARF SSA) and comprised
of the Armenian Youth Federation and Armenian Student Associations of
University of California Los Angeles, GCC, and Loyola Marymount
University. His Holiness Aram I, who was accompanied by Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Western Prelacy, discussed
issues of importance to Armenian-American students in local
universities and colleges.
Opening remarks were made by Dr. Armine Hacopian, Clerk of the GCC
Board of Trustees, who greeted the Catholicos and recognized several
public figures in attendance, including Glendale Councilman Ara
Najarian and other City and College officials. ARF SSA Executive
Board Member Krikor Krikorian then made remarks in Armenian, thanking
the Catholicos for his presence and commitment to Armenian youth and
invited His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian to the podium to
introduce the Catholicos.
The Archbishop spoke about the education, accolades, and experiences
of the Catholicos. He noted that the Catholicos, who holds multiple
masters degrees and a PhD, is not only a spiritual leader but a
tremendous intellectual. He went on to congratulate the Catholicos
for becoming the first person to be re-elected to the position of
Moderator of the World Council of Churches and welcomed the Catholicos
to the podium.
In his pontifical address to those in attendance, His Holiness Aram I
spoke of the importance of knowledge, faith, and preservation of
identity in society. He stressed the significance of the youth’s
active involvement and responsibility as not only the future leaders
but present leaders of the community. Additionally, the Catholicos
spoke about maintaining cultural characteristics and values in a world
increasingly homogenized by globalization and commercialization.
An open dialog ensued between the Catholicos and the attending
students, during which the Catholicos answered questions on a variety
of topics ranging from spirituality to materialism.
On behalf of the event’s organizing coalition, Levon Baronian, former
president of the CSUN Armenian Student Association and administrator
of the Armenian Network of Student Clubs (), thanked the
Catholicos and Prelate for helping make the event a reality. He then
introduced Dr. Levon Marashlian, Professor of Armenian Studies at GCC,
who concluded the event with his closing remarks.

Harold Doan and Associates (press release), CA
Oct 13 2005
EBRD board to Georgia & Armenia
Oct. 12 2005
Press Release – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Directors from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
are on a seven-visit to Georgia and Armenia. They are meeting senior
government officials and business leaders in the respective
countries, as well as investors and representatives of the
international and diplomatic community and civil society.
The EBRD’s board of directors represents the Bank’s 62 public
shareholders, rather than its executive arm, and approves all Bank
projects. The goal of the visit is to learn more about the state of
reforms and transition in the region as the Bank prepares its new
two-year strategy for Armenia, due before the end of 2005. Both
Georgia and Armenia participate in the Bank’s 2004 Early Transition
Countries (ETC) initiative, which aims to stimulate market activity
in the Bank’s seven lowest-income countries of operations by using a
streamlined approach to financing more and smaller projects.
The Bank’s cumulative commitments in Georgia, which is pursuing
structural reform and a large-scale privatization programme, stood at
319.6 million in August 2005. The EBRD’s main strategic orientations
for Georgia focus on the promotion of private-sector activity and
investment through support for domestic and foreign investors, small
and medium-size enterprises to build stability in the power sector
and enhance the investment climate. In Tbilisi, the seven EBRD
directors will meet President Mikheil Saakashvili, Prime Minister
Zurab Nogaideli, National Bank President Roman Gorsiridze and
Parliament Chairwoman Nino Burjanadze.
The Armenian economy continues to perform encouragingly in 2005,
recording a growth rate of 11.7 per cent in the first eight months of
the year, in line with the average of the past four years. Foreign
direct investment inflows were sharply higher in 2004, poverty on the
decline, fiscal performance improving and public debt sustainable.
Total EBRD investment in Armenia was 32.1 million in May 2005. The
EBRD delegation will meet President Robert Kocharyan, Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan and key ministers. The Bank is considering a
variety of new equity investments and cooperation with Armenia’s
strengthening banking sector to bring more financing to smaller
businesses.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian.net
Evans: Business May Have Important Role in Solving Conflicts
15.10.2005 20:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ «We believe that trade will lead to solving conflicts,» US
Ambassador to Armenia John Evans stated during Common Future regional
conference opened in Yerevan today. The event is organized by the American
Trade Chamber of Armenia. In the Ambassador’s words, though one cannot say
that trade and economy prevail over the conflict, however these can have an
impact on overcoming it. «Looking at the South Caucasus as a whole, one can
see that conflicts are frequent here and business and trade can have an
important role in solving these,» J. Evans said. In his opinion, the
business and government need each other and can help each other. He urged
all businessmen, who experience problems with business, address the American
Trade Chamber of Armenia. We will solve all problems together, he said. «It
is more important than other values,» Evans stated. Progress in reform of
the judicial and legal system provides ground for economy improvement, he
remarked. It should be noted that the American Trade Chamber of Armenia was
founded in 2000 to discuss and solve problems experienced by the business
community. The Chamber comprises 80 companies that hold US stocks or have a
large-scale commodity turnover with the US.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

sp?aid=17326
ChronWatch, CA
Oct 15 2005
Is the Caliphate Threat a Real One?
Written by David Litvak
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Editor, The San Francisco Chronicle
Your dismissal of President Bush’s ascertation that our adversaries
intend to create a `radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to
Indonesia’ is not surprising. Whether you approve of President
Bush’s handling of the present conflict in Iraq or not, that
statement is a matter of fact. No sane person would want to see the
religious wars that tore Europe to pieces in the 16th and 17th
centuries reenacted today but this is precisely what is happening in
Western Europe, in the Russian Federation, in Indonesia, in China in
Thailand, in the Philippines, in Nigeria, in the Sudan and other
points. Our enemies, and we are their enemies, have time and time
again stated in clear and precise terms that this is a holy war and
they mean to win it.
These past 60 odd years the West has been on the defensive trying
(ineffectually) to keep Islam at bay and Islam has been on the
offensive their declared aim being to convert by armed force the
infidels except the Jews whose eradication from this planet has been
(with Europe’s quiet acquiescence) pronounced, save young Jewish
maidens destined to be parceled out to the harems of the faithful.
It was in 1915 that the Caliphate (aka the Ottoman Empire) decided to
exterminate her Christian-Armeni – an subjects (1.6 million by
conservative estimate) and incidentally, showed their Germans allies
the proper way to conduct genocide; and on Sept 9th, 1922 in the port
of Smyrna they butchered Armenians, Greeks and Jews, sparing neither
age or sex, to the tune of 100,000 plus..
It was shortly after – wards that Turkey, now a secular republic
expelled all the Greeks from Anatolia where they had been living
since the days of the Greek city-states.
War does indeed make strange bedfellows. The Caliphate’s allies,
Germany, Austro-Hungary & Bulgaria, Christian nations all, made no
attempt whatsoever to help their co-religionists. In 1915, Germany
had several division stationed in Mesopotamia who could easily have
stopped that slaughter, but the only nation to protest that holocaust
was the United States but as she was, military speaking a nullity,
the protest was simply ignored.
As an aside, when the Turks had finished butchering the Armenians and
were about to start on the Jews (thanks to the Balfour declaration),
the Germans stopped them. Go figure.
But Islam as a whole went on the offensive in 1947 when Britain (then
still Great) abandoned her imperial responsibilities when she allowed
India to slide into anarchy, 700,000(?) of her subjects brutally
mur – dered and tens of millions driven from their homes in a state of
beggary, a calamity for which Mahatma (“give us chaos”) Gandhi that
apostle of non-violence, must share the moral responsibility together
with Lord Louis Mountbatten of Britain & Mohammed Ali Jinnah of the
Muslim League and, incidentally, helping to usher in the first of the
religious wars that are even now raging all over this planet and
which finally came to these shore on Feb. 26th, 1993.
In all these religious wars, with the exception of Northern Ireland,
Islam has been the aggressor.
One item amongst dozens should suffice. In the 1960s Islam exploded
in both Indonesia as well as Malaysia in righteous wrath against the
Zionist-Imperial Infidel, but as there were no Jews and very few
Westerners to kill, the Chinese had to play the role of the victims
and butchered they were in the tens of thousands, and now that the
U.S. once again has moved against Jihadistan, the Chinese may very
well be called upon to act again as victims.
In the Western world new mosques are going up every day; everywhere
where Islam rules, the syna – gogues, some dating back to Babylonian
times have already been shut down and such churches that are still
open are on sufferance.
Equally, wherever Islam has seized power all the Jews have been
expelled from territories where they have been living since
Babylonian, in some cases Assyrian times, and such Westerners that
are still there are either diplomats, journalists or Western
renegades selling their expertise to Islam.
In the West, every major and many a minor university has at least one
chair devoted to Islamic studies every one of which are staffed by
Islamic scholars. How many Islamic universities have departments of
Western studies? And how many (if any) of them are staffed with
Western scholars?
On September 11th, 2001, when New York & Washington were successfully
attacked, (Islam 19, Infidels 2,977), the Arab Street went delirious
with joy and not just in the Middle East but also in all Islamic
enclaves in Europe. And how did the West respond? The opinion- &
decision-makers fell all over themselves in their haste to explain
Islam to the infidels, to the point that His Holiness, the Pope, the
President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Britain went
to the Mosques, and assured us and more important, themselves, that
this is not a religious war. Unfortunately, the other side insists
that this is a religious war and that they mean to win it.
Islam tried three times, Poitiers, 732, Vienna 1588 & 1683, to
conquer Western Europe by force of arms and each time they were
turned back – just. But now, there is no need for Islam to march for
the third time on Vienna, nor burst once more across the Pyrenees for
the enemy (is there a more appropriate term?) is already within the
gates. Europe is and continues to be inundated by a tidal wave of
asylum-demanders & illegal immigrants none of whom bother even for an
instant to hide their venomous hatred of the West and all it stands
for; and the governments of Europe are paralyzed by
political-correctness, inertia or sheer moral cowardice to stop that
invasion.
In France, a junior minister admitted, that the government was afraid
that their local Muslim population might have gone on a jihad should
France have decided to join the United States in going to war with
Iraq or any other Muslim nation. For the time being, the French
government tries to deflect the jihadists by throwing them their
Jewish citizens as a sop, but it is only a matter of time before the
holy warriors get tired of torching synagogues and kosher shops and
turn their attention to churches (as happened once already in
England) and wine & pork shops. (Anybody noticed how ‘quiet’ the
Arab Street has become since Jonathan put on his hobnailed boots and
kicked butt?)
In Holland Islam has achieved that critical mass of 10%–and a 10%
minority full of passionate intensity & burning with fervor to spread
the word can always achieve mastery over the apathetic 90% who have
lost faith in their institutions and traditions; aided and abetted by
Islam’s useful idiots, the European intelligentsia (God, what a
hateful Russian word) who in their relentless culture war against the
West are doing invaluable service to ensure Islam’s victory by making
the West lose trust in their institutions, denigrating her
accomplishments and making them ashamed of their past. (Treason of
the intellectuals?)
I In Britain, what the Spanish, French & Germans tried to
do and failed; Islam succeeded and did so with – out firing a shot.
There are now places in Britain where the Queen’s writ no longer runs
but Sharia rules. This loss of sovereignty was amply demonstrated in
1988 when the ruling Ayatollah of Iran issued a death sentence
against one Salmon Rushdie the author of the Satanic Verses. The
Muslims of Britain made it quite clear that the pronouncement of an
Iranian cleric took precedence over the laws of Britain (which goes
some length to explain why Britain had to drop the ‘Great’ from its
title). Then, of course there is the bombing of the London subway
system on July 7th & 21st of this year to which the local press
responded in its usual fashion of spending more ink agonizing over
the fact of a possible backlash by the dhimmitudes against the
faithful (none yet recorded) then on the victims of that foul deed.
In Spain a government was dismissed from office and the
reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula is well on its way.
And how has Europe responded to these and other threats? The
European Parliament has recently passed legislation that will make a
letter like this a criminal offence both to the writer as well as to
the re – cipient should the latter fail to alert the authorities. In
Germany, the dominant power of the European Union, this is known as
Anmeldepflicht.
Postscripts
-o- What would have happened had Islam won the battle of Poitiers
(and it was a dammed close thing)? Let Edward Gibbons (1737-1794
author of The Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire tell it in his own
inimitable way:
A victorious line of march had been prolonged above a thousand miles
from the rock of Gibraltar to the banks of the Loire; the repetition
of an equal space would have carried the Saracens to the confines of
Poland and the Highlands of Scotland: the Rhine is not more
impassable than the Nile or Euphrates, and the Arabian fleet might
have sailed without a naval combat into the mouth of the Thames.
Perhaps the interpretation of the Koran would now be taught in the
schools of Oxford, and her pulpits might demonstrate to a circumcised
people the sanctity and truth of the revelation of Mahomet.
-o- Although Islam was stopped cold at Poitiers and Vienna, she
conquered and held in subjugation for several hundred years present
day: Albania / Bosnia-Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Crete / Cyprus /
Greece / Hungary / Montenegro / Portugal/ Romania / Serbia / Spain /
and that’s just in Europe.
-o- Although Islam promises every hour on the hour to slaughter Jews
wherever they can be found, the principal victims of their righteous
rage to date have been: Christians (2 millions minimum) / Buddhists /
Hindus (700,000?) / Sikhs / Muslim (Shiites vs. Sunnis) Jainists /
Parsis / Pagans / Animists / etc. etc. etc. with Jews at the end of
the line. Islam does not discriminate; it is an equal opportunity
killer.
-o- It is a perfect indicator of the time we live in that the leaders
of the West: political, scholastic, ecclesiastic, and above all, the
pontificators of the Fourth Estate simply cannot bring themselves to
face, let alone to state the obvious fact that the West is
immeasurably superior to Islam. Harmony in music / perspective in
painting / painless surgery / the eradication of many diseases that
had plagued mankind throughout the ages / the abolishment of slavery
/ the harnessing of electricity, of steam and oil / the principles of
flight, including into outer space / of photography / household
plumbing (let us pay homage to the lowly Western plumber for it was
he, not the medical profession, who banished cholera, dysentery &
typhoid) / telephone, television & the computer/ the list goes on and
on. Further, the universal languages of the arts & sciences are:
English, French, Italian & German all Western tongues. The proof of
the pudding is in the eating. Islamic students go to Western
universities in their tens of thousands, very few Westerners attend
Islamic universities save for religious studies.