Author: Hagop Kamalian

Pundits react differently to Azeri-Armenian talks
Trend news agency
16 May 05
Baku, 16 May: Former presidential aide on foreign affairs Vafa
Qulizada, who is now an independent political analyst, believes
that at a meeting in Warsaw on 15 May the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents mainly discussed frequent cease-fire violations along the
contact line between the armed forces of the two countries.
“This meeting was dedicated to the OSCE Minsk group’s concern about
the frequent cease-fire violations along the contact line between the
armed forces of the two countries,” Quluzada told Trend. He believes
that the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs called for order until the sides
find a political solution to the Karabakh conflict.
“I think the presidents might have reached agreement on this. And
an end will be put to the meaningless casualties on the front-line,”
he said.
As for a possibility of progress in the Karabakh talks, Quluzada
believes that the situation is not yet ripe for that. “Because Russia
is not yet ready for that. Russia spares no effort in trying to stay
in the region, so the signing of a peace agreement by Yerevan and Baku
would mean the pull-out of the Russian military bases from Armenia
in the near future,” the political analyst said.
In principle, during the talks in Warsaw the sides might have discussed
some abstract settlement prospects, he said.
“When I say abstract, I mean that under pressure from Russia Armenia
is setting some absurd conditions which are completely unacceptable
for Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan will never agree to the loss of part of
its territories,” Quluzada said.
Another political analyst, Rasim Musabayov, is more optimistic about
the meeting between the presidents.
“The fact that the presidents had made no statements about the results
of the meeting showed that the talks were difficult. But they may
try to reach a compromise on certain issues,” Musabayov told Trend.
Musabayov is convinced that the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
discussed a stage-by-stage settlement plan, because a package solution
will not be acceptable.
The political analyst thinks that there can be no package solution
which will satisfy both sides at the same time. So, they can only
talk about a stage-by-stage settlement.
“Of course, there is very little chance that they will achieve any
results, but it still exists,” he added.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse — English
May 15, 2005 Sunday 6:16 PM GMT
Beirut: Slain Lebanese premier’s son announces electoral list
BEIRUT
Saad Hariri, son of the slain former premier Rafiq Hariri, on Sunday
announced his electoral list for Beirut’s three constituencies in the
Lebanese general election due to begin May 29.
Hariri announced 19 candidates for the city’s 19 seats, of which 10
are Christian and the rest Muslim.
His list includes Solange Gemayel, widow of slain president and
Christian warlord Bashir Gemayel, who will be the only candidate for
Beirut’s Maronite Christian seat, and Shiite movement Hezbollah’s
Amin Sherri for one of the two Shiite seats.
Standing for one of two Greek Orthodox seats will be Gibrane Tueni, a
member of the Christian anti-Syrian group Kornet Chehwan and the son
of newspaper owner Ghassan Tueni.
A key ally of Hariri’s father and a former justice minister, Bahige
Tabbara, is to stand for one of six Sunni seats.
Other candidates on the Hariri list are the same as those who stood
in the last elections in 2000 in support of his father.
These include candidates for the four Armenian seats, excluding
members of the Tashnag party which has widespread support among
Beirut’s significant Armenian minority.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA CONSIDERS INADMISSIBLE INTERFERENCE OF
CRIMINAL ELEMENTS INTO POLITICAL PROCESSES
YEREVAN, APRIL 30. ARMINFO. Republican Party of Armenia considers
inadmissible interference of criminal elements into the political
processes, that is why, it has joined the statement of political
forces condemning the disorders in the town of Sevan in the course of
New Times party’s rally on April 20. The member of RPA parliamentary
faction Samvel Nikoyan informed journalists today.
At the same time he proposed refraining from speculations around the
incident and to wait for the completion of investigation in the
case. At the same time, he disagreed with the opinion that RPA as a
member of the ruling coalition in the country was responsible for the
incident. He pointed out that RPA and he personally had condemned the
inadequate application of force during dispersal of the opposition
rally on April 12-13 night in 2004.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
BBC WANTS PERMANENT FREQUENCY IN ARMENIA
29.04.2005 09:15
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ BBC World Service would like to have a permanent frequency
in Armenia, the TV Company administration stated at the meeting with
Armenian Ambassador to the UK and Northern Ireland Vahe Gabrielian, RA
Foreign Ministry’s press service reported. When a guest to BBC studio Vahe
Gabrielian commented on the Karabakh conflict settlement, the Armenian
Genocide and the domestic situation in Armenia. He also gave an interview to
Londoninfo weekly and responded to the questions of the BBC Turkish and
Armenian offices. To note, presently BBC broadcasts in Armenia via Van and
Impulse radio stations, which provide only an hour’s air per day.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ABC Color, Asunción, Paraguay
Lunes 18 de Abril de 2005
PELEA, MAÑANA EN AUSTRIA
El “Toro” ante el armenio Melkomián
HERMANN-WIELANDNER-HAILLE BISCHOFSHOFER, Austria. (Hernán Santos
Nicolini, especial para ABC Color). Hoy, a las 16:30 -12:30 de
Paraguay-, en el Wallnes Porth Hotel Alpina de esta hermosa localidad
ubicada en las montañas, se realizará el pesaje oficial de Juan
Carlos “Toro” Giménez y del armenio Pavel Melkomián, quienes
combatirán mañana en la categoría crucero, división que tiene como
límite de peso 90 kilos con 300 gramos.
Si bien el “Toro”, un mediopesado natural de unos 80 kilos, dará
ventajas en el peso, pues no irá más de 84 kilos y su rival a la hora
de la pelea subirá con 95, y en estatura -el armenio es 10
centímetros más alto-, la experiencia de Giménez en sus 71 peleas,
con varias de ellas mundialistas, su preparación atlética y velocidad
pueden ser vitales para enfrentar a un joven invicto de 24 años y que
solo cuenta con 17 peleas con 7 KO, sin grandes nombres en su récord.
Mucha expectativa existe en torno a este combate, en un país donde el
boxeo no es tan popular, pero que con este tipo de eventos de primer
nivel pretende atraer a la gente.
–Boundary_(ID_WHTxXAJftyaceUn86XvqIg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GENOCIDE: REALITY AND CONDEMNATION CONFERENCE BEGINS IN YEREVAN
Armenpress
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS: Hundreds of participants of a
conference that started today in Yerevan as part of events to mark
the 90th anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century, the
Armenian Genocide of 1915, stood in silence to honor the victims of
the Armenian Genocide.
The conference is titled: Genocide: Reality and Condemnation. Academy
president Fadey Sarkisian and prime minister Andranik Margarian
welcomed its participants. Prime minister Margarian said Armenia is
resolute as never before to continue its campaign for international
recognition of the Genocide.
Ashot Melikian, director of the Institute of History, an affiliation of
the Academy, said a joint national strategy to push for international
recognition of the Genocide is being developed. He said the issue of
territorial claims to Turkey should be kept afloat by non-governmental
organizations because “it is not expedient for the government at this
point to raise it.”
On April 20-21 Yerevan will host an international conference on the
Genocide. Researches, government officials and other representatives of
20 countries are arriving in Armenia to participate in it. Journalists
of Turkish TRT 1 channel have already arrived in Yerevan to cover
April 24 commemorations.
Many countries around the world have had governments, parliaments,
and other legislative bodies recognize the Armenian genocide –
Cyprus, Russia, Greece, Belgium, Sweden, Lebanon, Vatican City,
Italy, France, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, European
parliament, Switzerland, Uruguay, Argentina, Canada, Slovak Parliament,
and Holland.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IN TERRITORY OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC IS NOT PRESENT ARMENIAN WAR PRISONER
AzerTag
[April 09, 2005, 20:56:25]
An ungrounded reports were disseminated by mass-media about the
meeting which is held on March 18 in Tbilisi of representatives of
the Azerbaijani and Armenian State Committes for missing, captured and
hostages citizens. In this connection the Azerbaijan State Committee
told the AzerTAj agency that during the said meeting were held a
negotiations for elaboration a possible constructive cooperation
mechanism on the base of the international and humanitarian law
principle. The both sides are agreed to facilitate prisoner return
after the nessesary verification, considers the exchange of persons as
discordant to morality and promised that in the future will appeals
only for release of war prisoners. The sides has noted also its
willingness to create all conditions for international organizations
and prisoner’s families meet with the later.
According to the Committee there were an agreement on the organizing
of the mutual monitoring for determination of the maintenance place
of a war prisoners.
The Committee statement said that at the meeting has not been agreed
any other question between the sides and there were stated that in
the Azerbaijan Republic territory are not persent an Armenian war
prisoners.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Keralanext, India
March 19 2005
Australasia ; Australian charged over bomb threat on Russian plane:
[Australasia News] Russian police have charged an Australian with
making a hoax bomb threat, after he threatened to blow up a flight
from Tokyo to Moscow.
The man was charged with knowingly making false claims about a
terrorist act.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail.
The 29-year-old man, who police sources say is of Armenian
extraction, had told crew on board the Aeroflot flight he would carry
out his threat unless he was flown to the breakaway Russian region of
Chechnya.
He tried to break into the cockpit of the Boeing 777 as it approached
Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport but was stopped.
The plane landed safely.
News agencies reported that the unidentified man was drunk at the
time of the incident.
He was on a flight from Sydney to the Armenian capital of Yerevan via
Tokyo and Moscow.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CNSNews.com
US, Allies Not Disturbed by Italy’s Proposed Pullout from Iraq
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
March 16, 2005
(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. and key allies are downplaying news that Italy
could begin a phased withdrawal of its troops from Iraq next fall. They note
that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has linked the move to the Iraqi
government having adequate security.
Italy’s 3,000 troops make up the fourth-largest foreign force in Iraq, and
some media reports characterized the announcement as another blow to
Washington’s “crumbling” coalition.
Berlusconi said in an Italian state television talk show that a phased
pullout would take place “in agreement with our allies.”
“Starting with the month of September, we would like to proceed with a
gradual reduction of our soldiers,” he said, adding that the wrap-up date
would “depend on the ability of the Iraqi government in equipping itself
with adequate security and public order forces.”
Berlusconi made the announcement shortly after Italy’s lower house of
parliament voted to extend the Italian mission in Iraq for another six
months. The Senate earlier approved the extension.
In reacting to Berlusconi’s announcement, the U.S., British and Australian
governments all pointed to the conditional nature of the proposed
withdrawal.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the prime minister’s statement
made clear that “this will be based on the ability and capability of Iraqi
forces and the Iraqi government to be able to assume more responsibility.”
McClellan said the U.S. appreciated the contributions of the Italian
soldiers, who had “served and sacrificed alongside Iraqis and alongside
other coalition forces.”
In London, the Daily Telegraph quoted a foreign office spokesman as saying
that Berlusconi was saying “very much the same thing” as the British
government – “that we will be in Iraq for as long as we are needed.”
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer highlighted the fact that
Italian lawmakers had voted to extend the troops’ mission, and said the
proposed withdrawal may not necessarily even begin in September
“I’m pleased that Italy has extended the troops by six months in Iraq and
obviously at the end of that period we’ll have to wait and see what the
situation will be,” he told journalists Wednesday.
“The Italians will make a decision then, in light of the circumstances in
six months’ time.”
Downer said it was clear Italy had no plan to “leave Iraq in the lurch.”
Australia has been a strong supporter of the U.S. in Iraq, having
participated along with a larger British contingent in the March 2003 war to
overthrow Saddam Hussein.
In a bid to shore up the coalition, Canberra last month agreed to increase
the number of Australian troops in Iraq by some 50 percent, a move that drew
strong reactions from opposition parties.
The new personnel will provide security for Japanese non-combat troops who
are undertaking reconstruction tasks in southern Iraq – a symbolic, historic
mission for a country whose soldiers have not been in a foreign combat zone
for half a century.
Japan’s war-renouncing constitution prohibits its troops from taking part in
combat, making it essential that other contingents in Iraq provide force
protection for the Japanese.
Dutch troops have fulfilled that function, but a decision by the Netherlands
to end their mission after two years meant the 600 Japanese troops needed
new protectors – or would have had to leave.
Downer would not be drawn on whether Australia had any envisaged timeline
for pulling out its troops, whose tasks in Iraq include training the new
national army.
“Let’s just see how the training is going of the Iraqi security forces and
how effective the Iraqi security forces are.”
Downer said it would be “utterly foolish” for the international community to
abandon the Iraqi people following their elections and as democracy develops
there.
“I think what we are all planning is pretty sensible … we build up the
capacity of the Iraqis to take control of their own security and the more
they can do that the less we will be needed there.”
In the federal parliament Wednesday, Prime Minister John Howard would not
rule out the possibility that Australia could further increase the number of
its troops in Iraq, to make up for the gap the Italians may leave.
“We don’t have any current plans to increase that number, but I cannot rule
out some changes in the future and I don’t intend to do so,” he told
lawmakers.
According to Global Security, coalition forces in Iraq at present include
those from 25 countries apart from the U.S. – Britain, South Korea, Italy,
Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Japan, Denmark, Bulgaria, Australia,
Armenia, Albania, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia,
Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway
and Slovakia.
The Netherlands is wrapping up its contribution, while the Ukraine has also
begun a phased pullout of its troops.
The deputy chief of coalition operations for the Florida-based U.S. Central
Command, Marine Corps Col. Kerry Burkholder, said this week the coalition
went well beyond the 25 nations with troops on the ground.
Others were involved in areas including security and maritime-interdiction
operations, intelligence, surveillance, humanitarian missions, political and
financial backing, and the provision of out-of-country training, he told the
American Forces Press Service.
Burkholder put the overall number of nations contributing at 72.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lawyer maintains Peterson’s innocence
By Kristin Moritz, Desk Editor
Stanford Daily
Feb 28 2005
Mark Geragos, the prominent criminal defense lawyer who recently
represented Scott Peterson, who was recently convicted of killing his
wife, Laci and their unborn son, spoke Friday about his career and
defending clients in highly-publicized trials.
According to sophomore Seepan Parseghian, president of the Armenian
Students Association, which sponsored the event, the group asked
Geragos to speak in order further its goal of “contributing the
Armenian perspective to the Stanford community in an academic and
social context.”
“I am well aware of [Geragos’s] charisma and vibrant personality when
in the spotlight,” Parseghian said. “But I give more emphasis to his
dedication to the Armenian-American community. He has taken on
numerous cases involving a wide range of Armenian issues.”
Geragos, an Armenian American who attended Haverford College and
Loyola Law School, founded a private law firm with his father in 1983
and has specialized in criminal defense work ever since. Geragos said
it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend accused criminals due
to wide-spread media coverage.
“What’s happened with cable TV is that you have a ‘Foxification’ of
criminal law,” Geragos said. “You get these high-profile criminal
cases and the mainstream media covers them in the most sensational
way possible. With the internet, any rumor is quickly picked up and
once it is on cable TV mainstream media feels compelled to run with
the story.”
This “Foxification,” said Geragos, was especially prevalent during
Peterson’s murder trial.
“So many times during the case people were bringing up rumors about
evidence that was not even presented,” he said.
Although jurors convicted Peterson of murdering his wife Lacy and
their unborn son, Geragos maintains Peterson’s innocence. He said he
took the case originally because he felt moved by the scene that he
observed when Peterson was initially brought into custody.
“I became so incensed when he was arrested,” Geragos said. “There was
a throng of people outside holding up signs that he should die. I
never thought that in this day and age that I would see anything like
that. It was a very troubling thing for me to see — someone being
railroaded and confronted by a virtual lynch mob.”
Geragos did not speak specifically about the trial because he is
under a gag-order until Peterson’s sentencing in March. He did,
however, say that much of the press coverage did not accurately
represent the evidence or facts of the case. He attributed much of
this misinformation to the fact that the judge did not sequester
jurors.
“During the course of the case we were able to expose three separate
stealth jurors who lied in order to try to get on the jury,” Geragos
said. “There was so much community fervor against Scott that many of
the jurors wanted to be on the jury because they had their own
private agenda.”
Geragos called what happened on the day of the verdict — thousands of
people lined up outside of the courthouse and cheering the outcome —
“one of the sickest things [he had] ever seen.”
“There is truly nothing worse than to see a guy you believe is
innocent get sentenced to death,” Geragos said.
Although Peterson has not yet been sentenced, upon his conviction,
jurors recommended that he receive the death penalty. Geragos called
capital punishment “abhorrent.”
Junior Louise Nutt is taking a class on the death penalty and came to
the talk specifically to ask Geragos about his opinion on the
subject.
“He brought up a lot of points about the death penalty that I think
are very important, but that people outside of the law don’t usually
hear about,” Nutt said.
In addition to defending Peterson, Geragos has also been involved in
numerous other high-profile cases. In the late 1990s, he represented
Susan McDougal, a close friend of former President Bill Clinton, when
she was tried and convicted on fraud charges related to the
Whitewater scandal.
Despite his role in criminal cases, Geragos called a class-action
lawsuit that he filed for survivors of the Armenian genocide one of
his biggest successes. The suit, which was filed against New York
Life Insurance on behalf of 2,300 Armenian Americans who purchased
insurance policies when they immigrated to the United States during
the genocide, resulted in a $20 million settlement for the thousands
of people who were originally denied the right to collect on their
policies. Part of the settlement was also earmarked for Armenian
charities.
Mazi Pielsticker, a first-year law student, said he enjoyed Geragos’s
speech and appreciated the opportunity to hear such a prominent
lawyer speak.
“I thought he was awesome, very charismatic,” Pielsticker said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress