Author: Emil Lazarian

Research Refutes Armenian-Urart Relation
Zaman, Turkey
May 24 2004
It has emerged that the Armenians do not have a genetic relationship
with the Urart civilization that once settled in Eastern Turkey in
the vicinity of Van city.
Research conducted by Ankara University’s Anthropology Department
faculty member, Prof. Erksin Gulec, scientifically refutes Armenian
claims of kinship with Urarts. The Urarts established a strong
civilization in the 7th and 8th centuries in Eastern Anatolia as
well as in Caucasus. Armenians believe that the lands under the Urart
hegemony are the homeland of Armenians.
This thesis has been historically and scientifically refuted. Now,
it is anthropologically refuted as well.
Gulec anthropologically examined 288 different skeletons unearthed
during archeological excavations in Van and Hakkari. The Urart
skeletons previously removed in Tilkitepe and Erzincan were also
examined. Using a special method, distance analysis, it is possible to
analyze kinship relations of populations. In the end, the morphological
characteristics of Urarts and Armenians were compared.
Gulec presented his study at the 1st National DVI Congress held in Van
lately and said that Urarts had a Mediterranean morphologic structure
while the others have an Armenian structure. He said that the ancestors
of Armenians are accepted as Armenoids and said they were a sub-group
of Dinarics who lived in Anatolia previously in the Bronze Age.
05.24.2004
Necip Cakir

IRAN-ARMENIA COMMERCE CHAMBER OPENS BRANCH IN TEBRIZ
ArmenPress
May 24 2004
TEBRIZ, MAY 24, ARMENPRESS: The branch of Iran-Armenia commerce
chamber was inaugurated on May 23 in the Iranian city of Tebriz in
the premises of the local trade-industrial and mines chamber.
According to Sadegh Najafi, head of trade department at the governor’s
office of Eastern Atrpatakan (Azerbaijan), said a substantial portion
of bilateral trade is carried out by Tebriz-located businessmen. He
said eighty percent of businessmen involved in trade with Armenia
are from Tebriz and the province, who also use Armenia as a transit
route to taking their goods to neighboring Georgia.
Najafi said negotiations are underway to extend the area of free
zone from Julfa toward Norduz border check point, aimed at granting
businessmen from both countries a set of privileges.
Levon Aharonian, president of board of directors of the joint
Iranian-Armenian commerce chamber, said the new branch will facilitate
trade between the two nations and forge closer ties.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 24, 2004, Monday
INTEGRATION COULD BE FREE IN THE CIS ALONE
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, May 21, 2004, p. 5
by Vladimir Mukhin
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov’s official visit to Armenia
started on May 20. He met with Armenian leaders, held the talks with
his counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan, at which the parties discussed the
issues related to the prospects of developing the bilateral military
cooperation. As of now, Russian minister’s contacts with the Armenian
military continue in the framework the ordinary meeting of the Council
of Defense Ministers (CDM) of the entire CIS.
Armenia is among few CIS states with which Russia has close military
and military-technical contacts. First of all, the sphere of military
cooperation concerns the issues of Armenia’s antiaircraft defense. As
far back as 2001 the antiaircraft defense units of Russia and Armenia
assumed joint combat duty and are performing this mission so far. The
troops are involved in joint staff command exercises and war games.
Most importantly, the Armenian antiaircraft missile defense units and
the 102nd military base of Russia and a squadron of 30 MiG-29 fighters
ensure security of the air space at the southern boundaries of the CIS.
At the meeting of May 21, the issues of creating the joint antiaircraft
defense system of the CIS will be given the foreground. In the
framework of the CDM defense ministers of the CIS will discuss the
functioning of the Unified Antiaircraft Defense system, founded
in 1995, consider the draft target program on joint counteraction
to air attacks. Nevertheless, the facts evidence that not all the
states are ready to give their active support to the integration in
the sphere of air defense, initiated by Russia. Turkmenistan, Georgia
and Uzbekistan are not taking part in the regular exercises over past
9 years, although they maintain bilateral contacts in this sphere.
These countries also maintain bilateral relations with Ukraine,
Russia’s rival in the sphere of military-technical cooperation.
Russia also has problems with other allies. For instance, Kazakhstan
is no more oriented at supplies of Russia-made weapons for its own
army and intends to invite Western states to participate in a tender
for supply of antiaircraft missile systems and radar installations.
Besides, almost all of CIS states (exclusive Russia and Belarus) are
granted multimillion aid for development of their defense from the
USA and NATO. While Yerevan and Moscow are discussing new directions
of military-technical cooperation, the Pentagon has already initiated
supplies of communications facilities to Armenia to the amount of $7
million. The USA has been involved in similar upgrade programs for the
armies of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Moldova and Azerbaijan. If many CIS
states are not involved in joint military maneuvers inside the CIS,
they regard NATO-led exercises as prestigious are a involved in them
on a regular basis.
In particular, Cooperative Best Effort-2004 military maneuvers, the
largest over entire CIS’ history and involving NATO and CIS member
states have been scheduled for this summer in Azerbaijan. Even
Armenia will take part in the exercises, General Charles Wald,
ECDC deputy commander convinced Armenian leaders. At his insistence
Armenia decided to send its troops to Iraq. As is widely known,
while the coalition troops are eliminating their presence there,
CIS states have plans to expand their presence in Iraq, supposedly
as a sign of gratitude for U.S. military assistance. The spokesmen
for Georgia and Azerbaijan announced that in addition to Armenia.
There’s no need to guess why this is happening. All military contacts
in the framework of the CIS require spending, whereas NATO and the
USA are commonly sponsoring military activities on their own.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Boston Globe
May 24, 2004, Monday ,THIRD EDITION
KEVERIAN IS STILL KING OF HEARTS
FORMER MASS. HOUSE SPEAKER CONTINUES TO HELP ANY WAY HE CAN
By Phil Santoro, Globe Correspondent
EVERETT – The gold-plated sign on his desk reads: “It’s Good To Be
King.” But his drab, rank, closet-size office at Everett City Hall is
fit more for a municipal bureaucrat than for a king. It’s a far cry
from his palatial digs in the State House when he served as speaker
of the House of Representatives from 1985 to 1990. Yet George
Keverian, at one time one of the most prominent figures in Boston
politics, appears, if not regal, then content as the city’s part-time
chief assessor.
At 72, Keverian has returned to his roots in city government, roots
that were planted in 1953 when, fresh out of Harvard University at
the age of 21, he was elected to the Everett Common Council and began
a 37-year career as a Democratic office-holder. He may no longer
wield the kind of influence that determined the size of the House,
but he is not easily forgotten. At City Hall, officials turn to
Keverian to negotiate tax deals with developers, set the tax rate for
the city every year, and guide them through local matters that
involve state agencies.
Last year, Everett officials named a City Hall hearing room after
him. That may not seem to be a big deal, but in Everett, where
campaign signs are as common as street signs, it’s huge. And a few
months ago, the new George Keverian Elementary School opened.
More than his widely fluctuating weight and his mutinous overthrow of
longtime House Speaker Thomas McGee, Keverian is well known for his
compassion and for wearing his heart on his sleeve, traits that some
say cost him his speaker’s job in 1990 when he failed to coalesce a
fractured House because he tried to please everybody. That same year,
Keverian lost his Democratic primary bid for state treasurer to
William Galvin because many of the speaker’s loyal supporters
deserted him.
Today, Keverian finds other ways to care for people. In the past
year, he has “adopted” three Haitian families in Everett, including a
single mother and her twin 5-year-old daughters, who had been evicted
from their apartment because the mother couldn’t keep up with the
rent. Keverian took them into his home for several weeks, getting
their furniture out of storage and into his garage and helping them
find public housing. A lifelong bachelor who for many years cared for
his ailing mother, Keverian chuckles at the suggestion that they may
be the family he never had. But he doesn’t dismiss the notion.
“Oftentimes when their mother picks [the twins] up from school,
they’ll walk here to City Hall and I’ll drive them home. They come in
the door and they run to me – ‘Uncle George, Uncle George,’ ”
Keverian says. “And they hug me and kiss me, and as I’m taking them
home – you know I never married, I never had children – it’s ‘Uncle
George, can we get a Dunkin’ Donut?’ They’ll say, ‘I’m hungry.’
Forget the doughnut. ‘I want a sandwich. With egg and sausage and
bacon and cheese. And I want something to drink.’ And the mother
says, ‘I’ll have a sandwich, too.’ And it’s like $15. But I love
doting on them.”
Keverian met the mother (who wished to remain anonymous), a medical
technician at a Boston hospital, on two separate occasions two years
ago when he was recovering from gastric bypass surgery. He learned
she was living in Everett. Last year, when Keverian was going through
the drive-through at Dunkin’ Donuts, he saw the woman standing nearby
and greeted her. As they chatted, he learned she had been evicted and
her furniture had been seized.
“I said, ‘Where did you sleep?’ ” Keverian says. “She said, ‘I slept
on the stairs of the apartment outside. I came here to clean myself
up in the lady’s room.’ I said, ‘Where are the children?’ She said,
‘With a friend.’ I said, ‘Where are you going to stay?’ She said, ‘I
don’t know.’ Well, I wasn’t going to let her be homeless. I said,
‘Bring the children and come down to my office.’ ”
Keverian invited them to stay at his house while they tried to find
another apartment. During the family’s 2 1/2-week stay, Keverian sent
the mother to the local welfare office, where it was determined that
her $330 net weekly pay made her ineligible for assistance. The woman
is also a part-time student at a community college in Brockton,
studying to become a respiratory therapist.
“She’s one of these people who makes too much for welfare and too
little to live,” he says in a tone of indignation. Her husband,
Keverian says, is a substance abuser who left the family and does not
provide support. Keverian eventually was able to help her land an
Everett Housing Authority apartment, got an accountant to complete
her tax returns at no charge, negotiated with Mass. Electric and got
donations from the community to pay off her $500 overdue electric
bill, and is working to secure income-eligible discounts for her gas
and telephone expenses. Recently he threw a birthday party for the
twins at his office, soliciting and receiving gifts for the girls
from a more than willing City Hall staff, including Mayor David
Ragucci, who occasionally seeks Keverian’s council on sticky
municipal matters.
“George is an invaluable asset to me and the city,” Ragucci says.
“He’s an icon in this city. He’s been a lot of help to a lot of
people over the years. He has that unique ability to make people
happy.”
In the past few months, Keverian also helped a Haitian immigrant go
through the permitting process to open a hair salon and “made a few
calls” for a Haitian woman who was trying to get accepted to Bunker
Hill Community College. Michelle Volmar said she would never have
been able to open her Malden hair salon without Keverian’s guidance.
“He’s my adviser,” Volmar says. “He’s a wonderful man; he has a good
heart.”
One of only a handful of Armenian-Americans growing up in the mostly
Italian and Irish city of Everett, Keverian says he has a soft spot
for people who are “trying to fit in” and need guidance.
“Some people kiddingly call me the ambassador to Haiti,” Keverian
says. “But it just happened to be Haitian people who asked me for
help. . . . I don’t care who it is, if someone asks for help, if I
can help them, I will.”
Keverian laments, however, that he can’t help as much as he could
when he presided over 160 members of the House. Lots of friendships
were won and lost during his 12 years of political maneuvers at the
State House, which included his work on redistricting (and
subsequently reducing) House seats, his successful bid to wrestle the
House speakership from the decade-long tenure of McGee, his
replacement of key McGee appointees with his own, and his swan song
in elected politics – a failed campaign for the state treasurer’s
office in 1990.
Is there loyalty among politicians? “Very little,” says Keverian,
“When you find it, you worship it.”
It was his loyalty to the late Speaker McGee that enabled Keverian to
rise to power; he earned McGee’s trust and respect by taking on the
thankless task of redistricting the house seats, reducing the number
from 240 to 160. His reward for the project and for his loyalty to
McGee was getting appointed House majority leader and a promise that
he would get the speaker’s gavel when McGee stepped down at the end
of his sixth year, as had been the practice of the four previous
House speakers. Six years turned into seven, then eight, then nine;
each year Keverian would ask McGee when it would be his turn to steer
the ship. Frustrated by McGee’s vague responses, Keverian took a huge
risk in plotting McGee’s ouster.
Now, at times, Keverian finds it frustrating to be out of the
spotlight.
“When you’re speaker, people would do anything for you,” Keverian
says. “Today, sometimes I pick up the phone and ask somebody for help
and they ask you to spell your last name.”
Keverian can still count on the friendship of a handful of folks at
the State House, including State Representative Robert Correia of
Fall River, who served as the House whip under Keverian’s leadership,
House general counsel Louis Rizoli, and a few national politicos,
including President Bush’s chief of staff, Andrew Card, who served in
the House with Keverian, and US Representative William Delahunt,
whose daughter is Keverian’s godchild.
Since leaving the State House, Keverian has been beset with a number
of health problems, most of which are a result of his weight, which
has fluctuated from 420 to 160 pounds. Though he speaks about it
candidly, being overweight has always been a sensitive topic for
Keverian, who has been the subject of some public ridicule.
“Sometimes people say things to get a laugh, but they don’t stop and
think about what effect that has on the person who’s the subject of
their joke,” he says. “They wouldn’t make jokes about someone in a
wheelchair or someone with an illness.”
The decision to undergo gastric bypass surgery two years ago was a
risky one, Keverian says, though he felt he had little choice. Given
his poor health, including a diabetic condition that required him to
take two shots of insulin a day, Keverian’s doctors at Mass. General
warned him there could be complications with the surgery. However,
his surgeon told him “because of my health, not having the surgery
was even riskier. I was desperate. I knew bad things were starting to
happen.”
After the surgery, Keverian lost 100 pounds. Since then, he says his
health has improved. Because of the weight loss, his insulin
production is sufficient and he no longer needs to take shots. Today
he weighs 290 pounds and says he’s trying to lose 80 more. Keverian
says his struggles with weight make him “quite sensitive” to issues
of popular diets, such as the South Beach and Atkins diets, and
obesity among children.
“People like me, when we are desperate to lose weight, we’ll try
anything. But the question is, will you be able to live like that.
It’s a lifestyle change, not a diet. Exercise is the key. That’s the
only way to do it. People who walk every day or go to the gym,
they’re serious. I don’t exercise; I’m not proud of it. But I realize
that’s the key, and I’m trying.”
Though in semi-retirement, Keverian fills each day by keeping regular
hours at City Hall and by running errands for and with his newfound
friends. One of those errands found Keverian waiting in his car with
the 5-year-old twins while their mother was in the supermarket. “One
of the girls says ‘Uncle George, I have to go to the bathroom,’ ”
Keverian recalls. “And now I have to take them in to the supermarket
so they can go to the bathroom.”
It’s a far cry from the days when he was holding court with needy
legislators and lobbyists who were dependent upon him to enact
legislation that would affect the state’s 6 million residents. Within
a smaller circle of people who look to him to help solve their
problems, Keverian can still be king.
Phil Santoro can be reached at [email protected].
GRAPHIC: PHOTO ,
1. George Keverian has helped many people in Everett, including
Michelle Volmar (rear right) and a Haitian woman who asked that her
name and those of her children not be used. / GLOBE STAFF PHOTO /
MICHELE MCDONALD 2. Michelle Volmar says she never would have been
able to open her hair salon without the help and advice of George
Keverian. / GLOBE STAFF PHOTO / MICHELE MCDONALD
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AGBU PRESS OFFICE
55 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone (212) 319-6383
Fax (212) 319-6507
Email [email protected]
Webpage
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, May 24, 2004
A “CALIFORNIA HARVEST” YIELDS NEW CROP OF TALENT
New York – ARARAT’s fall 2003 issue examines the talents emerging
from America’s West Coast, where Armenians have a long history in the
arts. Entitled, “California Harvest,” the collection gathers together
the work of 20 writers and artists.
Edited by awarding winning journalist, Mark Arax, and novelist
Aris Janigian, the special West Coast edition includes work by
established figures, including Aram Saroyan, Peter Najarian, and
Micheline Aharonian Marcom, along with a wealth of emerging talents,
including Michael Simonian, Armen Hogtanian, Daniel Melnick, Jeanette
Arax Melnick, Silva Dakessian, Shahé Mankerian, Vic Jabrassian and
David Mushgain.
The special issue includes an exclusive excerpt from the
much-anticipated release of Markar Melkonian’s memoir/biography,
Terrorist, Saint, that tells the complicated and intense story of his
brother, Monte Melkonian, a figure renowned as a freedom fighter and
champion of the Armenian cause.
Other works include Simonian’s radical “24110,” which as the editors’
note, “provocatively centers a nuclear waste disposal site near the
Capital Mall in Washington,” a short story by Saroyan that takes a
satirical look at Hollywood life, Janigian’s correspondence with the
L.A. Times over their use of the term “alleged” in reference to the
Armenian Genocide, and the emotionally charged images of Jabrassian
that form a stark contrast with the coolness of Mushgain’s photography.
Arax and Janigian have gathered together a bounty of works that reflect
a new multifaceted reality. The coeditors write in their introduction:
“Today, Armenian-Americans have committed themselves to artistic
propositions that feel unparalleled in their scope and depth, and
one cannot help sensing that this vitality is the first stirring
of a renaissance the likes of which we may not have seen since the
Turks swept away the great generation of Varoujans and Siamantos in
the Genocide.”
Available through AGBU, copies of ARARAT’s California Harvest can be
ordered by phone, 212.319.6383, or email, [email protected]. Individual
issues are $7. Since 1960, ARARAT Quarterly has been a leading voice
in Armenian-American writing, culture and ideas. Published by AGBU,
ARARAT showcases established and emerging talent with an interest in
representing the richness of the Armenian experience in America and
around the world.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Friday, May 21, 2004
KOCHARIAN DROPS TURKEY VISIT FOR LACK OF PROGRESS IN RELATIONS
Armenian officials confirmed this week that President Robert Kocharian would
not attend the NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey set for late June. Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, who will head the Armenian delegation to the
Summit, said that the president made the decision due to absence of any
appreciable progress in relations between Armenia and Turkey after years of
talks. At the same time, Oskanian noted that Armenia’s partnership with the
NATO alliance would continue to expand.
Turkey has steadfastly refused to establish diplomatic relations with
Armenia, since the latter became independent in 1991. For over a decade
Turkey has also kept its land border with Armenia closed, linking
normalization to Armenian concessions on the Armenian Genocide and Karabakh
issues. Turkey has also provided military and international support to
Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict, and has been slow to improve the rights
of the Armenian minority and conditions of the Armenian cultural heritage in
Turkey.
U.S. and the European Union have long urged Turkey to reconsider these
policies. Direct Armenian-Turkish contacts resumed after Armenia lifted its
objections to holding the 1999 summit of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Istanbul and as several Western democracies
officially affirmed the Armenian Genocide. The new Turkish government
elected in late 2002, after initially hinting at a positive change of
policy, has now ruled the lifting of preconditions as “out of question.”
In the meantime, Armenia has significantly strengthened security links with
NATO and directly with the United States, by signing new multilateral and
bilateral agreements, hosting NATO events and deploying peacekeeping forces
under NATO command earlier this year. Armenia is expected to join the NATO’s
Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) program – a key stepping stone for
potential future membership. Last month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
Elizabeth Jones noted that “Armenia has taken big steps to enhance its
security relationship with the United States and NATO.”
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer noted this week that, among
other issues, the summit will focus on “increasing our co-operation with the
Caucasus and Central Asia – areas that once seemed very far away, but that
we now know are essential to our security.” So far, out of the three
Caucasus countries, only Georgia is publicly seeking NATO membership.
Armenian leaders, while expanding cooperation with the Alliance have said
that membership is not presently on the country’s agenda. Following several
contradictory statements, Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov
announced earlier this month that “Azerbaijan is not planning to join NATO.”
(Sources: AAA R&I Fact Sheet: Armenia and NATO 2-17; Lider TV 5-4; Mediamax
5-4; Arminfo 5-17, 21, 24)
AZERBAIJAN CONTINUES PUSH FOR UNILATERAL ARMENIAN CONCESSIONS IN KARABAKH
Azerbaijani officials said this week that they will continue to push for the
so-called “stage-by-stage” settlement of the Karabakh conflict, which has
been repeatedly dismissed by the Armenian side and dropped by the mediators.
The plan first considered in 1997 called for Karabakh Armenian withdrawal
from areas adjacent to Nagorno Karabakh in exchange for lifting of the
Azerbaijani blockade of Armenia and limited security guarantees, with the
status of Karabakh left to be determined in future talks.
Both President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov discussed
the plan in talks with senior European Union officials and media this week.
Earlier this year, the European Parliament voted down a similar proposal
when discussing a resolution on the Caucasus. Incidentally, the Parliament’s
Caucasus Envoy Per Gahrton who raised the possibility of the Armenian
withdrawal came under a blistering attack this week, when he told the Azeri
press that Nagorno Karabakh could no longer be ruled by Baku. Former senior
presidential advisor Vafa Gulizade and pro-government MP Rafael Husseinov
accused him of “taking bribes from Armenians.”
Azeri officials have said publicly that the “staged” plan’s implementation
would put Azerbaijan in a better position to exert more pressure on Armenia.
This week, Armenia’s Defense and Foreign Ministers again ruled out the plan,
with the Armenian side perceiving exchange of the security buffer for
communications as inequitable. (Sources: Armenia This Week 2-26, 5-7, 14;
Arminfo 5-15, 17, 18; EU Observer 5-18; EuroNews 5-18; AFP 5-22)
Note to Readers: Armenia This Week will not be published Friday, May 28 due
to the Memorial Day Holiday. Publication will resume on June 4.
A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY THE ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
122 C Street, N.W., Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 393-3434 FAX
(202) 638-4904
E-Mail [email protected] WEB
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (in Spanish)
May 20, 2004, Thursday
SEMBLANZA Charles Aznavour, “dinosaurio” de la cancion francesa,
cumple 80 anos Por Sabine Glaubitz (dpa)
Paris, 20 may
En realidad Charles Aznavour tenia previsto dejar de actuar. Eso fue
hace alrededor de dos anos. Sin embargo, el chansonnier frances aun
no parece preparado para despedirse de los escenarios.
Por un lado, se siente demasiado joven (“Solo tengo cuatro veces
veinte anos”), y, por el otro, el cantante, nacido en Paris como hijo
de refugiados armenios, se moriria de aburrimiento.
“Todavia me divierto de la misma manera, quiza incluso mas que antes.
Y ademas, que haria en casa si no canto? La jubilacion seria morir de
aburrimiento. El escenario significa para mi una sensacion de placer
fisico incomparable”, dijo el artista, que hasta fin de ano estara de
gira promocionando su nuevo disco “Je voyage” y que incluso actuara
el sabado en Paris en su 80 cumpleanos.
En mas de 50 anos, este “dinosaurio” de la chanson francesa grabo
unas 800 canciones. Cientos de sus discos antiguos salieron en CD y
se venden tanto como las producciones mas nuevas, entre las que
figura “Plus bleu que tes yeux”, un duo con la fallecida Edith Piaf,
posible gracias a la tecnologia, “Etre” o “Jazznavour”.
“Las historias que cuento en mis canciones no pasan de moda”, explica
el mismo su exito.
Con su incomparable voz aspera y rota, Aznavour canta sobre el amor,
la familia, la juventud y los marginados. A los sordomudos les dedico
la cancion “Mon emouvant amour”, cuya interpretacion acompana con
lenguaje de sordomudos, y “Comme ils disent” fue uno de sus primeros
temas sobre homosexuales.
Algunas de sus canciones mas apasionadas, como “Apres l’amour”,
fueron prohibidas por la Iglesia catolica, que consideraba que iban
demasiado lejos.
El artista, que hace alarde de una energia sin limites, incluso
transformo sus fracasos privados en canciones con una mirada
romantica. “Mes emmerdes” es el titulo que escribio cuando tuvo que
trasladar su residencia a Suiza – donde sigue viviendo – debido a un
escandalo impositivo.
Aznavour, que siempre se definio como “frances de origen armenio”,
dedico numerosas canciones a Armenia, como por ejemplo “Pour toi,
Armenie”, que lanzo en 1989 como apoyo a las victimas del terremoto y
que ocupo el primer lugar de las listas francesas de grandes exitos.
Tambien su homenaje a los inmigrantes, “Les emigres”, que suele
cantar al principio de sus conciertos, recuerda que el compositor e
interprete proviene de una familia de inmigrantes.
Ya de pequeno el artista, nacido como Varenagh Aznavourian en el
Barrio Latino de Paris, presentaba en el restaurante ruso de sus
padres canciones y poemas armenios.
Durante la guerra, actuo en teatros y vendio diarios para apoyar
economicamente a sus padres. Ya en aquel entonces sabia que solo
queria una cosa: ganarse la vida como artista.
“Siempre estuve seguro de que queria ser cantante, actor y autor”,
dijo Aznavour, que participo en mas de 40 peliculas para las que en
gran parte compuso la musica.
La Orden de Comandante de la Legion de Honor – la distincion mas
importante de Francia – que le fue entregada hace pocos dias refleja
que Aznavour es uno de lso representantes mas populares de la chanson
francesa de postguerra.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information
Department Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
JOINT DECLARATION
BETWEEN
THE ARMENIAN CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA AND THE ORGANIZATION FOR
INTERNATIONAL INTER-RELIGIOUS RELATIONS OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
We give thanks to Almighty God who gave us the opportunity, as the
representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Armenian
Catholicosate of Cilicia, to meet again to reflect together on common
issues and challenges facing humanity in general, and Christianity
and Islam in particular. The conference took place under the auspices
of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, and Hojat e-Islam
ou Muslimin Mohammad Iraki, the President of the Organization for
International Inter-religious Relations of the Islamic Republic of
Iran, from 20-22 May 2004, in Antelias, Lebanon.
We addressed common matters pertaining to the place and role of
religion in society. We also dealt with issues and concerns of
spiritual, moral, social and legal nature, related to the co-existence
of Armenians and Iranians in Iran and the long-standing relations
between these two nations. We devoted two sessions for dialogue
with the representatives of the Middle East Councils of Churches,
the Committee of Christian-Muslim Dialogue and Christian and Muslim
community leaders. In our presentations and deliberations we emphasized
the following points:
1) In spite of their differences, dialogue is imperative between
religions and particularly between Islam and Christianity. As
monotheistic religions, the two religions share common values
and traditions. It is vitally important, therefore, that organized
dialogues aimed at closer collaboration take place between Islam and
Christianity on local, regional and international levels and according
to specific contexts and environments.
2) Spiritual and moral values and principles constitute the esse and
the basis of a society without which a given society is doomed to lose
its identity, raison d’être and purpose. These values and principles
must under gird the life of all societies, including decision-making
as well as internal and external relations.
3) In a world marked by growing crises working for peace must occupy
a central place in Christian-Muslim collaboration. But it is not
possible to establish peace without justice. In fact, peace and
justice are God’s gifts to humanity. Without peace and justice the
life of a society will be dominated by evil forces, wars and violence.
4) Islam and Christianity reject violence in all its forms and
expressions and support non-violent action. They also reject all forms
of occupation and associate themselves with the struggle of people
for freedom, justice, sovereignty and human rights. In this respect,
the conference underlined the following:
First, we fully support the right of the Palestinian people to
have an independent state, and the return of all refugees to their
homeland. The State of Israel must withdraw its forces from all
occupied territories including the Shebaa farms in South Lebanon,
Golan hights and Jerusalem. Only justice can bring about lasting,
real and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
Second, we strongly support the right of Iraq to restore its freedom,
territorial integrity and sovereignty. The occupying forces must
leave Iraq and the reconstruction and rehabilitation process must
soon start with the full and active participation of all communities
and citizens of Iraq.
5) The coexistence between the Christian and Muslim communities must
be based on mutual respect and trust. In this context, the organized
presence of the Armenian communities in the Muslim countries
and particularly in the Arab world, the religious and cultural
liberties that they enjoy and the active participation that they
bring in the progress of the region is, indeed, a concrete example of
Christian-Muslim peaceful coexistence. Furthermore, the centuries-old
coexistence of Iranians and Armenians in the Islamic Republic of
Iran, strengthened by historical affinities and close friendship, is
another eloquent example of dialogue of life which characterize our
societies in this part of the world. We believe that many possibilities
of greater collaboration between Muslims and Christians, as well as
between Muslims and Armenians in Iran and the world at large do exist,
which need to be explored together in the near future.
22 May 2004
Antelias, Lebanon
##
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Parish or perish: Armenians in Santa Clarita establish a new church
By Eugene Tong, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
May 24 2004
VALENCIA — Sweetened with incense and soft hymns, a drab hall at
Valencia High School was transformed into a house of God Sunday for
dozens of parishioners seeking solace at the only Armenian church
service in Santa Clarita.
“They couldn’t believe this thing finally happened,” said Vartan
Vahramian, who helped organized the parish that held its first service
earlier this month. “The first four that came through it was a one-time
thing, but we told them it was going to be every week.”
The parish is the latest outpost in the Western Diocese of the
Armenian Church of North America, and a testament to how faith and
demographic shifts are changing this increasingly diverse North Los
Angeles County suburb.
Bringing the church’s services to Santa Clarita has been a long-time
goal for Vahramian, who moved to Valencia from Van Nuys in 1984 in
pursuit of affordable housing and open space.
“I sold everything and bought a house here really cheap,” said
Vahramian, who runs a local escrow and loan firm. “Now I can’t even
buy the house I live in. We grew with the area.”
At the time, the Santa Clarita Valley was home to only 64 Armenian
families, according to diocese estimates. With too few worshippers
to support a local church, the faithful made weekly sojourns to the
San Fernando Valley or such ethnic hubs as Glendale for services.
“The closest one was St. Peter (Armenian Apostolic Church) on Sherman
Way in Van Nuys, and that’s at least half an hour,” said Vahramian,
president of the parish council. “It was a test, especially when the
kids were young. You have to get them all dressed up, put them in
the car, you’re driving and the kids beat up on each other.”
As Santa Clarita bloomed in over the last two decades into a city of
more than 150,000, its Armenian community also grew. By 1992, the
number of families has almost tripled to 180, Vahramian said. When
planning for the parish began last year, he tallied about 500.
Most of the families arrived after the 1994 Northridge earthquake,
when faced with the choice of either rebuilding or moving on, he said.
“They looked at what they have in the San Fernando Valley,” Vahramian
said. “They have a 30-, 40-, 50-year-old house, or with the money
they can get a brand new house and a brand new car, and all they have
to sacrifice was about an hour’s drive every day. That formula was
very attractive.”
But no community is complete without its own parish. Many Armenians
still take pride as one of the first ethnic groups to accept
Christianity, and religion has been central to forging together a
nation from a diaspora that has undergone centuries of upheaval.
“Traditionally, it’s been one country, one church,” Vahramian said.
“Armenians were held together for 1,700 years through their church
unity. … It’s the backbone of our beliefs, and it’s the center of
a nation that’s scattered all over. It’s to get together and thank
God that we’re still alive.”
Vahramian also credited Archbishop Hovnan Derderian with helping
to usher in the parish. Elected primate last May, he pressed the
formation of a dozen new parishes throughout the diocese, which covers
the western United States and Canada.
“It’s an obligation,” Derderian said. “We cannot ignore the fact
that there now exists a community (in Santa Clarita). We have to make
sure, in the shortest period of time, that we can reach out to those
families. … On a regular basis, you cannot expect them to drive
the distance to reach the (San Fernando) Valley and Glendale.”
Shepherding the fledgling congregation falls to Father Zareh Mansuryan,
who served at a church in Armenia for a decade before moving to the
United States in 2001. He is working on community outreach — only
60 people attended the first liturgy May 9 — and to eventually build
a permanent church.
“We are starting a new church so the Armenian spirit and Christianity
stays with the people in this community,” said Mansuryan, 40. “With
the help of the Armenians here, we want to establish an Armenian
church. … But we can’t do it quickly. The important thing is
for Armenians to come together and realize they are a family and
a community.”
Vahramian expects a parish church will be built within five years.
Meantime, he is searching for another home for the weekly services
before June 30, when most Valencia High buildings will be closed for
the summer.
“We’ll be looking for a piece of dirt to build on it soon,” he said.
“The money is there. If we shake down the diocese, they have the
money. But we have to show good cause — that there is plenty of
attendance. And it needs to be attractive — something more than a
high school.”
Staff Writer Naush Boghossian contributed to this story.
Eugene Tong, (661) 257-5253 [email protected]

Why Hughes needs his stars to turn up May 24 2004
By Paul Abbandonato, The Western Mail
ic Wales, UK
May 24 2004
THIS time last year, 17 of Mark Hughes’ players suddenly found they
didn’t know the way to San Jose and pulled out of the “meaningless”
friendly against the United States in California.
Wales, at the time, were top of Euro 2004 Group Nine, having won four
games out of four in their bid to reach Portugal.
Hughes wanted to use the Californian clash to build on the team spirit
and buzz generated from that brilliant start and to work on new ideas
for the second half of the qualifying campaign.
His plans were shot to pieces when one by one the stars withdrew from
the US game. Coincidence or not, Wales did not win another match in
the race for Portugal.
Hughes has never said so in public, but privately he has confided to
being stung by what happened before that San Jose match and believes
it had an impact upon Wales’ Euro 2004 fate.
Roll on 12 months and Hughes will be hoping he is treated a bit
better this time around as Wales prepare for two more “meaningless”
May friendlies, first away to Norway on Thursday and then against
Canada in Wrexham on Sunday.
Meaningless? The sort of word Sir Alex Ferguson and a few other
Premiership managers would give to Wales friendlies.
And, to be fair, in the grand scheme of things the results of Norway
v Wales and Wales v Canada will mean next to nothing.
But just as Hughes wanted the US match to try out things – something
he was unable to do in the end – so he has handpicked these coming
games for a reason.
A Thursday night in Oslo and a balmy spring Sunday afternoon at the
Racecourse would appear at this stage to have little bearing on the
intensity and passion of our coming World Cup qualifiers with England,
Poland, Austria, Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan.
But what Hughes learns in the next few days could actually hold the
very key to our hopes of qualifying for Germany 2006.
And that is why Hughes, already shorn of John Hartson, probably Simon
Davies and play-off finalist Andy Melville, needs the rest of his
first-choice XI around him to work upon and implement his ideas.
So, what are these ideas? A bold new way of playing?
Four-three-three instead of Hughes’ rigid 4-5-1 system?
Ryan Giggs as a central midfield playmaker?
No. Hughes has gone hi-tech and scientific. He wants to know why,
when it comes to double-headed back-to-back games, Wales tend to tail
off in the second of those matches.
Is it down to diet? The hour at which his team train? What time they
fly to and from matches?
Response and recovery times. These are the issues Hughes will be
looking at after arranging back-to-back friendlies within the space
of a 72-hour time period for the first time I can remember for a
Wales team.
As I say, the results of the games themselves don’t really matter.
The results of what Hughes learns, by doing things a bit differently,
will, come the World Cup.
Hughes has noted that every single World Cup fixture is part of
a double header. Including England v Wales and Wales v Poland
on October 9 and 13, and Wales v England and Poland v Wales the
following September.
But he has also looked at what his team have achieved on the five
occasions they have played double-headers during his reign as boss.
Like the Russia play-offs last November, for example. Wales produced
a brilliant performance in drawing in Moscow, only to turn in a
tentative, insipid and weary display four days on at the Millennium
Stadium?
Why, and what can I do to change that, Hughes has been asking himself?
Prior to that, Wales lost to Italy on September 6 and four days
afterwards produced perhaps their worst display of the Euro 2004
qualifying campaign when they only drew with Finland at home.
Why were Wales so awful that night, Hughes has been asking himself?
Even before that, Wales drew with Armenia and lost to Norway in a
double header before World Cup 2002.
They drew with Armenia and the Ukraine; drew with Norway and Poland.
In other words, of 10 double-headed matches played, Wales have yet
to win a single one of them.
And Hughes wants that issue addressed before the World Cup qualifiers
kick in.
So, with results not really mattering, he will experiment with
preparation of the team for the Norway and Canada games.
He has changed training schedules. He will alter the times players eat.
Instead of flying straight back to Wales after the Norway game and
getting to bed at 3am, Hughes will keep his players in Oslo for an
extra night.
They will do an extra training session in Norway the following morning
before returning on a mid-afternoon flight.
Changes, Hughes hopes, which will give the players extra stamina,
keep them more refreshed, give them an extra buzz for the second game
with Canada.
It sounds boring and scientific. And to you and me it is. But at the
top level you need any edge you can get.
Hughes’ No 2 Eddie Niedzwiecki has an old motto; fail to prepare
properly and you prepare to fail.
However irrelevant these issues may appear to be, Hughes believes he
has to look at them in his bid to get it right for the World Cup.
Trouble is, if, like the United States last year, most of his stars
don’t turn up, the whole exercise will be rendered pointless.
Many of them didn’t know the way to San Jose. Let’s hope that come
11am this morning, when the Wales squad are due to assemble, most of
the World Cup stars to be are there.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress