Author: Hovhannisian John

DASHNAKTSUTYUN’S WAITING FOR LEVON TER-PETROSYAN

Lragir.am
19-09-2007 15:25:33

Armen Rustamyan, representative of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Supreme
Body, stated September 19 at the Friday Club Dashnaktsutyun has a
normal attitude toward the nomination of Levon Ter-Petrosyan to the
presidential election of 2008. "In addition, it will be better if he
is nominated," Armen Rustamyan says. According to him, the nomination
of the first president will be helpful to the presidential election
in terms of politics and ideology. "I think, knowing him, that for
ten years we haven’t heard Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s thoughts fully,
the changes that happened, nevertheless, I know that when we were
opposition, there were two ideologies in the Armenian reality: one
was nationalistic, the other was cosmopolitan, internationalist,"
Armen Rustamyan says, stressing that if Levon Ter-Petrosyan runs in
the race, the race will have much more ideology.

"At least we, in order to recheck our ideas, to reassert, to argue, as
I have said, a real subject of debate will occur. And I am sure that
it will help others make up their mind. After all, they need to ask
themselves on which side of the watershed they are. Formal attitudes
will disappear, they will stop stressing the form," Armen Rustamyan
says. It is important what a person says and not how a person says.

RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY SUPPORTS PRESIDENT’S DECISION TO SUSPEND THE CFE TREATY

REGNUM
September 19, 2007

The Russian Defense Ministry backs the decision of the Russian
president to suspend the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty,
spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry Head Directorate for
International Military Cooperation, Maj.-Gen. Vladimir Nikishin is
quoted as saying by a REGNUM correspondent at parliamentary hearings
at the Russian State Duma.

Nikishin noted that, in accordance with the acting CFE
Treaty. Successors of the USSR – CIS member-countries – can have
13,150 battle tanks, while the allowed level for groups of countries
is 20,000. "Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Czechia and Slovakia have
taken the quota of 6,850 tanks with them to the NATO lap," Nikishin
said. According to the treaty, Russia can have 6,350 tanks. According
to the military official, Russia together with CSTO member-countries
(Armenia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan) can use the quota of 8,420
tanks. "The same situation is with all the five categories of weapons
mentioned in the treaty," the Defense Ministry’s spokesman said.

Speaking on exceeding group limits by NATO, Nikishin noted that it
totals 5,999 battle tanks, 9,822 armored carriers, 5,111 artillery
systems, 1,497 war planes, 531 attack helicopters.

He also noted that exceeding flank limits is also
substantial. According to Nikishin, conditions necessary to restore
the viability of the CFE Treaty include returning Latvia, Lithuania
and Estonia into the sphere of the treaty, decreasing the sum of
permitted levels restricted by a treaty on arms and equipment of NATO
member-countries in order to make up for the potential acquired by the
alliance during the process of its enlargement. Besides, according to
Nikishin, it is important to pass a decision to cancel flank limits
in the Russian territory.

ARMEN NAZARYAN GAINS BEIJING LICENSE

armradio.am
17.09.2007 17:13

Armenian judoist, European Under 23 Champion Armen Nazryan (66kg)
achieved a license for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, occupying
the 5th place in the World Judo Championship held in Rio de Janeiro.

Armen Nazaryan is the third Armenian sportsman after Norayr Bakhtamyan
and Hovhannes Davtyan to gain a Beijing license.

One female four male and Armenian judoists participated in the World
Championship this year. The chief coach of the Armenian team is
Gagik Aghamalyan.

FEATURED BOOK REVIEW: THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR BY MARGARET AJEMIAN AHNERT
By Jessica Schneider

Monsters and Critics.com, UK
Sep 14, 2007, 15:01 GMT

Books Features

For anyone who has ever wanted an introduction to the Armenian
Genocide, reading Margaret Ajemian Ahnert’s memoir, The Knock at the
Door, would be a good place to start. The book deals with Ahnert’s
mother, Ester, and how at the ages of fifteen through nineteen,
the Armenian girl has to endure starvation, beatings, and rape-yet
manages to survive. This story, based on the stories that Ester
relayed to Ahnert, talks about how the Armenians were forced out
of their houses, ordered to march for weeks through the desert with
little food or water, undergo regular beatings and killings by the
Turkish soldiers, and how anyone worshipping the Christian religion
or speaking Armenian would result in torture and death.

In an interesting online interview with the author, Ahnert has much to
say regarding the Genocide and the public’s denial of it. In Turkey,
it is against the law to speak of it, and on May 1, 2007, Ahnert was
giving a reading at a New York Barnes & Noble when she had several
Turkish men in the audience stand up and begin to pass out flyers,
claiming she was a liar.

That story hit the news, and it was upon reading about that incident,
that prompted me to purchase the book.

Throughout the story, after having survived the brutal walk through the
desert and being left for dead, Ester is rescued by a woman and then
eventually shuffled through several homes. In one house she acts as a
maid, and upon overhearing some Turkish men bragging about the brutal
ways in which they killed the Armenians, becomes so overwhelmed with
fear that she falls down the stairs and eventually informs the woman
of the house that she must leave. The woman, who at first said she
was willing to treat Ester as a daughter, only allows her husband to
rape Ester that same night. Then, as Ester is sent to an orphanage,
where she is forced to strip down and undergo ‘lice treatment’ as
well as molestation by one of the women, there she meets a Turkish
man who takes her by force, marries her, yet regards her as nothing
more than a slave. Ahnert talks about how during these years, Turks
were allowed to marry Armenians or kill them, but they could not,
under any circumstances, hide them. So because this Turkish man is
willing to marry Ester, she is relatively safe for a while (albeit
still undergoing regular beatings and abuse from her husband).

Several years pass, and then Ester believes she sees her brother on
a wagon passing by. Running out to greet him, he helps her to escape
by informing her of a place to stay. Ester escapes her husband and
goes to this house that dwells one of the few Armenian families
whose lives were spared because they are blacksmiths. The family
takes her in, despite their constant worry of getting caught. Ester
is forced to sleep in the moldy basement with vermin crawling all
over her. Fearing the family would be ready to throw her out, she
does not complain. Eventually, she is able to get to America after
being given a third class passenger ticket and a false passport. But
the insides of the steerage are no better. Larded with roaches and
disease, people are crowded together and must suffer through the
filth until they can arrive at Ellis Island. The book skips back and
forth between Ahnert visiting her mother in a nursing home in 1998,
and her mother’s experiences in 1915 through 1920. Ahnert also has
a scene where she encounters a Turkish cab driver and fears to tell
him that she is Armenian.

This book is one woman’s story-well two actually, and it provides a
personal account of what happened during those years. Through Ester’s
tale, readers will be given an introduction to the Armenian Genocide,
and what those brutal times were like. Similar to that of the Jews,
Ahnert speaks about the famous quote by Hitler in the Holocaust museum
in Washington D.C., where he mentions that no one remembers what
happened to the Armenians (implying that no one will remember what
happened to the Jews either). The Knock at the Door is a memoir more
in line with Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, where both stories serve
to personalize the history, as opposed to viewing it only as dates and
numbers. Angela’s Ashes is the more artful of the two books, while The
Knock at the Door is more straightforward in its spare narrative style.

Worthy of your readership, it is a story that will certainly pique
your interest in wanting to know more.

And if Ester herself were alive to know that, indeed she would
be pleased.

ARIEL COHEN: AZERBAIJAN’S PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SOLUTION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Azeri Press Agency
[ 13 Sep 2007 15:30 ]

Interview of Ariel Cohen, Ph.D. Senior Research Fellow for Russia
and Eurasia of Heritage Foundation to APA

– Mr. Cohen, deputy assistant secretary of state John Hood stated
that official Washington agrees to involve the facilities which are
under Russians’ control in missile defense system. Is joint use of
Gabala radar by Russia and the US, which have different positions on
the content and structure of this system, possible?

– I think that, Gabala radar has great potential from geopolitical
and geopolitical aspect and this facility will be interesting for
the US. But Gabala radar means technologies used 30 years ago. Gabala
radar can watch the missile launched from the area it controls. But
this warning does not ensure intercepting the object after certain
limit. The US needs a system that will ensure striking the missile even
in the air. The system that Washington intends to deploy in Europe is
designed for such cases, i.e. intercepting missiles in space. That’s
why the US is seeking alternatives so that to watch the missile the
moment it is launched by deploying its radars in Gabala and eliminate
the danger through objects deployed in Europe.

Implementation of these ideas fully depends on Russia.

Official Moscow will prove with its steps either it wants to be closer
to the US and West, or aims to increase tension. As far as I know,
America does not intend to give up plans in Europe using only Gabala.

Official Washington wants to use both missile defense system that
will be deployed in Europe and Gabala radar station.

– You must have known that Iran severely reacts to any project that
could beat its interests in the region.

Which threat does US usage of Gabala Radar pose for Azerbaijan?

– I do not think that Iran will be able to interfere with Azerbaijan’s
local situation. Most of Azerbaijanis are faithful to their state
and president and know Iranian government’s shortcomings very well.

Why must Iranians be concerned about the US plans on Gabala radar? Only
spiteful people can be against this plan.

– If US and Russian interests meet on Gabala Radar issue as in oil
issue, will there be more possibility to solve the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict in favor of Azerbaijan?

– I assume that Azerbaijan must be interested in keeping warm relations
with all forces of the region.

I would include Moscow, Tehran and Washington firstly.

Deploying missile defense system in Gabala radar is not only the US’s
but only the entire world’s interest. The participation of Azerbaijan
in the global missile defense system project will contribute to the
solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as well.

OIL MONEY TO FUND NGOS AND OPPOSITION PARTIES IN AZERBAIJAN
By Fariz Ismailzade

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Different groups in Azerbaijan are clamoring for their share of
the massive flow of oil revenue generated by the completion of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

Lobbying from the ministries for additional financial resources to
complete new, massive projects is leading to a new era in Azerbaijani
politics. Among the public works projects under consideration are
refugee settlements, bridges and underpasses in Baku, subways and
railways, roads, and schools.

Political parties and NGOs alike have entered the competition for oil
revenues. Until only recently the more hard-line opposition parties and
NGOs refused to sit down with the authorities at the government-owned
negotiating table, preferring a neutral forum instead.

Now they have openly expressed a desire to claim their part of the pie.

The government has responded positively, as funding NGOs and political
parties will create additional tools to control them, especially prior
to the presidential elections next year. On July 27 President Ilham
Aliyev issued a decree calling on the government to "adopt a concept of
state support for the non-governmental organization" (AzTV, July 27).

According to the decree, the president’s office has two months to
prepare suggestions regarding the establishment of a Fund to Support
NGOs and to formulate procedures for the state to work with NGOs
(Trend News Agency, July 27).

The decree established priority areas for NGO projects, such as
advancing Azerbaijani positions regarding the Karabakh conflict in the
international arena, protecting the rights of internally displaced
persons and refugees, assisting disabled citizens and war veterans,
encouraging the idea of "Azerbaijanism," cooperating with foreign NGOs,
encouraging human rights, and promoting the rights and freedoms of
individuals, including the right to free speech and expression (Echo,
August 2).

NGO leaders welcomed the government’s long-awaited decision. In recent
years, NGOs have largely relied on international donors and foundations
for project funds, but as the foundation monies have dried up, many
local NGOs have found themselves on the brink of bankruptcy.

Azay Guliyev, president of the Azerbaijani NGO Forum and a member
of parliament, assessed the decree positively. "It will contribute
to the development of national NGOs and serve as a new stage in
the dialogue between the state and civil society," Guliyev to Echo
newspaper on August 2. The Azerbaijani NGO Forum has also initiated a
roundtable discussion with dozens of local NGOs to give feedback on the
presidential decree and develop suggestions on concrete ways to support
the third sector. Arastun Orujov, director of the presidential staff,
hinted that the NGOs will be provided the "financial, informational
and other kinds of assistance, as well as conditions to hold events,
conferences, forums, and trainings" (Echo, August 2).

Speaking to Azertaj news agency, Parliamentary Speaker Bahar Muradova
indicated that the law on political parties would be amended during
the fall session of the parliament (Zerkalo, September 4). Muradova
did not specify which aspects of the law will be discussed, but
noted that the current law, adopted in 1992, is not suitable for the
contemporary political environment and that the relations between
the parties and society, as well as political party funding, will
be re-worked, taking into consideration the representation of the
political parties in parliament and the geographic scope of their
activities in the country. The issue of state financial support is
of special interest to the political parties, as they have long been
accused of being sponsored from abroad.

Although these amendments to the law on political parties have
been on the table for nearly two years, there has been no formal
document presented to members of parliament. Opposition MP Panah
Huseyn told media representatives on September 3 that he had not seen
any such draft and that perhaps it was still under development in
the president’s office. Huseyn added that the experience of other
countries should be taken into account when developing financial
and other conditions for Azerbaijan’s political parties, including
such acts as simplifying the registration process for parties and
establishing financial quotas for them.

Fazil Gazanfaroglu, chairman of the "Great Revival" opposition
party and a member of parliament, also welcomed the idea of the new
amendments, noting the need to support secular parties. Indeed, in
the past several years, secular parties have stagnated, leading to
the growth of Islamic tendencies in the country.

According to Gazanfaroglu and other experts, it is exactly this factor
that drives the government to support political parties.

Although both initiatives are positive in nature, they are likely
to provide extra financial resources for the leaders of NGOs and
parties, but they are unlikely to change the democratic atmosphere
in the country significantly.

PARLIAMENTARIAN’S DEMAND TO GENERAL PROSECUTOR

Panorama.am
20:08 11/09/2007

"Today the situation in Vanadzor is very tense. On August 25 the
head prosecutor of Lori was murdered, and I think this case has to be
solved. I demand that the general prosecutor study all evidence and
reveal who the responsible persons are, and have them punished." Thus
spoke Viktor Dallakyan, NA deputy from Vanadzor, during announcements
at a NA session.

In his words, Vanadzor citizens became quite concerned after learning
on news broadcasts that witnesses to the crime had been beaten.

"In other words, methods from 1937 are being used to squeeze
people," Dallakyan continued. Therefore, in his opinion, the general
prosecutor should put an examination into action to reveal these
illegal activities and punish those responsible.

"I thus demand that the general prosecutor solve this serious crime,
while at the same time punish those individuals who are forcing people
to give false testimony," as read Dallakyan’s demand.

A SINGLE MOTHERLAND TWO INDEPENDENT REPUBLICS
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar
11 Sept 2007

Yesterday on the occasion of the launch of the second sitting of 4th
congress parliament NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan convened a conference
to introduce the main colors of the mosaic of the discussions and to
answer the questions of the journalists.

According to the speaker the agenda of the current sitting will mainly
include issues related to the economic development of the country,
legislative initiatives adopted by the previous National Assembly by
the first or second reading and reports. The report on the fulfillment
of 2006 budget was discussed yesterday.

Responsible representatives from the Central Bank and other structures
will also appear with similar reports in the near future.

The previous National Assembly overlooked their reports during May
hustle and bustle. Later the parliament will start discussing program
related documents, including the discussion of 2008 state budget.

Besides that there will be appointments of certain pivotal
positions. The first one is the appointment of the Prosecutor General,
whose candidacy, according to the amended Constitution is confirmed
by the parliament, by the proposal of the President. This issue
will be discussed by the parliament either today or tomorrow, as the
President has already appealed to the National Assembly to reaffirm
Aghvan Hovsepyan in the position of the Prosecutor General.

In future nominations will start in the council of justice, NA
representatives in TV and Radio national committees, and Head of
Supervisory Palace – issues bound for the parliament after July 7
and must come to an end in six months time.

Thus, according to T. Torosyan soon the Prosecutor General will appear
in the National Assembly and respond to the questions of the MPs,
give clarifications regarding the most recent sensational cases,
for example regarding the motives of changing the precautionary
measures of ex-Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanyan. Yesterday the
journalists were trying to get the answers to these questions from
the Speaker of the National Assembly.

What is the attitude of NA Speaker to the announcement made by the
Head of ARF fraction Hrayr Karapetyan, according to which in case
the process of Minsk Group enters a deadlock Dashnaktsutyun will
come out not in favor of NKR recognition, but from the position of
the reunification of Armenia and Karabakh. " I respect the stance
of Dashnaktsutyun and all the other parties. But one thing is clear
for me – the only way to guarantee NKR legal independence is its
recognition by international community.

Especially, in case of exercising the right to self-determination, all
the legal, historical, and political bases exist for the recognition
of NKR independence. Of course there are serious difficulties in
the world and particularly in Europe connected with the fulfillment
of those rights, but we must try to overcome these difficulties,"
Tigran Torosyan underscored. Moreover, he said, " It is the only right
version, close to the reality. The opposite one is fraught with serious
consequences." The speaker also reminded us about the famous clause
of PACE 1416 resolution, according to which any territory can become
independent, by the democratic support that is to say referendum of the
population of that territory. Whereas," the continuation of the clause
underscores that in case of unification it will be considered as an
aggression of a COE member-country towards another member-country. We
don’t have the right to overlook the norms of international law. Yes we
are a single nation, with a single motherland and a single goal. But
we must have two independent republics to achieve that goal. This is
the truth," speaker of the National Assembly states.

The speaker also said, three of the delegations representing Armenia,
in the international arenas (PACE, OSCE PA and the staff of delegates
of the inter-parliamentary union) is not replenished and will be
completed immediately after the current four-day session. T.

Torosyan, ex officio, leads the delegation of CIS parliamentary summit,
because it is the demand of the tradition that is why," Armenia should
try to stand out by its productive proposals and not other things."

The journalists also inquired about the issues discussed during the
morning session of the Republican fraction and whether Serge Sargsyan
participated in those discussions. " The presence of the Prime Minister
in the session of the fraction is quite natural, I think. As you know
the Prime Minister is also the acting party leader and it is natural
that he should have participated in the regular session before the
four-day sitting? It has always been like that and there is nothing
strange in it. We have discussed general approaches and principles
regarding the activity of our fraction in the parliament.

We haven’t discussed any special draft law or issue."

BLOG: POLITICAL MINEFIELD OFFERS RICH PICKINGS FOR JOKES
By Jill Worrall

The New Zealand Herald
Monday September 10, 2007

The 14th century Tsminda Sameba church overlooked by
5047m Mt Kazbek. Photo / Jill Worrall

There’s little work available in the Georgian town of Kazbegi, just
20km from the Russian border.

The two nations are not on speaking terms at present so the border is
closed. Kazbegi is now without its usual rumble and belch of trucks,
buses and vans – it’s a forlorn place where men sit in doorways with
nothing to do.

So, I’m not altogether surprised when the jeep drivers tell us it’s
not safe to walk up to the 14th century Tsminda Sameba church that
sits perched on a hill overlooked by 5047m Mt Kazbek, Georgia’s
highest mountain.

"There are two bears on the path," they tell us, seriously. We should
take the jeeps to be safe. So we do.

Interestingly the black-robed priest and his small flock of pilgrims
who take the path arrive safely at the church – maybe they had a
higher level of divine protection.

The closed border is a graphic example of why the Caucasus would be
no place to cut one’s teeth in the field of international relations.

While Georgia and Russia are at loggerheads, Georgia and Azerbaijan
are talking to each other so their borders are open. But don’t even
contemplate trying to cross from Azerbaijan into Armenia – those two
nations are bristling with tension over disputed territory.

Advertisement AdvertisementArmenia is however, friendly with Iran,
which in turn is regarded a little guardedly by Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Armenia and Turkey are caught in long-standing enmity. And
to compound things further Armenia and Georgia are possibly a little
envious of the Azeris’ oil-fields, while Georgia and Azerbaijan seem
a little miffed about the amount of money Armenia receives from its
wealthy diaspora.

It’s rich pickings for collectors of national jokes too.

Georgians, for example, are teased about their claims to be the first
to make wine, along with several other "firsts".

The region is the political geographer’s paradise – a soap opera of
kinship, enmity, envy, spies and the usual pot pourri of other human
emotions that can both divide and unite.

The Tsminda Sameba church . Photo / Jill Worrall But political
minefields seem a long way away up at the little stone church of
Tsminda Sameba where the wind billows the priest’s gowns and Mt
Kazbek and its snowfields loom on the skyline on a cloudless blue
Caucasian day.

MORE SPORT HALLS FOR MINORITIES

Press TV
Sept 7 2007
Iran

An Iranian official says that the ‘Physical Education Organization’
will actively continue construction of sports facilities for the
minorities.

Iran’s Presidential advisor for sport, Mohammad Aliabadi, said
"we have already assisted the minorities develop sports facilities,
and will do so again in the future."

"Recently, we have provided the ground for construction of a sports
complex for the Iranian Jews and the Physical Education Organization
will extend necessary assistance to complete the complex," the
official said.

Aliabadi recalled his presence at the ‘Armenian World Competitions’
in Armenia and the fact that the contenders were delighted to see
him join the team members. "The Armenian sportsmen were spirited when
they found that the Iranian officials are next to them," he stated.

The presidential advisor referred to the Iranian minors who are playing
in various Iranian national teams such as football and basketball
and said that Iran is a country where minorities leave in peace and
harmony with the rest of the society.