Author: Harutyunian Christine

THE LAST BELL

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
28 May 05

Seventeen years ago the last bell in the schools of Artsakh was
the longed-for call of the national revival. The generation of 88
is now seventeen. This date is very symbolic, for the birth of this
generation marked the beginning of future victories. And it is the
generation of 88 that will keep and pass on the precept of life in
a free country. On May 25 the celebrations of the last bell of the
pupils who finish school in 2005 were in the light of this idea. It was
established that the generation of 88 and the following generations
will remain the masters of Artsakh. The Last Bell is a crossroad of
joy and wistfulness. The thing that is obvious is that they grow up and
begin to view life in a new light. They open the door which leads them
to a new world where they will look for their dream. And, of course,
they will bear in their minds the symbol of the year of their birth
and be the worthy citizens of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh.

SVETLANA KHACHATRIAN. 28-05-2005

IrelandOn-Line
US warns against Muslim-Christian clash over Turkey
28/05/2005 – 09:35:32

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has warned that the failure of the
European Union to eventually admit Turkey could have dire consequences.

She said it was important that Turkey be admitted after it meets EU
standards “because what we cannot afford to have is a divide between Turkey
and the rest of Europe”.

She said that “might look like what was once described as the clash of
civilisations” between Muslim Turkey and Christian Europe.

“That would be a very terrible thing,” she said.

Rice made her comments after a speech at the Commonwealth Club, responding
to a question about the ratification of a new EU constitution. French voters
appear likely to vote against the constitution in a referendum tomorrow.

Turkey is to start membership talks in October. Many Europeans worry about
admitting the relatively poor country and some see that as a factor in
opposition to the constitution.

Rice said she didn’t want to say anything that could be perceived as
intervening in the debate over the constitution. She noted the importance of
the US-European relationship and said that the prospect of membership in the
EU has served as incentive for nations in central and eastern Europe to move
toward democracy.

“We believe that the European Union has been a source of stability and hope
that it can continue its efforts toward integration and unification,” she
said.

National Public Radio (NPR)
SHOW: Talk of the Nation 3:00 AM EST NPR
May 25, 2005 Wednesday

Frank Verrastro discusses the opening of the new trans-Caspian
pipeline

ANCHORS: NEAL CONAN

NEAL CONAN, host:

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I’m Neal Conan in Washington.

And here are the headlines from some of the stories we’re following
here today at NPR News. The Republican chairman of the House Armed
Services Committee has given up on an effort to limit the role of
women in combat. His proposal met with sharp resistance from the
Pentagon and from many in Congress.

And the defense has rested in the Michael Jackson case after
presenting two celebrity witnesses who told of their past encounters
with the accuser and his parents. The singer is accused of molesting
a young boy. You can hear details on those stories and, of course,
much more later today on “All Things Considered” from NPR News.

Tomorrow on TALK OF THE NATION, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon face deep challenges on the road
to peace, both from each other and from their own peoples. With Abbas
in Washington to ask President Bush for aid, we look at the US role
in expanding this window of opportunity in the Middle East. That’s
tomorrow on TALK OF THE NATION.

Right now if champagne is called for whenever you christen a ship,
what do you break over a new oil pipeline? Whatever beverage one
might pick, the opening of the new trans-Caspian pipeline today was
certainly a cause for celebration in the countries along its route,
and an interesting group of countries it is. Joining us now to talk
about the political and economic issues surrounding this new pipeline
is Frank Verrastro, the director of the Energy Program at The Center
for Strategic and International Studies here in Washington, DC.

Thanks very much for being with us.

Mr. FRANK VERRASTRO (Energy Program Director, The Center for
Strategic and International Studies): Sure. Thank you, Neal.

CONAN: The route of this pipeline is part of what makes it so
interesting. What can you tell us about it?

Mr. VERRASTRO: Well, the route actually covers a thousand miles. It
goes from Baku in Azerbaijan, across Georgia up to Tbilisi, and then
down through Turkey and exits at the port of Ceyhan on the
Mediterranean coast.

CONAN: So tankers would pick up crude oil from the end of the
pipeline in Turkey.

Mr. VERRASTRO: Exactly.

CONAN: Now prominently not on that list is Russia.

Mr. VERRASTRO: And that’s one of the, I think, big successes of the
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. It brings a relatively new and maybe
substantial producing region and gives it access to Western markets,
but the pipeline isn’t through the Persian Gulf or through Russia.

CONAN: Now at one point, many people believe that this Caspian region
around Azerbaijan, Baku, was going to be a major source of new oil
for the world. How is that panning out so far?

Mr. VERRASTRO: It’s–there’s been about–oh, God–12 years of
experience in drilling. Part of the problem was lack of
infrastructure. But you’re right. You know, in the early days, I
think with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Western oil
companies in particular flocked to the Caspian, and the estimates
were up to 200 billion barrels of recoverable reserves. The
experience has been somewhat less, but it’s kind of a mixed bag. I
would say there’s been, you know, certainly some uncommercial finds,
but there’s been some successes, too. The ACG project, which is
what–the oil that’s coming going through the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline
now is coming out of ACG, Kashagan and Kazakhstan, the Shakh-Deniz
gas project. So there’s been a couple of big successes, but it’s been
a mixed result.

CONAN: And would those fields funnel their oil to Baku and then on
the pipeline?

Mr. VERRASTRO: Well, the ACG project clearly is going through
Baku-Ceyhan. And I believe since the pipeline’s undersubscribed,
there’s discussions with the Kazakhs to move some of the Kashagan oil
through Baku-Ceyhan, as well.

CONAN: But instead of something that might rival OPEC, you’re looking
at something that might rival, oh, a major member of OPEC, Iran, say.

Mr. VERRASTRO: Yeah, exactly. In terms of total production by 2012 or
2015, it’ll be about four million barrels a day. So it’s not
insignificant, exactly.

CONAN: And this is not OPEC oil.

Mr. VERRASTRO: No. No. Although I guess it always leaves the option
open for producer countries to join OPEC down the road.

CONAN: You mentioned how long these projects have been in
development–I guess basically since the fall of the Soviet Union.
And I guess in the interest of full disclosure, we should say that
you worked with Pennzoil very early in the development of this
pipeline. One of the major concerns, though, has to be stability,
both geologic stability and political stability.

Mr. VERRASTRO: No, that’s absolutely true. I mean, if you look at the
Caspian today, I would argue that it’s probably a more sensitive time
than it was even when we went in in the early 1990s. You’ve got a new
transition of leadership, you’ve got a number of different political
conflicts going on in the region, in Georgia and Chechnya, in Armenia
on the border of Azerbaijan. Then you’ve got the situation with Iraq
just to the south. So, yeah, it’s a tough neighborhood, to be sure.

CONAN: The countries involved all would collect transit fees for the
oil. I guess this would be very good news for Azerbaijan and Georgia
in particular.

Mr. VERRASTRO: Yes. Well, Georgia would prosper both as a transit
country and probably gain some energy supply as a result. Turkey’s in
the same boat. Azerbaijan has a dual role. They’re also a participant
in the project as well as a shipper. So…

CONAN: Mm-hmm. Now the United States has been heavily involved in the
development of this project, no?

Mr. VERRASTRO: Absolutely.

CONAN: And for the particular reason that this was–well, I guess, a
way to get out of that Russian nexus.

Mr. VERRASTRO: Yeah. If you look at the Caspian, it’s landlocked. So
when the oil and gas were discovered in the Caspian, the real issue
was: How do you get it to hard-currency markets? And of the
choices–if you went north, you were going through Russia; the China
market wasn’t developed yet if you could go back, you know, 10 or 15
years; couldn’t go south because of Iran’s sanctions or southeast
because of turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan. So really, you are
kind of left with either going through Russia on a changed route or
looking west to go through Georgia and Turkey.

CONAN: Hmm. Now Russia has not necessarily been very happy with US
involvement in certain situations in Ukraine and various other former
Soviet republics. How is Russia responding to this more economic
threat?

Mr. VERRASTRO: I think they are concerned about the US presence in
the region. I mean, I don’t think there’s any question about that.
And the same for Iran. You know, the Iranians–the Azeris, when this
project first got off the ground, wanted to introduce an Iranian
company into the consortium, and the US government objected to that,
said that no US companies could participate if Iran was a member. So
the Iranians were left out of ACG, and they got a piece of the next
project, the Shakh-Deniz project.

CONAN: So when it comes down to it, what do you think this project is
going to amount to?

Mr. VERRASTRO: In terms of global supply, I mean, it’s clear that it
would be helping on the margin. I mean, four million barrels a day of
new production from a non-Middle East source has to be good news for
global markets. But you’re right. I mean, it’s not another Saudi
Arabia, it’s not another Middle East. What we’ve learned about the
Caspian is that it’s hydrocarbon-rich, but there’s large gas-prone
areas. And that, at the end of the day, may be a bigger contributor
than the oil. Infrastructure is still a limiting factor, but the big
issue is managing the geopolitics.

CONAN: Frank Verrastro, thanks very much for being with us today.

Mr. VERRASTRO: Absolutely. Thank you, Neal.

CONAN: Frank Verrastro is director of the Energy Program at The
Center for Strategic and International Studies, and joined us from
his offices in Washington, DC.

Pan Armenian News

JAPAN TO PROVIDE $150 MILLION TO ARMENIA FOR MODERNIZATION OF YEREVAN
THERMAL PLANT

27.05.2005 02:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Japanese Bank of International Cooperation will provide a
credit of $150.2 million to the Armenian Government for modernization of the
Yerevan Thermal Plant. The Armenian Parliament has approved of the
respective agreement. Deputy Minister of Energy Ara Simonian, who presented
the agreement, reported a new combined cycle energy bloc of 200-210 MW will
be built at the Yerevan Thermal Plant due to the allocation. The plant is
planned to function 7 thousand hours annually and to generate 1.4-1.5 kWh
electric power. The program should be implemented by the Thermal Plant
itself, to which the Armenian MPs have also provided tax benefits, the RBC
reported.

A1plus

| 17:17:36 | 25-05-2005 | Social |

THE LAST FLIGHT

Arshavir Sahakyan, the 55-year-old resident of Yerevan is an invalid of the
first group, but today he for the 153rd time flew above Sevan by parachute,
waving the flags of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Before the flight Arshavir
Sahakyan was a little excited and a little indignant, «We had sent
invitations to 53 officials, including the President, but as you see, no one
has come».

When young, Sahakyan went in for sports, and flew by parachute for 150 times
from a height of about 2000-2200 meters. And after becoming an invalid this
was his 3rd flight which will also be the last in his career. Asked the
question why above Sevan, Arshavir Sahakyan answered, «They say you can fall
and break your other leg».

By the way, Sahakyan became invalid in the Karabakh war.

Arshavir Sahakyan flew today by the Defense Ministry «Mi-8» helicopter. The
latter rose to the height of 1500 meters from where Arshavir flew down with
the help of two military men. As it was planned, he «landed» 400 meters from
the shore where a motorboat was waiting for him, as well as the boat on
which Sahakyan’s grandchildren and relatives were waiting for him.

The Irish Times
May 25, 2005

‘Social dumping’ takes centre stage in French minds

Lara Marlowe in Paris

France: Social dumping – outsourcing to central and eastern Europe,
and the influx of east European workers to France – has become the
most emotional issue of the campaign for the European constitutional
treaty referendum.

A recent poll showed that 55 per cent of salaried French people
believe the European Union threatens their social rights; 53 per cent
think their salaries are in danger; and 51 per cent fear for job
security.

In much the same way that petty crime by young immigrants dominated
the 2002 presidential campaign – and swung the vote rightward –
French fears of competition from cheap east European labour have been
exploited by the No campaign.

Every day brings its harvest of economic horror stories. The fact
that the majority of abuses are illegal under French and European law
does not faze critics of the treaty.

Yesterday Liberation newspaper reported that an internet company is
offering French employees who now earn up to EUR 3,500 per month a
maximum EUR 500 to work in Yerevan, Armenia. Earlier in the campaign
an Alsatian company caused outrage by telling workers they’d have to
move to Romania for EUR 110 a month to keep their jobs.

A Portuguese sub-contractor to France Telecom forced Portuguese
labourers to work 14 hours a day, six days a week. The abuses took
place while Thierry Breton, minister of the economy and finance since
March, was chairman of France Telecom.

In Burgundy, a town whose mayor is campaigning against the treaty
with the socialist No 2, Laurent Fabius, was discovered to have hired
a Czech contractor to refurbish municipal buildings.

The Irish Ferries incident in which passengers were prevented from
disembarking in Cherbourg was interpreted by Liberation as another
symptom of social dumping.

Michel Oury of the CFDT trade union said management tried to replace
Irish employees with Poles and Lithuanians. “Irish sailors cost EUR
15 per hour, whereas sailors from the east cost EUR 4.50,” Mr Oury
explained.

Francois Gaxotte, the head of a small construction company in the
Paris region, estimates that in the past five years east Europeans
have filled 40 per cent of the demand for unqualified labourers,
underselling north African Arabs by working for as little as EUR 40
per day.

The problem, Mr Gaxotte says, is not east Europeans; he’s happy for
them to work in France, under the same conditions enjoyed by French
workers. But the prevalence of black market labour in the
construction industry means they’re easily exploited.

“East Europeans take work from French companies because they use
illegal labour and drive the prices down,” he says. “I sell a day’s
work for EUR 300; they sell it for EUR 50. You can’t find French
workers, and if you do, they want EUR 1,500 a month, which clients
won’t pay for.”

The solution, Mr Gaxotte says, is for the French government to reduce
social charges so that builders can afford to hire workers legally.

Pierre Caquet, a French investment banker based in Prague, admits
that there is “a huge move east” by French and other companies, but
says it is “not so much rebasing as expansion”.

It is “just cheap populism to blame immigrants and outsourcing for
unemployment”, he continues.

“Growth in central and eastern Europe is much higher than in western
Europe. The EU should be thankful it’s got that . . . These are
markets. They’re outlets for a lot of goods. They contribute jobs;
they don’t destroy jobs.”

Mr Caquet believes the roots of chronic 10 per cent unemployment lie
within the French system.

Former French president and architect of the constitutional treaty
Valery Giscard d’Estaing believes outsourcing will taper off as
salaries and social protection rise in the new member countries. The
euro group will impose higher standards for those who want to join
the single currency, he predicts.

Mr Fabius, the arch-opponent of the treaty, visited a car parts
factory in Normandy this week to canvass workers who are anxious at
the arrival of Polish trainees.

The solution, Mr Fabius told them, is a constitution that would
impose high social standards on all members, and tax harmonisation.

“We can’t keep a 30 per cent corporate tax in France when it’s 5 per
cent elsewhere,” he said.

US EMBASSY IN ARMENIA FURNISHES YOUTH CONCERT HALL AS PART OF
COMMUNITY SELF-HELP FUND PROJECT

YEREVAN, MAY 25.ARMINFO. Today the US Embassy in Armenia inaugurated
the newly furnished Concert Hall of the Youth Center of Yerevan, A
grant from the US Government and contributions from the local
community funded the procurement of equipment and furnishings for the
Concert Hall whose external and internal structures were renovated by
the Lincy Foundation in 2003-2004.

The public affairs office of the embassy reports that this project is
one of a series of the US Government “Community Self-Help Fund”
initiatives in Armenia. At a formal grant ceremony on Nov 9 2004 the
US Embassy announced the second round of the projects including the
Concert hall. The second round awarded grants to ten communities in
eight marzes.

The Community Self-Help Fund assists local communities to
implementent small, grassroots projects that address their most
urgent needs. Communities themselves help decide which projects
deserve attention from the donor community and just garner the
support of local businesses and communities if a project is to be
considered for a grant. In the case of the Concert Hall of the Youth
Center, members of the Central District of yerevan contributed
significant time and resources in order to ensure the success o this
project,

The US Embassy would like to thank the community of the Central
District of Yerevan for their commitment and parntership toward this
project. This project has proved once more that only through strong
cooperation between community members, local government and donors it
is possible to achieve sustainable results that will benefit Armenia
in the long-term.

The USAID manages the project through their implementing partner,
Save the Children.

OSCE representative rejects amendments to Armenian draft law on assembly

Arminfo
20 May 05

YEREVAN

The amendments to the Armenian law on conducting rallies and
demonstrations adopted by the Armenian National Assembly in their
first reading do not fully meet the requirements of international
experts, the deputy head of the OSCE office in Yerevan, Elaine
Conkievich told our correspondent.

In particular, the restriction on conducting mass actions on bridges,
in tunnels and building sites “if conducting mass actions in these
places can harm the health of those taking part” contained in the
draft law does meet international requirements but the ban on
conducting mass actions within a radius of 150 metres of the
president’s residence, the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, the Central
Bank, the public TV and radio buildings, gas storage plants and the
Orbita-2 satellite ground station does not.

Conkievich said that, on the other hand, putting forward the blueprint
of a proportional representation system would be a positive thing but
stressed that she had not fully familiarized herself with the text of
the amendments to this law yet, since she had not received the text of
amendments from the Armenian National Assembly yet.

[Passage omitted: further details of the amendments]

Armenia get their Wisman as head coach

Agence France Presse — English
May 21, 2005 Saturday 2:28 PM GMT

YEREVAN May 21 — Henk Wisman was appointed new head coach of Armenia’s
national side, the country’s football federation chief Ruben Airapetyan
said on Saturday.

The 46-year-old succeeds Frenchman Bernard Casoni, who was sacked
last month following a string of poor performances. In seven matches
under Casoni Armenia lost five, drew one and beat minnows Andorra.

Wisman has previously coached Dutch sides SC Heerenveen, FC Volendam
and FC Den Bosch.

Chelmsford Independent, MA
May 19 2005

Series examines the Armenian genocide
By Margaret Smith/ Staff Writer
Thursday, May 19, 2005

For Armenians worldwide, April 24, 1915 is a date seared into their
collective consciousness as the darkest day in the history of their
3,000-year-old civilization.

The date marks what survivors and their descendants recall as the
beginning of arrests, mass-killings and deportations of Armenians,
including women and children, from their homes in Turkey – then part
of the Ottoman Empire. Survivors would tell of being forcibly marched
through harsh desert terrain to Syria.

In all, an estimated 1.5 million are reported to have died, many from
hardships suffered on the trek.

By 1923, the Armenian population in Turkey fell from 2.5 million to
100,000, according to some estimates.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the killings. Although the
number of people who bore first-hand witness is rapidly dwindling,
the episode has gained more attention as historians and scholars
grapple with the ramifications of genocide.

An event series at the Patrick J. Mogan Cultural Center at 40 French
St. in Lowell focuses on genocide – as well as the experiences of
the Armenian refugees who settled in the United States.

The events are a collaborative effort of several organizations,
including the Merrimack Valley Armenian Genocide Committee, the Lowell
National Historical Park, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell
and Project SAVE Armenian Photograph Archives, Inc.

For Levon Chorbajian, a Billerica resident since 1979, the struggles
of Armenians have personal meaning.

“I would like people to understand genocide is currently an
international problem and issue,” said Chorbajian, whose parents,
the late Walter and Antoinette Chorbajian, managed to escape the
carnage as children.

Chorbajian, a professor of sociology at UMass Lowell and one of the
event organizers, will moderate a forum on global issues of genocide,
tonight, Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the Mogan Center.

The Mogan Center is also the host of an exhibit of artifacts, works of
art, photos and archives depicting the experiences of Armenian victims,
refugees and descendants. The exhibit is on display until June 17.

Event organizers said the Armenian killings – along with the
displacement of families and confiscation of property – did not
receive widespread attention until recently because many survivors
simply wanted to put the horror behind them.

“It’s taken the third and fourth generation to really activate
the interest,” said Ruth Thomasian, executive director of Project
SAVE. a Watertown-based organization dedicated to the preservation
of photographs and other artifacts depicting the experiences of
Armenian refugees. She added, “These people who experienced it –
and their children – just wanted to forget about it.”

Thomasian recalled speaking with a 98-year-old survivor now living
in New York. “A woman said, ‘For me, that is life, and for you that
is history.'”

Debate endures

The motivations for the killings remain the subject of
emotionally-charged debate. The Turkish government maintains these
actions were part of the country’s efforts to defend itself from
pro-Russian corroborators during World War I.

For years, many survivors refused to talk about the trauma they had
experienced or witnessed. Chorbajian said his parents, however, was an
exception. “My family talked about it very freely. It was a frequent
topic of conversation. I’m grateful I learned about this,” Chorbajian
said, adding that his family’s stories influenced his career choice as
a professor who researches, teaches and writes about genocide issues.

The United Nations anti-genocide convention, first adopted in 1951,
declared acts of genocide a crime whether committed in peace or during
times of war.

The definition of genocide includes acts committed with the intention
of destroying a national, ethnic, racial or religious group; including
killing members of a group, causing bodily or mental harm to group
members; deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about
the group’s demise; imposing measures intended to prevent births
within the group and forcibly transferring children to another group.

The Armenian genocide remains a painful point of contention between
Armenians and present-day Turks, even as it slips from living memory,
Chorbajian noted.

One of the events in the series, “The Other Side of Genocide,” a
lecture by series coordinator Mehmed Ali, executive director of the
Mogan Center, will focus on at issues that have faced the Turkish
community. The lecture takes place Tuesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at
the center.

Chorbajian said one fear is that a public acknowledgement by the
Turkish government might lead to demands for reparation from survivors
or their descendants.

Chorbajian said he thinks an apology from Turkey would be more
important than compensation.

Whether to seek reparations, however, is something the Armenian
community must decide for itself, he said.

An ongoing tragedy

Chorbajian said it’s important to note that during episodes of
government-sanctioned mass-killings – including those in Turkey
-there are those who have given shelter or safe passage to would-be
victims. Many Turks, for example, warned or offered help their Armenian
neighbors even though doing so might have cost them their own lives.

Similar responses during the Holocaust and the Rwandan civil war
were the subject of the acclaimed films, “Schindler’s List” and
“Hotel Rwanda.”

However, a troubling recurrence, he said, is the world community’s
inability to respond effectively. He cited the inaction of United
Nations officials in Rwanda as one example.

A complete schedule of commemorative events at the Mogan Center and
elsewhere can be found on the Web site of St. Vartanantz Armenian
Church of Chelmsford. For more information, visit the Web at