Author: Hunanian Jack

Le Figaro, France
21 juillet 2004
Les opposants se mobilisent
Cécile de Corbière
[21 juillet 2004]
En réaction à la visite du premier ministre turc, le parti
FRA-Daschnaktousioun (Fédération révolutionnaire arménienne) et le
Parti arménien démocrate libéral (PADL), accompagnés de Michel
Tubiana, président de la FIDH (Fédération internationale des droits
de l’homme), ont exprimé leur opposition à l’ouverture des
négociations avec la Turquie. Varoujan Sirapian, représentant du
PADL, a repris point par point les arguments en faveur de la Turquie.
Et, point par point, les a réfutés. La Turquie est une nation
européenne ? L’héritage judéo-chrétien et gréco-romain «a été balayé
par la turquisation et l’islamisation du pays», dont, selon lui, «le
point culminant a été le génocide arménien». L’Europe ne doit pas
être un club chrétien ? «C’est à la Turquie de montrer qu’elle est
pluraliste et non l’inverse.» Quant à Erdogan, il s’est,
affirme-t-il, «déclaré ouvertement favorable à la polygamie». Bref,
«la Turquie n’est pas encore apte à intégrer l’UE». Ces propos ont
provoqué la colère du président de la FIDH, Michel Tubiana, qui a
refusé catégoriquement de les cautionner. Son combat se joue sur le
terrain des droits de l’homme et n’est pas affaire de religion. Comme
la FRA et son représentant Mourad Papazian, il n’est pas contre une
intégration à terme de la Turquie. Mais il considère que le volet
politique des critères de Copenhague, que la Turquie doit satisfaire
pour intégrer l’Europe, n’est pas respecté. Pour la FRA et la FIDH,
ce volet signifie pour Ankara la reconnaissance du génocide arménien,
la fin de l’occupation de Chypre par la Turquie, le respect de la
minorité kurde. Papazian réclame un report de l’ouverture des
négociations, ainsi qu’un audit généralisé en Turquie.

Armenian population’s incomes increase in six months of 2004
Arminfo
20 Jul 04

YEREVAN
The income of the Armenian population increased by 19.2 per cent in
the first six months of 2004 and totalled 534.9bn [958m dollars]
drams. According to preliminary information given to Arminfo news
agency by the Armenian National Statistics Service, this figure
increased by 6.8 per cent in June.
The population’s spending went up by 18.2 per cent in the first six
months of the year and by 3.4 per cent monthly, amounting to 544.7bn
drams [976m dollars]. The rate of the dram for the dollar was 558
drams in January-March 2004.
The average salary amounted to 40,014 drams [76 dollars] in
January-June 2004, or 32.9 per cent higher than in 2003 – the growth
was 3.3 per cent in June compared to May. Moreover, the salary of
public sector employees totalled 25,838 drams [49 dollars] at the end
of June, whereas in private organizations, it totalled 51,915 drams
[98 dollars], with a 45.9-per-cent and 26.4-per-cent growth
respectively in January-June 2004.
Compared to May 2004, the salary of public sector employees increased
by 2 per cent in June, and by 3.8 per cent in private organizations.
By the end of 2004, the number of officially registered unemployed
people totalled 115,100, having dropped by 8.4 per cent per year and
by 0.8 per cent in June.

Turkish ex-intelligence agent questioned over alleged crime links
NTV web site, Istanbul
20 Jul 04

Faik Meral, a former MIT [National Intelligence Organization] employee
and the holder of the green passport [a special passport issued to
public officials], which was used by Alaattin Cakici [leader of a
crime syndicate in Turkey] in order to flee to Austria where he was
detained, has been arrested.
Meral, who was released on bail under a court order yesterday, was
detained again at Ataturk Airport before taking a flight to
Izmir. Meral was taken to the Organized Crimes Bureau and then
appeared in a High Criminal Court to re-examine the arrest warrant in
absentia issued against him and the court decided to remand him in
custody. Meral was later sent to Type-F Prison in Tekirdag.
The arrest warrant in absentia issued by Istanbul 11th High Criminal
Court against Meral for aiding and abetting a crime syndicate was put
into effect by Istanbul 12th High Criminal Court.
After completion of legal formalities in a building, which housed a
State Security Court before it was abolished, located in Besiktas
district, Meral, who was handcuffed, was escorted by two police
officers to a police car with a civil registration plate waiting in
front of the building.
Wearing sunglasses and refusing to answer questions put by reporters,
Meral was later taken to a type-F prison in Tekirdag.
In the testimony he gave in an emergency court he appeared in
yesterday, Meral said that his last meeting with Cakici, to whom he
was introduced by a high-level MIT official 10 to 15 years ago, took
place after Cakici was released last year.
Noting that he visited Cakici at his home, Meral said that he was
carrying his passport that day, but did not notice that he had lost it
as he did not travel abroad later.
Claiming that he had learned that Cakici was carrying his passport
when he was arrested while he was watching a newscast, Meral said that
he had been taken part in intelligence operations launched against the
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia in Paris, but did
not take part in any operation in which Cakici was also involved.

The Frontrunner
July 20, 2004 Tuesday
Republicans Vow To Kill Amendment Recognizing Armenian Genocide
The Hill (7/20, Kaplan) reports House GOP leaders “are vowing to kill
a controversial amendment that chastises a key US ally following a
successful Democratic maneuver to pass the bill late last week.” The
Hill adds, “Rep.
Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) amendment would deny Turkey the use of US
foreign aid money to lobby against the Armenian genocide resolution
sponsored by GOP Rep. George Radanovich (Calif.). If enacted,
Radanovich’s resolution would be the first time Congress formally
marked the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.”
Radanovich told The Hill: “I think [the amendment] was a good way to
keep Armenian genocide in front of people,” adding that his bill will
never be passed because “of the force of the Turkish lobby.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Le Monde, France
19 juillet 2004
Le premier ministre turc vient plaider, à Paris, pour l’entrée de son
pays dans l’Union
Istanbul de notre correspondante
Le premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, est arrivé lundi 19
juillet, pour trois jours à Paris où il veut avant tout plaider pour
la candidature de son pays à l’Union européenne.
Les pays membres de l’Union européenne doivent décider, en décembre,
s’il y a lieu d’ouvrir les négociations d’adhésion avec Ankara, sur
la base d’un rapport qui sera publié par la Commission européenne en
octobre.

En 1999, l’UE avait confirmé le statut de pays candidat de la
Turquie, soumise aux mêmes critères que les autres. Mais le débat sur
cette candidature a continué dans l’Union. Durant la campagne pour
les élections européennes, les partis de la droite française ont pris
position contre l’entrée de ce pays de 70 millions d’habitants,
musulman de surcroît, dans une Europe qui doit déjà assumer son
élargissement vers l’est.
La gauche soutient en principe la candidature turque, mais le “lobby”
arménien fait pression pour ajouter aux conditions imposées à Ankara
la reconnaissance du génocide. Le président Jacques Chirac, qui s’est
toujours montré favorable à l’adhésion dès lors que ce pays remplira
les conditions, a réaffirmé lors du sommet de l’OTAN à Istanbul fin
juin que la décision serait basée sur les conclusions de la
Commission, en ajoutant qu’il existe selon lui un “mouvement
irréversible vers l’adhésion de la Turquie”. M. Erdogan doit le
rencontrer à Paris, ainsi que le premier ministre, Jean-Pierre
Raffarin. Il s’entretiendra également avec Alain Juppé, ancien chef
de l’UMP, François Hollande du PS et François Bayrou de l’UDF.
PAYSAGE POLITIQUE MODIFIÉ
Depuis trois ans le Parlement turc a adopté des dizaines de nouvelles
lois et le processus de réforme a acquis un nouvel élan avec
l’arrivée au pouvoir du Parti de la justice et du développement (AKP)
en novembre 2002. Si la mise en `uvre des changements n’est pas
encore uniforme en raison de fortes résistances au sein de la
bureaucratie, certaines des réformes ont déjà radicalement modifié le
paysage politique. L’influence exercée par l’armée, par exemple, a
été réduite et des droits culturels, limités, ont été accordés aux
Kurdes. Bien qu’issu de la mouvance islamiste, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
dirige un parti réformiste, résolument tourné vers l’Occident. Son
gouvernement, appuyé par 369 des 550 députés turcs, a apporté au pays
une stabilité politique qui avait fait cruellement défaut durant une
décennie de coalitions bancales.
Tout en admettant que l’application de certaines lois laisse encore à
désirer, le gouvernement turc affirme, selon les termes du ministre
des affaires étrangères, Abdullah Gül, que le poids des réformes a
atteint une “masse critique” et que la plupart des exigences de l’UE
ont été satisfaites.
Après la libération de Leyla Zana et de trois autres anciens députés
kurdes, au mois de juin, le Conseil de l’Europe a retiré la Turquie
de la liste des pays déficients en matière de démocratie. L’attitude
positive adoptée par Ankara durant les négociations pour la
réunification de Chypre a également levé un obstacle important à
l’entrée de la Turquie en Europe.
Une décision négative des Européens risquerait de renforcer les
opposants à la démocratisation, qui accusent l’Europe de mener une
politique de deux poids deux mesures lorsqu’il s’agit de la Turquie.
Avec l’appui financier du Fonds monétaire international, avec lequel
elle avait signé un accord stand by de 19 milliards de dollars en
février 2001, la Turquie a commencé un vaste programme de
restructuration, accompagné d’une politique d’austérité budgétaire,
qui a permis de remettre l’économie sur les rails après la grave
crise financière de 2001. La croissance a atteint 5,9 % en 2003 et
l’inflation est à son niveau le plus bas depuis trente ans.
Entre 1985 et 2003, le nombre de sociétés françaises présentes en
Turquie est passé de 15 à 277 et la France demeure le premier
investisseur étranger. Forcé de se serrer la ceinture pour financer
ses lourdes dettes, Ankara a dû mettre un frein à ses projets
d’infrastructures, mais la France est très présente dans des secteurs
tels que l’automobile, avec Renault et Peugeot, l’agroalimentaire,
notamment avec Carrefour, et l’habillement. L’éventualité d’achat
d’Airbus sera vraisemblablement évoquée durant la visite de M.
Erdogan à Paris.
Nicole Pope

RIA Novosti, Russia
July 19 2004
RUSSIA CONTRIBUTES TO ARMENIA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH MORE THAN OTHER
COUNTRIES
YEREVAN, July 19 (RIA Novosti’s Gamlet Matevosyan) – According to 54%
of Armenians, Russia contributes to Armenia’s economic growth more
than other countries do. These are the results of the poll conducted
by the Armenian Center of Strategic and National Research from June
20 to July 12, 2004.
12% of the polled believe that the U.S. helps Armenia’s development,
2% think it is France, 1,5% are for Iran, 0.3% – for Turkey, Germany
and Georgia was called by 0.2% each, the center told RIA Novosti.
Meanwhile, 13.3% believe that no country contributes to Armenia’s
economic development.
32.6% of the polled think that Armenia should have close economic
relations with the CIS countries, 13.9% – with the European Union, 7%
– with the countries of the region (Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and
Iran), 2.7% – with the U.S. and Canada and 35.3% – with all
countries.
According to 44% of the polled, the Armenian diaspora abroad is
playing a significant role in Armenia’s development, great role
according to 25.8%, small according to 23.1% and no role at all
according to 6.6%.
All in all, 1,127 people from Yerevan and all Armenian regions aged
18-90 were polled.

Pasadena Star-News, CA
July 15 2004
Chess players poised for a strategic move
By Naush Boghossian , Staff Writer
GLENDALE — Chess enthusiasts are getting ready to move from their
normal haunts in local cafes to the city’s new $540,000 chess park,
which opens Saturday evening.
More than three years in the making, the free park offers 16 boards
amid towering chess piece sculpted in a converted passageway along
Brand Boulevard.
“We’re definitely excited because there are a lot of kids who like to
play at their leisure and don’t have a permanent place to play,’ said
Harout Akopyan, 23, a coach for the All American Association Chess
Club, which runs chess schools for youngsters in Glendale, Reseda and
Hollywood. “This park is good for everybody.’
Glendale is something of a chess hub, since the game is very popular
among Armenians, who make up more than 70,000 of Glendale’s 200,000
residents.
In Armenia, people begin playing chess when they’re young, and the
schools there encourage competitions from a very young age. Akopyan’s
club, which serves about 150 children, continuously produces national
champion chess players.
Akopyan has 13 national championship titles himself.
The concept for a park came from local chess clubs, who encouraged
the City Council to maximize the potential of the little-used
passageway.
“We’ve taken a piece of property that was underutilized and created
an urban park that is not only aesthetically attractive but serves
the community,’ senior project manager Emil Tatevosian said. “We’ve
realized that we have a large chess community in the city, and this
is a good venue for all of them to come together.’
The new park is divided into zones, each accented with a chess piece
King, Queen, Bishop and Rook and has tables with inlaid game boards
and benches.
And chess-themed light towers also will allow for nighttime games.
“There is potential to create a hub of activity there with the Alex
Theater and Brand Books, which is open until midnight,’ Tatevosian
said.
The concept of having an area for chess players to gather and play is
very popular in other countries, said president of the L.A. Chess
Club Mick Bighamian.
But in Southern California where the only other chess park is in
Santa Monica players tend to gather at coffee shops, where the
unwritten rule is you have to spend money to be able to stay and
play.
“I think this is a great movement as far as keeping the youngsters
and senior citizens to have something leisurely to do at no cost to
them,’ Bighamian said. “And the park helps the promotion of chess to
get the image it truly deserves as a fun and challenging game.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

[Congressional Record: July 15, 2004 (House)]
[Page H5875-H5895]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr15jy04-92]

FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT FINANCING, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005
Amendment Offered by Mr. Schiff
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Amendment offered by Mr. Schiff:
At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert
the following:
prohibition on use of funds for certain purposes
Sec. 576. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used by the Government of Turkey to engage in
contravention of section 1913 of title 18, United States
Code, (relating to lobbying with appropriated moneys), with
respect to H. Res. 193, Reaffirming support of the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and
anticipating the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the
Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the Proxmire
Act) on November 4, 2003.
The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on this
amendment, and I claim the time in opposition.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman reserves a point of order.
The gentleman from California is recognized for 5 minutes on his
amendment.
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by congratulating the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) and the ranking member, the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey), for their outstanding work on the bill. I think they
both have done a great job in advancing America’s foreign policy
priorities at an especially difficult time in our history.
I was particularly please to see the committee wisely provides $65
million in economic aid for Armenia, $3 million more than the
administration’s request, and that the committee wisely restored the
parity in security assistance between Armenia and Azerbaijan by funding
military aid and education assistance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan at
$6 million.
Today, I offer a simple amendment that will honor the 11/2 million
Armenians who perished in the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. I
consider this a sacred obligation, to ensure that the men, women and
children who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Empire are not lost
to history and that this Congress not fund shameful efforts to deny
that the genocide occurred.
Time is the ally of those who would deny or change history. Such has
it been, regrettably, by those who would continue to deny the
undeniable facts of the murder of 11/2 million people, the first
genocide of last century.
My amendment tonight seeks only to prohibit the use of funds to lobby
[[Page H5890]]
against H. Res. 193, the resolution which includes a reference to the
Armenian Genocide and reaffirms the support of Congress for the
genocide convention and commemorates the anniversary of our becoming a
party to this landmark legislation. It will not deprive countries of
funding that they need for legitimate purposes, but no appropriations
under this bill or any other bill should be used by other governments
to lobby this Congress against legislation, and particularly
legislation that reaffirms our commitment to the convention on genocide
and the recognition of the victims of the Armenian Genocide as well as
the victims of many other genocides in the history of mankind.
Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Pallone).
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).
It is time for the United States to properly recognize the Armenian
Genocide, which is fully documented in the U.S. Archives and through an
overwhelming body of firsthand governmental and diplomatic evidence.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, the Turkish government and its
paid lobbyists have through threats and blackmail sought to prevent the
United States from properly commemorating the Armenian Genocide.
Morally it is wrong for the American people to be complicit in the
Turkish government’s efforts to deny the suffering and death of 1.5
million people. I would also like to point out that Turkey’s
recognition of the Armenian Genocide would represent a meaningful step
towards its acceptance into the European family of nations.
Finally, Mr. Chairman, it is time for this body to stop defending and
funding a government that continues to deny its own history and refuses
to break with the pattern of intolerance established by past Turkish
governments which dealt with minority issues by committing genocide
against Armenians, massacring and driving Greeks from its shores,
restricting the rights of Christians to worship, and denying the
existence of its Kurdish citizens.
I would like to add that I am joined in my support of this amendment
by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley).
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) wish to
make his point of order?
Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I will not make a point of order on the
amendment. I will conclude the debate.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) has 2
minutes remaining.
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Among historians there is no dispute about what happened to the
Armenian people. There is no dispute that it was genocide. Thousands of
pages of documents sit in our National Archives, newspapers of the day
were replete with stories about the murder of Armenians: “Appeal To
Turkey To Stop Massacres,” headlined the New York Times on April 28,
1915, just as the killing began.
On October 7 of that year, the Times reported that 800,000 Armenians
had been slain in cold blood in Asia Minor. In mid-December of 1915,
the Times spoke of a million Armenians killed or in exile.
In 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community
responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide
by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide. It confirms that genocide is a crime under
international law and defines genocide as actions committed with intent
to destroy a nation, ethnic, racial or religious group.
The United States under President Truman was the first nation to sign
the convention. Last year marked the 15th anniversary of President
Reagan signing the Genocide Convention Implementation Act.
Just over a year ago, I introduced H. Res. 193 with my colleagues,
the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg),
and other Members of this House. This should have been an easy
resolution for all of us now to support on the House floor. Genocide is
the most abhorrent crime known to human kind; and, unfortunately, it is
happening in the Sudan as we speak.
The reason we have not yet succeeded in passing this resolution is
simple. The government of Turkey refuses to acknowledge the genocide,
and the strongest nation on Earth fears their reaction if we do.
110 of my colleagues have co-sponsored this resolution, and I expect
it would pass overwhelmingly if given the chance. At the very least we
should not fund efforts to silence our voices.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) is recognized
for 5 minutes.
Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, this is most unfortunate. We have just been handed this
amendment. It is a completely new amendment, quite different than the
one we had seen before. So we do not really know what the implications
of this are. I am trying to read it and think it through.
I am inclined to accept this and deal with its ramifications in the
full committee. Looking at it, let me say that it appears by saying
relating to lobbying with appropriated monies, but not having any way
of making that determination as to what that is, it does not have any
real impact. Nonetheless, I understand the symbolism of this, and I am
concerned about that in terms of our ally, Turkey. But I am prepared to
accept this amendment at this time. And as I said, we will deal with
its implications and ramifications at a later time.
Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment offered
by my friend and colleague from California Adam Schiff.
This is an amendment to ensure that we never forget the struggles of
the Armenian people or that we never forget . . .
Ever since I was elected to the State Assembly and now in Congress, I
have been a strong supporter of the Armenian American community.
However, my strong support is not only because I represent a large
Armenian community in Queens but also because I see the strategic
importance of Caucasus region for the United States.
The contributions of the Armenian community to this great city cannot
be fully appreciated quantitatively.
It can only be realized by those who walk the streets of New York
every day.
I had the opportunity to travel to Armenia last summer.
Through meetings and discussions with elected officials and even
regular citizens, I have a clearer understanding of Armenia’s needs and
challenges.
I believe that as a nation Armenia is growing and with the support of
the United States and the Diasporan Armenian community–Armenia will be
able to overcome the economic and security challenges in the region.
I have continuously supported and encouraged closer ties between the
United States and Armenia because of the strategic position and also
because of the similar values of democracy and freedom.
The thorny path to liberty is a concept with which the people of
Armenia have been forced to contend for many years.
From the Armenian Genocide, to the republic’s absorption into the
Soviet Union, to the current struggle for Nagorno (NA-GORE-NO)-Karabakh
(KAR-AH-BAH), the path has not always been smooth.
I am pleased to say that the nation of Armenia does not need to
travel that thorny path alone.
I am proud to stand alongside them in an effort to reach their goals.
I assure you, it will never be forgotten.
Armenia remains a major focus in American foreign policy.
The United States recognizes the need to cultivate and support the
development of Armenia.
The United States has looked to Armenia to take the lead in bringing
peace and prosperity to the Caucasus.
The people of Armenia have overcome tremendous obstacles on the path
to liberty.
But again we can never forget the genocide and we must commemorate
it.
Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).
[[Page H5891]]
The amendment was agreed to.

“ARMENIA CONDUCTS DYNAMIC FOREIGN POLICY AND IS A SUCCESS”
Azg/AM
16 July 2004
The Employee of the Eurasian Center for Strategic Researches Testifies
to That
Azg informed in its previous issue under the title “Turkey Doesn’t
Intend to Reconsider Its Hostile Policy Towards Armenia” that the
Turkish government refused to be a presiding country at PACE in
2007. the information was based on the massage send by Harut
Sassounian, publisher of the Californian Currier that was published in
our newspaper.
Sasunian, considering the abovementioned decision of the Turkish
governmenta victory of the Armenian diplomats, conditions it by the
statement made by RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on June 14 in
Washington, saying that Armenia will exercise its right for veto
against Turkey’s candidacy. He comes to the conclusion that “This
unexpected step means that the U.S. and Turkey have failed in their
attempts to exert pressure on Armenia.”
Let’s remind that Oskanian explained his statement saying that “We
can’t allow the chairmanship of a country at PACE that is a mediator
in the Nagorno Karabagh conflict settlement, as the Chair has certain
rights and privileges that can be used against Armenia.” He not only
repeated this explanation but also added that “The country presiding
at PACE should have diplomatic relations with all the member-
countries,” on June 8 during the meeting with Yanesh Potochnik, EU
representative in Armenia.
It’s worth mentioning that these conclusions are affirmed in the
article by Hatem Jabbarlu, employee of Eurasian Center for Strategic
Researches, issued in Haberanaliz Internet newspaper on July 13
entitled “Armenian Obstacle for Turkey’s Presiding at PACE”. As the
Turkish leading newspapers didn’t comment on Oskanian’s statement, and
the center represented by Jabbarlu is a state structure, we want to
introduce the short variant of the article to your attention.
By Hakob Chaqrian
“Turkey was a candidate for chairmanship at PACE in 2007. The positive
changes made in the Turkish foreign police in the early 2000
contributed tothe creation of all the preconditions for that. But in
2004 articles on Armenia’s right for exercising veto against Turkey’s
candidacy appeared in the Armenian and Diaspora Press in the early
2004. RA Government and the state press didnâ=80=99t comment on that
issue, that is why the government tool advantage of the possibilities
of the independent press, being well aware that the comments of the
state bodies on the “veto” will cause a number of complications in the
foreign policy.
But on June 28-29 in the course of NATO Istanbul Summit Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, meeting with the U.S. representatives, had
found the intention to exercise veto against Turkey’s candidacy for
PACE Chairmanship quite possible and conditioned that by the Turkish
policy conducted against Armenia.
This shows that besides the short-term and mid-term projects in the
foreign policy Armenia has elaborated long-term projects as well
against Turkey. The time showed that the people who in the 80-ies when
ASALA began acting spokeof the failure of this terrorist
structure. The main goal of ASALA was to state “Armenian Genocide” in
the agenda of the international publicity that was achieved, as a
result.
Moreover, when in 1987, when the issue of Turkey’s membership to
EUwasn’t even considered, the Armenian Diaspora managed to make the
European Parliament adopt a decision on the Armenian Genocide in
Turkey. At present, RA Government and the Armenian Diaspora,
cooperation, particularly with the French Socialistic Party, will
spare no efforts to prevent Turkey’s membership to EU, putting forward
the issue of the so-called genocide as a precondition for that.
Notwithstanding the fact that the population and the area of Armenia
is small in the South Caucasus, its serious economic problems, it
condacts more dynamic policy and acheives success against Turkey and
Azerbaijan, in particular. Armenia is capable of unfolding propaganda
against Turkey and Azerbaijan.”

Pasadena Star News
Article Published: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 – 10:10:37 PM PST
Chess players poised for a strategic move
By Naush Boghossian , Staff Writer
GLENDALE — Chess enthusiasts are getting ready to move from their normal
haunts in local cafes to the city’s new $540,000 chess park, which opens
Saturday evening.
More than three years in the making, the free park offers 16 boards amid
towering chess piece sculpted in a converted passageway along Brand
Boulevard.
“We’re definitely excited because there are a lot of kids who like to play
at their leisure and don’t have a permanent place to play,’ said Harout
Akopyan, 23, a coach for the All American Association Chess Club, which runs
chess schools for youngsters in Glendale, Reseda and Hollywood. “This park
is good for everybody.’
Glendale is something of a chess hub, since the game is very popular among
Armenians, who make up more than 70,000 of Glendale’s 200,000 residents.
In Armenia, people begin playing chess when they’re young, and the schools
there encourage competitions from a very young age. Akopyan’s club, which
serves about 150 children, continuously produces national champion chess
players.
Akopyan has 13 national championship titles himself.
The concept for a park came from local chess clubs, who encouraged the City
Council to maximize the potential of the little-used passageway.
“We’ve taken a piece of property that was underutilized and created an urban
park that is not only aesthetically attractive but serves the community,’
senior project manager Emil Tatevosian said. “We’ve realized that we have a
large chess community in the city, and this is a good venue for all of them
to come together.’
The new park is divided into zones, each accented with a chess piece King,
Queen, Bishop and Rook and has tables with inlaid game boards and benches.
And chess-themed light towers also will allow for nighttime games.
“There is potential to create a hub of activity there with the Alex Theater
and Brand Books, which is open until midnight,’ Tatevosian said.
The concept of having an area for chess players to gather and play is very
popular in other countries, said president of the L.A. Chess Club Mick
Bighamian.
But in Southern California where the only other chess park is in Santa
Monica players tend to gather at coffee shops, where the unwritten rule is
you have to spend money to be able to stay and play.
“I think this is a great movement as far as keeping the youngsters and
senior citizens to have something leisurely to do at no cost to them,’
Bighamian said. “And the park helps the promotion of chess to get the image
it truly deserves as a fun and challenging game.’
Naush Boghossian can be reached at (818) 546-3306 or by e-mail at
[email protected] .