Author: Hambardsumian Paul

BROKEN PROMISES AND AN UNFOLDING TRAGEDY
Robert Fisk

Independent.ie
Saturday December 27 2008

If reporting is, as I suspect, a record of mankind’s folly, then the
end of 2008 is proving my point. Let’s kick off with the man who is
not going to change the Middle East — Barack Obama — who last week,
with predictably, became ‘Time’s’ "person of the year". But buried
in a long and immensely tedious interview inside the magazine, Obama
devotes just one sentence to the Arab-Israeli conflict: "And seeing if
we can build on some of the progress, at least in conversation, that’s
been made around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be a priority."

"Building on progress?" What progress? On the verge of another civil
war between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, with Benjamin
Netanyahu a contender for Israeli prime minister, with Israel’s
monstrous wall and its Jewish colonies still taking more Arab land,
and Palestinians still firing rockets at Sderot, and Obama thinks
there’s "progress" to build on?

I suspect this nonsensical language comes from the mental mists of
his future Secretary of State. "At least in conversation" is pure
Hillary Clinton — its meaning totally eludes me — and the giveaway
phrase about progress being made "around" the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is even weirder. Of course, if Obama had talked about an
end to Jewish settlement building on Arab land, relations w ith Hamas
as well as the Palestinian Authority, justice for both sides in the
conflict, along with security for Palestinians as well as Israelis,
then he might actually effect a little change.

An interesting test of Obama’s gumption is going to come scarcely
three months after his inauguration when he will have a little promise
to honour.

Yup, it’s that dratted April 24 commemoration of the Armenian genocide
when Armenians remember the 1.5 million of their murdered countrymen on
the anniversary of the day in 1915 when the first Armenian professors,
artists and others were taken off for execution.

Bill Clinton promised Armenians he’d call it a "genocide" if they
helped to elect him. George Bush did the same. So did Obama. The first
two broke their word and resorted to "tragedy" rather than "genocide"
once they’d got the votes, because they were frightened of all those
bellowing Turkish generals, not to mention — in Bush’s case — the
US military supply routes through Turkey, the "roads and so ," as
Robert Gates called them, in one of history’s more gripping ironies —
these being the same "roads and so on" upon which the Armenians were
sent on their death marches in 1915.

So I bet you that Obama is going to find that "genocide" is "tragedy"
by April 24.

I browsed through Turkish Airlines’ in-flight magazine while cruising
into Istanbul earlier this month and found an article on the historical
=0 ATurkish region of Harput.

"Asia’s natural garden", "a popular holiday resort", the article calls
Harput. And you have to shake your head to remember that Harput was the
centre of the Christian Armenian genocide, the city from which Leslie
Davis, the brave American consul in Harput, sent back his eyewitness
dispatches of the thousands of butchered Armenians. But I guess that
all would spoil the "natural garden" effect. It’s a bit like inviting
tourists to the Polish town of Oswiecim — without mentioning that
its German name is Auschwitz.

But these days, we can all rewrite history. Take Nicolas Sarkozy, who
not only toadies up to Bashar al-Assad of Syria but is now buttering
up awful Algerian head of state Abdelaziz Bouteflika who’s just been
"modifying" the Algerian constitution to give himself a third term in
office. There was no parliamentary debate, just a show of hands — 500
out of 529 — and what was Sarko’s response? "Better Bouteflika than
the Taliban!" Not least when former Algerian army officers revealed
undercover soldiers as well as the Algerian Islamists (Sarko’s
"Taliban") were involved in the brutal village massacres of the 1990s.

Talking of "undercover", I was amazed to learn of the training system
adopted by the Met lads who put Jean Charles de Menezes to death on
the Tube. According to former police commander Brian Paddick, the
Met’s secret rules for "dealing" with suicide bombers were drawn up=2
0"with the help of Israeli experts". What? Who were these so-called
"experts" advising British policemen how to shoot civilians on the
streets of London? The same men who assassinate wanted Palestinians
in the West Bank and Gaza?

Not that our brave peace envoy, Lord Blair, would have much to say
about it.

He’s the man, remember, whose only proposed trip to Gaza was called
off when yet more "Israeli experts" advised him that his life might
be in danger.

Anyway, he’d still rather be president of Europe, something Sarko
wants to award him. That, I suppose, is why Blair wrote such a
fawning article in the same issue of ‘Time’ which made Obama "person"
of the year. "There are times when Nicolas Sarkozy resembles a force
of nature," Blair grovels. will Blair now tell us he’s going to be
involved in those "conversations" with Obama to "build on some of
the progress" in the Middle East? (© Independent News Service)

–Boundary_(ID_FiNeWNsNIRL4OlrME41m2w)–

RUBEN ZARGARYAN: KARABAKH ISSUE RESOLVED THROUGH FORMATION OF INDEPENDENT KARABAKH REPUBLIC

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.01.2009 12:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Statements that the destiny of Karabakh is in the
hands of world powers demonstrate disbelief and lack of professionalism
in analysis of global political processes. The history of Armenia
has shown that confidence in decisions of the world powers results
in calamity, an NKR official said.

"Determination of Nagorno Karabakh’s status is the exclusive right
of its people, who hold the key to their homeland. The issue has been
already resolved through formation of independent Karabakh Republic,"
Ruben Zargaryan, historian and adviser to Foreign Minister of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

"The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is a state with its own national
interests, the fact acknowledged by many countries," he said, adding
that The Convention on the Rights and Duties of States was a treaty
(which was later accepted as part of customary international law)
signed at Montevideo, Uruguay, on December 26, 1933 reads that "the
political existence of the state is independent of recognition by
the other states."

The Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict can’t be resolved without soonest
recognition of NKR independence and its full-fledged participation in
talks. At that, NKR recognition should be the starting point but not
the final one. Upon fulfillment of these two fundamental conditions,
other complicated issues such as territories, refugees and borders,
according to Zargaryan.

"Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic cannot be questioned. A
peace agreement meeting the interests of the people of Artsakh
and Azerbaijan should be signed as soon as possible. To secure
international recognition of Karabakh, systematic and purposeful work
is needed," he said.

EP TO DISCUSS FRAMEWORK DECISION ON COMBATING RACISM AND XENOPHOBIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.01.2009 17:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ By organizing a conference on the Framework-Decision
against Racism and Xenophobia, the European Armenian Federation
for Justice and Development (EAFJD) has taken a first step toward
standardizing from the top down the European antiracist laws, the
EAFJD told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The workshop organized by the European Armenian Federation will take
place on Wednesday, January 21 in the European Parliament headquarters
in Brussels.

Organized under the honorary presidency of Mrs. Martine Roure,
Vice President of the European Parliament, this meeting will offer
a chance to introduce the recently adopted Framework-Decision, which
aims to combat racism and xenophobia, to European political leaders,
human rights advocates and legal experts.

Indeed, the primary objective of this document is to ban in Europe
the denial of genocides. Member states are required to transform the
Framework-Decision into national law within a two-year period.

"Protection of citizens from the act of denial is imperfect. Europeans
are not protected against denial of the Armenian or Tutsi genocides,"
said Laurent Leylekian, the EAFJD executive director.

"With the implementation of this Framework-Decision, the European
Union intends to fill a penal vacuum by instituting a pan-European
penalization of the denial of all proven genocides. It is a major
step in the direction of a protective Europe required by European
citizens, and this conference directly contributes to this process,"
Leylekian said.

Panorama.am
14:59 16/01/2009

`RUSSIA DOES NOT PROVIDE WEAPONS TO ARMENIA,’ SAYS LAVROV

Russia rejects the rumors spread by the Azeri mass media that Russia
provides weapons to Armenia, announced the Foreign Minister of Russia
Sergey Lavrov.

`We have conducted an investigation. And the person, who has signed
documents according to Azeri mass media, has nothing to do with this
story, he has signed nothing, and no weapons have been transported to
Armenia,’ announced Foreign Minister.

According to Azeri sources, Russia provides weapons to Armenia. The
Ambassador of Russia to Azerbaijan has been called to the Foreign
Ministry to give explanations to the information.

This information has been rejected by the Ministry of Defense of
Armenia also.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
January 17, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ARMENIAN AMERICANS CONGRATULATE OBAMA ON INAUGURATION

— Community Leadership Voices Support for President’s
Pledges to Recognize Armenian Genocide, Strengthen
U.S.-Armenia Relations, and Seek a Fair and Durable
Regional Peace in the South Caucasus

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian American advocacy, civic, religious,
charitable, and educational organizations joined together today in
congratulating President-Elect Barack Obama on his inauguration and
outlining the community’s expectations of the incoming Obama-Biden
Administration.

The text of the January 17th letter, delivered today to the
Presidential Transition Office, and a listing of the signatories is
provided below.

#####

January 17, 2009

The Honorable Barack Obama
The President-elect
Office of the President-elect
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President-Elect:

We are writing, as the collective leadership of Armenian American
advocacy, civic, religious, charitable, and educational
organizations, to congratulate you on your historic election as
President of the United States and to warmly welcome your
inauguration to this high office. On behalf of some two million
Americans of Armenian heritage, we look forward to working with you
and your Administration to end the cycle of genocide, strengthen
U.S.-Armenia relations, contribute to Armenia’s economic growth,
and work toward a fair and sustainable regional peace.

We have, as a community, long admired your principled commitment to
ending genocide, including, of course, the need for urgent efforts
to stop the ongoing slaughter in Darfur. As a vital part of the
growing genocide-prevention movement, our community looks forward
to working with you from the first day of your Administration to
end the Darfur Genocide and to help bring peace to this troubled
land.

As a community, we have been proud that you have stood with us as
we have worked toward Congressional commemoration, Presidential
recognition, and Turkish acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide.
As you have stated so eloquently and repeatedly, the facts of this
crime are undeniable. The Armenian Genocide is not an allegation,
as the Turkish government shamefully contends, but rather a widely
documented mass crime supported by an overwhelming body of
evidence. Confronting this denial represents an obligation for
America and the entire international community. Our nation’s
commitment to the principles of the Genocide Convention, which just
last year marked its 60th anniversary, is rooted in America’s
values and cannot be sincerely upheld in our relations with the
rest of the world without an outright recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.

Our government must clearly and unequivocally condemn the 1915
crime of race extermination by Ottoman Turkey that, during the
course of eight years, killed one and a half million Armenians,
emptied vast areas of the Armenian homeland, and inflicted grave
material harm to every aspect of the Armenian people’s cultural
heritage, depriving it, to this day, of its right to exist on its
native soil. Sadly, the inevitable consequence of Turkey’s refusal
to acknowledge this crime has been its inability to adapt to the
changing realities in the region. Rather than being a factor for
peace, Turkey has actively contributed to increased tension in the
South Caucasus. Instead of demonstrating a willingness to honestly
confront the past in the spirit of truth and justice, its leaders
have sought to pressure other governments to underwrite Turkey’s
historic guilt. The United States should neither be a hostage to
Turkey’s fears, nor a victim of its moral failings. For its part,
Armenia, which supports international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide as a core element of its foreign policy, has called for
the normalization of relations with Turkey without any
preconditions.

As you have stated on several occasions, America deserves a leader
who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds
forcefully to all genocides. The clarity of your promise is
particularly welcome in light of the unfortunate practice of past
U.S. Presidents to use, under Turkey’s pressure, evasive and
euphemistic terminology rather than directly acknowledging the
Armenian Genocide. The term, Armenian Genocide, is the only one
that can meaningfully be used to characterize the crime committed
by Ottoman Turkey. We look forward, in the coming weeks, to your
firm and principled leadership in clearly and unambiguously ending
the sad chapter of the U.S. Executive Branch’s capitulation to
pressure from Turkey.

We are particularly encouraged, in this regard, that you will be
joined in your Administration by supporters of Armenian Genocide
recognition, among them Vice President-elect Joe Biden, a 35-year
champion of this human rights issue, and Secretary of State-
designate Hillary Clinton, who, in January of last year, so
eloquently stated that, "our common morality and our nation’s
credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to ensure that
the Armenian Genocide be recognized and remembered by Congress and
the President of the United States." Others in your
Administration, including incoming Interior Secretary Ken Salazar,
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood,
and CIA Director Leon Panetta have also supported Congressional
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. We are also pleased to see
that the Congress will be led by two of the most longstanding
advocates of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, both of whom
have repeatedly called for full U.S. recognition of this crime
against humanity. We look forward to your leadership with these
officials and others in Congress, among them Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman, John Kerry, and House Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman, Howard Berman, to help bring about
Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

We look forward to continuing, over the next four years, the active
engagement that we established with you and your leadership team
during your service in the U.S. Senate, and more recently during
your campaign for the Presidency. Among the issues that will, of
course, remain as high priorities on our common agenda will be
those that contribute to the growth of U.S.-Armenia relations,
Armenia’s economic development, and Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh’s
security. We welcome your commitment to expanding bilateral
commercial, political, military, and cultural relations, and are
eager to work with you to increase U.S.-Armenia trade and
investment levels and to expand our development assistance
programs, through the FREEDOM Support Act, the Millennium Challenge
Account, and other avenues. We place, as well, a very high
priority on U.S. leadership in lifting the Turkish and Azerbaijani
economic blockades of Armenia and in ending the exclusion of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh from regional commercial and
infrastructure projects.

In terms of ensuring a durable regional peace, we echo your call
for a Nagorno Karabagh settlement that respects democracy and self-
determination and encourage you to ensure that these principles
serve as the pillars of any agreement. As you know, a vital key to
peace, in Nagorno Karabagh and around the world, is direct
dialogue. For this reason, we encourage elimination of all
artificial barriers to U.S.-Nagorno Karabagh contacts,
communication, and other means of increasing our level of mutual
understanding. With Azerbaijan’s President once again threatening
war, as recently as in his New Year’s message, it is more important
than ever for the United States to strengthen the current
ceasefire, to work through the OSCE process to secure the
commitment of all parties to the disavowal of force, and, as a
matter of high priority for our government, to take concrete steps
to prevent a renewed war in the South Caucasus. Our ability to
advance these and our nation’s many other interests in this
strategically pivotal region would be substantially enhanced by a
concerted effort on the part of our government to expand U.S.-
Armenia relations.

Working with you and your White House, Department of State, and
Pentagon staffs on all of these issues, we will, as you stated in
your remarks this past January 19th, "build, in new and exciting
ways, upon the enduring ties and shared values that have bound
together the American and Armenian peoples for more than a
century."

Thank you for your consideration of the priorities we have raised
in this letter and for your years of friendship with the Armenian
American community. The enthusiastic and broad-based support the
Obama-Biden ticket received from Armenian Americans during the
campaign, including endorsements from all our leading civic groups
and newspapers, reflects our community’s confidence in your
leadership and ardent support for the real change that you have
pledged in how our government acts on all these issues.

We join together in warmly welcoming your victory and look forward
to working with your Administration. In this spirit, we stand
ready to meet with you to discuss these issues in greater detail
and also to address the challenges facing our nation both at home
and abroad.

Sincerely,

Apostolic Exarchate for Armenian Catholics
Armenian Bar Association
Armenian Evangelical Union of North America
Armenian General Benevolent Union
Armenian International Women’s Association
Armenian Missionary Association of America
Armenian National Committee of America
Armenian Relief Society
Armenian Rights Council of America
Armenian Youth Federation
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern U.S.)
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Western U.S.)
Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural & Education Association
Homenetmen Armenian General Athletic Union
Knights of Vartan
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church (Eastern U.S.)
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church (Western U.S.)
Tekeyan Cultural Association, Inc.
United Armenian Fund
U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee

ARMENIA TO HOLD EVENTS DEDICATED TO 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOVIET TROOPS WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.01.2009 14:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Defense Ministry’s commission on
organization and conduction of events dedicated to the 20th anniversary
of withdrawal of soviet troops from Afghanistan discussed Tuesday
the list of events, including an exhibit, meetings of veterans and
students of military schools.

According to Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, such events
promote military and patriotic education of the young generation.

‘ARMAVIA’ AIR COMPANY TO DIRECT A LETTER TO ICAO TO REVISE THE DISTANCE OF THE AIR SEPARATION OF AIRPLANES

ArmInfo
2009-01-14 00:52:00

ArmInfo. ‘Armavia’ air company will direct a letter to ICAO to revise
the distance of the air separation of airplanes, director of air
staff of Armavia Migran Khachatryan told journalists today. He also
added such a position of the company is conditioned by the discomfort
situation happened during Sochi-Yerevan flight implemented by A-320
airplane of Armavia on 11 January, when the airplane found itself
in the airscrew slipstream of the oncoming airplane A-380 which was
implementing Dubai-New-York flight. As a result of which the airplane
of the Armavia was tilted to the left on the angle 45 degrees. The
incident lasted for 18 seconds. Khachatryan said that the distance
between the airplanes was not less than the norm – 30 km horizontally
and 300 m vertically. ‘Earlier the minimally admissible vertical
distance was 600 m, but because of growing of the rate of fights
they had to reduce the distance. If the present standards do not pull
through such incidents, the standard distance should be increased’,
– Khachatryan concluded.

HERITAGE FOUNDATION INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM RANKS ARMENIA 31ST OF 183

ARKA
Jan 13, 2009

YEREVAN, January 13. /ARKA/. Armenia’s economic freedom score is 69.9,
making its economy the 31st freest in the 2009 Index of Economic
Freedom released by the Heritage Foundation (USA). The country’s
overall score remains unchanged from 2007. Armenia is ranked 18th
freest among the 43 countries in the Europe region, and its score
puts it above the world average.

Armenia rates significantly higher than the average country in eight
of the 10 freedoms.

Specifically, the country shows the following indices: business freedom
83.7%; trade freedom 86.4%; fiscal freedom 90%; government size 89.7%;
monetary freedom 77.8%; investment freedom 70%; financial freedom 70%;
property rights 35%; freedom from corruption 30%; labor freedom 66.3%.

According to the Index, commercial regulations are flexible and
relatively simple in the country. Low tax rates and moderate government
spending contribute to an impressive degree of fiscal freedom. There
are few restrictions on foreign investment, and banking is wholly
private and well regulated.

On the other hand, widespread corruption and weak protection
of property rights reduce Armenia’s overall level of economic
freedom.

ARMENIAN CHESS YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM LEADER IN TIGRAN PETROSIAN COMMEMORATIVE TOURNAMENT

NOYAN TAPAN

Jan 12, 2009
MOSCOW

In the seventh tour of Tigran Petrosian International Youth
Commemorative Tournament being held in Moscow representative of Armenia
Karen Grigorian defeated Gleb Aprishko (Russia) and remains at the
top of the tournament table with 6.6 points. Robert Hovhannisian
defeated Sergei Vdovin (Russia) and concludes the leading three with
5.5 points. And Zozan Shakrian lost the game and has 2.2 points.

In the team competition Armenia’s national team has gained 14.5 out
of 21 possible points and is in the lead.

‘Gazprom’ offers assistance to Georgia in elimination of accident on
gas pipeline

2009-01-10 12:20:00

ArmInfo. "Gazprom" offered assistance to Georgia in elimination of the
accident on the gas pipeline to recover Armenia’s gas supply, deputy
Head of the Information Policy Department of "Gazprom" OJSC Igor
Volobuyev told journalists.

According to him, Georgia suspended transit of the Russia gas to
Armenia on Friday. The Georgian party explains the suspension by
"carrying out of accident recovery work for elimination of the revealed
damages on 43,4-66 km section of the main gas pipeline
"Kazakh-Saguramo". "In view of this, "Gazprom" OJSC and "ArmRusgazprom"
CJSC sent a proposal to the Gas Transport Company to render an
immediate assistance in elimination of the accident consequences for
prompt recovery of gas supply to Armenia", Volobuyev said.