Author: Emil Lazarian

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
______

HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn memorial to the
estimated 1.5 million men, women, and children who lost their lives
during the Armenian Genocide. As in the past, I am pleased to join so
many distinguished House colleagues on both sides of the aisle in
ensuring that the horrors wrought upon the Armenian people are never
repeated. On April 24, 1915, over 200 religious, political, and
intellectual leaders of the Armenian community were brutally executed
by the Turkish government in Istanbul. Over the course of the next 8
years, this war of ethnic genocide against the Armenian community in
the Ottoman Empire took the lives of over half the world’s Armenian
population. Sadly, there are some people who still deny the very
existence of this period which saw the institutionalized slaughter of
the Armenian people and dismantling of Armenian culture. To those who
would question these events, I point to the numerous reports contained
in the U.S. National Archives detailing the process that
systematically decimated the Armenian population of the Ottoman
Empire. However, old records are too easily forgotten–and
dismissed. That is why we come together every year at this time: to
remember in words what some may wish to file away in archives. This
genocide did take place, and these lives were taken. That memory must
keep us forever vigilant in our efforts to prevent these atrocities
from ever happening again. I am proud to note that Armenian
immigrants found, in the United States, a country where their culture
could take root and thrive. Most Armenians in America are children or
grandchildren of the survivors, although there are still survivors
among us. In my district in Northwest Indiana, a vibrant
Armenian-American community has developed and strong ties to Armenia
continue to flourish. My predecessor in the House, the late Adam
Benjamin, was of Armenian heritage, and his distinguished service in
the House serves as an example to the entire Northwest Indiana
community. Over the years, members of the Armenian- American community
throughout the United States have contributed millions of dollars and
countless hours of their time to various Armenian causes. Of
particular note are Mrs. Vicki Hovanessian and her husband, Dr. Raffy
Hovanessian, residents of Indiana’s First Congressional District, who
have continually worked to improve the quality of life in Armenia, as
well as in Northwest Indiana. Three other Armenian-American families
in my congressional district, Dr. Aram and Mrs. Seta Semerdjian,
Dr. Heratch and Mrs. Sonya Doumanian, and Dr. Ara and Mrs. Rosy
Yeretsian, have also contributed greatly toward charitable works in
the United States and Armenia. Their efforts, together with hundreds
of other members of the Armenian-American community, have helped to
finance several important projects in Armenia, including the
construction of new schools, a mammography clinic, and a crucial
roadway connecting Armenia to Nagorno Karabagh. In the House, I have
tried to assist the efforts of my Armenian- American constituency by
continually supporting foreign aid to Armenia. This past year, with
my support, Armenia received $84 million in U.S. aid to assist
economic and military development. In addition, on April 16, 2004, I
joined several of my colleagues in signing the letter to President
Bush urging him to honor his pledge to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. The Armenian people have a long and proud history. In the
fourth century, they became the first nation to embrace
Christianity. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by an
organization known as the Young Turk Committee, which allied with
Germany. Amid fighting in the Ottoman Empire’s eastern Anatolian
provinces, the historic heartland of the Christian Armenians, Ottoman
authorities ordered the deportation and execution of all Armenians in
the region. By the end of 1923, virtually the entire Armenian
population of Anatolia and western Armenia had either been killed or
deported. While it is important to keep the lessons of history in
mind, we must also remain committed to protecting Armenia from new and
more hostile aggressors. In the last decade, thousands of lives have
been lost and more than a million people displaced in the struggle
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabagh. Even now, as we
rise to commemorate the accomplishments of the Armenian people and
mourn the tragedies they have suffered, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other
countries continue to engage in a debilitating blockade of this free
nation. Consistently, I have testified before the Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee on the important issue of bringing peace
to a troubled area of the world. I continued my support for
maintaining the level of funding for the Southern Caucasus region of
the Independent States (IS), and of Armenia in particular. In
addition, on February 26, 2004, I joined several of my colleagues in
sending a letter to President Bush urging nim to ensure parity in
military assistance between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Mr. Speaker, I
would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Joe Knollenberg and
Frank Pallone, for organizing this special order to commemorate the
89th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Their efforts will not only
help bring needed attention to this tragic period in world history,
but also serve to remind us of our duty to protect basic human rights
and freedoms around the world.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

89TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, this month many of us pause to remember the
Holocaust in Yom Hashoah commemorations. But on April 24, 1915, the
first genocide of the 20th century began. The Ottoman Empire began
rounding up a group of more than 250 Armenian intellectuals and civic
leaders. Then soldiers of Armenian descent who were serving in the
Turkish military were moved to labor camps and eventually murdered.
Across Anatolia, Armenian leaders were arrested and killed. So, too,
were the most powerless, children, women, and the elderly, all driven
from their homes into the Syrian desert. These mass deportations were
in fact slaughters. They were death marches. Soldiers themselves not
only permitted the attacks on the deportees but participated in the
killing and rapes. The inevitable end was thousands upon thousands
dying of starvation or simply being worked to death, but sometimes
these victims were the lucky ones.
When the Turks deemed deportations impractical, the genocide took
other vicious forms. In communities near the Black Sea, Armenians were
forced onto boats, driven out into the middle of the ocean, and
drowned.
In the end, 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the genocide as the
world stood by. Henry Morganthau, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, who
pleaded with world leaders to intervene, described the Ottoman effort
to eliminate the Armenian population this way: “The whole history of
the human race contains no such horrible an episode as this.” An
American diplomat stationed in eastern Anatolia cabled back to
Washington that “it has been no secret that the plan was to destroy
the Armenian race as a race, but the methods used could not have been
more cold-blooded and barbarous, if not more effective, than I had
first supposed.”
Like communities that survived the Nazis efforts at extermination,
the Armenian community today is often faced by those who deny the
Turkish effort to commit genocide ever occurred. Despite records and
accounts preserved in our own National Archives, there have been those
bent on erasing this horrible memory from the annals of history.
We will not let that happen. That is why today’s commemoration here
in the United States Congress and those going on this week is so
crucial. If the world fails to remember the Armenian genocide of the
early 20th century, we do more than a grave injustice to those who
perished. We do a disservice to the generations who have come after us
who would be left without the collective memory that binds those who
understand the depth of evil that one community is capable of
unleashing upon another.
Yet even as we remember and grieve, we thank those in the Armenian
community for the contributions they have made around the globe since
emerging from terror 89 years ago. One need not look too far to find
Armenian-Americans who have become pillars of American society.
Armenian-Americans are influential businessmen, like Kirk Kerkorian;
famous writers, like William Saroyan; and international sports stars,
like Andre Agassi.
In New York, internationally renowned scholar and Carnegie
Corporation president Vartan Gregorian spent 8 years as president of
the New York Public Library. Arshile Gorky was a leader of the abstract
expressionist school that flourished in New York during the 1940s. And
I am particularly proud that Raymond Damadian, who invented the MRI,
was not only a resident of New York but was a neighbor of mine in
Forest Hills. His parents were survivors of the genocide.
As we gather, we also pay tribute to those who have become famous
public servants, football coaches, astronauts and others. As we gather
to commemorate the Armenian genocide, we do so as a lesson to one
another that we must not forget the lessons that were learned. We also
gather to pay a message to those who would deny that the Holocaust ever
happened. But perhaps most importantly, we gather to send a signal
across the world that those who seek to deny the Armenian genocide do a
disservice to all of us.
We here in the United States House of Representatives should delay no
further in making our voices heard in this debate. It is worth noting
that the very same people who would deny this Holocaust actively push
that we do not consider the resolution that the gentleman from
California (Mr. Schiff) has proposed.
We gather here today to pay tribute, but we also gather to put
pressure on this United States Congress to finally designate what we
all know to be the case as genocide. The first genocide of the 20th
century was not the last, tragically; but it is time that we correct
the history in the minds of many and finally declare the Armenian
genocide the holocaust that it was.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

[Congressional Record: April 27, 2004 (Extensions)]
[Page E667-E668]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr27ap04-50]

COMMEMORATING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
______

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the representative of a large and
vibrant community of Armenian Americans, I rise today to join my
colleagues in the sad commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
Today, we continue the crusade to ensure that this tragedy is never
forgotten. This 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is an
emotional time. The loss of life experienced by so many families is
devastating. But, in the face of the systematic slaughter of 1.5
million people, the Armenian community has persevered with a vision of
life and freedom.
Armenian Americans are representative of the resolve, bravery, and
strength of spirit that is so characteristic of Armenians around the
world. That strength carried them through humanity’s worst: Upheaval
from a homeland of 3,000 years, massacre of kin, and deportation to
foreign lands. That same strength gathers Armenians around the world to
make certain that this tragedy is never forgotten.
Without recognition and remembrance, this atrocity remains a threat
to nations around the world. I’ve often quoted philosopher George
Santayana who said: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned
to repeat it.” And to remember, we must first acknowledge what it is–
Genocide.
Tragically, more than 1.5 million Armenians were systematically
murdered at the hands of the Young Turks. More than 500,000 were
deported. It was brutal. It was deliberate. It was an organized
campaign and it lasted more than 8 years. We must make certain that we
remember.
Now, we must ensure that the world recognizes that Armenian people
have remembered, and they have survived and thrived.
Out of the crumbling Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia was born,
and independence was gained. But, independence has not ended the
struggle.
To this day, the Turkish government denies that genocide of the
Armenian people occurred and denies its own responsibility for the
deaths of 1.5 million people.
In response to this revisionist history, the Republic of France
passed legislation that set the moral standard for the international
community. The French National Assembly unanimously passed a bill that
officially recognizes the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey
during and after WWI as genocide.
Several nations have since joined in the belief that history should
beset straight. Canada, Argentina, Belgium, Lebanon, The Vatican,
Uruguay, the European parliament, Russia, Greece, Sweden and France,
have authored declarations or decisions confirming that the genocide
occurred. As a country, we must join these nations in recognition of
this atrocity.
[[Page E668]]
I am proud to join more than 100 of my colleagues in cosponsoring H.
Res. 193, which emphasizes the importance of remembering and learning
from past crimes against humanity. We must demand that the United
States officially acknowledge the forced exile and annihilation of 1.5
million people as genocide.
Denying the horrors of those years merely condones the behavior in
other places as was evidenced in Rwanda, Indonesia, Burundi, Sri Lanka,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Iraq. Silence may have been the
signal to perpetrators of these atrocities that they could commit
genocide, deny it, and get away with it.
As Americans, the reminder of targeted violence and mass slaughter is
still raw. We lost nearly 3,000 people on September 11. I cannot
imagine the world trying to say that this did not occur. The loss of
1.5 million people is a global tragedy.
A peaceful and stable South Caucasus region is clearly in the U.S.
national interest. Recognizing the genocide must be a strategy for this
goal in an increasingly uncertain region. One of the most important
ways in which we an honor the memory of the Armenian victims of the
past is to help modern Armenia build a secure and prosperous future.
The United States has a unique history of aid to Armenia, being among
the first to recognize that need, and the first to help. I am pleased
with the U.S. involvement in the emphasis of private sector
development, regionally focused programs, people-to-people linkages and
the development of a civil society.
I recently joined many of my colleagues in requesting funding for
Armenia including for Foreign Military Financing, for Economic Support
Funds, and for assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia has made impressive progress in rebuilding a society and a
nation in the face of dramatic obstacles. I will continue to take a
strong stand in support of Armenia’s commitment to democracy, the rule
of law, and a market economy–I am proud to stand with Armenia in doing
so. But there is more to be done. Conflict persists in the Nagorno-
Karabakh region.
Congress has provided funding for confidence building in that region,
and I will continue my support of that funding and the move toward a
brighter future for Armenia. But in building our future, we must not
forget our past. That is why I strongly support the efforts of the
Armenian community in the construction of the Armenian Genocide
Memorial and Museum. Because so many Armenians have spoken of the
destruction, they have made certain that we remember.
Nothing we can do or say will bring those who perished back to life,
but we can imbue their memories with everlasting meaning by teaching
the lessons of the Armenian genocide to the next generation and help
Armenia build its future.
____________________
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 28, 2004
Contact: Armen Carapetian 818.500.1918
Co-Chairman of Kerry Presidential Campaign Praises ANC for Genocide
Recognition Efforts
Los Angeles, CA – Antonio Villaraigosa, the national co-chairman of the John
Kerry Presidential Campaign, read Senator Kerry’s April 24th statement
before thousands of Armenian-Americans at an event sponsored by the Armenian
National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR). The gathering
occurred in the shadow of the Armenian Genocide Monument in Montebello,
California on April 24, 2004.
`The City of Los Angeles will never forget the Armenian Genocide and I,
along with the Armenian National Committee, will do whatever I can to honor
the memory of the 1.5 million martyrs,’ said Councilmember Antonio
Villaraigosa. `In the ten years that I have served in public office, the
Armenian National Committee has consistently been the leading advocate of
issues relating to the Armenian-American community, and I have always valued
the close relationship we share.’
`We want to thank Senator Kerry for his April 24th Armenian Genocide
Statement and Councilman Villaraigosa for sharing this message with our
community,’ stated ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian. `Councilman
Villaraigosa understands our long struggle for justice,’ he added.
Villaraigosa participated in an ANCA-WR sponsored Armenian Genocide program
held at Los Angeles City Hall on April 23, 2004. The Councilman spoke to
Armenian-American leaders at that solemn commemoration and then joined his
colleague and event sponsor Councilman Eric Garcetti in passing a resolution
affirming the historical facts of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution
emphasized the need to challenge those who deny crimes against humanity like
the Armenian Genocide.
Villaraigosa is the former Speaker of the California State Assembly and now
serves as a member of the Los Angeles City Council.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.
####

Minneapolis Star Tribune , MN
April 29 2004
Strong backing for St. Paul immigration ordinance

Illegal immigrants deserve to feel safe in their communities without
fear that police will report them to the federal government,
according to a unified message sent to the St. Paul City Council on
Wednesday.
Backers of a proposed ordinance that would free St. Paul police from
having to concern themselves with immigration status packed City
Council chambers at a public hearing. Among the speakers were
representatives of unions, religious organizations and a lawyers’
group, and immigrant and civil rights activists.
“The war on terrorism is becoming a war on immigration,” said Howard
Goldman, who represented the Jewish Community Action.
Ilean Her, executive director of the state Council on Asian Pacific
Minnesotans, told of a young Filipino woman who came to the United
States as what she described as a “mail-order bride.”
She was beaten by her husband, who took her passport and forced her
into prostitution, Her told the council. Police were alerted when the
woman sought help at a domestic violence shelter, Her said.
“She did not know she could go to the police,” Her said. “She did not
know they could protect her. … There should not have been this fear
that her immigration status would stop the police from treating her
humanely.”
Council Member Pat Harris, who sponsored the ordinance, got choked up
as he recalled the previous generations of his family who immigrated
from Armenia, Ireland and Germany.
“I’m very proud to do something like this today,” he said, his voice
shaking as he urged the council to support the measure.
The council is scheduled to vote on May 5. Most of the seven council
members have voiced their support, as has Mayor Randy Kelly.
Jackie Crosby
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Washington Post, DC
April 29 2004
Held Over by Request
An Impromptu Assist Turns Into a Six-Week Booking
By Jonathan Padget
Washington Post Staff Writer
Music is integral to the new play “Rosemary and I” at Alexandria’s
MetroStage. The tale of a singer, Rosemary, and her intense,
mysterious relationship with her female accompanist is staged with
live musicians — New York pianist John Hodian and his wife, vocalist
Bet Williams — who add a haunting soundscape, composed by Hodian, to
the intricate drama.

Critical reaction to the play has been mixed, though Hodian and
Williams have garnered positive notice for their musical
contribution. They have also taken advantage of their MetroStage
engagement to give concerts as Epiphany Project, their identity for a
genre-blurring musical collaboration that combines everything from
avant-garde folk and Americana to classical art song and art-pop.
When Hodian started work on the play last year, though, he had no
idea that he and Williams would relocate to Alexandria for six weeks
of rehearsals and performances, with their 4-month-old son and a
nanny in tow. It was a much simpler proposition at first.
A fan of playwright Leslie Ayvazian since seeing an earlier work of
hers, “Nine Armenians,” Hodian asked her to write the libretto for an
Armenian-themed opera he envisions. The artists share Armenian
heritage, and Ayvazian responded enthusiastically to Hodian’s
request, with one condition: She would collaborate on the opera if
Hodian would first write music for her “Rosemary and I.”
Fair enough, Hodian thought. By the time a staged reading was held
last summer during a new-play festival at the Kennedy Center, he had
recorded the piano-vocal score with the help of Williams, and
traveled to Washington for the reading. He was expecting merely to
cue music from a CD. But a planned technical rehearsal fell through,
and suddenly the cast was in a room with only a piano for last-minute
preparations before taking the stage.
So much for simplicity.
Though Hodian had written the score, he hadn’t memorized it. But he
was undaunted. He sat down at the piano and did a little improvising.
Ayvazian was reading the part of the elderly Rosemary’s adult
daughter Julia (which she also plays now at MetroStage), and she had
enlisted a longtime friend, Oscar-winner Olympia Dukakis, to read the
part of Rosemary in preparation for directing the full MetroStage
production.
“As soon as I played the first cue,” Hodian recalls, “Olympia goes,
‘Wow, that was great. I wish we were doing that instead of what’s on
the CD.’ ” Her enthusiasm grew with every musical interlude until she
proclaimed that Hodian must perform for the reading, which at that
point was about 30 minutes from starting. Center staff nixed the idea
at first, Hodian says, “but then she kind of does her Olympia thing,
and suddenly there’s a nine-foot Steinway onstage — and it’s tuned.”
While the shift to live music for the current run of “Rosemary and I”
was unexpected, Hodian and Williams have no complaints about the
upheaval of their New York routine. It’s a “nice family project,”
says Hodian of the opportunity to work with Williams on both theater
and concert performance.
“What makes it so interesting,” says Judith Roberts, the actress who
plays Rosemary, “is that here is a woman who’s much later in her
life, and you hear this young voice . . . coming at you in a way from
the past, which reinforces the idea of searching for memories. It’s
very evocative, and [Williams] has a wonderful voice — very
powerful.”
Roberts was in the audience for Hodian and Williams’s Epiphany
Project concert Sunday night, featuring songs from their self-titled
2001 album on their independent label, Epiphany Records. Another
concert is scheduled for this Sunday.
“For each song, we just do the things we love,” says Williams,
describing their unbounded approach to musicmaking. A follow-up album
is in the works.
Though many independent musicians relish not being easily
categorized, says Hodian, he wouldn’t mind Epiphany Project having a
clearer market niche.
“We’d love to be categorized,” he says. “I wish we could say, ‘Hey,
it’s this,” and we could go play all the blues festivals, or play
classical music venues only, or whatever. But it really is a bunch of
different things. We do whatever we feel like musically.”
Epiphany Project bookings have been easier to come by in Europe,
where Hodian and Williams have found audiences and club owners
especially receptive to their eclectic style. Still, Epiphany Project
enjoys a devoted fan base in the United States, drawn from occasional
exposure on public radio and crossover from Williams’s work as a folk
solo artist.
“The people who like it,” Williams says, “like it a lot.”
“We have enough fans to keep buying the records,” adds Hodian, “and
to enable us to make another one, and who’ll keep coming to shows.
That’ll continue to make it worth us coming out for.”
Epiphany Project, at MetroStage, 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria.
Sunday at 7 p.m. $20.
Rosemary and I continues through May 9. $32-$38. Call 703-548-9044 or
visit
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 29 2004
US co-chair calls on Baku to compromise

The Azerbaijani public was disappointed by the results of the
meetings of Steven Mann, the newly-appointed US co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group, who paid a visit to Baku on April 22-23, with President
Ilham Aliyev and the foreign and defense ministers.The public can’t
understand why
Mann called on Baku to compromise with Yerevan. What should
Azerbaijan compromise amidst Armenia’s intention to annex Upper
Garabagh? Such feelings and the demands for President Robert
Kocharian’s resignation in Armenia on the eve of a meeting between
Aliyev and Kocharian – scheduled to be held on Wednesday are unlikely
to facilitate positive results.
Defense Minister rejects Mann’s proposal
In a meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, Mann
said it is necessary that Azerbaijan make concessions with regard to
the peaceful settlement of the Upper Garabagh conflict. “If the
conflict settlement takes many years, Azerbaijan and Armenia will
face new problems. The parties therefore should start a dialogue and
stand by it”, Mann said. Abiyev, in turn, said a double standard
approach on the issue is unacceptable, that Armenia is an aggressor
and must be held accountable. Referring to Yugoslavia and Iraq, two
countries that faced military action, Abiyev said that military
action has not been launched against Armenia even though there is
proper legal framework for this. Mann mentioned that Armenia and
Azerbaijan have made a commitment to settle the Upper Garabagh
conflict peacefully and the US supports mutually-acceptable
concessions by both parties to the conf lict. Abiyev replied that
Azerbaijan will make no concessions, the Defense Ministry reported on
Tuesday.
Presidential meeting
During a Thursday meeting between the President and the US diplomat,
Aliyev said that Mann is well-known in Azerbaijan as he had
participated in a number of large-scale projects in Azerbaijan and
wished him success in his new position. Touching upon the conflict
over Upper Garabagh, Aliyev stressed that Upper Garabagh and seven
Azerbaijani districts had been under the Armenian occupation for many
years and that Azerbaijan demanded that Armenian aggression be
stopped and its territorial integrity restored. He added that the
OSCE Minsk Group should step up its efforts to resolve the conflict.
US for fair settlement of Garabagh conflict?
Mann, in his turn, said he was pleased to have the opportunity to
visit Baku and meet with the Azerbaijani leader and mentioned the
opening ceremony of the East-West corridor foundation, which gave an
incentive to a number of energy projects. With regard to the Upper
Garabagh conflict, Mann said the U.S. government had put new tasks
before him and that he was keen to accomplish them. He mentioned that
this was his first visit to the region in his new capacity. The US
diplomat stated that the goal of his government was to work with the
parties in the conflict on a fair settlement and that it would
support an agreement reached by the two sides.
Briefing
At a media briefing, Mann confirmed that he has discussed in Yerevan
and Baku the possibility of a meeting between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents. He dodged the question about possible
compromises to be made by both sides and said the negotiations “have
not reached this stage yet”. He also confirmed that besides his
position as OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, he will remain the special
envoy on Caspian energy issues. Before arriving in Baku, Mann visited
Yerevan to discuss with the Armenian President, Ministers of Foreign
Affairs and Defense prospects for the conflict settlement. In his
meetings Mann said, “the peaceful settlement of the Upper Garabagh
conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group is based on US
national interests”. Mann stated that he intends to visit Upper
Garabagh but did not specify the date for his visit. At the same time
he said he had a “planned” meeting in Garabagh with the so-called
“Garabagh Foreign Minister” Ashot Gulian. The US diplomat visited
Armenia for the first time in 1978 as a representative of the US
embassy in the USSR. In 1992, he opened the first US diplomatic
representation in Armenia and held the position of the first US
charge d’affairs in Yerevan. In May 2001, Mann was appointed the US
President’s special envoy on Caspian energy issues.
Can Mann break the deadlock?
It appears that Mann’s new mandate as an OSCE MG co-chair is not
limited to Upper Garabagh. He also holds the position of US
President’s special envoy on Eurasia conflicts. It is not by mere
chance that he traveled from Yerevan to Baku through Tbilisi. Mann’s
mission targets settlement of conflicts in the entire South Caucasus
region which impede speedy US political and military deployment in
the region, notably, the Garabagh conflict and the Abkhaz conflict in
Georgia. Also, the US diplomat is probably also responsible for
keeping the situation in Ajaria under control. Therefore, unlike his
predecessors whose mission was limited to the OSCE MG, Mann has vast
credentials enabling him to swiftly respond to the situation. This
means that he is authorized to act according to his mandate just like
Strobe Talbott, who nearly convinced the Presidents of Azerbaijan and
Armenia to sign a peace accord, without consulting other OSCE MG
co-chairs. Therefore, Mann will not be required to coordinate his
visits to the region with the French or the Russian MG co-chairs.
Nonetheless, Mann should keep in mind the failure of Talbott’s
“shuttle mission” on the conflict settlement. Before leaving Yerevan,
Talbott, after discussing the terms for the upcoming peace accord,
reportedly joined the Armenian government officials in a toast for a
successful completion of the talks. It turned out it was too early to
celebrate. The American diplomacy failed to outwit Russian secret
service agents, who acted fast, without waiting for the conflict to
be settled. Before Talbott left Yerevan, a terrorist act was
committed in the Armenian parliament building, killing prime minister
Vazgen Sarkissian, speaker Karen Demirchian and several cabinet
ministers. After the incident, it was nearly impossible to expect
Kocharian to sign a peace accord, even if it was most suitable for
Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pasadena Star-News, CA
April 29 2004
Racial tensions shadow school’s achievements
Marshall principal fighting accusations of insensitivity
By Gretchen Hoffman , Staff Writer
PASADENA — A year ago, Marshall Fundamental High School was one of
three schools in the nation to receive the College Board’s
Inspiration Award in recognition of its work in helping economically
disadvantaged students go to college. It is the Pasadena Unified
School District’s highest-scoring high school on state standardized
tests, and parents overwhelmingly choose Marshall when applying
through the district’s open-enrollment process.
But tensions have been building at the school, which serves sixth
through 12th-graders. Last month, a fight between African- American
and Armenian students spilled over, resulting in a lockdown and
several students being cited by PUSD police. Some parents say they
are afraid for students’ safety.
An Armenian administrator has been fired, and his lawyer is
threatening a lawsuit, saying Principal Steven Miller is the person
who should be removed.
And a group of community members is circulating a petition calling
for Miller’s removal, claiming that he is a bigot who is
systematically purging the school of African-Americans.
Some Armenian parents were upset when middle school dean Kevork
Halladjian was notified that he will not return to his position next
year. They say that he was the only school administrator who listened
to parents concerned about rumors of further violence before the
March 5 fights.
Miller has been criticized for his handling of the fights, with
detractors saying he is ill- equipped to handle racial tensions
because he is culturally insensitive at best.
However, many parents, students and school officials have repeatedly
denied that the fights were racially motivated but were merely fights
between individuals.
Halladjian’s lawyer, Dale Gronemeier, said he is laying the
groundwork for a lawsuit if Halladjian is not reinstated.
Gronemeier is married to Marshall’s high school dean, Temetra
Gronemeier, who had a lawsuit pending against the school district
alleging she was discriminated against because of her age. She was
seeking the principal position, which was instead given to Miller.
The lawsuit was rejected by a judge last week.
The lawyer said that in a deposition taken for that lawsuit, Miller
admitted asking district officials to remove Temetra Gronemeier from
her administrative position at Marshall, a request that was denied.
She and Halladjian are a symbol of African Americans and Armenian
Americans working together cooperatively at a time when Marshall is
undergoing a racial crisis, Dale Gronemeier said.
In an April 15 letter to Superintendent Percy Clark, Dale Gronemeier
warned of disastrous consequences for Miller and said he plays
hardball and is prepared for a public battle.
“There has been a systematic attempt by Miller to purge the African
Americans from the security force at Marshall,’ Gronemeier claimed
Wednesday. “Because Halladjian would not go along with illegal
practices, Miller wanted to fire him.
“At a minimum, Miller is racially insensitive and the alternative is
that he’s bigoted,’ Gronemeier added.
Miller said the allegation that Halladjian was given a pink slip
because he refused to fire a security guard does not make sense,
since district officials do all hiring and firing at the high school.
The opposition comes from people who would have targeted whoever took
the principalship two years ago, he said.
Teachers describe Miller as calm, fair, personable and a good
listener. He commands respect but becomes even more soft-spoken than
usual when talking about the allegations of bigotry.
“From the very first week that I arrived here, there were threats,
there were warnings,’ Miller said. “I’ve dealt with slander,
intimidation. I’ve been subjected to these twisted perversions of
lies. When I’m called a racist, I get emotional, because it’s
slander.
“On three different occasions, publicly I’ve been told that I’m going
to be driven out of Pasadena. It’s getting to a point where I’m
starting to worry about (my) safety. What’s going on here is an
agenda that has nothing to do with these kids.
“What I found was that every time Marshall demonstrates success, then
the intimidation, the aggression escalates,’ Miller said. “Right now
… the focus is on me but it’s really about destroying the school.’
District officials said Miller’s supporters far outnumber his
detractors.
“Steve has the unqualified support of the superintendent and his
staff,’ PUSD spokesman Erik Nasarenko said. ” Steve is an exemplary
school leader who we are fortunate to have in this district.’
Miller said he is committed to leading the school despite the threats
and lies but that he will leave if the conflict begins to affect
student achievement.
“I think it becomes too much when I start to see students being
negatively impacted, and I think (my detractors) know that about me,’
Miller said. “They know that’s ammunition.’
Altadena resident John Wright is one of the people who have been
handing out petitions calling for Miller’s removal. Miller lacks the
sensitivity to deal with a multi-ethnic student body and has
alienated members of the community with his biased attitude, the
petition states.
“He thinks that African Americans should have an appointment with him
as opposed to having an open-door policy with Caucasians,’ Wright
said, adding that he has not met personally with Miller. Wright has
no children or grandchildren at the school.
“I’m just a concerned citizen and feel there’s got to be someone who
will stand up and be a voice for the African-American community,’
Wright said. “I’m not boxing it in as an African- American principal,
but what we need is a person over there who has the children’s
welfare at heart and who has the sensitivity to deal with a
multi-ethnic campus.’
Roy Sunada, who has been teaching at Marshall for 12 years, said
Miller has had a calming effect at the school since he took over in
the midst of chaos caused by scheduling problems.
“I believe it’s turning into a personal attack,’ Sunada said. “He’s
absolutely not racist or a bigot. To say that really trivializes the
seriousness of racism. His detractors have no sense of shame and no
sense of decency.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Civil Georgia, UK
April 29 2004
Caucasian Leaders Met in Warsaw
/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2004-04-29 13:04:06

Robert Kocharyan, Mikheil Saakashvili and
Ilham Aliyev. AzerTAj Photo
Presidents of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Mikheil Saakashvili,
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan respectively, met in Warsaw in the
frames of the European Economic Summit on April 28.

The regional issues and the prospects of further cooperation were
discussed at a business lunch arranged in honor of the South
Caucasian Presidents, AzerTAj state news agency of Azerbaijan
reported.

On April 29 President Saakashvili plans to make a speech at the
European Economic Summit in Warsaw and also will meet with his Polish
counterpart Aleksander Kwasniewski.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 14:23:48 | 29-04-2004 | Politics |
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CALLS ON ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE EXCESSIVE
USE OF POLICE FORCE
On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) held an urgent debate on Armenia, calling on the government to
investigate abuses and to create “fair conditions for the media,” and
warned the government that if no progress on this by September, the
PACE may “reconsider the credentials of the Armenian delegation.”PACE
also called on the opposition to work within the country’s
constitutional framework.
In early April, Armenia’s political opposition united in mass peaceful
protests to force a “referendum of confidence” on President Robert
Kocharian and to call for his resignation. The government responded
with mass arrests, violent dispersals of demonstrations, and raids on
opposition party headquarters. Hundreds were detained, many for up to
15 days, and some were tortured or ill-treated in custody.
“The Armenian government is repeating the same sorts of abuses that
called into question the legitimacy of last year’s election and
sparked the protests in the first place,” said Rachel Denber, acting
executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia
division. “The cycle of repression must end.”
Excessive police force, particularly at a nonviolent opposition rally
on the night of April 12, caused dozens of injuries among
demonstrators. The Human Right Watch briefing paper, based on an
investigation in Armenia in mid-April, documents this violence and
other abuses. Human Rights Watch found that some of the worst injuries
at that rally were caused by stun grenades, which inflicted deep
wounds in many protesters. Police also beat journalists and
confiscated their cameras.
The opposition protests derived from the government’s failure to
redress the deeply flawed 2003 presidential election won by Kocharian,
the incumbent. At that time, the authorities detained about 250
opposition activists and supporters in an attempt to intimidate and
disable the opposition in advance of the vote. The Armenian
Constitutional Court subsequently recommended that the government hold
a referendum of confidence. The government rejected the
recommendation, while the opposition insisted that the referendum be
held.
In its report on the 2003 presidential election, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) found the vote to be “marred
by serious irregularities,” owing to “a lack of sufficient political
determination by the authorities to ensure a fair and honest process.”
“Armenia has to address the underlying causes of the opposition’s
demonstrations,” said Denber. “A first step would be to implement the
recommendations made by the OS?E following the 2003 elections.”
Human Rights Watch also called on the Armenian government to
investigate the excessive use of police force on the night of April
12, and to cease the use of stun grenades and electric-shock equipment
for the control of nonviolent public demonstrations.
Armenia’s international partners – including the European Union, the
United States government, the OSCE and the Council of Europe – should
closely monitor the situation and condemn any new abuses that occur,
Human Rights Watch said. In particular, the United States and the
European Union should closely monitor any security-related funding,
particularly for crowd-control equipment, to ensure that it does not
fuel human rights abuses.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress