Author: Emil Lazarian

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +3741. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +3741. .562543
Email: [email protected]:
PRESS RELEASE
25 October 2004
Foreign Minister Oskanian receives Kalman Mizsei, Assistant
Administrator and Regional Director of Bureau for Europe and the CIS
of the UNDP
On October 25th, Foreign Minister Oskanian received Kalman Mizsei,
Assistant Administrator and Regional Director of Bureau for Europe
and the CIS of the United Nations Development Program.
During the course of the talks, Minister Oskanian stressed the
importance of the role of that the UNDP plays in the newly independent
states. He also expressed his satisfaction with the activity of
their office in Armenia, which is directed to the development of the
private sector. It also positively affects the economic progress of
the country and the social situation of its people.
Kalvin Mizsei expressed gratitude to the Armenian government for its
cooperation. He highly appreciated latter’s great effort against
corruption, as well as its work for improvement of efficiency of
governance and cooperation between the private business and the
governmental circles.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the perspectives
of the development of regional cooperation in the South Caucasus and
the circumstances hindering it. Both sides stressed the importance
of the private sector in the region, which could potentially be a
source of success.
The purpose of the visit of Kalman Mizsei to Armenia is to discuss the
Prime Minister’s national campaign on the UN Millennium Development
Goals, as well as the presentation of new regional initiatives of the
UNDP in the South Caucasus. On this issue, Kalman Mizsei will hold
meetings with the Prime Minister A. Markarian and other high ranking
officials. The UN official will also participate in the festivities,
dedicated to the day of the UNO in the Karakert village.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Bombay Express
Sunday, October 24, 2004
India lose to leader Ukraine
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
Posted online: Sunday, October 24, 2004 at 0043 hours IST
MALLORCA, OCTOBER 22: The Indian men succumbed to their first defeat
against Ukraine going down by a minimal margin of 1.5-2.5 in a keenly
contested match of the seventh round of the Chess Olympiad here.
For India, Viswanathan Anand drew with Vassily Ivanchuk, Sasikrian
held former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov to a draw, P Harikrishna
missed his winning chances before signing peace with Pavel Eljanov
while Abhijit Kunte was humbled by Sergey Karjakin.
In the biggest sensational result of the Olympiad, ninth seed
Bulgaria defeated top seed and Russia 2.5-1.5 to change the equations
dramatically.
As things stand now at the half-way stage in the biggest chess event,
Ukraine moved to 21.5 points after their triumph over India and
also stretched its lead to 2 points. Anand had come well-armed for
this important match and for the first time Ivanchuk was in serious
troubles in this Olympiad.
Eves hold US
Indian eves held third seed United States to a creditable draw
in the seventh round of the women’s section. It turned out to be
an all-drawn encounter for the Indian girls as all three — Koneru
Humpy, S Vijayalakshmi and Dronavalli Harika settled for truce with
Zsuzsa Polgar, IM Irina Krush and WGN Anna Zatonskih without any
real troubles.
The Indian girls next in the standing list along with US, Russia,
France, Ukraine, Sweden, Bulgaria, Armenia and Kazakhstan who all
have 13.5 points.

Zoo cries foul after elephant deaths
By the BBC’s Habib Beary
BBC News
October 25, 2004
Komala was a darling of one of India’s oldest zoos.
But the seven-year-old elephant calf died in agony after what officials
at Msyore zoo in southern India are calling a conspiracy by insiders.
They suspect she could be the latest victim of poisoning by disgruntled
employees, and, perhaps, a persistent campaign to discredit the zoo for
reasons unknown.
Two elephants and an endangered lion-tailed macaque died in similar
circumstances in August.
“This is shocking,” the zoo’s director, Manoj Kumar, told BBC News
Online, as officials began an inquiry on Monday.
‘Negligence’
Karnataka state’s Chief Minister, Dharam Singh, said he wanted a
detailed investigation.
We suspect foul play. All the deaths could be due to poisoning Zoo
director Manoj Kumar
“The truth should come out. Officials have to be alert. There seems to
be negligence.”
The 110-year-old zoo in Mysore is home to 1,100 animals.
Komala, described as attractive and playful, was due to have flown to
Armenia as a gift from Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam – she had been
handpicked for her pleasing features, officials say.
Doctors battled for hours to save her on Friday, but in vain.
“It is really unfortunate. The elephant was to fly out on 14 October but
we could not get a confirmed cargo booking,” said Mr Kumar.
“The next date fixed was 30 October but destiny had other plans.
“We suspect foul play. All the deaths could be due to poisoning. We have
taken the help of the police to catch the guilty.”
He said Komala had died despite tight security arrangements following
the deaths of the two other elephants, Ganesha and Roopa, and the
lion-tailed macaque in August.
The latter was a “breeder” on loan from a zoo in Madras as part of the
lion-tail monkey conservation programme.
Zoo authorities called in the police after preliminary investigations
revealed foul play.
Officials say Ganesha and Roopa had acute haemorrhagic enteritis and
respiratory distress caused by zinc phosphide, normally used as poison
for rodents.
Security revamp
This is not the first time animals have died mysteriously in captivity
in Mysore, leading some to believe there is a plot to damage the
state-run zoo’s reputation – although it is not clear why anyone would
want to do so.
An inquiry last year found foul play in injuries suffered by Meena, a
popular chimpanzee.
She died after an unsuccessful operation on her arm, which had been
crushed by a sliding door.
Two emus from Australia also died in suspicious circumstances.
Closed circuit television is among the measures planned by the zoo
authorities to monitor the movement of its feeding staff.
“Security is being revamped but I will not reveal the details,” said Mr
Kumar.
Story from BBC NEWS:

Wales recognizes “Armenian genocide” of 1915 – Azeri agency
Assa-Irada
25 Oct 04
Baku, 25 October: The Cardiff County Council in Wales announced last
week that it recognized the so-called “Armenian genocide” [of 1915
in Ottoman Turkey]. Rodney Berman, member of the council and of
the Armenia-Wales friendship society, who reported this, said that a
monument would be erected in the city to the genocide victims in 2005.
Berman said that in the past three years the Armenia-Wales friendship
society had directed all its efforts to obtain the recognition of
the “Armenian genocide”. Members of the society assess this step
as a preliminary stage in the recognition of the so-called genocide
by Britain.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Times of India, India
Oct 24 2004
Another elephant dies at Mysore Zoo
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2004 02:35:11 AM ]

MYSORE: Six weeks after the death of three animals in Mysore Zoo that
kicked up a storm, an eightyear-old female elephant was found dead on
Friday. The elephant, which was to have been India’s goodwill
ambassador to Armenia, is suspected to have been poisoned, much like
the other three.
The death of the elephant, Komala, comes as a shocker especially
since it had been provided round-the-clock security just to ward off
mischievous elements. Sources said the elephant refused food on
Thursday night. The next morning, she collapsed all of a sudden and
died. A post-mortem was conducted in the evening. Speaking to the
Sunday Times of India, Zoo executive director Manoj Kumar suspected
foul play. “It could have died due to the same reason as the other
two jumbos.” The hint is at poisoning.
Laboratory tests conducted on the elephants, Ganesha and Roopa, which
died in September, confirmed poisoning and the needle of suspicion
was pointed towards animal keepers. Came close on its heels was the
death of Lingam, an endangered lion-tailed macaque. All these three
deaths occurred within the space of a week and days after the
incumbent assumed office.
Sources expressed shock how Komala could have been poisoned despite
it being provided security, which indicates a telling lapse on the
part of those manning the cage. A complaint in this regard has been
lodged.
Following a request by the Central Zoo Authority to locate a female
elephant to partner a tusker in a zoo in the Armenian capital of
Yerevan, Mysore Zoo zeroed in on Komala that was born here. This
followed a direction from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who wanted
to gift a female elephant to Armenia as a goodwill gesture.
After a visit by officials of the CZA and Armenian embassy, Komala
was separated from her parents and accorded a special treatment. She
was to have left for Armenia by month-end. But that union and journey
were not to be.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
October 23, 2004, Saturday
Where a sauna saved a church
By CHRISTOPHER HOWSE
WE EACH spend on average pounds 3,000 a year on the National Health
Service. But a mere 20p a head each year would double the amount
devoted by the public body English Heritage to the repair of
churches.
Britain has an astonishing richness of church architecture. Of
course, France and Spain and other European countries have marvellous
churches too. But many were smashed up, in the French revolution, or
burnt in various “liberal” convulsions in 19th and 20th-century
Spain. Our own convulsions left their marks in the 16th and 17th
centuries, and the dangers to church fabric since then have been
principally decay and traffic schemes.
The British love for church was convincingly confirmed last month
when The Daily Telegraph invited nominations for readers’ favourite
churches. Three or four thousand people wrote in, and the results
will be published later this year.
That figure of 20p each representing a doubling of public spending on
churches comes from Building Faith in Our Future, a report from the
Church Heritage Forum. Although the report occasionally lapses into
dull committee-speak, its subject is is churches – church buildings –
and how they can be “catalysts for regeneration”.
I’m not sure “catalyst” is exactly the right metaphor, since a
catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical
reaction without itself undergoing change. Churches, on the contrary,
are completely part of their village or suburb, as much as pubs and
post offices, more than betting shops, and certainly more than the
casinos that the Government is planning.
The Diocese of Lincoln makes tourism an ally in promoting the work of
its churches. The cathedral provides information about nine plum
churches of architectural and historic interest. These churches try
to have someone around so that when visitors call, they can find out
about 44 further churches in the area worth looking at. In these 44
churches visitors can be put in touch with 300 more.
At St Paul’s, Old Ford, in east London, tourism was not a likely
prospect. Although the church, built in 1878, was a Grade II-listed
building of historic importance, it was closed a decade ago for
safety reasons. But local people were very fond of it, and the new
vicar, the Rev Philippa Boardman, worked away with her parochial
church council to try to renovate it.
The result has been the construction of an extraordinary wooden “pod”
on steel stilts inside the nave space, housing an art gallery, a room
for projects, a room for counselling and, for some reason, a sauna.
The structure has been nicknamed “The Ark”. The old church has a part
dedicated for worship and a part used as a cafe.
Money for this came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Mercers’
Company, the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, and other public,
church and private sources. The church opened up again in May this
year.
I have reservations about a church being used as a cafe, let alone a
sauna. But the world is littered with ruined churches. Ancient
Armenian churches stand crumbling in Anatolia; the basilicas of St
Augustine’s day have crumbled into the dust of north Africa. But we
get so used to saying that a church is not just the building that it
is easy to neglect the glory of the very structures.
“The achievement on the part of tens of thousands of volunteers is
hugely impressive,” says The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard
Chartres.
“Churches are probably better cared for now than at any time in the
past 100 years.” He is surely right that churches are good for
communities. And because of voluntary support, they spend what little
public money they get more productively that the poor old NHS. They
should get more.
How We Saw It: 150 Years of The Daily Telegraph 1855-2005 (Ebury
Press) by Christopher Howse, with a foreword by W F Deedes, is
available for pounds 20 (plus pounds 1.25 p&p) from Telegraph Books
Direct 0870 155 7222.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Associated Press Worldstream
October 23, 2004 Saturday
Armenian opposition party says its lawmakers will continue boycott of
parliament
YEREVAN, Armenia
Armenia’s largest opposition party said Saturday that its lawmakers
would continue to boycott parliamentary sessions in this ex-Soviet
republic.
Two dozen lawmakers have refused to attend parliament since February
to protest last year’s re-election of President Robert Kocharian, a
vote the opposition charges was marred by widespread irregularities.
The protesting lawmakers want to change the law on referendums so a
vote can be held asking Armenians if they have confidence in
Kocharian, who critics say has violently cracked down on dissent,
allowed corruption to flourish and done little to improve the lot of
impoverished Armenia’s 3.3 million people.
“Everyone who tries to resist the authorities’ illegal activity, who
fights for justice and welfare is subjected to beatings, repression
and arrest,” said Stepan Demirchian, who leads the opposition
National Party of Armenia. “Under such conditions, we can’t
participate in the work of the National Assembly.”
Speaking at his party’s national congress on Saturday, Demirchian
said that “a dialogue with authorities is possible only when they act
within the framework of the law.” He pledged that the parliamentary
boycott would continue.
Thirteen of the lawmakers boycotting parliamentary sessions are from
a bloc of opposition parties which includes Demirchians’ party; the
others represent other opposition groups.
Demirchian took over the leadership of the National Party in October
1999 after its founder, his father Karen Demirchian, was killed when
gunmen attacked parliament in what some suspect was a politically
motivated killing.
The younger Demirchian ran for president last year but lost in the
second round.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan to mark first anniversary on 23 October
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
22 Oct 04

Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan will mark its first anniversary on 23
October, the ITAR-TASS news agency said on 22 October.
The Russian air base at Kant was opened on 23 October 2003 and
currently hosts about 500 servicemen and officers.
The air base was the first Russian force outside Russia after the
Soviet Union’s collapse and is an aviation unit of the Collective
Security Treaty Organization’s [CSTO – members are Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia] Collective Rapid
Reaction Forces, the report added.
(The report ran to about 200 words; no further processing planned)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

El Pais
Oct 22, 2004
Turquia obtiene el pleno apoyo de la OCDE en su carrera hacia Europa
JOAQUIN PRIETO
Erdogan: “Nosotros hemos hecho los deberes. A la UE le toca ahora
hacer los suyos”. En su carrera hacia la meta de convertirse en
miembro de la Union Europea, Turquia recibio ayer el empujon del club
de los 30 paises mas desarrollados del mundo, agrupados en la
Organizacion para la Cooperacion y el Desarrollo Economico (OCDE). Un
informe elogioso para la economia turca fue completado por el
secretario general del organismo, Donald Johnston, con un apoyo
expreso de la candidatura de ese pais a la Union Europea.
BODY:
Los parabienes fueron recogidos en Paris por el primer ministro
turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, consciente del grado de presion que
implican para la apertura de negociaciones con la UE.
Con menos precauciones de las habituales, el secretario general de la
OCDE afirmo que la adhesion de Turquia a la Union Europea deberia
hacerse “en interes de ambos”. El consejo del organismo internacional
-con base en Paris- aparece antes de la reunion prevista en Berlin
entre Erdogan; el canciller aleman, Gerhard Schroeder, y el
presidente frances, Jacques Chirac, juzgada importante de cara al
Consejo Europeo del 17 de diciembre, que tiene en las manos la patata
caliente de aprobar la fecha de apertura de negociaciones de adhesion
con Turquia.
Erdogan critico ayer la decision de Chirac de someter a referendum el
ingreso de Turquia en la UE, porque “no figura en los criterios de
adhesion” pedidos a otros paises. Las negociaciones entre Ankara y
Bruselas han de comenzar “sin demora” y desembocar en una “adhesion
plena”, sin medias tintas. “Nosotros hemos hecho los deberes”,
puntualizo Erdogan. “Ahora le toca a la Union Europea hacer otro
tanto”.
Erdogan intenta demoler las resistencias de algunos sectores,
principalmente de Francia, donde la mayoria de la opinion publica
rechaza que los turcos puedan convertirse en europeos, tanto por
razones religiosas como por el peso que tendria en la UE un pais mas
poblado que el suyo y la posibilidad de que aumente la fuga de
empresas (y por lo tanto, la perdida de empleos).
Sin embargo, ninguno de estos argumentos forma parte de los criterios
formales exigidos para la adhesion a Europa. La OCDE respalda la idea
de que los criterios economicos solicitados van por el buen camino,
reconociendo, en sustancia, la rapidez con que Turquia moderniza sus
estructuras economicas.
Lo que Erdogan califico de “revolucion silenciosa” se desgrana entre
la frialdad de las estadisticas y analisis publicados por la OCDE,
que atribuyen a Turquia el mayor indice actual de crecimiento de los
30 paises miembros de esta organizacion. Para el ano proximo se preve
un aumento del producto interior bruto (PIB) de un 8%, tras haber
crecido el 6% en 2003 y el 8% en 2002. La inflacion, que era del 54%
en 2001, caera el ano proximo por debajo del 10%, segun las
previsiones.
La OCDE advierte a Turquia de que le queda mucho camino por recorrer
hasta converger con los principales paises. Mas del 50% del empleo
total del pais se encuentra en la economia sumergida, en un pais cuya
productividad apenas rebasa, oficialmente, un tercio de la media de
la OCDE.
Los autores del informe sobre Turquia dicen que este pais se
encuentra en una “encrucijada”, por lo cual le animan a profundizar
en las “ambiciosas” reformas emprendidas, reforzar la confianza y
reformar el gasto publico para orientarlo hacia los servicios
publicos fundamentales, la educacion y la justicia.
Presionado con preguntas sobre el Codigo Penal de su pais y la falta
de reconocimiento del genocidio armenio de 1915, Erdogan intento
restar importancia a todo ello. De paso, confirmo que no retirara sus
tropas de Chipre, puesto que la comunidad “del sur de la isla” (la
grecochipriota, unica reconocida por la comunidad internacional) ha
rechazado en un referendum el plan de reunificacion del secretario
general de la ONU, Kofi Annan, y se ha convertido, “paradojicamente”,
en miembro de pleno derecho de la UE.
Erdogan finalizo su aserto con un vibrante llamamiento a la necesidad
de que la Union Europea llegue a ser un “actor mundial de primera
linea”, para lo cual, en su opinion, le falta Turquia.

The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois)
October 12, 2004 Tuesday
Drama depicts story of genocide survivors
PANTAGRAPH STAFF
NORMAL — Richard Kallnoski’s drama, “Beast on the Moon,” is the new
offering from the Heartland Theatre Company in Normal, opening with a
“pay-what-you-can” preview at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Regular performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Oct.
22, 23, 29 and 20, with a 2 p.m. matinee Oct. 24.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for students. Call
(309) 452-8709 for reservations.
“Beast on the Moon” depicts the lives of two Armenian genocide
survivors, beginning in 1921 after a portrait photographer meets his
“picture bride” with whom he wants to rebuild or resurrect a small
fraction of his annihilated family and save them from oblivion.
Kallnoski’s 1995 drama has been produced around the world in regional
theaters and is due to open in New York City in March 2005.
The production is directed by Rachel Chaves, Heartland’s Jean
Scharfenberg Award winner, and features Dan Irvin, Katy Lacio and
Greg McGrath.
Also scheduled are two post-performance responses to the play.
The first, on Oct. 23, is a panel discussion featuring Jared Brown,
playwright and retired chair of IWU’s School of Theatre, and Emine
Evered, who has taught courses that concern historical and social
dimensions of the Middle East.
On Oct. 24, a discussion will be led by Mark Wyman, an ISU
distinguished professor emeritus, whose specialty is the immigrant
experience, and Shushan Avagyan, a poet and Armenian citizen doing
graduate work at ISU.
Heartland Theatre is located in the Community Activity Center of One
Normal Plaza, Lincoln and Beech streets, Normal.
GRAPHIC: Greg McGrath, center, studied his face in the mirror he gave
his bride, played by Kathy Lacio, as Dan Irvin looked on in a scene
from “Beast on the Moon” opening Thursday at Heartland Theatre. The
Richard Kallnoski play is being directed by Rachel Chaves.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress