Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Glendale News Press, CA
April 28 2007

FROM THE MARGINS:
Breaking ground in taboo territory

By PATRICK AZADIAN

A taboo topic can be forbidden because of social or cultural reasons
rather than legal prohibitions.

Every society has certain matters that it finds difficult to address.
And if the subject continues to cause pain for that particular society,
then the walls around the taboo are even more unassailable.

Ask a Cuban-American about the nature of Fidel Castro’s revolution and
you will understand what I mean. Bring up the topic of a united Ireland
to an Irish-American and you may realize certain issues are not up
for discussion. And try to have a dialogue with an Iranian-American
about the roots of the Islamic Revolution and you may be surprised
at the resistance in placing any responsibility for the events on
the pre-revolution dictatorship.

As traumatic as political upheavals may be, they are not in the same
league as the acts of genocide. Unlike wars and revolutions, there
are no two versions to the stories of systematic ethnic cleansing.

In the late ’90s, I took a class on the Jewish Diaspora with Rabbi
Chaim Seidler-Feller at UCLA.

On one occasion, Seidler-Feller invited his mother to attend the
lecture. She sat in the back of the classroom; the gesture was
endearing.

Within a half-hour, the setting that had started as sweet, had
become tense.

Seidler-Feller had chosen to tackle a sensitive topic on that
particular day. The question he posed was roughly: "Has the Holocaust
affected Jewish identity to the point where it has dominated the
definition of Jewish identity?"

Before long, the much-respected lecturer was facing a friendly revolt
on his own ground, and the leader of the mini uprising was no other
than his own mother.

Being a survivor of the Holocaust, she asked her son: "How can
we forget?"

Seidler-Feller’s question had nothing to do with forgetting or
forgiving. But it had broken ground in a taboo territory.

As a descendant of survivors of a genocide, I understood the
reaction. At the same time, as an "outsider," I was capable of
digesting the question.

A similar question in the Armenian-American community would get an
even harsher reaction. Understandably, this is due to a certain knot
in the whole process: The Turkish state has not yet acknowledged its
crime against humanity.

There are a few problems with this dependence on Turkish
acknowledgement.

As long as healing is conditional on Turkey coming to terms with its
history, an outside force is influential in the course chosen by the
Armenian-American community.

Moreover, by committing the act of genocide, Turkey has also altered
the evolution of the Armenian identity. In the post-genocide era, the
crux of the Armenian identity has become the "seeker of recognition
for the Armenian genocide."

Hrant Dink, the murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist, addressed the
issue of identity in his response to the charges brought against him
in a Turkish court.

"There is a certain history. A trauma. The Turk has become such a
source of pain that it poisons the Armenian blood.

"There are two ways of getting rid of this poison. One way is for
the Turks to empathize with you, and take action to reduce your trauma.

At the moment this seems unlikely. The second way is for you to rid
yourself of it yourself. Turn your attention toward the state of
Armenia and replace the poisoned blood associated with the Turk,
with fresh blood associated with Armenia," Dink said.

Without compromising the truth, Dink was clearly pointing to the
future rather than the past.

To be able to look to the future, however, a community needs to
possess a certain mind-set.

Is the Armenian-American community well equipped to tackle the issues
of today? Are community organizations passionate about dealing with
the issues of youth delinquency, drug addiction, domestic violence,
poverty and other social ills that plague all modern societies?

In addition, as ambassadors of American values abroad, is the
Armenian-American community the torchbearer of democracy for Armenia –
a nation that has the potential of being a small but a stabilizing
force in the Middle East and Eastern Europe? Is the community
involved in addressing the problem of human trafficking in that part
of the world?

It is time to heal?

Perhaps, it is time that healing is not dependent on the actions of
the perpetrator.

Healing does not even require forgiving the unrepentant. What it
does require, however, is caring about the present and the future
generations, as much as we care for the past ones.

PATRICK AZADIAN works and lives in Glendale. He may be reached at
respond@ fromthemargins.net.

YEREVAN ADMITS UNEASE OVER OSCE ELECTION MISSION
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 27 2007

Armenia’s government questioned the impartiality of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe before formally asking it to
monitor the approaching parliamentary elections, it emerged on Friday.

The administration of President Robert Kocharian had taken issue with
the OSCE’s highly critical assessment of its handling of the last
presidential and parliamentary elections held in 2003. The findings of
the mainly Western observers acting under the OSCE aegis gave weight
to opposition allegations of massive vote rigging.

Kocharian exposed his government’s discontent with their activities
on Friday when he said official Yerevan has sought assurances that
the OSCE mission deployed for the May 12 parliamentary elections will
not be a "tool" in the hands of unspecified external powers.

"We always intended to invite observers," he said. "We just wanted
to negotiate and make sure the observer mission is free of various
political pressures and does not cater for various political
interests."

"This is our goal, and I think we have had held quite effective
negotiations and reached agreements with the OSCE leadership,"
added Kocharian.

Reports in the Armenian press late last year said official Yerevan is
trying to make sure that the OSCE mission is not headed by U.S. or
British officials and includes more representatives of France and
Russia, countries that have been less critical of the Kocharian
administration’s democracy record. The head of the mission, Boris
Frlec, comes from the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia.

Frlec told RFE/RL that he has discussed Yerevan’s concerns with
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. "Mr. Oskanian expressed the wish
of the Armenian side that the election observation mission should be,
as far the national composition is concerned, as broad as possible,"
he said.

"In the [mission’s] core team, including long-term observers, 24
different nations are represented among 40 people," argued Frlec. "In
addition to that, countries of the OSCE responded to the call of the
[OSCE’s] Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and sent
300 short-term observers that cover an extremely wide spectrum of
different nationalities."

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE – TIME TO DETERMINE
By A. Haroutiunian

AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2007

It is the second time that the US Department of State makes alterations
referring Armenia to the 2006 Human Rights Report. It seems like the
USA is not sure about its own position and under various circumstances
doubts between Armenia’s demand to correct the mistake and the
provocations of Azerbaijan.

Thus, the old drafting "Armenia continues to occupy the Azerbaijani
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani
territories" was marvelously restored.

In the meanwhile, OSCE Minsk Group American Co-Chairman Matthew
Bryza stated that the US Department of State had admitted the
inconsistency of the "Armenia continues to occupy the Azerbaijani
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani
territories" phrase and altered it to the following: "Armenian
armed forces hold considerable territories of Azerbaijan adjacent
to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian officials state that Armenia ‘has not
occupied’ Nagorno-Karabakh".

Bryza also expressed his disappointment about Azerbaijan’s refusal
to take part in the consultations in Washington. He noted that
although alterations to US Department of State reports occur rather
seldom, the peculiarity of the present stage of negotiations on
Nagorno-Karabakh. it is to be regretted that our negligence caused
anxiety of our Azerbaijani friends, he said.

Eventually it seems like Mr. Bryza could not even imagine how swiftly
alterations are made to the reports of US Department of State.

In response, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov
hurried to express his satisfaction and state that the date of the
visit of the Azerbaijan’s delegation to Washington can be already
appointed. Moreover, (probably desiring to conceal sheer idleness)
he also declared that very soon Kelbajar and Lacin will be cleaned
from Armenian troops – "in accord with the schedule worked out by
the Armenian side".

In such circumstances Armenia has a word to say. Why can’t Armenia
suspend the negotiation process, if Azerbaijan is achieving its goals
to due blackmail and provocations and if the USA, Co-Chairing state of
the OSCE Minsk Group, is unable to make clear its position? It comes
out that the USA prefer to maintain god relations with azerbaijan
rather than advocating the truth.

The US Department of State has to determine its position on the
Karabakh conflict. Otherwise the USA cannot be considered an impartial
mediator in the process of settlement of the conflict. In that case
Armenia must refuse the mediation of the United States.

MERZLYAKOV: OSKANIAN-MAMEDYAROV NEXT MEETING MAY BE HELD EITHER IN MAY OR LATER

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2007 14:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE MG CO-Chairs for the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement are preparing the next meeting between Armenian and
Azeri foreign ministers, Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated. He
reminded last time the mediators succeeded in organizing a meeting
between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Vartan Oskanian
and Elmar Mamedyarov on April 18-19. "Currently we are looking for
a possibility to organize one more meeting between the FMs. But is
very difficult to bring them together," Merzlyakov said. He did not
exclude that the next consultations between the two FMs may be held
either on May or later.

The Russian diplomat noted the OSCE MG Co-Chairs are planning to
visit Madrid on May 10 to meet with OSCE Chairman-in-Office Spanish
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. Following it the mediators
will visit the conflict region at the end of May, Trend reported.

REPORTING AND PEACEMAKING

KarabakhOpen
26-04-2007 11:28:37

In the framework of Stepanakert Resource Center project implemented
in partnership with International Alert, the Young Democrats NGO
holds discussions on "Peacemaking and Reporting". The first meeting
at Mesrop Mashtots University in Stepanakert was conducted by
Karen Bekaryan, the head of European Integration, a Yerevan-based
NGO. During the discussion it was mentioned that according to the
results of a monitoring of the media of Armenia, in 30-40 percent of
materials Azerbaijan and the conflict are mentioned. In Azerbaijan,
this index is much higher, up to 60 percent. The internal and even
social problems are often connected directly with the conflict. This
approach creates a nationalist screen behind which political mistakes
and adventures are hidden.

Karen Bekaryan thinks the first effective step in peacemaking could
be the supply of objective information. He shared his vision of
peacemaking – it must run between absolute tolerance and radical
concern for the country’s security. "The governments which speak
about security only without considering tolerance towards neighbors
are bound to reject radically an alternative opinion.

However, absolute tolerance is possible when your neighbor displays
identical tolerance," said Karen Bekaryan.

The participants of the discussion got acquainted with the projects
for reporters implemented with Azerbaijani colleagues under the aegis
of the international organizations. According to the co-coordinator
of the Young Democrats Karine Ohanyan, similar discussions will be
held for other journalists and students.

REPRESENTATIVES OF US TURKISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES HELD PROTEST ACTIONS IN USA

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
April 25 2007

Turks living in USA will fight against Armenian propaganda within new
organization – Association of American Turks, fighting against Armenian
lie. On the eve of anniversary of false "genocide of Armenians",
Association held mass protest actions in Washington and New York.

April 21, representatives of Turkish communities of USA gathered
on the Times Square in the center of Manhattan, and April 22 – on
Farragut square in Washington near White House, to protest Congress’s
interference in Turkish-Armenian issue. Compatriots who arrived on
bus from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut joined Turks living
in capital of USA. With demand "To end Armenian lie!" they called to
entrust historians not politicians with disclosure historical truth.

Leaders of Azerbaijani communities were among participants of the
action. President of Azerbaijani Community of America, Tomris Azeri,
while making speech during the action, said that international
community is bothered by false rhetoric of Armenians.

Every day one more member of Congress refuses to support pro-Armenian
resolution after hearing Turks’ testimonies. With these attempts
Armenians try to hide crimes they committed. Over 200 years Armenians
have been attempting to create "great Armenia", attempting to remove
Azerbaijanis from their native lands. The fact that Azerbaijani
territories are occupied, and that over 1 mln. Azerbaijanis turned
to be refugees and internally displaced can’t be denied. President
of Azerbaijani Community of America said that Turkish speaking
communities should cooperate in order to demonstrate real intentions
of Armenians, to spread the truth about Khojali genocide; they should
inform Americans and international community.

President of Association of Turkish Communities of America, Nurtan
Ural, called resolution on "genocide of Armenians" being presently
high on the agenda of the House of Representatives and Senate, as
one-sided document, distorting events that took place during World War
I. He said that the given issue should be solved by joined researches
of Turkish and Armenian historians. Armenia does not accept proposal
of Turkish government on opening of archives and start of Academic
dialog. Such steps of Congress may hold away Armenia from dialog.

–Boundary_(ID_HINtCR18evRV7Md8O+YbMg)–

BORIS YELTSIN’S FUNERAL HELD IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.04.2007 18:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia bid farewell to his first President Boris
Yeltsin.

After the religious service accompanied by tinkling of bells of the
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour the funeral procession with Yeltsin’s
body made for the Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery. B. Yeltsin’s body was
taken to the cemetery by Cadillac catafalque. But near the cemetery
it was put on an artillery carriage decorated by flowers and colors
of Russian State banner.

An armored troop-carrier pulled the carriage, which was followed by the
clergy, relatives and friends of the late President. A thrice-repeated
volley was fired and Russia’s state hymn was played in the cemetery.

Several thousands of people gathered near the Novodevichy cemetery
to bid farewell to Boris Yeltsin. The chain of people stretched for
500 meters.

Heads of a number of countries and international organizations arrived
in Russia to attend the mourning ceremony. President Robert Kocharian
headed the official delegation of Armenia.

Boris Yeltsin died untimely from heart failure on Monday, aged
76. April 25 is proclaimed a national mourning day in Russia.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS AND CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE TO MEET IN MADRID

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 24 2007

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Matthew
Bryza (US), Bernard Fassier (France) and Personal representative
of OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk will meet with OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos
on May 10 in Madrid, Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told the APA
exclusively.

The mediators for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will
debate on arranging a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian.

The co-chairs will visit the region in late May.

In Azerbaijan, embattled editor jailed for libel and insult

Nieuwsbank , Netherlands
from Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
April 21 2007

New York, April 20, 2007 –The Committee to Protect Journalists
condemns today’s imprisonment in Baku of Eynulla Fatullayev, editor
of the independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the
Azeri-language daily Gundalik Azarbaycan.

The Yasamal District Court convicted Fatullayev on charges of libeling
and insulting Azerbaijanis in an Internet posting that was attributed
to the editor. But Fatullayev, who is known for his critical reporting
on government affairs, said he never made the comment and that the
case had been manufactured to silence him.

Under Article 147.2 of Azerbaijan’s penal code, Fatullayev was ordered
to serve 18 months, according to the news agency Turan. He was jailed
immediately after the court hearing, becoming the fifth journalist
behind bars in Azerbaijan.

"The jailing of Eynulla Fatullayev is part of a pattern of increasing
repression of independent media in Azerbaijan, often through
politically motivated defamation cases," CPJ Executive Director Joel
Simon said. "It is outrageous that he should be imprisoned for a
statement he says he never made. He should be freed immediately."

Tatyana Chaladze, head of the Azeri Center for Protection of Refugees
and Displaced Persons, filed civil lawsuit in February and a criminal
complaint in April against Fatullayev. Chaladze cited a remark
attributed to the editor that said Azerbaijanis were responsible
for the 1992 massacre of residents of the Nagorno-Karabakh town of
Khodjali, according to local press reports. The statement was a
"deliberate effort to defame Khodjali residents and veterans of
the Karabakh war," the independent daily Zerkalo quoted Chaladze as
saying. The Yasamal District Court ruled in favor of Chaladze’s civil
claim on April 6, ordering Fatullayev to pay damages of 10,000 manats
(US$11,600), Turan reported.

The remark was first published on the Web site Aztricolor, although
the precise posting date was unclear. In a March interview with CPJ,
Fatullayev said he never made the Khodjali statement, which was later
posted on other Web sites. After the statement was circulated widely
on the Internet, unidentified protesters, up to 80 at a time, started
picketing the offices of Realny Azerbaijan and Gundalik Azarbaycan,
he said. The protesters would come in buses to the papers’ premises
and protest for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, throwing eggs and stones
while shouting for Fatullayev’s expulsion, according to local press
reports. Dozens of police officers, Fatullayev told CPJ, stood by. He
said he believed authorities were behind the protests and had used the
trumped-up case to prevent him from reporting on government corruption
and the unsolved murder of former colleague Elmar Huseynov.

Realny Azerbaijan is the successor of the opposition weekly Monitor,
which was shut down after the March 2005 contract-style assassination
of Huseynov. Like its predecessor, Realny Azerbaijan is known for
its critical reporting.

On March 6, four days after he reported that high-ranking Azeri
officials ordered Huseynov’s killing, Fatullayev received a death
threat, but authorities did not investigate it or provide him with
personal protection.

Fatullayev told CPJ in March that his position on the Karabakh
conflict was outlined in a 2005 article headlined "The Karabakh
Diary." Fatullayev, then an investigative reporter with the Monitor,
traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh in February 2005 to interview leaders
of the region’s unrecognized government. He received threats from
Azerbaijani nationalists who opposed his trip. His piece said that
constructive dialogue is the only way to alleviate tensions between
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh broke out during the first years of the Soviet Union’s
collapse. Inter-ethnic fighting escalated when Nagorno-Karabakh’s
parliament voted to form the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) in
December 1991. (NKR is not recognized internationally.) A ceasefire
was negotiated in 1994, but the territorial dispute lingers today.

According to official statistics, 613 people were killed in Khodjali
on the night of February 25-26, 1992, when heavily armed Armenian
forces stormed and captured the town.

© 2007 Committee to Protect Journalists. E-mail:
[email protected]

–Boundary_(ID_joZCpOOXquC09 D8wH5VhRg)–

RA CASSATION COURT REVERSES RULING ON FINING ARMEN MAZMANIAN FOR
DISCREDITING TIGRAN KARAPETIAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Cassation Court reversed the
February 14 decision of the court of first instance of Yerevan’s
Kentron and Nork-Marash communities, according to which a fine of
300 thousand drams (about 840 dollars) was imposed on film maker
Armen Mazmanian for insulting and discrediting Tigran Karapetian,
Chairman of ALM Holding. A. Mazmanian told this to reporters on April
19, adding that he did not attend the court sitting. He said that
T. Karapetian withdrew his application for opening a criminal case
against A. Mazmanian. "We have come to an agreement that I will no
longer watch his programs, while he will leave me alone," said the
film maker, who during one of his television speeches called Tigran
Karapein a "populist parrot", "semi-literate person", "pickpocket",
and "one who was convicted in Volgograd for pedophilia".