Author: Emil Lazarian

BBC Monitoring quotes from Turkish press
05 Jan 05

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and
commentaries published in 5 January editions of Turkish newspapers
available to BBC Monitoring
EU
Hurriyet [centre-right] “The socialists who want to make Turkey a
‘Peoples Republic’ and the supporters of the National Vision [the
religious political base from which today’s many government members
come from] who want to make Turkey a ‘Republic of Islam’ have now met
at the mission of making Turkey an ‘EU member’. The point that worries
me is: What happens if they cannot succeed in this mission? Besides,
how can they give up concessions such as Cyprus etc.? Otherwise, will
these things be lost?” (Commentary by Ege Cansen)
Middle East
Yeni Safak [liberal, pro-Islamic] “Turkey has relations with Israel
that even the AKP [Justice and Development Party] government cannot
break; these relations date back to the foundation days of the Israeli
state… Turkey is interested in Palestine and what is happening there
too. It is not very strange that a country, which has close relations
with both sides, has their trust, decides to take the initiative to
resolve the current problem when the appropriate time
comes… [However] since both sides understand a ‘permanent’ and
‘fair’ solution in a different way, it is very difficult for Turkey,
which has undertaken the role of an ‘honest mediator’, to reach a
result that can change the route of the history.” (Commentary by Fehmi
Koru)
Armenian issue
Posta [tabloid] “The Armenian diaspora is getting ready for a big
campaign after 24 April, which is the 90th Anniversary of the 1915
events. Moreover, this is very much kept as a secret. The aim is to
corner the Turkish Republic a little bit more… The PR efforts, which
have not been useful until now, will not be enough to oppose such a
campaign… Creative policies must be started and decisive steps be
taken. Until now, no such preparations are seen on Ankara’s
agenda… Something must be done as soon as possible. Otherwise, when
it is too late to do anything about it, we have to be content with
accusing the USA and Europe and criticize ourselves.” (Commentary by
Mehmet Ali Birand)
Iraq
Milliyet [centrist] “Today, doesn’t carrying out a military operation
in Iraq [as the former PM of Turkey Bulent Ecevit advices now] put
Turkey against the USA, the Arabs and the Kurds? Won’t the world
oppose that? Won’t this lead to an outcome which will be more serious
than clashing with Britain [for Mosul] in 1922? Moreover, even if it
is possible to occupy Mosul militarily, both politically and
geographically this will cause big troubles for Turkey… Turkey could
carry out a limited military operation against northern Iraq as part
the ‘coalition’ in order to take measures against terrorism; now that
is not possible either…” (Commentary by Taha Akyol)
“Still, there is a need for an ‘adjustment of interest’ in the Turkish
American relations. One needs to accept that Turkey and the USA are
not anymore at the same (or very close) frequency like they used to be
during the Cold War. The new problems that have emerged (such as the
Kurdish entity in northern Iraq, the existence of the PKK [Kurdistan
Workers’ Party] ) have created a considerable distance between Ankara
and Washington. How can this ‘adjustment of interest’ be done? Of
course through talks, consultations… Turkey has to take the
increasing influence of the USA in the world and the region into
consideration and it has to try to solve the problem not by showing
enmity but by understanding of partnership.” (Commentary by Sami
Kohen)
Cumhuriyet [secular, Kemalist] “The public is told that [Foreign
Minister Abdullah] Gul has warned the American diplomat [Richard
Armitage]. Turkey is fed up with these warnings which have passed
unnoticed for three years. [Asking the USA] Not to let the Kurdish
tribes change the population structure of Kirkuk, to destroy the
PKK… There is no difference of telling these to the USA or to a
wall. The USA has been giving promises for years but it hasn’t solved
the PKK issue. The issue can be resolved by using weapons. The USA
does not want to use weapons against the PKK. Their last trick is to
discuss the PKK issue in a meeting of three, with the contribution of
the USA and Iraq. Baghdad is helpless to provide security. Will it
bring down the PKK from the Kandil Mountain [in Northern Iraq] alone
and with military power? Do not make me laugh?” (Commentary by Cuneyt
Arcayurek)

Boston Globe, MA
Jan 2 2005
Peter Aharon Goolkasian, 94; freethinker put talents to use
By Avi Steinberg, Globe Correspondent
Peter Aharon Goolkasian, a druggist, inventor, and artist, died Dec.
21 in Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Jamaica Plain. He
was 94.
A survivor of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, Mr. Goolkasian was
unusually candid about his experience with human brutality, but he
was never defined by it. “He was a great lover of life, never bitter,
and despite losing almost his entire family, he was one of the most
optimistic people I knew,” said his daughter, Dianne Goolkasian
Rahbee.
Although he never returned to his native Armenia, Mr. Goolkasian
planted and maintained a mulberry tree, a tree common in his
homeland, in his backyard as a reminder of his lost home. “Even
before ethnic pride was popular, my father instilled us with pride in
who we are and where we came from,” said his other daughter,
Priscilla DerAnanian.
Born in 1910, he was a young child when the genocide swept through
his homeland. He was eventually brought to Boston and raised by his
uncle and mother. He decided to go into the family business of
running pharmacies, and after graduating from the Massachusetts
College of Pharmacy, settled in Waltham with his young family and ran
his own shop. Over the years he owned and worked at various
apothecaries in the Boston area, including Beacon Hill’s Clough &
Shackley.
Having gone into the family business as a matter largely of duty and
convenience, Mr. Goolkasian undertook a midlife career change and
pursued what had been until then only a hobby: electronics. He worked
for Honeywell then Bolt, Beranek and Newman.
Known for his lively intellect and impulse for tinkering, Mr.
Goolkasian was responsible for a number of patented inventions:
“tooth-ease pads,” colored flames for birthday candles, and a heart
pulse monitor used for patients during surgery, according to family
members. Before tape-recording technology was widely available, he
once fashioned a recording device out of a Coca-Cola box for his
young daughter to use when practicing the piano.
After his retirement, Mr. Goolkasian had time to pursue other
passions, such as fashioning stained-glass lamps and gem faceting.
His sold his gems, cut in a special style that he devised, to area
jewelers.
At age 84, Mr. Goolkasian decided that it was time to commit his
story to paper and wrote a frank memoir, “My Life,” which was
published privately by his family. His book, which he dedicated to
“all those people in the family of humanity that have suffered from
man’s inhumanity to man,” was received warmly in a letter by Elie
Weisel.
Mr. Goolkasian also penned a collection of essays, “Deliberations
Today for a Better Tomorrow,” on topics ranging from children to
religion to mythology and the environment. “He was a freethinker,
always eager to give advice. Once we gave him a computer, there was
no stopping him,” recalled his daughter Priscilla.
“He enjoyed life and took pleasure in all living things,” said
Priscilla. “He never used insecticides or fenced his garden because
he wanted to share it with everyone, even with the animals in the
yard.”
Besides his daughters, Mr. Goolkasian leaves his wife of 67 years,
Isabelle; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Funeral services were held Dec. 24 in Holy Trinity Armenian Church in
Cambridge. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Acton.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Indian Express, India
Jan 1 2005
Some interesting traditions to ring in the New Year

Express Features Service

New Delhi, December 31: The Chinese New Year “Yuan Tan” takes place
between January 21 and February 20. The Chinese clean their houses to
rid them of lasts year’s bad luck before the celebrations begin.
There are street parades where dancing dragons and lions weave their
way through crowded streets.
Hungarians burn effigies on New Year’s eve known as “Jack Straw”
which represent the evils and misfortunes of the past year. Jack
Straw is carried around the village before being burnt.
For the Armenians, the most important pastries partaken on this day
is the Darin – a big flat bread, that has a coin hidden in it. The
person who finds the piece with the coin is considered lucky for the
New Year.
In England crowds of people gather in Trafalgar square, and
Piccadilly Circus to hear the chimes of London’s Big Ben announce the
arrival of the New Year. They stand around with arms linked to sing
Auld Lang Syne.
In Germany people would drop molten lead into cold water and try to
tell the future from the shape it made. A heart or ring shape meant a
wedding, a ship a journey, and a pig plenty of food in the year
ahead.

Agence France Presse — English
January 1, 2005 Saturday 1:16 AM GMT
Ukraine’s Yushchenko, Georgian leader ring in New Year after PM
resigns
KIEV
Ukraine opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko rang in the New Year with
Georgia’s leader early Saturday in central Kiev, hours after Prime
Minister Viktor Yanukovich resigned and all but admitted losing a
presidential rerun vote.
In an appearance sure to irritate Russia, Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili joined Yushchenko in hailing Ukraine’s “orange
revolution,” which followed Tbilisi’s “rose” uprising last year.
“This is a triumph of good over evil,” a beaming Saakashvili said in
Ukrainian to some 100,000 people gathered in Kiev’s central
Independence Square, the epicenter of the “orange” protests that he
fervently supported, albeit in private.
“I am a president and because of my official position I couldn’t come
here, but my heart was on Khreshchatik (Kiev’s main thoroughfare)…
I must say that these last few days I have felt like a native of
Kiev,” said Saakashvili, who attended university in the city.
“I wish you a happy new year with your new president,” he said. “You
have a super president, he is a good friend of mine and a great
politician.”
For his part Yushchenko said: “Ukrainians have been independent for
13 years but now they are free,” a few moments before midnight when
fireworks exploded over the Kiev sky.
The celebration came hours after Yushchenko’s pro-Russia electoral
rival Yanukovich resigned from his post and said that his appeals
over the historic December 26 vote were unlikely to be granted.
“I have made a decision and am formally submitting my resignation,”
Yanukovich said in a televised address. “I find it impossible to
occupy any post in a government headed by these authorities.”
But Yanukovich stopped short of conceding defeat in the poll, which
would have brought Ukraine’s six-week election saga to an end.
“Concerning the election results, we are keeping up the fight but I
don’t have much hope for a just decision from the central election
commission and the supreme court,” he said.
Yanukovich repeated his assertion that “external forces” were
responsible for his defeat in the December 26 vote.
But he got no support from Ukraine’s outgoing President Leonid
Kuchma, who called on the nation during his New Year address to
“accept the democratic choice” made in the presidential poll.
Ukraine’s “orange revolution” marked the second year in a row that
peaceful protests headed by a Western-leaning leader swept out a
Russia-friendly regime in an ex-Soviet nation.
Moscow has accused the United States of fomenting the unrest in order
to install allies in its strategic backyard, charges that Washington
has denied.
But opposition movements in authoritarian-leaning former Soviet
republics and Russia have hailed the peaceful uprisings and in the
heat of the “orange” demonstrations, Belarussians, Armenians, Azeris
and Russians mingled with Ukrainian protestors in central Kiev.
Earlier Friday, Saakashvili was mobbed by hundreds of wildly cheering
opposition supporters as he walked through a tent city in central
Kiev set up in Yushchenko’s support after he refused to concede
defeat to Yanukovich in a November 21 runoff because of fraud.
“I didn’t have a chance to officially support you, but during your
victory I once again felt myself a Kievite,” said Saakashvili, who
attended university in the Ukrainian capital.
“Georgia’s revolution has been considerably strengthened by Ukraine’s
‘orange revolution,’ which will drive important changes in all of
former Soviet territory,” he said in an appearance on Ukrainian
pro-opposition television last week.
The mass opposition demonstrations led to the annulment of a November
presidential runoff election due to massive fraud, remade Ukraine
into a de facto parliamentary republic and led to a historic rerun
vote on December 26, which Yushchenko won by more than 2.2 million
votes.
If Yanukovich chooses to continue with his appeals over the results
of the vote, which he contends was marked with irregularities,
Yushchenko’s official confirmation as the winner could be put off for
weeks as the legal wrangling drags on.
Russia, which openly backed Yanukovich ahead of the poll, has blasted
the West for what it called interference in Ukraine’s internal
matters and warned that peaceful revolutions like those in Kiev and
Tbilisi could destabilize the region.
“If you have permanent revolutions you risk plunging the post-Soviet
space into endless conflict,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said
days ahead of Ukraine’s rerun vote.

Persian Journal, Iran
Dec 31 2004
Iran to host world gymnastic events
Dec 31, 2004, 11:15
Iranian capital city of Tehran will host 2005 world gymnastic
championship events, Iran’s Gymnastic Federation secretary said. He
estimated that between 30 to 50 countries will attend the world
competition.
Tehran has earmarked eight billion rials for the events, Nawab said.
Industrial and trade firms have given a thumb up to sponsor the
games, he said.
Four top Armenian coaches will head to Tehran in ten days to prepare
the Iranian national team before the events.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 31, 2004, Friday
THE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT HAS APPROVED THE MEMORANDUM TO SEND A GROUP
OF MILITARY SPECIALISTS TO IRAQ FOR ONE YEAR
Armenian Defense Minister Serj Sargsyan stated that the republic
intends to send 46 military specialists to Iraq. He noted that the US
will cover the major part of expenses. Serj Sargsyan noted that the
military specialists will only participate in humanitarian
operations.
Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, December 28, 2004, p. 3

RIA OREANDA
Economic News
December 31, 2004 Friday
Armenia’s Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine Steps Up Output
Agarak. OREANDA/RUSMET.RU Beginning with January 1, 2005, Armenias
Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine will begin increasing its ore
production volumes to 3 million tons per year, enough to produce
700,000 tons of molybdenum concentrate and 6,000 tons of copper
concentrate.
The American company Comsup Industries Ltd, which owns a 100% stake
in the combine, has already invested $3 million in the combine under
its agreement with the Armenian government. It has yet to invest
$500,000 in the modernization project. According to combine director
Mais Khachatrian, all of this money has been directed to reequip the
production facilities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri foreign minister says UN may discuss breakaway region again
ANS TV, Baku
29 Dec 04
The Azerbaijani foreign minister has warned that the draft resolution
on the situation on the country’s occupied lands may again be tabled
at the UN General Assembly, depending on the outcome of a January
meeting with the Armenian foreign minister. In an interview with the
Azerbaijani private TV station ANS, Elmar Mammadyarov was quoted as
saying that Azerbaijan did never take any commitment not to discuss
the situation on its lands occupied by Armenia at the UN. The
following is the text of report by Azerbaijani TV station ANS on 29
December
[Presenter] The discussion of the draft resolution on the situation on
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly may
depend on the outcome of a meeting between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers on 10 January. The Azerbaijani foreign
minister says Baku will demand that the OSCE’s fact-finding mission
examine all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
[Correspondent, over video of scenes in Baku, UN building] Baku has
not taken any commitment or issued any guarantee not to table the
draft resolution on the situation on the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov says that everything depends on how the discussions
with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan proceed.
[Mammadyarov, captioned, speaking to ANS journalist] Point 163 is
still on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. So is the Azerbaijani
resolution I presented. As for the aforesaid issue, everything depends
on how we negotiate and whether we really have a breakthrough in
January. Of course, it is important to us. If we really have serious
negotiations and reach agreement with Armenia, the situation changes.
[Correspondent] It will be clear during the forthcoming discussions
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Prague on 10
January whether it is possible to look optimistically into the future
of the negotiations on the country’s number one [Karabakh] problem.
[Mammadyarov] I will be able to give an accurate answer to this
question after the January meeting because I and my Armenian
counterpart came to agreement at the last meeting that we will start
serious discussions in January.
[Correspondent] It is seen from Yerevan’s statements that it is not
possible to achieve any result that could satisfy Azerbaijan during
the negotiations. Saying that this is a sensitive issue and the
Armenian public is also sensitive about it, Mammadyarov did not
outline the negotiations. But he believes that the realities on the
negotiations table are different from statements.
[Mammadyarov] I cannot say exactly what issues are being discussed. Of
course, the occupied lands should be liberated and internally
displaced people should return. This is one of the main points.
[Correspondent] The OSCE’s fact-finding mission that will examine the
situation on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will be in Baku in
late January before visiting those territories. Evaluating this as a
result of Azerbaijan’s tabling the draft resolution at the UN General
Assembly, Mammadyarov said that information on the resettlement of the
Armenians on the occupied Azerbaijani lands as well as on the conflict
in general will be provided to the mission.
The OSCE [Minsk Group] Russian co-chairman, Yuriy Merzlyakov, has said
that the fact-finding mission will examine the districts around
Nagornyy Karabakh only. Mammadyarov did not agree with Merzlyakov and
said that Nagornyy Karabakh is also an occupied territory.
[Mammadyarov] The issue is put in the way that the mission will
examine all the occupied territories.
[Correspondent] Is it possible to expect an unbiased investigation
from the OSCE’s fact-finding mission? Stressing that the mission
includes representatives of some other countries along with the
co-chairmen [of the Minsk Group], the foreign minister is not
downbeat.
[Mammadyarov] Italy, Germany, Finland and Switzerland will be
represented there. Finland, for example, used to chair in the Minsk
Group, Switzerland presided too, Italy was the first chairman and
Germany has always been an active member of the Minsk Group. I think,
on the one hand, they have information, on the other hand, they will
gather more unbiased information if they go to the occupied lands.
[Correspondent] Saying that Azerbaijan is interested in having the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict discussed at various international
organizations, the foreign minister thinks that these discussions can
speed up a solution to the problem. The Nagornyy Karabakh problem will
be in focus at the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe. The opposition and pro-government MPs of the
Armenian parliament have said they will share a common position. How
is Azerbaijan braced for that? The [Azerbaijani] foreign minister said
that [Council of Europe] rapporteur David Atkinson’s report has
already been sent to the country’s ambassadors in Europe.
[Mammadyarov] Of course, the ambassadors have a list of members of the
European parliaments who are also members of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, and they have met them and
expressed Azerbaijan’s position.
[Correspondent] Saying that serious work lies ahead for the country’s
policy on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict in 2005, Mammadyarov said
that the main question was not when [to resolve] the problem, but how
to restore the territorial integrity.
Qanira Pasayeva, Emil Babaxanov for ANS.

THE BEST PRESENT FOR CHRISTMAS
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
30 Dec 04
`This is the best New Year gift,’ exclaimed one of the spectators
during the concert of the Artsakh Chamber Orchestra on December 25
devoted to Christmas. As the conductor Gevorg Muradian had promised
during the previous concert, the Christmas concert was full of
surprises. Besides the already traditional repertoire the orchestra
performed works corresponding to the festive mood of the day: `Minuet’
and `Joke’ by Bach, waltzes by Strauss, Huno, Hungarian dance by
Brahms, `La Campanella’ by Paganini. Mary Karapetian andthe State
Choir of Artsakh performed `Lullaby’ by Kanachian, `News Went’ by
Satian and `Ave Maria’ by Schubert. `Silent Night’ by Bruber performed
by the orchestra and the choir imparted the concert with special
charm. The concert was closed with ` Jingle Bells’ by James Pierpoint
and `Radetski March’ by Strauss.
SUSANNA BALAYAN.
30-12-2004
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 202
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: 310-360-0091
Fax: 310-360-0094
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
December 30, 2004
CONTACT: Lena Kaimian
Email: [email protected]
ARMENIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY HOSTS “INTERNATIONAL RELIEF, REFUGE, AND
RECOGNITION” TRIBUTE
Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian Assembly, the Armenian General
Benevolent Union and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church are
pleased to announce an event to honor and pay tribute to the numerous
nations that were instrumental in offering their support to the
Armenian people.
The program, entitled “International Relief, Refuge, and Recognition”,
will recognize those nations that have officially acknowledged the
Armenian Genocide, given refuge, and or provided relief to its
survivors. The luncheon will be held on Thursday, February 24th in Los
Angeles and will feature members of the diplomatic corps in
California, relief organizations, scholars, and the media.
This event will also serve as a prelude to a series of local,
national, and international events that will commemorate and raise
awareness of the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
This will expand upon the continued partnership between the three
organizations that began at the Assembly’s 2004 National Conference in
Washington. “This event is significant for our community in order to
recognize those nations that extended their hand to our people and
assisted with the survival of the Armenian nation,” said Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese. The luncheon
welcomes the Armenian-American community and the community at-large.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

NR#2004-111