Author: Harutyunian Christine

MOSCOW MAYOR NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FESTIVITIES TO YEREVAN

Panorama.am
14:13 09/10/06

Delegations from Moscow, Odesa, Minsk, Ajaria, Rostov-na-Donu and
Madagascar are going to pay visit to Yerevan on the occasion of
2788 anniversary of Yerevan, David Gevorgyan, external relations
and information department head at Yerevan municipality, told a
briefing today.

In his words, mayor of Moscow, Yuri Lujkov, is not going to visit
Yerevan this year. The Russian delegation will be headed by the
perfect of Northern region of the Russian capital. Prime Minister
Levan Varshalomidze will spearhead the delegation of Ajaria.

Gevorgyan mentioned that delegations from Marcel, Budapest and
Stavropol are also expected.

Reminder: Festivities dedicated to the 2788 anniversary of Yerevan
will take place on October 13-14. On October 13, an exhibition will be
held at the Museum of Yerevan History. Festivities will be held in all
communities of Yerevan. On the same day, at 14: 30 a photo contest –
festival under the title "Yerevan in my eyes" will be held in the lobby
of municipality. At 19:00 opening ceremony will be ceremonially held
at the Opera House. At 20:30 annual contest-festival will be held at
the Square of Freedom (Yerevan in My Songs).

A concert will be staged and salute shot on October 14 at 19:00
at sports-concert complex after Karen Demirchyan. At 22:00 festive
salutes will be held in all communities of Yerevan.

California Courier Online, October 12, 2006

1 – Commentary
Brief Comments on Many
Farcical Turkish Missteps
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

2 – Friends of UCLA Armenian Studies
Program Announce 2006-2007 Board
3 – Fresno School
Gets $50,000 From
Lincy Foundation
4 – Entries Sought for 8th Annual Film Festival in Fresno
5- 2006 ARPA International Film Festival
To be Held in Hollywood, Oct. 26-27
6 – Vahe Berberian’s Book
Now Available in L.A
7 – Community Health Fair Set for Oct. 14
8 – AESA Presents
Kenderian Lecture
In Burbank, on Oct. 12
*********************************************** *******************
1 – Commentary
Brief Comments on Many
Farcical Turkish Missteps

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

The dilemma of writing one column a week is that sometimes there are so many
developments on Armenian issues that one would need to write several columns
in the same week to comment on all of them. This being one such week, I will
make brief comments on 13 different topics:

— The French Press Agency (AFP) reported that Turkish State Television (TRT)
started airing on Oct. 9 its "first documentary on surviving members of the
exiled Ottoman dynasty. The 10-part series, called "Ë=9CThe Exile of the Ottoman
House," is the fruit of three years of research. Several members of the dynasty
met recently in Istanbul for the interviews that form the bulk of the
documentary."

In case of any future lawsuits to recover looted Armenian assets from the
Genocide era, this documentary would be very useful in locating the heirs of
those who organized the Genocide.
— The Washington Post reported on Oct. 3 that Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after his meeting with Pres. Bush in the White
House: "In the same way as we consider anti-Semitism a crime against humanity,
Islamo-phobia is also a crime against humanity."
Who would know what a crime against humanity is better than Turkey’s
leaders?
— The Turkish Prime Minister also told journalists in Ankara last month:
"Certain forces will do everything possible to dishonor the glorious history of
the Turkish people. Turkey has nothing to be ashamed of in its past."
Why is he then calling for a joint commission to study the Armenian
Genocide, when he claims to know the outcome in advance?
— The US Senate adopted a resolution on Sept. 30, recognizing the Ukrainian
Genocide of 1932-33 and authorizing the Government of Ukraine to establish a
memorial on Federal land in Washington, DC, to honor its victims.
Is the Armenian Genocide next in line?
— Following Azeri protests against the Turkish Company "Akdash Group" for
selling its "Crispino" products in Armenia, the company announced that it will
no longer do any business in Armenia.
Little did the Azeris realize that they did a big favor to Armenians by
eliminating a Turkish product from the Armenian market!
— Turkish newspaper Vatan reported on Sept. 18 that the Ministry of
Education was revising the way Turkish history textbooks referred to the Armenian
Genocide. A ministry official said: "The Armenian question until now has been
covered under the heading "World War I," with 1915 — the year of forced
deportation of Armenians – being the year the problem started. However, this is not
true. The Armenian question was placed before us after World War II. We arenot
saying that the forced deportations of 1915 never occurred, however, there is a
50-year gap between the event’s occurrence and its emergence as a problem for
Turkey. The narrative should match this reality." The Turkish official also
said that with this change, "the Armenian question would be covered under
"external threats" against Turkey after World War II."
It is immensely satisfying that almost 100 years after the Genocide, the
mass murders committed by their ancestors are still haunting today’s Turkish
leaders!
— The farcical website, The Onion, recently ridiculed the ultra-nationalist
Turkish lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who is infamous for filing lawsuits against
Turkish journalists and writers who have made statements on the Armenian
Genocide. The Onion reported, tongue in cheek, that Kerincsiz was now suinghimself
after he was voted "the winner of the Glendale Courier Award for the Most
Influential Propagator of information about the Armenian Genocide." The Onion also
reported, always sarcastically, that outside the courtroom, the confounded
Grey Wolf extremists "squashed tomatoes over their own heads!"
Seriously, Kerincsiz has indeed helped propagate the Armenian Genocide
inadvertently by his many frivolous, but noisy lawsuits.
— The Washington Post reported that last year Matthew Bryza, the US
negotiator for Karabagh, and his Turkish partner, anti-Armenian political analyst
Zeyno Baran, bought a house jointly in Washington, DC on 1339 Vermont Ave.,for
$651,000.
No comment is necessary!
— Two major political parties dumped from their list of candidates three
Turks for next month’s Parliamentary elections in Netherlands, for not
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. Talip Demirhan, a long-time Turkish board member of
one of the Dutch parties, was quoted by the "Playfuls.com’s website as
saying: "We are being asked whether our great-grandfather was a mass murderer. If he
was, then as far as I’m concerned, he can go to hell!"
Demirhan’s comment speaks for itself!
— During his visit to Armenia last week, Romanian President Traian Basescu
declared, "keep history in the history books," when he was being asked during a
question and answer session at Yerevan State University if his country was
prepared to officially acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. He said that he did
not want to spoil his country’s friendly relations with Turkey!
More amazing than the Romanian president’s unacceptable comments was the
fact that officials of Yerevan State University still went ahead and presented
to him an honorary doctorate and a gold medal!
— The Swiss Justice Minister Christoph Blocher must have been rather
overwhelmed by the hospitality of his Turkish counterpart during his visit to Ankara
last week, when he criticized Swiss laws banning the denial of genocide. He
came under severe criticism in Switzerland for making such disparaging remarks
about Swiss laws while overseas.
The most outrageous part of his statement was telling his Turkish
counterpart that if he were arrested in Switzerland for denying the Armenian
Genocide, he would go to jail with him! They would both be lucky to be serving time in
a Swiss, rather than a Turkish jail!
— On the eve of the French National Assembly’s October 12 vote to make the
denial of the Armenian Genocide a crime, Turkish economic and political threats
against France have been flying fast and furious. Sukru Elekdag, a member of
the Turkish Parliament, during his trip to Paris last week to lobby against
this bill, said that if it became law, Turkey would not hesitate to deport the
70,000 Armenian refugees now living in Turkey!
Besides proving once again that Turkey is still capable of carrying out
large-scale deportations, Turkish officials would be doing Armenia a big favor
by sending these Armenian refugees back to Armenia. It is noteworthy that
Prime Minister Erdogan contradicted Elekdag’s highly inflated figure of 70,000
Armenian refugees, by saying that "the number of Armenians who illegally work in
Turkey is not big." According to most estimates, the correct figure is closer
to a few thousand!
–Hrant Dink, the editor of the Armenian newspaper Agos, was quoted by
Hurriyet newspaper as saying that he opposes the proposed French bill to criminalize
the denial of the Armenian Genocide. He was reportedly said that if the bill
became law, he would be "among the first to head to France and break the law."
He dared the French government to throw him in jail.
Mr. Dink’s misguided words are providing support for genocide denialists
in Turkey. Why did he and others like Prof. Muge Gocek, who had written an
open letter in May protesting the first time that this bill was presented to the
French Parliament, not object to a similar French law banning the denial of
the Holocaust? Why do Dink and Gocek consider the penalty for denying the
Armenian Genocide an infringement on free speech, but not so in the case ofthe
Holocaust? Why do they feel that the Armenian victims of genocide are not entitled
to equal protection under French laws as the Jewish ones? Furthermore, Mr.
Dink and his Turkish companions are making a serious error in equating Turkish
law 301 — which effectively criminalizes free speech in Turkey — with that of
the proposed French law banning the denial of genocide. Here is the
difference: The Turkish law makes it a crime to tell the truth about genocide, while
the French law makes it a crime to lie about genocide! I hope Mr. Dink doesnot
go through with his foolish plan of going to Paris and daring the French to
arrest him for denying the Armenian Genocide. If he does, he would have no one
but himself to blame for his arrest!
****************************************** ********************************
2 – Friends of UCLA Armenian Studies
Program Announce 2006-2007 Board
LOS ANGELES – Following the hiatus of a warm summer, the Friends of UCLA
Armenian Studies enters the academic year 2006-7 with a new Board and much
enthusiasm. Some of the members are continuing and others are new. The Board met
recently and elected its Executive Committee and began plans for the new
academic year. They are:
Gia Aivazian (President), Parouir Akopian (Vice President), Dr. Raffi
Dishakjian (Treasurer), Rita Mahdessian, Esq. (Secretary), Dr. Marina Guevrekian, Dr.
Zaven Khatchaturian, Dr. Minas Kojayan, Hasmig Baran, Dr. Nazeli Charchian,
Sossi Kevonian (Archivist), Tina Manguikian, Israel Stepanian, Garbis Bedoyan
and Alex Babayan (represents UCLA Armenian students). All members of the
Board are actively involved in the various subcommittees of the organization.
Professor Peter Cowe, holder of the UCLA Narekatsi Chair for Armenian Studies, is
the ex-officio member of this Board.
As with last year, the Friends will have an active program this academic year
as well. Its first big event will be, again, a conference/colloquium in
Armenian studies. This time, the participants will be graduate students in
Armenian studies at UCLA. The date reserved for this occasion is November 12, 3-6
p.m. at the Glendale Public Library.
One major goal is to establish an Armenian major (B.A.) at UCLA to which end
a variety of courses are offered – during one quarter each academic year, to
augment the local offerings in Armenian language, literature and history, with
funds provided by the Armenian community. In this way the university’s broad
requirements for introducing a new Major in Armenian Studies would be met.
In the previous two years, classes in Armenian art history and music history
were offered by experts in the fields. This year, the visiting professor is
Dr. Alina Ayvazian of Berkeley who will offer a course on the origins of the
Armenian state with special attention to the archaeological record. This will
be in the Winter Quarter and it is possible to enroll in this class through
UCLA’s Extension program. Dr. Ayvazian will present two public lectures inher
area of expertise in January and February of 2007.
The details of the Friends’ Annual Banquet slated for March 31, 2007, will be
forthcoming. The chairmanship of this banquet will be in the hands of Dr.
Nazeli Charchian.
The Friends’ Board urges the public to support the activities of this very
important group by not only attending its high level activities but to join
forces with it by becoming members. For further information on this, call:Garbis
Bedoian (310/704-4353) , Tina Manguikian (310/314-5266, or Israel Stepanian
(323-823-9352).
************************************************** ***********************
3 – Fresno School
Gets $50,000 From
Lincy Foundation
FRESNO – The Armenian Community School of Fresno and its Board of Directors
announced last week they have received a $50,000 grant from the Lincy Foundation
"Schools such as ours which are independent and do not fall under the
umbrella of a church or Armenian organization depend on the generosity of such
philanthropic institutions as Lincy Foundation," said School Principal Rosie
Bedrosian.
The donation will be used to upgrade and enhance the existing language arts
program and curriculum for the mathematics program, Bedrosian said.
For over 25 years, the Armenian Community School of Fresno has provided a
learning environment in which healthy, moral, ethical and spiritual values are
instilled and nurtured, the principal noted.
Bedrosian added, "The students of ACSF are exposed to a bi-lingual curriculum
of the highest quality, which helps them to become model American citizens
with an understanding and appreciation of their Armenian heritage."
************************************************** ************************
4 – Entries Sought for 8th Annual Film Festival in Fresno
FRESNO – Entries are being sought for the 8th Annual Armenian Film Festival
to be held on the California State University, Fresno, in spring 2007.
Films made by Armenian directors/writers, or films with an Armenian theme are
being sought.
The festival is sponsored by the Armenian Students Organization, the Armenian
Studies Program, and CSUF. It is partially funded by the Diversity Awareness
Program of the University Student Union, CSU Fresno.
Criteria includes: Films up to 1 hour in length; Films may be in any
language, English preferred; Films may be on any topic, Armenian theme preferred: Film
must be in video (NTSC)/DVD format
Deadline for entries to be received is January 15, 2007.
Video/DVD should be sent to: Armenian Film Festival, c/o Armenian Studies
Program, 5245 N Backer Ave. PB4
Fresno, CA 93740-8001
Entries should be accompanied by a CV of the director/writer and a synopsis
of the film.
Telephone 559-278-4930 Email: [email protected]
The Festival Committee will meet to view and judge which entries will be
accepted for the Film Festival. Entrants will be contacted by email with the
decisions.
********’************************** ***************************************
5 – 2006 ARPA International Film Festival
To be Held in Hollywood, Oct. 26-27
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – The 2006 Arpa International Film Festival
presents three programs of Armenian films on October 26, at the historic
Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
At 6 pm, 8:45 pm, and 11:45 pm, Arpa will screen 12 films by
Armenian filmmakers, starring Armenian actors, and addressing the unique
circumstances of the Armenian people.
Highlights include Shant Hamassian’s "The Slowww Zombie"; "The
Long Journey Home" about international opera singer Isabel Bayrakdarian;
Dorothée Forma’s "The Story of My Name"; Producer Gev Kazanchyan’s "The Foundation
Project" about the phenomena of Qi; Peter Musurlian’s "The Long Journey from
the NFL to Armenia" about lineman Rien Long’s visit to Armenia; Apo Torosyan’s
"Witnesses" and "The Gates"; James Martin’s "Vort"; and Paul Abajian’s "You
Can Handle Bullies," an AMA Alliance PSA on school bullying with US Olympian
Lindsay Benko.
"Arpa’s goal is to connect Hollywood with the works of these
local and international Armenian filmmakers," says festival director Alex
Kalognomos. "It’s ambitious. We have 600 seats to fill every 2 hours with the most
outstanding films for every type of moviegoer – including a midnight film
program for the under-30 set. Armenian organizations and community coalitions, as
well as all the young Armenian filmmakers and their fans are coming out to
support Arpa on Thursday night!"
In total, Arpa will screen 30 feature, documentary, short and
animated films from Armenia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Greece, Lebanon,
Netherlands, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S.A.
Also included will be a retrospective of Dr. J. Michael
Hagopian’s "Germany and the Secret Genocide." This year, Arpa will honor the 92
year-old Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker with a star-studded gala awards
banquet at the Brandview Collection on Friday, October 27 at 7:30pm.
Dr. Hagopian is receiving the Armin T. Wegner Award for his
Trilogy of films about the Armenian Genocide. Carla Garapedian, director of
2006’s "Screamers" about System of a Down, will present Dr. Hagopian with a
lifetime achievement award for his 6 decade-long career in cinema.
Arpa welcomes back local television personality Jill Simonian
(KTLA, W.E.Connections) as emcee. Celebrities scheduled to present awards
include actors Virginia Madsen, Jessica Biel, and Greg Zarian; film producer
Michael London ("Sideways"); and talent manager Phil Brock.
The Arpa gala awards banquet, to be held at the Brandview
Collection (109 East Harvard St., Glendale), promises to be a night of glamour and
entertainment in the name of Armenian and International cinema.
Tickets to the film festival are $11. Tickets to the Arpa
awards gala: tax deductible donation of $100. And tickets to the Arpa Fest Launch
Party at Cinespace are $20. For a schedule of films or to reserve tickets for
the Arpa Awards Banquet honoring Dr. J. Michael Hagopian, visit
or call (323) 663-1882
***************************************** *********************************
6 – Vahe Berberian’s Book
Now Available in L.A.
LOS ANGELES – Artist, comedian, dramatist Vahé Berberian’s second edition of
his highly acclaimed first novel, "Namagner Zaataren," has been published in
Beirut, and is now available in Armenian bookstores.
Originally published in Los Angeles in 1996, in Armenian, "Namagner
Zaataren" is a dark comedy about Zohrab Anmahouni, an architect living in Los Angeles,
who is sent to a remote country called Zaatar to serve as the consul of
Armenia. Armed with conviction, Anmahouni tries in vain to justify his mission,
but his enthusiasm wanes after his wife and children leave him. He then realizes
the people who sent him as consul have forgotten all about him.
The book, which had been out of print the past three years, is now available
in Armenian bookstores. The book can be ordered by visiting the store section
of Vaheberberian.com, or simply by putting an order through
[email protected]. The 139-page book is available for $15., plus shipping.
Vahé’s other fictional works include "Hanoun Hor Yev Vortvo" "(In the Name of
the Father and The Son") and "Graffiti on White."
Along with numerous plays and screenplays, Berberian has written three
monologues Yevaylen, Nayev and Dagaveen, which he has performed in more than two
dozen cities around the world.
************************************************** ************************
7 – Community Health Fair Set for Oct. 14
GLENDALE – The 16th annual Armenian Community Health Fair will take place on
October 14 at Saint Mary’s Armenian Church in Glendale, 9am-2pm.
This event is organized by the joint efforts of the Armenian American
Medical Society of California (AAMSC), Armenian American Nurses Association(AANA)
and Armenian Dental Society of California (ADSC).
Volunteer health care professionals will provide services and consultation.
Free blood glucose, blood cholesterol, blood pressure, pap smear, mammogram,
clinical breast exam, spirometry (breathing test), dental check up, spine checks
and eye checks will be provided. Consultations in various specialties will be
available.
The community is welcome to attend particularly individuals with no
insurance. To make appointment for the pap test call 1-800-793-8090 option #4.
Major sponsors are: Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Memorial
Hospital & Health Center, Kaiser Permanente, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical
Center, QueensCare, Huntington Memorial Hospital, LA County Women’s Health Dept.,
Comprehensive Community Health Clinics, Willow Imaging, Verdugo Hospice and
Krikorian Marketing, ARS Mental Health Services, Daylight Adult Health Day Care
Center,
The Community Health Fair is supported by: Abbot, Astra Zeneca, Aventis,
Takeda, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Otsuka, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Lifescan, TAP
Pharmaceuticals.
***************************** **********************************************
8 – AESA Presents
Kenderian Lecture
In Burbank, on Oct. 12
BURBANK, Calif. – The Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America will
present Shant Shanderian of the Aerospace Corp., with a lecture on Oct. 12 at the
Burbank ANC, 361 E. Magnolia Blvd., #C, starting at 7:30 p.m.
The lecture is about "Laser-Air Hybrid Ultrasonic Techniques."
Kenderian obtained his BS degree in Production Engineering and Metallurgy
from the University of Technology in Baghdad; MS degree in Manufacturing
Engineering and Technology from California State University in Los Angeles;MS and a
PhD degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the Johns Hopkins
University.
Shant obtained his BS degree in Production Engineering and Metallurgy from
the University of Technology in Baghdad; MS degree in Manufacturing Engineering
and Technology from California State University in Los Angeles; MS and a PhD
degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University.
Kenderian has 10 years of experience as a Manufacturing Engineer and eight
years as a Materials Scientist and Nondestructive Evaluation expert. He
currently serves as a member of NASA’s Super Problem Resolution Team, whichwas
assembled in the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to solve the
numerous problems facing the space shuttle program today. Kenderian is thelead
inventor and recipient of the Research Council award for innovation by the
American Society for Nondestructive Testing for the Laser-Air Hybrid Ultrasonic
Technique for Dynamic Railroad Inspection Applications.
************************************ ************************************
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authorship.

Financial Times
October 4, 2006

Towards a Comprehensive Settlement of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

With the Middle East immersed in its worst crisis for years, we call for
urgent international action towards a comprehensive settlement of the
Arab-Israeli conflict.

Everyone has lost in this conflict except the extremists throughout the
world who prosper on the rage that it continues to provoke. Every passing
day undermines prospects for a peaceful, enduring solution. As long as the
conflict lasts, it will generate instability and violence in the region and
beyond.

The outlines of what is needed are well known, based on UN Security Council
resolutions 242 of 1967 and 338 of 1973, the Camp David peace accords of
1978, the Clinton Parameters of 2000, the Arab League Initiative of 2002,
and the Roadmap proposed in 2003 by the Quartet (UN, US, EU and Russia). The
goal must be security and full recognition to the state of Israel within
internationally recognized borders, an end to the occupation for the
Palestinian people in a viable independent, sovereign state, and the return
of lost land to Syria.

We believe the time has come for a new international conference, ideally
held as soon as possible and attended by all relevant players, at which all
the elements of a comprehensive peace agreement would be mapped, and
momentum generated for detailed negotiations.

Whether or not such an early conference can be convened, there are crucial
steps that can and should be taken by the key players, including:

–Support for a Palestinian national unity government, with an end to the
political and financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority.

–Talks between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, mediated by the
Quartet and reinforced by the participation of the Arab League and key
regional countries, on rapidly enhancing mutual security and allowing
revival of the Palestinian economy.

–Talks between the Palestinian leadership and the Israeli government,
sponsored by a reinforced Quartet, on the core political issues that stand
in the way of achieving a final status agreement.

–Parallel talks of the reinforced Quartet with Israel, Syria and Lebanon,
to discuss the foundations on which Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese
agreements can be reached.

Nobody underestimates the intractability of the underlying issues or the
intensity of feelings they provoke. But if the Arab-Israeli conflict, with
all its terrible consequences, is ever to be resolved, there is a desperate
need for fresh thinking and the injection of new political will. The times
demand no less.

Morton Abramowitz
Former US Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador to Turkey and Thailand

Adnan Abu-Odeh
Former Political Adviser to King Abdullah II and King Hussein, Jordan

Esko Aho
Former Prime Minister, Finland

Ali Alatas
Former Foreign Minister, Indonesia

Abdul-Kareem Al-Eryani
Former Prime Minister, Yemen

Raúl Alfonsín
Former President, Argentina

Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon
Former UN High Representative for Bosnia & Herzegovina

Lloyd Axworthy
Former Foreign Minister, Canada

Peter Barry
Former Foreign Minister, Ireland

Shlomo Ben-Ami
Former Foreign Minister, Israel

Alexander Bessmertnykh
Former Foreign Minister, Soviet Union

Carl Bildt
Former Prime Minister, Sweden

Valdis Birkavs
Former Prime Minister, Latvia

James Bolger
Former Prime Minister, New Zealand

Kjell Magne Bondevik
Former Prime Minister, Norway

Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Former Secretary-General, UN

Lakhdar Brahimi
Former Foreign Minister, Algeria, and UN Special Representative

Gro Harlem Brundtland
Former Prime Minister, Norway

Zbigniew Brzezinski
Former National Security Advisor to the President, United States

Kim Campbell
Former Prime Minister, Canada; Secretary General, Club of Madrid

Ingvar Carlsson
Former Prime Minister, Sweden

Frank Carlucci
Former Secretary of Defense, United States

Jimmy Carter
39th President, United States; Nobel Peace Prize 2002

Maria Livanos Cattaui
Former Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce

Naresh Chandra
Former Indian Cabinet Secretary and Ambassador to US

Claude Cheysson
Former Foreign Minister, France

Jean Chrétien
Former Prime Minister, Canada

Wesley Clark
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

Gerard Collins
Former Foreign Minister, Ireland

Pat Cox
Former President, European Parliament

Jacques Delors
Former President, European Commission

Gianni De Michelis
Former Foreign Minister, Italy

Ruth Dreifuss
Former President, Switzerland

Roland Dumas
Former Foreign Minister, France

Shirin Ebadi
Nobel Peace Prize 2003; Iran

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen
Former Foreign Minister, Denmark

Gareth Evans
President, International Crisis Group; Former Foreign Minister, Australia

Mark Eyskens
Former Prime Minister, Belgium

José María Figueres
Former President, Costa Rica

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Former President, Iceland

Joschka Fischer
Former Foreign Minister, Germany

Malcolm Fraser
Former Prime Minister, Australia

Anil K Gayan
Former Foreign Minister, Mauritius

Leslie H Gelb
President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations, United States

Bronislaw Geremek
Former Foreign Minister, Poland

Kiro Gligorov
Former President, Macedonia

Richard Goldstone
Former Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

Felipe González Márquez
Former Prime Minister, Spain

Mikhail S Gorbachev
Former President, Soviet Union; Nobel Peace Prize 1990

I K Gujral
Former Prime Minister, India

Tenzin Gyatso
14th Dalai Lama; Nobel Peace Prize 1989

Vahit M Halefoglu
Former Foreign Minister, Turkey

Lee Hamilton
Former Congressman, United States; Director, Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars

Bob Hawke
Former Prime Minister, Australia

Bill Hayden
Former Governor-General and Foreign Minister, Australia

Carla Hills
Former Trade Representative, United States

Lena Hjelm-Wallén
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sweden

Raffi K Hovannisian
Former Foreign Minister, Armenia

Lord Howe of Aberavon
Former Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, UK

John Hume
Former First Minister of Northern Ireland; Nobel Peace Prize 1998

Lord Hurd of Westwell
Former Foreign Secretary, UK

George Iacovou
Former Foreign Minister, Cyprus

Anwar Ibrahim
Former Deputy Prime Minister, Malaysia

James Ingram
Former Executive Director, UN World Food Programme

Asma Jahangir
Chair, Pakistan Human Rights Commission; UN Special Rapporteur

Max Jakobson
Former Ambassador of Finland to the UN

Lionel Jospin
Former Prime Minister, France
Marwan S Kasim
Former Foreign Minister, Jordan

Kim Dae-jung
Former President, Republic of Korea; Nobel Peace Prize 2000

F W de Klerk
Former President, South Africa; Nobel Peace Prize 1993

Wim Kok
Former Prime Minister, Netherlands

Bernard Kouchner
Founder, Médecins Sans Frontières; Former Minister, France, and UN Special
Representative

Milan Kucan
Former President, Slovenia

Aleksander Kwasniewski
Former President, Poland

Ricardo Lagos
Former President, Chile

Zlatko Lagumdzija
Former Prime Minister, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Anthony Lake
Former National Security Advisor to the President, United States

Lee Hong-Koo
Former Prime Minister, Republic of Korea

Ahmed Maher
Former Foreign Minister, Egypt

Abdul Salam Majali
Former Prime Minister, Jordan

John Major
Former Prime Minister, UK

Barbara McDougall
Former External Affairs Secretary, Canada

Matthew F McHugh
Former US Congressman and World Bank Counselor

Robert McNamara
Former Secretary of Defense, United States

Rexhep Meidani
Former President, Albania

Najib Mikati
Former Prime Minister, Lebanon

Mike Moore
Former Prime Minister, New Zealand; Former Director-General, WTO

Marwan Muasher
Former Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Jordan

Klaus Naumann
Former Chairman, North Atlantic Military Committee of NATO, Germany

Boyko Noev
Former Minister of Defence, Bulgaria

Ayo Obe
Chair, World Movement for Democracy, Nigeria

Sadako Ogata
Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Lord Owen of the City of Plymouth
Former Foreign Secretary, UK

Anand Panyarachun
Former Prime Minister, Thailand

Andrés Pastrana
Former President, Colombia

Lord Patten of Barnes
Co-Chair, International Crisis Group; Former European Commissioner for
External Relations

Thomas Pickering
Co-Chair, International Crisis Group; Former US Ambassador to the UN,
Russia, India, Israel, Jordan, El Salvador and Nigeria

Josep Piqué
Former Foreign Minister, Spain

Surin Pitsuwan
Former Foreign Minister, Thailand

Yevgeny Primakov
Former Prime Minister, Russia

Jorge Quiroga
Former President, Bolivia

Augusto Ramírez Ocampo
Former Foreign Minister, Colombia

Fidel V Ramos
Former President, Philippines

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
Former Prime Minister, Denmark

Abdur-ra’uf Rawabdeh
Former Prime Minister, Jordan

Malcolm Rifkind
Former Foreign Secretary, UK

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
Former Defence Secretary, UK, and NATO Secretary-General

Mary Robinson
Former President, Ireland, and High Commissioner for Human Rights

Michel Rocard
Former Prime Minister, France

Petre Roman
Former Prime Minister, Romania

Adam Daniel Rotfeld
Former Foreign Minister, Poland

Nafis Sadik
Former Executive Director, UN Population Fund

Mohamed Sahnoun
Former Algerian Ambassador; UN Special Adviser

Ghassan Salamé
Former Culture Minister, Lebanon

Salim Ahmed Salim
Former Secretary General, OAU, and Prime Minister, Tanzania

Jorge Sampaio
Former President, Portugal

Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada
Former President, Bolivia

Mario Soares
Former President, Portugal

Stephen Solarz
Former Chair, Africa & Asia Subcommittees, US Congress

Cornelio Sommaruga
Former President, International Committee of the Red Cross

George Soros
Chairman, Open Society Institute

Pär Stenbäck
Former Foreign Minister, Finland

Thorvald Stoltenberg
Former Foreign Minister, Norway

HRH El Hassan bin Talal
Founder, Arab Thought Forum, Jordan

Leo Tindemans
Former Prime Minister, Belgium

Alex S Trigona
Former Foreign Minister, Malta

Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town; Nobel Peace Prize 1984

Cassam Uteem
Former President, Mauritius

Hans van den Broek
Former Foreign Minister, Netherlands, and European Commissioner for External
Relations

Ed van Thijn
Former Minister and Mayor of Amsterdam, Netherlands

George Vassiliou
Former President, Cyprus

Hubert Védrine
Former Foreign Minister, France

Richard von Weizsäcker
Former President, Germany

Baroness Williams of Crosby
Former Cabinet Minister, UK

Ernesto Zedillo
Former President, Mexico

Organized by Crisis Group with assistance from the Club of Madrid and placed
with support from the Radcliffe Foundation, Iara Lee & George Gund
Foundation and Hamza Al Kholi.

media release
Global Leaders Call for Action on Arab-Israeli Settlement

***EMBARGOED UNTIL 0300h CET (0100 GMT), WEDNESDAY, 4 OCTOBER***
Brussels/Washington/New York/London/Amman, 4 October 2006: 135 respected
global leaders — former presidents, prime ministers, foreign and defence
ministers, congressional leaders and heads of international
organisations – — have today joined in a call for urgent international
action to comprehensively resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Their statement (full text and signatories below) says there is a "desperate
need for fresh thinking and the injection of new political will" if the
conflict, "with all its terrible consequences", is ever to be settled. They
say that ideally there would be a new all-in international conference to
kick-start detailed negotiations, but that whether or not this can happen
soon, there should be:
International support for a Palestinian national unity government, with an
end to the political and financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority;
Talks between Israel and the Palestinian leadership, on both the immediate
issues of mutual security and revival of the Palestinian economy, and on the
core final-status political issues;
These talks to be mediated or sponsored by the Quartet (UN, US, EU and
Russia) — reinforced by participation of the Arab League and key regional
countries — who would also initiate talks on the outstanding issues
between Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
"There is a real hunger out there for present-day political leaders to take
hold of this catastrophically divisive issue and resolve it once and for
all," said Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis Group, which
organised the statement.
"It is remarkable how much immediate support there was for this statement
from so many highly experienced, top-level former public sector leaders from
around the world and across the political spectrum. Like the great majority
of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians, they just want to get things moving
now, cut through the obstacles, and put in place the elements of a
sustainable peace."
This statement is part of Crisis Group’s new global advocacy initiative,
announced on 22 September, designed to generate fresh political momentum
behind a comprehensive settlement following the chaos of the last few
months. Other elements involve brainstorming sessions on strategy with UN,
Quartet and regional experts, led by Middle East Program Director Rob
Malley; a particular effort to stimulate a bipartisan rethink of US policy;
task force visits to key capitals; and a continuing stream of Crisis Group
reports and briefings containing detailed analysis and policy
recommendations.

A detailed new Crisis Group report, The Arab-Israeli Conflict: To Reach a
Lasting Peace, is scheduled for publication on Thursday, 5 October 2006.
Contacts: Andrew Stroehlein (Brussels) +32 (0) 2 541 1635
[email protected]
Kimberly Abbott (Washington) +1 202 785 160
For a display copy of the statement and signatories in PDF format, click
here

Zurab Noghaideli: Russia is toughening Armenia’s isolation

Public Radio of Armenia
Oct 6 2006

06.10.2006 11:50

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli considers that the latest
steps Russia has undertaken against Georgia toughen Armenia’s
isolation, MEDIAMAX agency reports.

Head of the Georgian Government said this in the article titled "Why
does Georgia aspire to Europe?" printed in the International Herald
Tribune newspaper.

"The latest sanctions of the Kremlin – suspension of air, land, sea
and post communication with Georgia – do not only affect us, but also
toughen the isolation of our neighbor Armenia," Zurab Noghaideli.

AZG Armenian Daily #191, 07/10/2006

Award

NORWEGIAN PRIZE TO HRANT DINK

Editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper, Hrant Dink, was
awarded Bornson prize of Norway for raising the issue
of the Armenian Genocide. Dink often wrote about this
issue, which is considered to be very disputable in
Turkey, DPA agency reports. Last summer, the Turkish
Court of Appeal did not overrule the decision of a
First Instance Court of suspended sentence to the
Armenian journalist. According to NTB Norwegian
agency, the prize of 15.000 USD will be given to Hrant
Dink in coastal town of Molde on November 24.

By Marietta Makarian

BRITISH "THE HALO TRUST" ORGANIZATION DEMINED OVER 43 THOUSAND MINES IN KARABAKH

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006

October 5 the Nagorno Karabakh Republic President Arkady Ghoukasyan
received British "The Halo Trust" NGO’s Karabakh program director
Wallon Kumnov and the organization’s responsible representative for the
Balkan and Caucasus region Matthew Gowell. To note, "The Halo Trust"
humanitarian organization deals with territories’ demining.

According to the information DE FACTO got at the NKR President’s Press
Service, during the meeting the guests had informed Arkady Ghoukasyan
of the course and outcomes of the implementation of the Halo Trust’s
activity in Karabakh. In part, they noted due to the organization’s
efforts over 43 000 mines and projectiles had been rendered harmless.

In his turn, the NKR President stated "The Halo Trust" organization
had been respected in Karabakh. Arkady Ghoukasyan expressed his
gratitude to the organization’s employees and assured them of the NKR
leadership’s readiness to promote the implementation of the programs
in Karabakh.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION ATTACKS "CRIMINAL ELEMENTS" IN GOVERNMENT
By Emil Danielyan

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Oct 5 2006

Armenia’s main opposition forces have opened a new front in their
standoff with the government, launching a joint movement against
what they claim is the growing role of "criminal elements" in the
country’s political life. Influential Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian
and other leaders of the governing Republican Party (HHK), the main
targets of the campaign, have dismissed the accusations as an attempt
to discredit them ahead of approaching parliamentary elections.

For weeks this issue has dominated the discourse of the country’s
leading politicians, media commentators, and even prominent
intellectuals. The opposition allegations were sparked by a string of
high-profile murders and a recent influx of influential, but less than
law-abiding, individuals into the HHK. The latter development resulted
from the party’s far-reaching political alliance with Sarkisian,
which was formalized in late July.

Although the HHK continues to be officially headed by Prime Minister
Andranik Markarian, local analysts increasingly regard Sarkisian
as its de facto top leader. The defense minister, seen as President
Robert Kocharian’s most likely successor, is believed to have already
begun preparations for the next presidential election, due in 2008.

That vote will be preceded by parliamentary elections early next
year. Sarkisian has repeatedly implied that the HHK’s victory in
the polls is essential for his presidential ambitions. To that end,
he has bolstered Armenia’s largest establishment party, which already
controls many central and local government bodies, with over a dozen
loyal wealthy businessmen. Most of them represent government-connected
clans that hold sway in various areas of the country and have bribed
or bullied voters in previous Armenian elections.

Some are better known to the public by their notorious nicknames. By
"criminal elements" the Armenian opposition usually means them. "We now
see that mobsters or good fellows, as people call them, are entering
parties," said former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian.

"By beating and terrorizing people they are trying to further their
interests. A country like that has no future." His Orinats Yerkir
(Country of Law) party was expelled from Kocharian’s governing
coalition in May, charged on August 12.

The allegations were picked up by other prominent oppositionists
who link the HHK’s increased reliance on "criminal elements" with an
apparent upsurge in the number of contract killings reported in Armenia
this year. Most of those crimes were committed in broad daylight and
have not yet been solved by the police. Their most recent victim, a
high-ranking official at the Armenian government’s main tax collection
agency, was blown up in his own car in downtown Yerevan on September
6. The car bombing came less than a month after the brutal murder
of a local businessman and the fatal roadside shooting of a reputed
crime figure that left one innocent bystander dead. A stray bullet
also killed an innocent woman in June when gunmen chased and shot
dead a notorious "good fellow" in the city’s western Malatia-Sebastia
district.

The police have urged the public not to draw far-reaching conclusions
from the killings, arguing that Armenia continues to have one of
the lowest crime rates in the former Soviet Union. Sarkisian, for
his part, has rounded on the detractors of his party’s important
new recruits. The fact that they usually lack education, use slangy
phrases, and have mobster-style nicknames does not mean they are
criminals, he claimed.

However, the opposition attacks continued unabated, and on September
28 15 opposition parties launched an "anti-criminal movement" that
is supposed to counter the "criminalization of the political field."

According to the movement’s joint declaration, "Criminal acts in the
country are committed with the connivance and direct encouragement
of the Robert Kocharian-Serge Sarkisian duo." The initiative was
joined the next day by Intellectual Forum, a radical organization
uniting prominent artists and intellectuals critical of the Kocharian
administration. In a written statement, they urged Armenians to
"declare war on this regime and return power seized by criminal
traitors to the people."

Just how the declared "anti-criminal movement" intends to achieve its
objectives is unclear, though. Its leaders admitted that they have not
even begun discussing concrete plans. Uneasy relationships among them
may well scupper those actions. In particular, some oppositionists
make no secret of their distrust of the movement’s main initiator:
Aram Karapetian, the outspoken leader of the Nor Zhamanakner (New
Times) party known for his Russian connections.

While sharing the opposition’s concerns, some Armenian newspapers
have speculated that the initiative was masterminded by Russia. The
daily Aravot said on September 18 that a senior Kremlin official,
Modest Kolerov, had recently visited Yerevan for that purpose.

Another paper, Zhamanak Yerevan, claimed last week that Moscow is
preparing the ground for installing a more pro-Russian regime in
Armenia. A group of other renowned intellectuals more sympathetic to
the Armenian leaderships apparently had Karapetian in mind when they
warned their pro-opposition colleagues, in a September 22 statement,
against being manipulated by "foreign agents."

(Haykakan Zhamanak, September 28-29, September 23; Zhamanak Yerevan,
September 28; Aravot, September 18; RFE/RL Armenia Report, September 6,
August 14)

SERBIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY AGAINST ARMS EXPORTS TO GEORGIA, ARMENIA

FoNet news agency, Belgrade,
4 Oct 06

Belgrade, 4 October: The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
announced in a statement that it will not give its political consent
for the export and transport of Serbian weapons to Georgia and Armenia
because they could be used against Russia and the Russian Army in
that crisis area.

The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that it is not competent
to issue permits for the export and transport of weapons from Serbia
and that such permits are issued by the Ministry for Foreign Economic
Relations. The foreign affairs ministry only gives its political
opinion on export or import, the statement adds.

We assumed a negative position towards requests for the export of
weapons to Georgia and Armenia and we explained it by saying that it
could be used in that crisis area against Russians and the Russian
Army, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.

Only two weeks ago, in talks with our state delegation led by Serbian
President Boris Tadic, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey
Lavrov thanked Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Draskovic and the
Serbian government for their stance not to export weapons to the
Caucasus region, because they are intended for fighting Russia,
the statement says.

It goes on to say that, despite political opposition from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and
the Serbian government may nevertheless issue licenses for the export
and import of Serbian weapons to Georgia and Armenia.

PACE POLITICAL COMMITTEE ADOPTED A PACT ON STABILITY IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 5 2006

PACE Political Committee adopted a pact on the stability in South
Caucasus after a long discussions, Samad Seyidov, the head of
Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation in PACE told the APA.

The aim of the document is to establish stability and cooperation
among South Caucasus states.

"We think application of the stability pact used in Baltic States is
impossible in South Caucasus. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia want
to cooperate in the frame of EU New Neighborhood Policy. Armenians
realize that stability pact is nonsense," he said.

Seyidov also said "frozen" conflicts in CIS countries will be discussed
in PACE soon.

CONTRADICTORY ‘GENOCIDE’ DEFENSE FROM DUTCH PM
By Basri Dogan, Amsterdam

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 3 2006

The Turkey report adopted by the European Parliament, the removal of
three Turkish candidates from the elections list in the Netherlands
and the statements of French President Jacques Chirac in Armenia have
brought the debate over the alleged Armenian genocide to the fore.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkanende made contradictory statements
on the issue. Balkenende, who expressed his support for the Turkish
proposal to form a joint commission of historians, also affirmed the
expulsion of Turkish candidates from their parties simply because
they refused to openly accept the Armenian allegations.

Prime Minister Balkenende, also president of the Christian Democrat
Party (CDA), made statements on the expulsion of the three Turkish
politicians from the election lists of their parties as a result of
the Armenian lobby’s pressure. Balkenende, who first noted that the
notion "genocide" should be used as it was defined under international
legal documents, also said that the alleged Armenian genocide issue
was a sensitive and important one. The Dutch prime minister supported
Turkey’s proposal to appoint a joint commission of historians charged
with investigating the 1915 incidents.

With regard to the Turkish candidates’ removal from their parties;
however, Balkenende recalled the parliament’s 2004 advisory decision
that urged the recognition of the alleged Armenian genocide. The
prime minister, noting that all political parties had incorporated
this decision into their statutes, asserted that the removal was
justified under the respective parties’ rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, the Christian Democratic Party nominated the current CDA
deputy Nihat Eski as candidate in the elections in lieu of expelled
candidates Osman Elmaci and Ayhan Tonca.