Author: Emil Lazarian

Gil Spencer: At 51, it’s off to Armenia with Peace Corps
The Delaware County Times, PA
June 9 2004
You ask businessman John Tease what, at the age of 51, he’s thinking
— joining the Peace Corps and going to Armenia to live in a rural
village for two years — and he’ll throw it back at you as if it’s
the most natural thing in the world to do.
“You probably had the same thought in your mind 35 years ago,”
he’ll say.
And when you reply, “No, I didn’t,” he’ll smile acceptingly and try
to explain himself.
It turns out that, early on, Tease was your conventional American
high school kid.
He graduated from Penncrest High School in 1971. But he wanted to do
something a little different from his peers, who were mostly going
off to white-bread colleges.
“The thought of going to Penn State left me uninspired,” he explained.
So, even though he spoke barely a word of Spanish, he went to the
University of the Americas, south of Mexico City, where he majored
in anthropology and met his future wife.
She was from Denver. So, after spending four years in school, he
went back to Colorado with her. They got married and he went into
her family’s business.
Some 30 years and two daughters later, they got amicably divorced.
It was the divorce and a certain level of financial independence
that left Tease free enough to pursue the daydream he had back in
high school.
It was his Penncrest social studies teacher, Emerson Tjart, who got
him thinking about other cultures, other countries and the people who
live in them. Tjart had done his own hitch in the Peace Corps in the
mid-’60s, serving in Iran before the ayatollahs took over.
“Why Armenia?” I asked Tease.
“Actually, I was looking for an African assignment,” he said,
explaining he was almost set to go there when he was injured while
racing his quarter horse in Denver.
After he was cleared medically, he got a call from the Corps.
“They said Armenia,” and that was that.
So, he began to read up on it.
“It’s a tiny country, the oldest Christian nation in the world,” having
declared it the state religion in the 4th century. The literacy rate
is 99 percent, but under Soviet domination it was kept a relatively
poor nation, he said.
Now that the Soviet Union no longer exists, Armenians are trying to
make the painful transition to a market economy. The country is still
recovering from the 1988 earthquake that destroyed almost a quarter
of all the buildings in the north. Still, it’s a country rich in
culture with a strong intellectual tradition and a population with
a gift for commerce.
Tease will start out in a 90-day training program, learning the
language (East Armenian) and getting a feel for the do’s and don’ts
of the culture. Then, depending on the needs of the community, he’ll
be assigned.
Since his own experience is in business, he hopes he’ll be put to
work helping the locals improve their economy: from finding investment
sources to setting up computers systems to just teaching high school
students what’s really involved in a free-market system.
Tease comes by his adventuresome streak honestly.
His father, Sam, who still lives in Upper Providence with his bride
Gin, has traveled the world on his motorcycle. At 82, the retired
Marine is planning a jaunt up through New England later this summer.
As for John’s daughters, they’re no slouches, either. They’re Western
girls.
“They ride horses well and they shoot straight,” he says proudly.
His youngest, Allison, fought forest fires with the U.S. Forestry
Service right out of high school before going into nanotechnology,
while the older one, Meredith, is the chief operating officer of a
hedge fund.
High-spiritedness apparently runs in the family.
So his cars are sold, as is one of his horses. The other, his beloved
Sugar, has been put out to pasture.
He leaves this week. He can bring with him 100 pounds of personal
belongings, which will include a laptop, a short-wave radio and a
sleeping bag rated for sub-zero temperatures. The climate is a lot
like Denver’s: dry but with cold winters.
The pay?
“It’s enough to feed yourself” with a little left over for “some
level of entertainment.”
The housing? Adequate, safe and secure.
He’s been told that “a good sleeping bag, flexibility and a sense
of humor will enable one to survive.” He’s got the sleeping bag
for sure. He’ll find out how much of the other two he has after he
gets there.
“I only hope I can give back as much as I’m going to get out of this,”
he says. “I like to think I have much to offer, but it worries me.”
He doesn’t look worried. He looks happy.
“I’m so exited,” he says, sounding like a kid. “I’m ready for this.”
Gil Spencer’s column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
E-mail: [email protected].
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 9, 2004
___________________
RECORD NUMBERS OF YOUNG LEADERS HEAD TO TEXAS FOR BUSINESS, FELLOWSHIP,
AND WORSHIP
The young people of the St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX, chapter of the
Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) played host to
hundreds of ACYOA members during the group’s energetic and successful
General Assembly and Sports Weekend.
The Assembly, from May 27 to 28, brought together 40 representatives
from 17 parishes. It was the first time the Dallas chapter hosted the
events.
“This was my first time attending the General Assembly, and it was very
encouraging and inspiring to discover that others share the same
dedication, hope and excitement about having a successful ACYOA, locally
and nationally,” said Melissa DerPilbosian, an ACYOA member from the
Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, PA
YOUNG STEWARDS
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, told the
young faithful that it is never too early for them to step forward and
take roles of responsibility in the church community.
“Armenians, throughout our history, have beautifully exemplified the
Christian tradition of stewardship. All of our worthy achievements, our
long survival in the face of terrible obstacles, are in the deepest
sense a record of faithful stewardship, by the Armenian people to our
Almighty Lord and Master,” the Primate said. “Our parents and
grandparents did not take on all these challenges because they felt
there was something in it for themselves. Quite the reverse. They
worked and sacrificed and contributed because they regarded the church
itself, and service to God, as something greater than themselves: as a
duty they had inherited from prior generations; as a legacy they were
obliged to hand down to generations yet to come.”
“Now, all of this heritage has been placed in your hands,” he told the
young delegates. “You are the new stewards of the Armenian Church. It
is now your turn — your obligation — to be its care-takers, its
defenders, its creative builders.”
The Primate also read to the Assembly a message from His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and led
the young delegates in a bible study dealing with the idea of
stewardship. The Primate then hosted the delegates for a luncheon,
during which he answered questions on a variety of issues.
The Assembly was a chance not only for the delegates to get business
done, but to get to know the Primate better and get to know each other
as well.
“It’s always a pleasure being with people my age who share the same
faith and values that I do,” said Dn. Armen Jesralyan, an ACYOA member
at the St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, NJ. “I can’t express how much of
an influence this has on me.”
Also speaking during the assembly was Jason Demerjian, the Eastern
Diocese’s college ministry facilitator, who spoke on remaining a
faithful Armenian Christian. His ministry is the newest effort by the
Eastern Diocese to reach out to those who do not attend regular
services.
“It was a true blessing to witness the strong commitment and fresh ideas
demonstrated at the Assembly,” said Gregory Andonian, ACYOA
representative from the St. Gregory of Narek Church in Cleveland, OH.
“The Armenian Church and its people have a bright future.”
CHOOSING NEW LEADERS
The ACYOA delegates voted for three Central Council seats. Re-elected
for another two-year term were Maria Derderian of the St. Sahag and St.
Mesrob Church of Wynnewood, PA; and Rita Akaraz of the St. John Church
of Southfield, MI. Also elected was Karen Khatchadourian of the St.
Thomas Church of Tenafly, NJ.
“The ACYOA Central Council continues to be an integral part of the
Armenian Church. Their wisdom and passion has helped strengthen this
organization in the past few years,” said Steve Megrdichian, the youth
director from the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI.
“Their mission has been to collectively put forth each of their talents
to promote the ACYOA and its programs.”
The new Central Council officers for the 2004-05 year are: Jennifer
Morris, chair; Dn. Diran Jebejian, vice chair; Rita Akaraz, treasurer;
Tammy Bagdigian, secretary; Maria Derderian, public relations;
Christopher Tashjian, chapter relations; and Karen Khatchadourian,
programming.
“This year’s Central Council is composed of strong leaders and
passionate servants of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” said Morris,
who begins her last year on the Central Council after 15 years of
involvement. “We will work together to continue strengthening the ACYOA
on the national level, while focusing on effective communication and
programming to help benefit young adults throughout the Eastern
Diocese.”
CELEBRATING THEIR FAITH
On Sunday, more than 75 of the young delegates joined the faithful
parishioners of St. Sarkis Church for a Divine Liturgy, celebrated by
Fr. Daniel Findikyan, dean of St. Nersess Seminary. Fr. Haigazoun
Najarian, pastor of the St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church of Wynnewood,
PA, delivered the Armenian sermon and the English sermon was delivered
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian, from the Western Diocese.
After the liturgy, the Primate conducted a special Service of
Installation for the new ACYOA Central Council.
“We, and the faithful present here, ask for God’s blessings upon these
servants of the Church, that they may continue to serve God and the Holy
Mother Church of Armenia,” said Nancy Basmajian, executive secretary of
the ACYOA, as she presented the council to the Primate.
SPORTS AND GAMES
Following a weekend of business and church services, 350 young adults
from the Eastern Diocese took part in the Sports Weekend, which ran from
May 28 to 31, 2004. The Sports Weekend committee was chaired by Evelyn
Boyajian. More than 172 athletes from 12 parishes competed in events
ranging from chess and tavloo to track and basketball.
Along with sports events on Saturday, there were also a series of
workshops, covering topics such as: college life and the church; the
realities of sex, drugs, and violence; the state of marriage; a
discussion on the movie “The Passion of the Christ”; and presentations
on the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the Armenian Genocide
Museum and Memorial.
The young members of the Eastern Diocese were joined by the chair of the
Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO) of the Western Diocese, Hovig
Artinian, who was accompanied by about 50 ACYO-WD members. He told the
ACYOA delegates at the Assembly that he hoped a new era of open
communication could build joint ventures between the two organizations.
Several clergymen also spent the weekend with the ACYOA members,
including: Fr. Daniel Findikyan, dean of the St. Nersess Seminary; Fr.
Nersess Jebejian, pastor of the St. Hagop Church in St. Petersburg, FL;
Fr. Garabed Kochakian, pastor of the St. John Church of Southfield, MI;
and Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, pastor of the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church
of Wynnewood, PA.
* * *
Taking home first place honors during the ACYOA Sports Weekend were:
Men’s Basketball – St. Vartan Cathedral
Women’s Basketball – St. John Church, Detroit, MI
Volleyball – St. James Church, Watertown, MA
Soccer – Holy Ascension Church, Trumbull, CT
Tug-of-War – St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Bull Riding – Onnik Madanyan, St. Gregory the Illuminator Church,
Chicago, TX
Chess – David Avanesov, St. Gregory of Narek Church, Cleveland, OH
Tavloo – Ara Minassian, St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Ping-Pong – Fernando Maraslioglu, St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Track, Men’s 100 meters – Diran Belekian, California
Track, Women’s 100 meters – Kelly Karakashian, St. John Church, Detroit,
MI
Track, Men’s 200 meters – Diran Balekian, California
Track, Women’s 200 meters – Kelly Karakashian, St. John Church, Detroit,
MI
Track, Men’s 400 meters – Diran Balekian, California
Track, Men’s 800 meters – Charlie Stamboulian, St. John Church, Detroit,
MI
Track, Men’s 1,600 meters – Thomas Stamboulian, St. John Church,
Detroit, MI
Massis Award – St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Babayan Cup – St. James Church, Watertown, MA
— 6/9/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), with the newly chosen ACYOA
Central Council at St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX, the host of the 2004
ACYOA General Assembly and Sports Weekend.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): The Primate discusses stewardship with the delegates
at the 2004 ACYOA General Assembly in Dallas, TX.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): A team takes part in the tug-of-war competition
during the ACYOA Sports Weekend in Dallas, TX.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): Basketball was one of the sports in the 2004 ACYOA
Sports Weekend, hosted by the St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX.
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT IN CONTROL AS OPPOSITION PROTESTS FIZZLE OUT
Emil Danielyan: 6/09/04
EurasiaNet Organization
June 9 2004
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian appears to have warded off a
challenge to his authority, surviving a two-month opposition protest
campaign that aimed to force his resignation. Even though the protests
failed to attract large numbers of Armenians, some political analysts
in Yerevan say the opposition campaign inflicted considerable political
damage on Kocharian.
Since April, opposition leaders had promised “decisive action”
against Kocharian. At the most recent street protest June 4 in
central Yerevan, however, the opposition acknowledged that it lacked
sufficient backing to fulfill its aim, and abandoned plans to march on
Kocharian’s residence. “We believe that we are not yet ready to carry
out actions needed for achieving our final victory,” a leading member
of the opposition Justice bloc, Albert Bazeyan, told a thinning crowd.
The unrest stemmed from the February-March 2003 presidential election
in which Kocharian secured a second term amid allegations of vote
rigging. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. His
opponents still refuse to recognize the legitimacy of his reelection
and were unsuccessful in a 2003 attempt to have the voting results
invalidated. Kocharian critics later decided to embrace protest
tactics, striving to imitate the success of Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili, who came to power amid the “Rose Revolution”
in Tbilisi. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The opposition unveiled the protest strategy in early April. The
most critical moment occurred early on in the protest campaign, as
riot police, during the early hours of April 13, dispersed opposition
protesters as they marched towards Kocharian’s official residence in
Yerevan. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The leaders of Armenia’s two main opposition groups, the Justice
bloc and the National Unity Party (AMK), have since continued the
unsanctioned rallies in the city center. The protests have flagged
in recent weeks as many opposition supporters grew increasingly
frustrated over the lack of “decisive action.”
Bazeyan and other opposition leaders said they will continue to rally
supporters in the capital to keep up pressure on the authorities.
“There will be no stability in the country as long as Kocharian remains
in power because stability and Kocharian are incompatible things,”
the most radical of them, Aram Sarkisian, said.
But few observers believe that demonstrations attended by several
thousand people will pose a serious threat to the ruling regime.
Given the effective end of the protest campaign, political analysts
are examining the question of why the Armenian opposition failed
to mobilize what one of its leaders described as a “critical mass”
of demonstrators.
In the view of Aghasi Yenokian, director of the independent Armenian
Center for Political and International Studies, Justice and the
AMK never had a clear action plan. He said the opposition also lost
popular trust due to its inability to successfully press its appeal
over the presidential election tally. “The opposition has shown on
several occasions that it can let the people down at any moment,”
Yenokian said.
Still, some local political experts believe that the protests,
which provoked the worst-ever government crackdown on the Armenian
opposition, dealt a blow to Kocharian’s legitimacy at home and
abroad. That, they say, could open new cracks in the country’s shaky
governing coalition, rendering the medium- to long-term political
situation in the country unpredictable.
“Armenia is entering a period of political apathy where there is no
effective government and [no] effective opposition,” said a recent
commentary in the pro-opposition daily Haykakan Zhamanak.
Authorities have maintained throughout that the opposition protest
campaign was unconstitutional. On June 8, one of Kocharian’s top allies
declared victory in the political struggle. “The opposition has failed
to achieve its goals,” Prime Minister Andranik Markarian said.
Throughout the crisis, Kocharian stressed that Armenia’s strong
security apparatus ensured that a repetition of the “Georgian scenario”
would not occur in Yerevan. At the same time, Kocharian has sought
to placate building popular frustration.
Kocharian has long tried to cast himself as the custodian of a
fast-growing economy. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. The benefits of economic growth, though, are not evenly
distributed in Armenia, as many in the country continue to grapple
with poverty. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. In recent weeks, Kocharian has expressed renewed interest in
improving living conditions. His schedule in early June, for example,
was full of meetings, heavily publicized by state-controlled television
channels, with officials at all levels of government to examine issues
ranging from suspected corruption in high school graduation exams to
patchy supplies of drinking water.
In addition to the high-profile effort to address popular concerns,
authorities have cracked down on the opposition, arresting hundreds of
government critics. The crackdown continued even after strong criticism
voiced by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in late
April. Since then, a 24-year-old man has been sentenced to an 18-month
jail term for hurling a plastic bottle at a riot police officer during
the April 12-13 events. Four other opposition activists received up
to 15-month prison sentences stemming from their participation in
another protest.
Although Kocharian is the winner of the latest round, experts
believe the political bout will continue. Yenokian, for one, viewed
the deepening intra-governmental infighting as a source of political
turmoil down the road. “The processes should not be considered over,”
the analyst said. “They may well have a continuation.”
Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia cannot rival Azerbaijan in economy – Azeri leader
MPA news agency
9 Jun 04
Baku, 9 June: “The world considers Armenia to be an aggressor. Having
such a title in the 21st century does not do anyone credit,”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during his meeting on
8 June with refugees and displaced people in Mingacevir western
Azerbaijan. Armenia is unable to rival Azerbaijan in the economic or
other spheres, he said.
“The resolution of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is possible only
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. If the
peace negotiations fail, Baku will resort to other means to liberate
its lands,” Aliyev said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN KURDS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST TURKEY IF OCALAN TRIAL IS “UNFAIR”
Noyan Tapan news agency
9 Jun 04
Yerevan, 9 June: Hundreds of thousands of Kurds will organize mass
actions in various European countries, particularly in France, on 9
June to protect their leader Abdullah Ocalan (leader of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party – PKK) , the head of the Caucasus representative
office of the Assembly of the People of Kurdistan (former KADEK –
the Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan – successor to
the PKK), Geydar Ali, has told a news conference in Yerevan.
He said that in doing so, the Kurds hoped to draw the world community’s
attention to Ocalan’s trial to be held on that day in the European
Court on Human Rights and to achieve a fair verdict.
According to Geydar Ali, if the trial is unfair, the Kurdish-Turkish
clashes will continue, especially as the second congress of the
Assembly of the People of Kurdistan held in northern Iraq on 13-26
May made a decision to suspend the unilateral truce.
Geydar Ali said that the unilateral truce and peace policy declared
by the Kurdish people failed to persuade Turkey and involve this
country in talks: “Turkey does not understand the language of consent
and democracy, that is why the second congress decided to respond to
Turkish attacks with serious counter-attacks”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

At Risk in Metsamor?: Living in the shadow of reactors
Armenianow.com
10 June 2004
Special from Caucasus Media Institute
Parallel to the construction of the nuclear power plant in the
1970-80s, the town of Metsamor was established some three to four
kilometers from the plant. People from almost all the regions of
Armenia fled to the town to settle down here. They built families,
had children and worked at the power plant.
Sanosyan Artavazd 90 years old (in center), resident of Metsamor..
But after the plant closed in 1989, the people of Metsamor lost their
jobs and didn’t start working again until late 1995, when construction
of the plant restarted.
Today only 20% of the population of Metsamor works at the plant. Many
people in the town are pleased that the plant that is their only hope
does function, while others are unhappy with that very fact.
“It poisons us. And if we get an instrument measuring the dose and
install somewhere in the town, we’ll see that we are living in poison,
but who cares, we have to,” says Rafik Mkhitaryan, a 70-year-old
resident of Metsamor.
“We, Armenians, to put it relatively, are among the smart nations of
the region,” says Artavazd Sanosyan, a man in his 90s, whose two sons,
a daughter and two grandchildren work at the power plant.
“If they tell me that the nuclear power plant is safe and secure,
I trust them,” he says. “If the plant shuts down, this town will
exist no more. This is the only working place that feeds us.”
Karapet Manukyan, 74, has been working at the plant for almost two
decades and has never felt any change in his health condition. Nor
has he ever had a medical examination to learn whether the work at
plant has affected his health.
“The plant functions fine, it is protected, and we haven’t felt that
it may damage our health,” says Manukyan.
Rafik Mkhitaryan has been working as a brigade leader of the group
digging pits for the two reactors of the plant since February 4, 1970.
Rafik Mkhitaryan 76 years old (third from the left). “When the plant
was ready for exploitation, the minister of electric networks of the
USSR, Grigoriants, said that the term is 28 years, and there ‘s no
right to exploit it even a day past the deadline,” says Mkhitaryan. He
assures that now the scientists check up the plant once a year and
extend the term by two-three years, which is not right.
“We are very much afraid but there are people that prolong the life of
the plant to amass wealth. The structure at present is decayed. They
are also afraid to go on building it but, nevertheless, they do for
filling their pockets. Though I am not smart enough for it but I find
that if the deadline has expired, then it’s necessary to stop it so
that our nation doesn’t get into big trouble,” he says.
The mother of two children, Gohar Bezprozvanikh also fears for herself
and her kids and does not think the plant is secure.
“Earthquakes take place and that is already dangerous. On the
other hand, we have no other source for work or energy, so it is as
impossible to close
it,” says Gohar.
Some in the town say the plant causes certain illness and birth
defects.
They suggest that, in exchange for the risk, residents of Metsamor
should get their power for free.
“This will compensate the risk of living here,” Mkhitaryan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Libération
7 juin 2004
Exiger la mémoire du génocide arménien;
L’entrée éventuelle d’une Turquie négationniste en Europe inquiète
les 450 000 Français d’origine arménienne.
par Ara Toranian, président du Conseil de coordination des
organisations arméniennes de France (CCAF)
La perspective d’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Europe ne soulève pas que
des questions académiques sur l’histoire et la géographie de l’Ancien
Continent. Elle suscite également une forte inquiétude au sein d’une
partie de la population française qui a rarement voix au chapitre,
qu’on a du mal à entendre et qu’on évacue trop souvent des débats :
les 450 000 Français d’origine arménienne, enfants et petits-enfants
des rescapés du génocide de 1915.
Fantasmes que leurs craintes fondées sur de l’histoire ancienne
? On aimerait s’en convaincre. Hélas, la politique des gouvernements
turcs qui se sont succédé depuis cette extermination fait montre de
suffisamment de constance pour ne pas laisser place au doute. Qu’ils
soient de droite, de gauche, laïques ou islamistes, ces pouvoirs se
sont inscrits, avec un remarquable sens de la continuité, dans la
logique de ce crime. Depuis la fondation de la Turquie dite moderne en
1923, ces gouvernements n’ont eu de cesse de poursuivre par d’autres
moyens l’entreprise d’anéantissement engagée par les Jeunes Turcs
: négation organisée du fait historique, gommage systématique de
tout indice des massacres, de toute trace des Arméniens dans leurs
territoires ancestraux, destruction ou détournement – partout où cela
est possible – de leurs vestiges historiques, de leurs églises. Ils se
sont également évertués à imposer une loi du silence à l’intérieur du
pays et un chantage permanent à l’extérieur pour faire taire les Etats
qui, tels le Canada le 21 avril dernier, la Suisse le 16 décembre 2003
ou la France le 29 janvier 2001, ont pris la liberté de reconnaître
le génocide.
Cette complicité active des autorités turques “modernes” envers
l’extermination des Arméniens a atteint un nouveau pic. Il y a un an,
en effet, le ministère de l’Education nationale a envoyé à l’ensemble
des établissements secondaires du pays une circulaire leur enjoignant
d’organiser une dissertation sur le thème suivant : “Comment répondre
aux allégations de génocide arménien ?” Avec, à la clé, une récompense
pour la meilleure copie.
Face à un tel obscurantisme, un tel acharnement, comment les Français
d’origine arménienne pourraient-ils appréhender sereinement la venue
de cet Etat qui, du fait de sa démographie et des dispositions du
traité de Nice, est destiné à être le plus représenté au Parlement
européen ? Comment les enfants du génocide arménien pourraient-ils
accepter de se retrouver dans une Europe qui ferait la place belle
à une Turquie négationniste, complice de la solution finale ?
Certaines personnes déjà nous ont fait savoir que face à cette
éventualité, elles se préparaient à plier bagage. Et ce n’est
pas l’attitude des pouvoirs publics dans cette affaire qui les
tranquillisera. En témoigne la réponse de Jacques Chirac à une
question d’un journaliste de Radio J, lors de sa conférence de presse
du 29 avril dernier. A sa question portant sur la reconnaissance du
génocide des Arméniens par la Turquie comme préalable à son adhésion
dans l’Europe, le président de la République a répliqué sèchement :
“C’est une affaire bilatérale entre la Turquie et l’Arménie.” Des
propos qui ont semé le trouble, y compris à droite : “C’est comme si
on disait que les exterminations ne concernent que les communautés
qui en sont les victimes”, a rétorqué François Bayrou.
Les communautés arméniennes ont dû batailler pendant quatre-vingts ans
contre les menées négationnistes de la Turquie. Les reconnaissances
du génocide effectuées dernièrement par quelques Etats démocratiques
leur laissaient espérer en l’avènement d’une nouvelle ère. Se
sont-elles trompées ? Faces aux diverses menaces que laisserait
craindre l’adhésion d’un Etat turc qui n’aurait pas rompu avec la
logique criminelle de ses prédécesseurs, quelle sera l’attitude de la
France ? Assumera-t-elle la protection due à ses citoyens d’origine
arménienne ? Il n’y a qu’en exigeant de la Turquie qu’elle reconnaisse
officiellement le génocide des Arméniens que l’on pourra rassurer
nos concitoyens. Et aller de l’avant. On est encore loin du compte.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Cork City await UEFA Fair Play draw
Online.ie
Sports
online.ie
2004-06-08 09:30:05+01
Cork City take on Shelbourne in the eircom League tonight but they
are up against Matt Holland’s Charlton also in the draw for the Fair
Play League.
The draw for the Fair Play League takes place in Germany tonight,
with 11 European teams vying for two places in the UEFA Cup.
The teams are based on their disciplinary record last season.
The 10 other teams who will go into the ballot along with Charlton are:
Esbjerg (Denmark), SK Brann (Norway), Freiburg (Germany), Cork City
(Republic of Ireland), FC Lahti (Finland), Real Mallorca (Spain),
KS Teuta (Albania), FC Mika (Armenia), Throttur Reykjavik (Iceland),
plus a team from Ukraine yet to be decided as their league season
runs until June 19.
As Pat Dolan hopes his team make the UEFA Cup, Ireland’s Matt Holland
is hoping to lead Charlton on a European adventure through draw.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder would welcome the prospect of
European football coming to The Valley for the first time.
“It would be great for the fans here,” he said on the club’s official
website,
“We would have liked to have done it through the league, but if it
does come about through the Fair Play draw, we’ll take it – especially
after the season we had.
“We benefited from playing in the UEFA Cup when I was at Ipswich and
it was a great experience playing against the top sides like Inter
at the San Siro.”
The Addicks finished third in the discipline-based rankings for
England, behind winners Arsenal and Chelsea.
However, with both of those clubs having already secured a place
in the Champions League, Charlton were put forward as the Football
Association’s representatives.
Last season Manchester City came through the Fair Play League system
to get a crack at European football.
And should Charlton be successful, it would not leave much time for
changes to pre-season plans as qualification would mean a two-legged
UEFA Cup qualifying tie on July 15 and 29, meaning the club’s planned
trip to China would most probably be shelved.
The draw will take place during the half-time interval at the UEFA
European Under-21 Championship final between Italy and Serbia and
Montenegro in Bochum this evening, kick-off 7.45pm.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia (and friends) versus the World
Chessbase News, Germany
June 9 2004
08.06.2004 What do Lputian, Akopian, and Vaganian have in common?
Easy one. Why put Kasparov, Leko, and Gelfand on the Armenian team with
them? We’ll tell all. They will face a World all-star team of Anand,
Svidler, Adams, Bacrot, Vallejo, and van Wely in a spectacular team
event starting June 10 in Moscow.
Team Petrosian takes on the World
The Petrosian Memorial – June 10-16 – Ararat Park Hyatt Hotel,
Moscow, Russia
In this year of the 75th anniversary of the 9th world champion’s birth
there has already been one Petrosian Memorial tournament and later in
the year there will be another. But the one that everyone is likely to
remember best starts Thursday in Moscow. With two days to go before
the first round we haven’t seen any official website for the event,
but we’ll be bringing you reports and games.
It’s a Scheveningen-format team tournament that matches the best of
Armenia against a team of international stars. Each of the six team
members will play everyone on the other team for a total of 36 games.
Best of all, it’s classical chess. (Although Tigran Petrosian was
legendary in casual blitz, we’re sure he would approve.)
The Petrosian team is manned by the cream of Armenia’s powerful
chess crop. 1999 World Championship runner-up Vladimir Akopian, feared
Bundesliga warrior Rafael Vaganian, and experienced international Smbat
Lputian. It’s worth noting that tiny Armenia has the second-highest
number of players participating in the 2004 FIDE world championship
in Libya this month, seven. (Russia has 19.)
The rest of the team is made up of players with connections to Armenia
or Petrosian himself. Garry Kasparov’s mother is Armenian and he has
always been claimed by that chess-mad nation. Peter Leko married
an Armenian, one named Petrosian no less! (No immediate relation,
sadly.) His wife Sofia is the daughter of Armenian GM Arshak Petrosian,
who is also his trainer and will be the coach of the Petrosian team
in Moscow.
Then comes Israeli Boris Gelfand, who is not about to change his
name to Gelfandian to fit in. The lanky GM was the top student of
Petrosian’s school back in the early 80’s before Petrosian’s untimely
demise in 1984 at the age of 55.
The World team is a powerful line-up with one player each from India,
Russia, England, Netherlands, France, and Spain. In the 2002 Russia
versus the World rapid tournament Akopian and Gelfand were on the
World team. But Armenia comes first! Vishy Anand was also first board
for the World team in that event. When will India be ready to take
on the World so he can play for the home team?
The tournament was to have ended exactly on Petrosian’s birthday on
June 17, but had to be compacted due to the FIDE world championship
getting underway in Tripoli the next day. So there won’t be any rest
days in Moscow. The three Armenians plus Adams, Vallejo, and Bacrot
will immediately head to Libya after the final round.
Kasparov’s team may look outrated but actually the teams are
perfectly equal! Both have an average rating of 2705. No doubt the
Armenians would benefit from playing in Yerevan instead of Moscow,
but the appropriately named Ararat Hotel might serve as compensation!
Mount Ararat, the resting place of Noah’s Ark in legend, is actually
in Turkey, but most Armenians look to it as an ancestral symbol.
In normal pairings it’s #1 vs #6 on day one with the clash of the top
boards left for the final day. That would mean first round pairings
of Kasparov-van Wely, Leko-Vallejo, Gelfand-Bacrot, Akopian-Adams,
Vaganian-Svidler, Lputian-Anand, colors to be determined.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ex-Soviet Immigrants Praise Reagan
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
The Associated Press
06/09/04 05:47 EDT
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rabbi Velvel Tsikman remembers a time when the only
link he had to his Jewish heritage was a line in his Soviet passport
that read “Nationality: Jewish.”
Now, he watches over a vibrant Russian Jewish community in West
Hollywood from his office at the Chabad Russian Jewish Community
Center.
Tsikman says he credits his spiritual freedom to the late Ronald
Reagan, whose anti-missile program drew the Soviets into a costly
arms race, helping lead to the collapse of what Reagan called the
“evil empire.”
Reagan’s 1987 demand to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the
Berlin Wall – “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” – was the ultimate
challenge of the Cold War.
Tsikman recalled with emotion the first time a Jewish synagogue opened
in the Ukraine after years of religious oppression. He began to wear
a yarmulke openly and grow his beard. He soon veered from a career
in computers to the spiritual life of a rabbi.
“It was like going from the basement to the street and seeing the
light,” Tsikman said. “(Reagan’s) doctrine, what he did, was very
helpful to destroy the monster that was there in Europe.”
Those sentiments were echoed across southern California, home to
large Russian and Eastern European immigrant communities. They also
were reflected in poignant signs and flags placed outside the Santa
Monica mortuary where Reagan’s body was taken after his death Saturday
at age 93.
Lithuanian and Polish flags sprouted from the grass. Posters paying
homage to Reagan sat propped against a fountain alongside flowers
and balloons.
“Sir – You told Gorbachev to ‘Take down this wall.’ We helped.
Thanks for your courage and leadership,” read one sign that was
affixed with two quarter-sized bits of the Berlin Wall.
Another said: “Solidarnosc! With love from Poland,” a reference to
Reagan’s efforts to promote the Solidarity labor movement in Poland
in the 1980s.
In West Hollywood, Tsikman has watched over the Russian Jewish
community center for 12 years, an anchor for up to 50,000 Soviet bloc
immigrants in greater Los Angeles. The neighborhood is dotted with
Russian, Ukranian and Armenian groceries, pharmacies and video stores,
and people speak more Russian than English.
At the community center, Tsikman brushed his finger against his
yarmulke and watched contentedly as dozens of elderly people ate at
long tables, laughing and chatting in Russian.
“They are living in a paradise here. It’s like God is paying them for
a terrible life in Russia,” Tsikman said. “These people were sitting
home waiting to die. When they came here, they came alive again.”
Down the street, Armenian grocer Paul Khostikyan paused from unloading
fresh fruit to remember the man he called “the best president in U.S.
history.”
Khostikyan, 54, who immigrated in 1990, said he remembered being
moved by Reagan’s bold words.
“I liked how he talked about freedom,” said Khostikyan, now a U.S.
citizen. “He really meant it, not like other presidents. He will be
in history much more than Clinton or Bush.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress