Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Leading Article: Darfur: Action not words

Guardian Leader

The Guardian/UK
11 Sept 2004

America’s declaration that genocide is taking place in Sudan has
injected fresh urgency – and controversy – into the international
debate about what the UN unhesitatingly calls the world’s worst
humanitarian crisis. It was only to be expected that the Khartoum
government would reject the charge, but there has also been a lukewarm
response elsewhere to Colin Powell’s statement to the Senate foreign
relations committee. The US secretary of state says genocide is
taking place on the basis of evidence that black African villagers
in Darfur are being targeted with the specific intent of destroying
“a group in whole or part”. Human rights organisations have welcomed
the shift. Britain’s official response is that grave crimes are
being committed by the government-backed Janjaweed Arab militias and
that the UN should mount an urgent investigation. Is this a case of
diplomatic sensibilities masking a brutal truth? Is it right to have
reservations about using the G word?

Situations previously characterised as genocide include the Turkish
massacre of 1.5 million Armenians during the first world war and,
less controversially, the Nazis’ extermination of six million Jews
in the second world war, when the term was coined from the Greek
word genos (race or tribe) with the Latin word cide (to kill). It
has been widely applied to Pol Pot’s Cambodia of the 1970s and made
bloody reappearances in Rwanda in 1994 and in the aftermath of the
wars of the Yugoslavian succession. Slobodan Milosevic, the former
Serbian president, is facing a genocide charge at the Hague war crimes
tribunal. Radislav Krstic, a Bosnian Serb general, was convicted of
genocide for his role in the Srebrenica massacre of 7,000 Muslim men
and boys.

Sudanese officials will admit to nothing more than a humanitarian
crisis created by ethnic strife and have contemptuously accused Mr
Powell of seeking black votes in the forthcoming US pres idential
election. Khartoum also argues that the intervention will undermine
delicate peace negotiations with Darfur rebel groups in Nigeria. Most
of the facts, though, are indisputable: 50,000 people have died since
February 2003 and over a million have been displaced. Aid workers
yesterday reported a new mass influx of refugees into one camp in
southern Darfur. Harrowing images have been on our TV screens for
long enough to fuel demands for something that goes beyond agonised
handwringing and ineffective quiet diplomacy

It is true that behind the debate in the US lies guilt about
the shameful failure to act when the first reports of genocide
emerged from Rwanda a decade ago. That is only natural. The genocide
characterisation may also be intended to galvanise the international
community -though targeted sanctions such as an assets freeze and a
travel ban on senior Sudanese officials would be more effective than
the oil embargo currently being proposed by Washington. That is opposed
by China, an importer of Sudanese oil and a security council member,
as well as by Pakistan and Algeria. And there is the familiar dilemma
that such sanctions are a notoriously blunt instrument, as the Iraqi
experience taught. But urgent though the crisis is, Washington and
London are still not trying the sort of heavy-duty arm-twisting they
tried when seeking a second UN resolution authorising war on Saddam.

Mr Powell’s intervention puts the US a step ahead of the EU, which
says it wants a UN investigation. But the real question is not about
a dictionary definition of genocide. No one can claim that Sudan
is not experiencing a terrible human tragedy. As Oxfam has been
warning in appeals for help to save lives: time is short and people
are dying. Recognising the scale of human suffering is a prerequisite
to action. Words, however resonant, are not enough.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

September 10, 2004
____________________

EXPLORING ARMENIA INSPIRES A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL
Reflections on the Fund for Armenian Relief’s Trip to Armenia and
Karabagh

By Laura Kostin

In the weeks leading up to the Young Professionals Trip, I was full of
anticipation and longing. I was finally making the journey I had dreamed
of all my life. But, as I packed up my suitcase, I suddenly felt
terrified. I wasn’t afraid of flying or traveling far from home. It
wasn’t anything simple like that. In fact, it wasn’t really fear at
all. It was anxiety and insecurity. You see, I’m only half Armenian. I
don’t speak Armenian. And before this trip, I didn’t have many friends
in the community or any tangible connection to the country. I was a bit
of misfit. But, little did I know, my life was about to change.

When I arrived at JFK, I spotted two girls lugging suitcases across the
parking lot. I knew immediately that they were Armenian. I wondered
whether these girls would like me or if I’d be an outcast. As I waited
online at the check-in counter, I looked over the list of people I’d be
traveling with. As I expected, I didn’t know anyone. Then, I saw that
my name was the only one without an “i-a-n” at the end. It stuck out.
I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I didn’t belong.

After checking in, I introduced myself to Edina (from FAR) and her
husband Michael. Edina was warm and reassuring. I was so grateful for
her kindness. I soon learned there were a few other people who didn’t
speak Armenian on the trip. I was relieved—at least I wasn’t the only
one. At the gate our group assembled, introduced themselves and made
small talk. Everyone was extremely friendly and very eager to get to
know each other. Soon enough, my spirits began to lift. When we boarded
the plane all 20 of us were virtually strangers, but we made our way
halfway across the world, together.

We arrived at Zvartnots airport around midnight. We were exhausted, but
at the same time we were full of yearning. We boarded our bus and made
our way to our hotel. Along the way, we strained to see what we could
of our Motherland through the darkness. Finally, in our hotel room, my
roommate Marla and I opened our window. We hung our heads out to breathe
the air, to hear the sounds of the street and stare into the blackness.
We were finally here. We couldn’t believe it, and we could barely wait
till morning.

After breakfast at the hotel, we departed for our first excursion. We
were to see the pagan temple of Garni and the monastery of Geghard. On
the way, we stopped at a set of stairs by the roadside. The stairs led
to a stone archway. Arto, our guardian, father figure and guide urged
us off the bus. We followed his direction and climbed the steps. What
lay beyond took our breath away. It was our beautiful Ararat. The
mountain we’d waited all our lives to see. We could barely move. We
were mesmerized.

We continued on to Garni and Geghard. We were blown away by Gegard’s
stunning beauty. We walked through ancient stone chambers and passages.
Then, we found ourselves in a room with a waterfall. The water
collected in a pool that we learned was also used for baptisms. Through
this church over 1,000 years old, flowed a living spring! One by one,
we put our lips to the water and drank in our past.

Once we arrived back in Yerevan, we set out to explore the city. Seeing
Republic Square for the first time filled us with awe. We took pictures
from every angle. The architecture, the fountains, the people, the
energy… it was electric. There were celebrations in the Square that
night. Music was everywhere. We watched as girls danced in traditional
Armenian dress and singers performed on stage. A short time later, as
we sat down for our first dinner together, a series of loud bangs sent
us rushing to the street. There, fireworks exploded in the darkness
around us. We hugged in the road and stared at the sky.

Yerevan is an extraordinary city. Art is everywhere. Beautiful
sculptures are all around. There are quaint cafés, elegant restaurants,
beautiful shops and flowering gardens. We went out of our way to speak
to people we passed on the city streets. We may have seemed silly and
maybe even a little nosy. But we had come so far and we were so curious
about their lives.

Not all of our trips were cheerful, some of them were solemn. Like the
one we took to the Genocide memorial. Though we knew it would bring us
pain, and sadness and an overwhelming sense of loss, we were drawn
there. My grandfather was one of our family’s only survivors. He never
had the chance to lay a flower or pay final respects to the family he
lost. So I did it. I did it for him, and for our family. I called my
mother to tell her I had gone to see the eternal flame. I listened as
she wept. Through her tears, she recounted the story of our family. A
story I’ve heard too many times to count. But I know she needed to tell
me again. And even though the story is heart wrenching and even though
I know the ending, I listened. I will never forget. That’s part of
reason I came to Armenia. To date, I am the only family member to ever
to travel to Armenia. I came to reclaim what had been misplaced in our
family. To rekindle a dialog with Armenia… one that had been
interrupted by too much pain and the passage of far too much time. I
suspect I’m not the only one in our group who came to Armenia for these
reasons.

Over the next few days, we began to learn more about Armenia, its people
and its challenges. Armenia has withstood a series of severe economic
shocks. The devastating earthquake of December 7, 1988 killed more than
25,000 people and made hundreds of thousands homeless. A short time
later in 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrated. Though Armenia
ultimately gained its independence, the Soviet Union’s decline brought
an abrupt end to the communist system. Soviet investment in Armenia
slowed to a trickle, government paychecks ceased to come in and the
economy all but ground to a halt. Though Armenia has undergone an
economic rebirth in recent years, the current blockades along the
Turkish and Azeri borders are major drags on the economy. The blockages
essentially prevent the flow of goods into and out of Armenia and make
trade very difficult.

Though Armenia faces challenges, everywhere we went we saw hope and we
saw progress. We saw new roads being built and new housing being
constructed. We saw holy sites being restored and our beautiful churches
lovingly cared for. We also got to see some of FAR’s amazing projects.

One of most impressive places we saw was the FAR Children’s Reception
and Orientation Center which provides housing and medical care to
Armenia’s homeless street children. Not only were the facilities
wonderful, but the staff was caring, passionate and devoted. It was
touching to see how deeply FAR cared for the welfare of the children.

We saw more of FAR’s splendid work in Gyumri, a city still recovering
the massive 1988 quake. The Ounjian School featured modern classrooms,
new computers and very a cheerful atmosphere. Inside the school, there
was an air of hope and opportunity for the children of Gyumri, children
who have seen an unbelievable amount of hardship and devastation.

Our journey took us to some truly spectacular places. We spent a night
on glistening Lake Sevan, we climbed into St. Gregory’s pit in Khor
Virap and we traveled to the remote Gandzasar Monastery in
Nagorno-Karabagh, where the head of St. John the Baptist is believed to
rest beneath the altar. We even made a pilgrimage to holy Etchmiadzin.
During Badarak, the cathedral echoes with the voices of the faithful.
It really was a magical experience.

Before I took this unbelievable trip, Armenia was a place I thought
about when I looked backward. It was a place I associated with my
family’s tragic past, and with loved ones like my grandfather who are
gone. But Armenia is no longer behind me. It’s now part of my present
and my future. The truth is Armenia’s arms are wide open to the
children who care enough to seek her out and embrace her. She opened
herself to me and I’m no longer a misfit.

FAR’s trip provides the ideal opportunity for young professionals
between the ages of 23 and 40 to travel to Armenia and Karabagh as a
group. Participants do more than just see the country’s sites. They
learn about Armenia’s place in the world – her religious, political and
economic heritage – and engage government and religious leaders in
official state visits.

FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 15 years, FAR has
implemented various relief, development, social, educational, and
cultural projects valued at more than $250 million. It remains the
preeminent Diasporan organization operating in Armenia.

For more information about next year’s Young Professionals Trip or to
send donations, interested persons should contact the Fund for Armenian
Relief at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone (212)
889-5150, fax (212) 889-4849; , [email protected].

— 9/10/04

E-mail photo available upon request.

PHOTO CAPTION: The 2004 Young Professionals Trip participants pause in
front of Ararat during their tour of Armenia and Karabagh.

# # #

Azg Armenian Daily
Sept 8 2004

“INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IS USED BY ONE STATE TO INFLUENCE THE OTHER”

“SHUSHI SHOULD BECOME THE CAPITAL”, CITIZENS ASSURE

ARMENIAN ARCHITECTURE TOGETHER WITH THE WORLD’S ARCHITECTURE

131 TREES TO DISAPPEAR IN 10 DAYS OR ANOTHER SYMBOLIC TREE PLANTING
ACTION

BUSINESSMEN BETTER PROTECTED THAN STATE OFFICIALS

*********************************************************************

“INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IS USED BY ONE STATE TO INFLUENCE THE OTHER”

Turkish Secret Agent Claims

The heinous terrorist act of Beslan shook the world whereas the inept
actions of the Russian military forces for releasing the hostages
aroused peoples’ indignation with president Vladimir Putin not only
in the North Ossetia but also in Russia as a whole.

Any terrorist act with such a number of victims usually appears in
the international spotlight. And the response of different states
depends on the motivations they pursue.

The same was true for the Beslan terrorist act. Vladimir Putin
responded to the American condemnation as regards the number of
killed hostages saying: “No one has the right to tell us to go on
talks with filicides. Why don’t you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him
to Brussels or White House and don’t ask him what he wants and meet
his wishes.” Putin also blamed the USA for holding Russia back from
the fight against Chechen terrorists.

In the last issue of Azg Daily we wrote that Turkey assumes that
coming US elections, the Great Middle East Project and the troubles
that Putin’s visit of Turkey could have caused America could be
enough for the USA to take that step.

The Turkish responses are supplemented with those of the Arabian. The
Jordan Dustur newspaper published an article in its September 6 issue
entitled “Don’t the Jewish bandits stand behind Beslan slaughter?”
George Haddad, author of the article writes that no organization
fighting for high ideas ever held children as a hostage. He reminds
of the Jewish groups that are furious over Putin’s administration and
support the Chechen rebels. He says that those people gained central
positions in Russia during former president Boris Yeltsin’s reign and
were taking key decisions in the government.

Then the author adds: “Those Jewish bandits that gathered wealth on
the Russian money couldn’t avoid taxes anymore with Putin coming to
power. Their Khodorkovsky is in prison at present. The Jewish
Berezovsky and Vladimir Gusinsky are the members of the same gang.”
The former is a citizen of Israel and England, the latter of Israel
and the USA. Both of them are thieves who fled Russia. It’s
interesting that after Putin’s clash with the Jewish gang the
Zionistic mass media of the West began blaming the Russian president
of dictatorship and stalinism. It shows that the primary goal of the
Jewish gang is to defile Putin and make the impression that he is
unable to rule the country and to secure the Russian nation. The
Israeli PM Sharon’s statement that “Israel is ready to support Russia
in its war against terror” is nothing but a cunning step to disorient
president Putin”.

In other words, the Jordan newspaper ascribes the Beslan terrorist
act to Jews with their attempt to besmirch Putin. The Turkish
Terdjuman newspaper’s September 6 issue writes about the response of
Byulent Orakoghlu, former deputy director of the Security
Administration of Turkey.

According to this Turkish publication Orakoghlu traces the terrorist
act back to the Middle East policy of USA, Israel and the UK. In this
case the Chechen terrorists appear as tools in the hands of world
powers. Orakoghlu continues: “The claims that the world is monopolar
proved false by the terrorist act. The 9/11 occurred in the USA.
Beslan terrorist act was Russia’s 9/11. The Chechens could scarcely
be able to carry out such an attack by themselves. Things like
relations between rival states and national interests play important
role in such acts. The international terrorism is used by one state
to influence the other. That was the case with Beslan.”

Orakoghlu closes up saying: “We must be well aware that Turkey is
risking to stir up the USA’s and England’s confrontation in case it
draws closer to Russia. But good ties with America and Israel will
make it a target for the international terrorism”.

By Hakob Chakrian

*********************************************************************

“SHUSHI SHOULD BECOME THE CAPITAL”, CITIZENS ASSURE

The Ruined Shushi

The distance form Stepanakert, capital of Karabakh, to Shushi is only
11 km but the towns are very different. After the lively Stepanakert
Shushi leaves a painful impression. It has been already 12 years that
the war ended but the town still lies in ruins. The gardens and the
forest that covers the town as a web are the only delight. The cool
air and mountains are perfect for health resorts. Before the war
there were 10 resorts in the town but today there is no sign of them.
The bombed out, demolished buildings are everywhere. Some
semi-destroyed buildings are inhabited.

The population of Shushi today reaches 4 thousand. Those are people
of Karabakh that lost their homes during the war, refugees from
Sumgait or Armenians from Armenia. “Those who have nothing they come
to Shushi. If the buildings are rebuilt more people will come”, a
citizen said.

John Tevosian who lost his wife in Sumgait is leading a life of a
vagrant living on his pension. There are many people like him in the
town. John tells that those who came from Azerbaijan are the poorest
here. They are the ones most frequently met at the churchyards
begging and ransacking the litter-bins. The old man was complaining
of the officials who are good at promising but do nothing after being
elected.

Besides the refugees Shushi gives shelter to many outlaws. A teenager
confessed that they hide in Shushi from police. Once famous ancient
Armenian town of Arshakavan was also inhabited with outlaws such as
slaves and debtees by the order of Arshak II. Then Arshakavan became
a big town.

But Shushi is still a dead town. Many of Shushi citizens think that
the town will flourish only if it becomes the capital. The mayor of
Stepanakert Eduard Aghabekian agrees with them. “That would be a
right decision from political point of view. I think that the
parliament or at least one of the ministries must be moved here”, he
explained.

The Armenian Evangelic Church and the Union of Armenian Dentists of
Ottawa are the ones that undertake reconstruction programs. The party
of Dashnaktsutyun is looking forward to building a hotel in Shushi.
The Pan-Armenian Congress declared Shushi reconstruction a primary
issue but there were no concrete suggestions, projects or business
plans.

Sevak Artsruni, head of the Shushi Fund, was the only optimistic
person. He said that investments for Shushi reconstruction are just
starting. A project for Shushi reconstruction should be made to draw
investors’ attention.

Shushi with its natural inaccessibility was a fortress for ancient
Varanda region people and today also it should be viewed a strategic
town for Artsakh’s security.

By Karine Danielian

*********************************************************************

ARMENIAN ARCHITECTURE TOGETHER WITH THE WORLD’S ARCHITECTURE

David Hutson, American Architect from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is
chosen the architect for the edifice of “Gerard Gafeschian” Modern
Art Museum that is to be built in Cascade. He is the author of UN
Office in New York, Museum of African Art in Manhattan, the dwelling
place of the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. By the
initial plan of the museum the main framed sights of the museum will
be the monument Mother Armenia and Ararat. The symbol of the museum a
glass tower will hover over the general view. Gerard Gafeschian’s
glass collection will be exhibited in this tower.

John Waters, Deputy Director of Gafeschian foundation, introduced
David Hutson to the Armenian journalists at one of the halls of
Cascade on September 7. The architect represented the plan of the
building in details. The project will cost $25 million, the
construction works will last about two years. Afterwards, a unique
art museum will open in Yerevan. The museum will include the glass
collection of Gerard Gafeschian, the glass pieces by Stanislav
Libensky and Yaroslav Brikhtova, as well as the pieces by the most
prominent artists of the XX century.

“When being a student I was greatly impressed by Armenian
architecture, by its clear and strong lines. I noticed how carefully
and skillfully the Armenian architects used Armenian tuff. The basis
of the museum will be built of Armenian tuff, while the architectural
forms will resemble the ones of the Armenian architecture,” David
Hutson said.

It’s worth reminding that no Armenian architect participate in the
competition announced by “Gafeschian” museum foundation, as they
don’t master the contemporary technologies applied in the world’s
architecture.

John Waters said that their main goal was to bring the best of the
world to Armenia and to represent the best of Armenia to the world.

By Ruzan Poghosian

*********************************************************************

131 TREES TO DISAPPEAR IN 10 DAYS OR ANOTHER SYMBOLIC TREE PLANTING
ACTION

Alley dedicated to 131 Armenian Catholicoses in the yard of the
Cathedral of St. Grigor the Illuminator’s does not exist any more.
All the 131 trees disappeared in ten days.

The idea of planting an alley in the memory of the Catholicoses
initially occurred to Ara Gevorgian, composer. “I wanted to plant a
park dedicated to our Catholicoses. Karekin II approved my suggestion
and he gave his consent. We chose the territory near St. Gregory
Illuminator’s Cathedral. I began arranging the matter with the
community’s administration, deciding what kind of trees should be
planted and who will take care of them afterwards. The settlement of
all these issues a bit delayed the planting. Then a company decided
to carry out the plan. I have planted a tree myself,” Ara Gevorgian
told.

“Noyan Arg” benevolence ecology company implemented the planting. On
April 17 131 blue spruces were planted on the both sides of the
church’s entrance. The church representatives blessed the spruces and
planted them together with the people. Then all the participants
received references, which pointed out their names, and the names of
the Catholicos the planted tree bore. The mass media shot especially
our Ecology Minister when planting a tree.

“Planting was implemented together with RA Ecology Ministry with
direct assistance of the minister. By they decision we were given
blue spruces and we planted the alley dedicated to the memory of 131
Armenian Catholicoses,” Ghazar Mirzoyan, Chairman of “Noyan Arg”
ecology benevolence company. It is not clear who was to take care of
the trees after planting. According to Ghazar Mirzoyan, in 10-15 days
the alley disappeared as the 80 % of the expensive trees were stolen,
while the rest just got dried. “We didn’t think that one can stole
something from the church’s yard. If we fancied that we would arrange
the issue of preserving the trees,” Mirzoyan says.

In reply to the comments of Mirzoyan, Father Sahak Shakarian, priest
at the Cathedral, insisted: “Not a single tree was stolen. We have a
guard service. The spruces got dried. The company that implemented
the planting of the alley wasn’t responsible enough. We had warned
preliminarily that we have problems with water supply and 131 trees
can’t be easily watered. They said that they will solve the issue, so
the trees were planted. I participated in the planting myself and I
feel shame that no tree survived. Very soon we will have our water
supply network and we will by all means plant the alley again.”

Usually, when organizing a planting, one should get arranged all the
issues with the company that is responsible for planting activities
in the given community. “Noyan Arg” company had no arrangements both
with “Planting” CJSC at Yerevan City Administration or with “Kentron
Planting” CJSC. Mirzoyan pointed out that initially they were ready
to take care of the trees until they arrange everything with the
community’s administration. The alley disappeared in that very
initial period. While the chairman of the company merely regrets
about the fact. “We feel so sorry that the alley doesn’t exist any
longer but we will certainly plant new trees and make a new alley.”

By Aghavni Eghiazarian,

*********************************************************************

BUSINESSMEN BETTER PROTECTED THAN STATE OFFICIALS

“Armenia is not the only country where the bodyguards of the state
officials yield in number and qualification to the ones protecting
the private sectors,” Dmitri Fonarov, head the Union of Russian Body
Guards and the International League of Body Guards, said in the
interview to Azg Daily. This happens mainly because of money. “If a
budget is set up for a state official, each citizen can hire as many
body guards as he wishes,” he said.

Robert Nazarian, head of Armenian National League of Body Guards and
Caucasian representative of the International League of Body Guards,
said that 200-300 bodyguards are working in Armenia at present. Mr.
Nazarian said that he doesn’t want to call the amateur bodyguards.
The bodyguards don’t differ from a common citizen in how they look.
The most important thing is that they should be professionally
prepared.

Robert Nazarian evaluated satisfactory the results of the body guard
competition held in Yerevan on September 4-7. Dmitri Fonarov
evaluated less than satisfactory. This was the first competition
organized in Armenia and there were some organizational drawbacks.

By Tamar Minasian

*********************************************************************

No small talent

Ventura County Star, CA
Sept 8 2004

Nick Noroian is comfortable with his height — and the ribbing from
teammates — because he’s proven he can stand tall on the football
field

By Joe Curley, [email protected]
September 8, 2004

The Stump. The Load. The Cinderblock with Feet. Nick Noroian has
heard plenty of ’em throughout his football career.

But it is the nickname that his Cal Lutheran University football
teammates and coaches have given him that he admits to being his
favorite.

” ‘4×4’ has to be the best,” said Noroian. “Everyone just seems to
get a kick out of it.”

Like many Kingsmen football players, 4×4 — nicknamed so because he’s
“4 feet tall and 4 feet wide” –is a former two-way prep football
star with an affinity for both the game and his studies.

It’s that he happens to be a 5-foot-4, 230-pound starting defensive
tackle that has him on his way to being a cult hero on the Thousand
Oaks campus.

“It’s been something I’ve had to deal with my whole life,” said
Noroian. “It’s no big deal for me.”

Such dimensions don’t fit the stereotype of an athlete, but Noroian
is fit as a fiddle. He can bench press 340 pounds and he can squat
press 550 pounds. CLU coaches say he’s one of the quickest players on
the team over 10 yards.

And his ability to take a little ribbing from teammates is world
class. He understands that his height just happens to be in the cards
that he’s been dealt, it doesn’t have to be the hand that he plays.

“I’m a big guy, but I’m short,” said Noroian. “I embrace it.

“I don’t have any regrets at all. I can’t. I’m too busy in my life to
worry about being taller.”

Noroian is the shortest member of his Armenian and Swiss family,
including his two sisters, Nicole and Noel. He hasn’t grown since
middle school, when he took a turn as the center on the basketball
team.

“But his size has always been something he’s been able to tackle,”
said Noroian’s father, Chuck, who is 5-8, 280 pounds.

This “4×4” is multipurpose. In his final high school game in Salinas,
the 2001 CIF-Central Coast Section Division I championship game, he
ran for 142 yards and a touchdown as a halfback while piling up eight
tackles, two sacks and an interception at linebacker.

“That was the best game I’ve ever played,” said Noroian.

Listening to Jeff Carnazzo, Noroian’s high school coach at Palmas
High in Salinas, it sounds like Noroian was the smallest, yet biggest
piece of a developing prep football dynasty on the Central Coast.

“He’s a surprise, because when you look at him physically, you don’t
expect what you get out of him,” said Jeff Carnazzo, Noroian’s high
school coach. “But, simply put, I would say he’s the most gutsy
player to come out of this area, the Central Coast, in ages.”

Salinas is a place known for John Steinbeck and the agricultural
industry, but lately it’s become a hotbed for prep football. Palmas
won its first two Division I sectional titles when Noroian was a
junior and senior. The Chieftains won it again this past year, making
it three titles in five seasons.

They even scheduled Bay Area power Concord-De La Salle this season,
in hopes of becoming the team to break the national-record 12-year
winning streak, which ended last weekend in Washington.

“Nick was the player who took his team and carried it on his
shoulders,” said Carnazzo. “He’s set the tone for this program. We
won it again last year and I attribute it a lot to him.”

His highlight film is a classic. It includes plays like “The Mole
Pass,” Noroian’s halfback pass, and games like the time against
Gilroy when he missed the first half with an sprained ankle and came
off the bench to rush for 150 yards in the second half.

“It’s some of the most amazing video that you’ll ever see,” said
Carnazzo. “It’s filled with him bowling over kids (on offense) and
stopping kids behind the line of scrimmage (on defense).

“I stick that tape in and watch it when we’ve got our kids in here. I
say, ‘Watch Nick, this is what we want out of you.’ ”

Carnazzo used it to sell programs like UC Davis, Sacramento State and
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on his star. But when it came time to put
pen to paper, the assistant coaches retreated, saying they couldn’t
make a scholarship commitment to a 5-foot-4 football player. Several
Division III teams, including local school Menlo College, recruited
Noroian, who chose CLU because of his interest in social sciences. He
plans on becoming a teacher and coach.

“He’s got a place in my heart,” said Carnazzo, “I’ll tell you this,
someday he’s going to take over for me here as the head coach. But I
wouldn’t be surprised to see him coach at a higher level.”

Rehabilitation from a knee injury slowed him as a freshman at CLU. As
a reserve linebacker last year, he scored one of CLU’s two defensive
touchdowns on a fumble recovery.

One of the first phone calls new defensive line coach Damon Tomeo,
formerly a graduate assistant at Arizona, made when he was hired
during the summer was to Noroian. As coaches are likely to do at a
fresh job, Tomeo had been scouting his own team and had a glimpse
into the future. He knew he needed a veteran defensive tackle.

“We had a hole and we wanted it filled by a veteran,” said Tomeo.
“Nick is a natural football player. He’s the epitome of what we’ve
got here. Guys that want to play hard, want to win games and do well
in school at the same time. It’s just all rolled in a smaller package
than we normally have.”

Tomeo asked Noroian if he was willing to make a move towards the line
of scrimmage, from linebacker to the defensive line.

“I just told him it was something I was willing to do,” said Noroian.
“Anything to help the team.”

The CLU defensive line has been an important part of the program in
recent years. The Kingsmen led the SCIAC in sacks last season (30)
and defensive end Quinn Longhurst led the conference individually
with 11.

“It’s an honor. We have some guys that are really good on this line,”
said Noroian. “The toughest thing about the transition has just been
putting my hand on the ground and getting out of my stance. It’s been
a change for me.”

But there was no concern on the coaching staff that a 5-foot-4 body
wouldn’t hold up at the point of attack? The undersized defensive
tackle on film must look like a giant bullseye for opposing coaches
to target.

“He’s an athlete. You’d be amazed at the plays he’s capable of
making,” said Tomeo. “He understands body positioning and leverage.
He maximizes his (size) and effort on every play. His tenacity and
relentlessness is off the charts. He just won’t quit.”

CLU tailback Charlie Brown, who has gone up against Noroian in plenty
of drills during training camp, can attest to his ability to get the
job done.

“I’ll be in a hole and I’ll just get blindsided by him,” said Brown.
“He’ll come out of nowhere.”

Brown’s words serve fair warning to CLU’s opponents — overlook this
“4×4” and prepare to be blindsided.

,1375,VCS_137_3167393,00.html

Azeri opposition leader accuses government of defeatist policy

Assa-Irada
3 Sep 04

Baku, 3 September: A round table on “Repression of the Karabakh lovers
and the public attitude” was held today at the headquarters of the
[opposition] People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party [PFAP, reformers wing].

PFAP Chairman and MP Ali Karimli condemned the arrest of the [Karabakh
Liberation Organization] KLO activists and said that giving the
go-ahead to Armenian officers’ planned visit to Azerbaijan was
tantamount to a defeatist policy vis-a-vis the enemy country. The
MP said that since Armenian aggression did not cause any problem
to cooperation with NATO, the denial of entry to several of this
country’s officers to Azerbaijan would not affect Azerbaijan’s
relations with NATO.

Karimli demanded on behalf of the public that the authorities give up
this policy and rule out any kind of cooperation with Armenia until
the latter pulled out of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories. He also
demanded that the authorities prevent officers of the occupation army
from attending international events held in Azerbaijan and release the
KLO activists who have been illegally convicted for expressing their
civic position. The PFAP chairman also said that it was important
that the media proceed from the national interests when covering the
KLO members’ arrest.

Azeri president becoming nominal leader – former pro-government editor

Azadliq, Baku
4 Sep 04

There have recently been reports that Karabakh’s fate is in danger. The
fact that the Azerbaijani government is not giving any information
about the peace talks and the activists of the Karabakh Liberation
Organization [KLO] have been illegally arrested shows that these
reports are serious. Mahal Ismayiloglu, former editor-in-chief of the
[state-run] newspaper Xalq Qazeti, is also concerned that the recent
happenings might be preparations for a defeatist agreement on Karabakh.

[Ismayiloglu] The great powers might be trying to ensure that
the Karabakh conflict is settled and a peace agreement is signed
so they are exerting pressure on Azerbaijan to accept their
conditions. [President] Ilham Aliyev’s next visit to France
can be related to the Karabakh issue as well. The Key West talks
[Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents’ talks in the USA in 2001] are
back on the agenda again with only minor changes and Ilham Aliyev
is being pressurized. The punishment of the KLO members is also
connected with this.

[Correspondent] How would you assess the conviction of the KLO members?

[Ismayiloglu] I have doubts about the national identity of Famil
Nasibov, the judge who tried and convicted the KLO members. What
is the nationality of the judge who sentenced those struggling with
Azerbaijan’s long-time pain? Does he have the right to live in this
country at all?

[Correspondent] What do you think about Ilham Aliyev’s attitude
towards this arrest?

[Ismayiloglu] He said that he allegedly had no idea about this. But it
was quite obvious that the trial was a farce and had been ordered. If
the head of state has no idea about this, then who was behind the
order? Why did the court issue a ruling that is against its will
and why did they ignore the spirit and identity of the Azerbaijani
people? Then of which people are you the president? If people who stand
to fight for your land act as mojahedin, maintain the fire that is
about to go out and are punished so severely, of which country are you
the leader? His behaviour resembles that of his father [ex-President
Heydar Aliyev]. If you remember, there used to be pressure on the
media and opposition leaders. After a while, he would say that he
had no information about what was going on. But then he said himself
that he had been watching news bulletins and reading newspapers. If
he had no information, what was he reading? Now Ilham Aliyev is using
the same methods. It seems that Ilham Aliyev has to use his father’s
old methods, as he cannot find one himself.

[Passage omitted: Ismayiloglu comments on developments around a
scientific arthritis centre]

[Correspondent] Then why does Ilham Aliyev, as the head of state,
allow these things to happen?

[Ismayiloglu] More and more Aliyev looks like the British queen or the
Norwegian king. I mean they [the British queen or the Norwegian king]
wield power only nominally.

Christian Iraqis mourn lives lost in Iraq church bombings
By Lori Arnold

ChristianTimes.com
Sept 2 2004

CHRISTIAN EXAMINER

EL CAJON, Calif. — After years of brutal unrest in their homeland,
the Christian Chaldean population was rocked again Aug. 1 when 11
Iraqi citizens were killed during five orchestrated attacks on
Christian churches in Mosul and Baghdad. Dozens were wounded.

In response, nearly 100 people attended a memorial meeting Aug. 4 at
the Chaldean American Association center, north of the city’s
downtown. El Cajon, Calif. is home to the second largest Chaldean
community in the nation, behind Detroit.

The observance opened with prayers recited by a visiting priest and
several deacons. The acapella chants of mourning, offered in the
Chaldean language, eventually gave rise to impassioned condemnations
of the civilian attacks.

“The land is now filled with terrorists, criminals, guns and havoc,”
interpreter Sami Banarji quoted Hanna Qalabat as saying.

“The land where law was first established has become a land of
lawlessness.”

Qalabat, who asked for mercy for the “martyrs who died in the
churches,” said despite the bloodshed, their resolve for a free Iraq
should remain strong.

“We’ve got to continue to fight these gangsters, no matter what
happens,” he said.

A few minutes into the event, with the arrival of several contingents
of Muslims–there to show solidarity through their own calls for
peace–the conversation switched to Arabic.

Alan Zangana, program director for Kurdish Human Rights Watch, said
that any attack on a place of worship is condemned by all.

“The ones that executed these people, they say they are Muslims, but
the Muslims disown them,” he said.

In a news release issued there, Zangana said that his group “condemns
any evil act committed toward innocent civilians. Citizens of Iraq
view Chaldeans, Assyrians and Armenians as brothers and sisters and
respect one another’s worship places and these criminal acts are not
accepted by all Iraqis from all different faiths.”

The perpetrators of such attacks, he said, should be “punished and
brought to justice.”

A call for unity
Sheikh Saeed, from Al-Madina Al-Munawara Mosque in El Cajon, offered
his own prayers of peace for the dead and recuperation for the
injured.

“The Iraqi people are all united, regardless of ethnicity or
religion,” he said. “We are only one family. There is no animosity,
no hostility. All parties are trying to live in peace, but these
criminals are trying to divide that unity.”

His statement also contained a stern warning for the terrorists.

“The more you execute these activities the more we’re going to stand
united,” he said, challenging the terrorists to cite the passage in
the Koran that commands use such measures.

“Where were you criminals when Saddam Hussein was killing or
terrorizing the people?”

Fears fulfilled
The church bombings underscored fears long held by Iraqi Christians,
whose numbers are estimated at 750,000. With the country’s new
government still in its infancy, missionary and evangelism groups are
keeping a careful eye on the situation.

Many Christians, Open Doors officials said, are feeling increased
persecution from Muslims who view Christians as American
sympathizers.

Even before the church bombings, Christian businesses were being
targeted for attacks, including liquor stores and fashion and beauty
shops.

As a result, Open Doors USA has ceased all training sessions
scheduled in that country, although materials targeting teens and
children are still being supplied. A new education center is to help
church leaders get together, while offering English and computer
classes. A mobile medical clinic is also being organized in one
extremely dangerous Iraqi city.

In the days before the change of power, Open Doors issued an alert
asking Western Christians to pray for a peaceful transition.

“Pray for the violence to come to an end and that the transition of
power will be smooth,” said Dr. Carl Moeller, president of Open Doors
USA. “Pray that Iraqi Christians and other Christians working and
serving in Iraq will be kept safe. And pray that Christians will be
allowed to worship our Lord in freedom as a new government is formed
later this year.”

Fleeing Iraq
Still, many Iraqi Christians, fearful of imminent attacks and uneasy
about the government’s ability to protect them, have fled to
neighboring Jordan and Syria.

Wissam Sagman, an Iraqi Christian living in his native country, told
reporters that he had already attempted unsuccessfully to leave the
country, fearing his family would not be safe. The attacks confirmed
his fears, he said standing in his living room, wrecked from a car
bomb attack on an Armenian church across the street.

“These people, they love blood. They hate humanity. They hate us,”
Sagman told Associated Press. “They want all the Christians to
leave.”

Sagman said he will continue his quest to leave the country.

“I feel despair now,” he said. “Only despair.”

Looking forward
Despite the fear and unrest in the Middle East, Dr. Labib Sultan, of
the locally based Organization for Civil Society in Iraq, speaking at
the El Cajon memorial event, stressed his longing for a peaceful
Iraq.

“We hope that we have a good solid future tomorrow for Iraq to build
new rights, the rights and the freedom to work, the freedom of
prayer, the freedom of speech. We have been dependent on all these
rights for years and years,” Sultan said, according to the
translator.

“The same guns that attacked the Christians, attacked the Muslims and
they attacked the Kurds up north and Muslims in the south. They claim
they are Muslims. They are followers of Saddam. The only thing is the
time and place is different.”

While much of the local discussion focused on verbal condemnation,
one speaker encouraged action. Words alone, Saleem Ibrahim of the
American Middle-Easter Christian Association said, will not bring
lasting peace.

“Be ambassadors of peace,” he said. “When things are tough, things
get solved. So the time is right for things to be solved. Do positive
actions, it’s not enough to just come and talk. Terrorism will not go
away unless we plan and think and educate people.”

For Banarji, the translator, he said the presence of Muslims at the
meeting was a sign of hope.

“They said condolences and condemned the whole thing,” Banarji said.

ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER RECEIVED GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA HAIKE PEITSCH

ArmenPress
Aug 31 2004

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS: Armenian prime minister Andranik
Margarian received today German ambassador to Armenia Ms. Haike
Peitsch. The prime minister congratulated the ambassador on handing
over her credentials in our country and wished her success in
her tenuret. The prime minister said that her participation in
Armenian-German economic forum even before taking up the post of
an ambassador indicates her interest in strengthening and further
developing Armenian-German ties which gives hope that the ambassador
will succeed in her endeavors.

Armenian government press services reported that both sides mentioned
that though German government implements a number of programs in
the Armenian economy, there are still wide opportunities to enlarge
cooperation both in political and economic fields between the two
countries.

Apart from bilateral partnership, the prime minister underscored
balanced economic policy within the region on the sidelines of
development projects implemented by Germany. Praising more active
economic and political involvement of European Union in the region,
the prime minister underscored cooperation with Germany also in the
context of European integration.

During the meeting the ambassador Haike Peitsch asked about Armenia’s
participation in NATO military exercises, to which the prime
minister answered that Armenia has expressed about its willingness
to participate, however, some political forces in Azerbaijan try
to impede that. According to prime minister, the news releases
indicate that Azerbaijani authorities have called for responsibility
the anti-Armenian protestors which shows that Azerbaijan is also
interested in Armenian participation in the military exercises.

At the end of the meeting, the sides assured readiness for joint work
to contribute to strengthening of Armenian-German relations.

Court in Azerbaijan sentences Nagorno-Karabakh activists to prison terms

Associated Press Worldstream
August 30, 2004 Monday 12:38 PM Eastern Time

BAKU, Azerbaijan — An Azerbaijani court on Monday handed down prison
sentences to six protesters arrested in June for causing disturbances
at a NATO forum attended by Armenian officers.

The defendants conviced by a court in the capital Baku are members
of the Organization for the Liberation of Karakbakh, a group that
opposes ethnic Armenian control over Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory
in Azerbaijan that has been disputed since a war that ended in a
decade ago.

The organization’s head, Famil Nasibov, was sentenced to five years
in prison, his deputy Firidum Mammadov to three years, while three
members of the group’s youth branch received four-year sentences.
Their lawyers said they will appeal.

The protesters pushed through police cordons, broke glass doors
and stormed into a conference hall in Baku’ Europe hotel where a
NATO forum was being held in June, calling on Azerbaijan to stop
negotiating with neighboring Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The protesters and hotel security guards suffered minor injuries in
the incident in the hotel and the meeting resumed in several minutes.

Armenian-backed forces took control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding
areas in a six-year war that killed some 30,000 people and drove
about a million from their homes.

A 1994 cease-fire has largely held, but no final settlement has been
reached, and the ongoing confrontation has hurt the economies of both
former Soviet republics.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are not NATO members, but both participate in
the alliance’s Partnership for Peace program.

Azeri opposition leaders say pressure group’s trial politically motivated

Turan news agency
30 Aug 04

BAKU

“The trial of Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) members has once
again demonstrated a lack of the independent judiciary in
Azerbaijan. Judges act like government officials and present political
orders as court rulings,” the leader of the Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal
Party (AMIP), Etibar Mammadov, told Turan today commenting on the
Nasimi district [Baku] court’s ruling on KLO leaders.

According to him, the authorities are trying to foil all possible
protests and crush the population by reducing it to the level of
slavery.

Etibar Mammadov is sure that the KLO members were sentenced on orders
from the head of the presidential administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev,
therefore, the sentence pronounced by Judge Famil Nasibov runs counter
to national interests.

The leader of the Musavat Party, Isa Qambar, believes that the court
ruling is a clear demonstration of the authorities’ attitude towards
their own people, especially towards those who fought in Karabakh.

Isa Qambar said the decision should be repealed and the activists
should be freed as soon as possible.

The leader of the PFAP [People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party]
“reformers”, Ali Karimli, described the court ruling as “unfounded and
politically motivated”. The authorities’ harsh treatment of KLO
members is aimed to “crush” the people’s will and lay the foundation
for the signing of “defeatist peace accords” with Armenia, Karimli
believes.

In his opinion, the Azerbaijani public should protest against the
decision.

The chairman of the Justice Party, Ilyas Ismayilov, also condemned the
court ruling.

“KLO members should not have been arrested in the first place, because
there was nothing illegal in their actions. I am in favour of their
release from custody as soon as possible,” he said.