Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

PACE TO WAIT FOR NATURAL CHANGE OF GENERATIONS

A1plus

| 13:50:10 | 11-06-2005 | Politics |

“All rights including the principles of freedom of mass media should be
fixed in the Constitution, but it does not mean that there should not
be any law for regulating the field or creation of some limitations
within the frames of the international documents, specifically the
European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms”, Vice Speaker of
the Armenian National Assembly Speaker Tigran Torosyan stated.

“There is an erroneous opinion spread in Armenia that should be
corrected. Only with the help of documents, Constitution and laws
we will never live a proper life. Is there a mechanism that allows
an individual or media to gain respect and protection of rights? “It
is very important to create a mechanism, which provided punishment
for every violator of human rights. If everything in life could
be regulated by laws and the Constitution it would be perfect”,
T. Torosyan said adding that traditions and culture is no less
important. According to him, during the recent years the preference
was given to the economic reforms, today it is necessary to reconsider
this approach and proceed to public and political reforms

As for the independence of mass media, the order of appointment of
the National Committee on TV and Radio is very important. According
to the legislative amendments made at PACE’s request, the order of
the appointment has allegedly become more transparent and members are
appointed on competitive basis. The President announces a contest and
appoints the winners members of the committee, who later elect the
chairman. According to coalition’s draft constitutional amendments
neither the NA nor any other body has the rights to appoint the
committee members. Thus, as a matter of fact the problem has not
been settled.

To remind, PACE demanded on the basis of the last amendment to the
law on the NCTR to change the composition of the Committee. Thus,
only three members of the committee were elected on competitive basis.

Tigran Torosyan noted that if we lived in a country where unwritten
laws functioned members of the present committee would resign by their
own will, a contest would be announced and new composition formed.

However in our country even written laws do not work properly,
consequently the law and PACE will have to wait until natural change
of generations.

Diana Markosyan

The Standard, Hong Kong
June 10 2005

System of their own

Richard Cromelin
Weekend: June 11-12, 2005

>From left: Daron Malakian, John Dolmayan, Serj Tankian and Shavo
Odadjian – PHOTO BY AP

System of a Down’s singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian
are as oddly matched as the components of their band’s epically
disjointed music.

With his Rasputin look and guru’s serenity, Tankian sits on a
dressing-room couch backstage at Los Angeles’ Gibson Amphitheatre and
contributes concise observations and epigrams.

Malakian, eight years younger at 29, is a prototype rock dude with a
sensitive streak, and seems full of nervous energy as he sits beside
his bandmate, talking in rushes punctuated by loud laughs.

“Daron is a true artist,” says Rick Rubin, who has produced or
co-produced all four of System’s albums, including the new Mezmerize,
for his American Recordings label. “He doesn’t really live in the
world. He lives in a bubble and the bubble is filled with music. All
he does is listen to music and play music all day, every day. He’s
got no interests or hobbies or social life or any of those things.
I’m not saying it’s healthy but it makes for good music.”

That’s a matter of taste, of course, but even critics who generally
avoid the harder stuff have developed a soft spot for the Los Angeles
band’s unlikely, unpredictable juxtapositions of heavy rock riffing
and mock-operatic declamation.

By turns surreal, absurd and pointedly political, System’s music is
what you might get if the Marx Brothers took possession of Metallica
and hired Frank Zappa as arranger.

As unconventional as it is, it has also become extremely popular. An
hour after the interview, Tankian and Malakian join drummer John
Dol-mayan and bassist Shavo Odadjian in front of a full house at the
6,000-seat amphitheater for their annual “Souls” concert, which
commemorates the Armenian genocide of the early 1900s.

All band members are of Armenian heritage.

When the band takes the stage and launches into its new radio hit
BYOB, the audience explodes. These fans have been waiting a long time
since System’s last formal album, Toxicity, came out in 2001.

Sparked by the hit singles Chop Suey, Toxicity and Aerials, the album
sold 3.5 million copies in the United States and established System
as a genre unto itself, with one foot in a form of heavy art-rock and
the other in traditional headbanging. So anticipation was at a high
pitch for its return to concerts and for last month’s release of
Mezmerize, which reached No 1 on the national chart.

It looks like business as usual for System of a Down, but behind the
statistics and below the surface, internal balances have shifted
significantly, and creative ambitions have risen.

“If you go back to the first discussion [the band] had about this
record, maybe years ago,” says Malakian, “it was about stretching
it, about not repeating ourselves, trying to do other things.”

As potent and provocative as the new album is, it’s only half the
story. As they recorded, they found themselves juggling too many
songs for one CD, and rather than release a double-disc set or two
separate albums at the same time, they assembled Mezmerize for
release now and set aside a second full album, Hypnotize, to come out
in the fall.

The album reflects an altered creative chemistry. Malakian has always
been the primary musical force, writing most of the music and
co-producing with Rubin, but on Mezmerize he asserts a much more
prominent presence as lyricist and singer.

“I was a little nervous at first because I felt that I needed to sing
a little bit more on these songs, but I wasn’t sure how that would
affect the band’s sound,” Malakian said.

“Till now Serj’s voice has been the main voice of System, and now I’m
coming in a little bit more. You try things, you’re not sure how
they’re gonna come out.”

Adds Tankian: “People look at us, they look at MTV or whatever: `This
guy does this, this guy does this.’ None of us are that isolated. We
do a lot of different things. It’s good for people to see that and
not have us in our little walls.”

“There’s an interesting balance in the band,” notes Rubin, “because
most of the musical ideas start with Daron, but then Serj brings a
kind of poet’s mentality to it. It’s that combination that really
pushes the envelope and makes it so extreme.”

MEMBERS OF KARABAKH LIBERATION ORGANIZATION DEMANDED TO TURN VLADIMIR
KAZIMIROV OUT OF AZERBAIJAN

BAKU, JUNE 8. ARMINFO-TURAN. International seminar entitled
“Azerbaijan’s Geopolitical Importance” has opened today in Baku with a
scandal. Representatives of Karabakh Liberation Organization demanded
that Vladimir Kazimirov, former MG co-chairman, should leave the hall.

“The man, who does not recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,
cannot stay here,” said Firudin Jalilov, deputy chairman of
Organization. But participants have proposed to give Kazimirov
permission to speak and express his position in a civilized form. The
tension has been temporary relieved, but the Organization’s members
are waiting for Kazimirov’s speech in the International Press Club,
where the seminar is taking place, ready to take some steps.

Novruz Mamedov, head of presidential administration’s international
relations department, evaded the main topic and said that Azerbaijan
is a democratic country and authorities take every effort to conduct
democratic elections.

British Ambassador Bristow said that London has been building its
relationships with Baku within the framework of its foreign policy
priorities. The priorities include prevention of international
terrorism, strengthening of democratic norms and implementation of
energy projects. Azerbaijan’s geostrategical importance for UK is in
these matters, said diplomat. He added that long-term development of
Azerbaijan and its partnership with UK is impossible without supremacy
of law, observation of human rights and democratic norms.

Deputy Asim Mollazade said that Azerbaijan’s geostrategic role grows
considering strategic partnership between Baku and Tbilisi. The
partnership allows resolving some global problems, including regional
security, global energy projects and integration into European
institutions. Settlement of these and other questions is possible
through active support of the West. But Armenia’s policy is based on
opposition to all these factors and Armenia is opposed to global
changes on the South Caucasus.

Georgii Gelashvili, representative of Georgian Public Sciences Centre,
said that Georgia and Azerbaijan are the countries implementing
regional projects and moving together towards Europe. The countries
need stability to carry into life their projects and weaken Russian
influence. As transportation of Caspian energy resources to the West
will grow, Russian influence will strengthen, he added. Alliance of
Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan is very important from this viewpoint
and Kazakhstan’s joining the alliance will be of great importance.

Gelashvili said Russia plays a destructive role on the South Caucasus
freezing the conflicts settlement, while Georgia and Azerbaijan are
opposed to Moscow’s efforts through support of the West.

Vladimir Kazimirov, former Russian co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group,
has devoted his speech to the Karabakh conflict settlement. He
stressed that both Armenians and Azerbaijanis are wrong, because they
are doing nothing, but deceiving themselves. Kazimirov said the
parties should observe cease-fire regime and make peace. The statement
has caused protest of the participants, who accused Kazimirov of
pro-Armenian position and unwillingness to recognize the evident facts
of Azerbaijan’s occupation by Armenian troops. Kazimirov was so much
carried away by his reasoning that he did not take a risk to answer
the question if Chechnya belongs to Russia or not?

The seminar is organized by NGO Links and Civilization. British
Ambassador Laurie Bristow, Novruz Mamedov, head of presidential
administration’s international relations department, Ali Hasanov,
chief of presidential administration’s public-political department,
parliament Deputies, political scientists and experts from Russia,
Iran and Georgia take part at the seminar.

The following topics will be discussed at the seminar: Azerbaijan In
The Context of South Caucasus, Azerbaijan in the Context of Changes in
Europe and Near East and Advantage of Azerbaijan’s Geopolitical
Location.

General Andranik’s statue erected in French town

06.06.2005 17:21

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – A monument of General Andranik was unveiled on June
4 in the French town of Pleci-Robinson near Paris. Armenian Ambassador
to France Edvard Nalbandian and the town’s mayor Philip Pemsek
attended the ceremony.The monument is a gift from Yerevan’s Arabkir
district municipality.

This is another addition to over 100 monuments, streets and squares
dedicated to the Armenian people across France. High-ranking French
and Armenian officials attended the ceremony.

LUFTHANSA OPERATES NEW FLIGHT YEREVAN-MUNICH-YEREVAN ON JUNE 3

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The German company Lufthansa operated
a new flight Yerevan-Munich-Yerevan on June 3. About 80 passengers
arrived in Yerevan by this inaugural flight. The company’s regional
director in Russia and CIS Guenther Ott stated at a press conference on
the same day that Lufthansa is increasing the number of its flights in
the CIS region – starting June 5, flights will be operated to Tbilisi
as well. On the occasion of regular flights Yerevan-Munich-Yerevan,
the company offers special prices. By Lufthansa’s new package of
offers, passengers have an opportunity to travel to Germany for $299,
to any European destination for $349 and to North America and Africa
for $599. These prices will be offered until October 24 of this year,
with ticket sales continuing until June 30.

2006 YEAR TO BE MARKED IN FRANCE UNDER SLOGAN “MY FRIEND ARMENIA”

YEREVAN, JUNE 2. ARMINFO. The decision to hold Year of Armenia
in France is very important as it was passed by the presidents,
Armenia’s Ambassador to France Eduard Nalbandyan says in an interview
to Armenia’s Public TV.

The festivities will be held in both France and Armenia with
the first ones starting in Sept 2006. The program includes a gala
concert at Republic Square and an exhibition of Louvre’s collection
in Yerevan. Charles Aznavour will come to Armenia again. Then the
festivities will move to Paris and other French cities. Louvre will
host an Armenian exhibition of the pre-Christian and Christian periods,
Georges Pompidu Center an exhibition of Archil Gorky. Different French
galleries will exhibit works by Aivazovsky, Saryan, Kochar.

The slogan of the year will be “My Friend Armenia.”

Nalbandian says that Armenian-French friendship is centuries
old. Luis XIV send his men around the world to search for Armenian
manuscripts. That’s why the French National Library has a big
collection of Armenian manuscripts. In XIX Napoleon ordered to open
an Armenian language department in French University. Many Armenian
painters, composers, singers, directors and writers lived and worked
in France.

TOP TEN NON-NATIVE SPECIES IN SCOTLAND

The Express, UK
June 2, 2005

1 Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum). Introduced from Armenia and
Turkey in mid-1700s as ornamental plant. Has now reached pest status.

2 Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Introduced from South
West Asia in late 1800s. Contact with skin can cause severe irritation.

3 Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica). Threatens our native
bluebell species.

4 Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica). An indestructible weed
introduced in the mid-19th century. It is the most pernicious weed
in Britain.

5 Few-flowered leek (Allium paradoxum). From the Caucasus region.
Invasive woodland plant is spreading rapidly, especially in southern
Scotland.

6 Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera). Often found along
riverbanks.

It can outgrow other species, stopping native plants from thriving.

7 False-acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia). From North America. Its
suckering can become a serious problem.

8 Parrot’s-feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum). This South American
plant is mostly found in shallow ponds.

9 Water fern (Azolla filiculoides). From North and South America,
it is able to survive harsh British winters and can rapidly exclude
all competitors.

10 Australian swamp stonecrop (Crassula helmsii). Also known as New
Zealand pygmyweed, introduced in the early 20th century. Grows rapidly
in water, threatening native aquatic plants.

Daily Yomiuri, Japan
June 3 2005

Basescu: EU expansion ‘treaty obligation’

Kazuo Nagata Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thursday he was still certain
his country would join the European Union in 2007 as scheduled, but
further enlargement of the union would be extremely difficult as a
result of Dutch and French rejection of the EU constitution in
national referendums.

“We already signed the accession treaty on April 25. All EU member
states have agreed and signed with Romania on the accession and it’s
a treaty obligation for both parties,” Basescu, who was visiting
Tokyo, said during an interview, referring to the treaty signed in
Luxembourg and ratified on May 18 by the Romanian parliament.

“The EU constitution is another matter. It is mainly in connection
with the future institutional development of the EU that the French
and Dutch people rejected it in referendums, and we consider there
will not be an influence on the accession process of Romania,”
Basescu said, stressing the scheduled EU enlargement process to take
Romania and Bulgaria into the fold on Jan. 1, 2007, must remain on
track.

However, Basescu said the French and Dutch referendums revealed
people’s “concern” about EU enlargement and the results “obliged”
European leaders to carefully examine the impact of what he called
the first wave of enlargement–10 countries admitted to the union in
May 2004 plus Romania and Bulgaria in 2007–on European citizens’
everyday lives before they can convince their people to invite more
countries to join.

Basescu said he supported the entry of Croatia, a former Yugoslav
republic, and Turkey, both of which are scheduled to open accession
talks with the EU later this year, but it might be a while before the
newly rising democracies in the former communist bloc, such as
Ukraine and Georgia, could be considered candidates for EU
membership.

Citing the example of the formation of the GUAM coalition of Georgia,
Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova to seek security and economic
cooperation in the Black Sea region, Basescu said countries yet to
open negotiations with the EU could first foster regional forums “to
keep the momentum for integration” alive and well.

Basescu, who became president in December, was visiting Japan to
attend Romania’s national day event at 2005 World Exposition Aichi on
Wednesday. He was scheduled to fly back home later Thursday after
meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Acknowledging it will likely be “no earlier than 2012,” or five years
after the planned EU accession, before Romania can adopt the euro,
Basescu stressed that his country’s economy was “dynamic” and he
expects “minimum 6 percent of annual growth in gross domestic product
for the next few years,” in calling for investment by Japanese firms.

He also stressed the EU, by including newly developing economies like
Romania, could enjoy the advantage of the additional market.
“Everybody talks about how much the [existing members] are supporting
the applicant countries, but nobody talks of the advantage the
applicants can bring,” Basescu stressed.

Romania, which became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization last year, is reported to be negotiating with the United
States to host U.S. military bases on its soil. Basescu, citing “open
or frozen conflicts” in areas such as Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia
and Abkhazia, all in the Black Sea region, said it would be in
Romania’s interest to have U.S. forces present in the region.

“For our security, NATO’s and Europe’s security, we strongly believe
part of the NATO or U.S. forces in Europe has to be redistributed to
a NATO country around the Black Sea area, which can be Bulgaria or
Romania,” Basescu said, but stopped short of confirming whether a
decision had been made to host a base in his country.

Touching on the situation in Iraq, Basescu said Romania would
continue its military presence there for the time being. “We will
fulfill the mission in Iraq. We will be there until the elected
government of Iraq says they would like to see Romanian troops out,”
he said.

Asked about the Iraqi transitional government’s request recently to
the U.N. Security Council for the extension of the deployment of
coalition forces, Basescu declined to say whether his country was
ready to accept an extended mandate.

Whether Romania would keep its troops in Iraq beyond the end of this
year as the current U.N. Security Council resolution mandates
“depends [on] how far the mandate would be extended,” Basescu said,
adding that he would analyze a new resolution once it comes to the
Security Council and would reach a conclusion based on consultations
with allies, including the United States and Japan.

I’m innocent
By FEHMÝ KORU

/fkoru2.html

Yeni Safak daily, May 31, 2005

I should have warned you long ago, but how could I have done it,
since I did not know then that I had something to warn you about. I
feel a little warning is due now: I am an “unruly intellectual” who
“backstabbed” the “national interests,” or I’m one of those who have
been labeled a “traitor.”

I did nothing to deserve that label apart from saying “yes” to
participating in a panel discussion organized by the three most
prestigious universities of Turkey.

The discussion was a part of a three-day conference on “The Armenian
Question.” I know that the topic itself is sensitive, but nevertheless
it has been tackled in many platforms by different scholars, and as is
customary for us journalists, we have commented on the matter widely.

Believe me, even now I’m at a loss as to why my opinions are considered
to be dangerous since I don’t know what I was going to say at that
panel discussion. I always postpone planning my speeches until the
last minute. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek seems to know me better than
I know myself; he labelled myself and my “co-conspirators” as being a
“back-stabbing bunch” in his speech to the Parliament. Sukru Elekdag,
from the opposition Republican People’s (CHP) Party, also did not
hesitate to call us “traitors.”

I beg to differ. I have not betrayed my country, never intended to
commit any kind of treason, yet here I am being portrayed as a traitor
in the columns of some prominent papers. I have been bombarded with
messages from people criticizing me for simply being amongst those
who would give their opinions on a sensitive topic. Intellectuals,
by definition, are duty-bound to raise any issues of importance and
put them to discussion disregarding all hindrances; this is what I
have always believed.

It has never been easy to discuss thorny issues in Turkey before
readying yourself for the worst. We have put our intellectuals
into prisons, forced some to take asylum abroad, and even those
who recited poetry were not immune from prosecution. Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan himself, who spent some time in jail, was a victim
of our harsh methods of dealing with those who never bend in front
of abject power. But to call more than 40 intellectuals “traitors”
is too much for today’s Turkey.

Now the conference on “The Armenian Question” is out of the picture
because it was postponed by the event’s venue, Bogazici University. The
intellectuals, academics, researchers, and journalists who were
supposed to take part in the conference have been left labelled as
“traitors.” In attending the conference, I was hoping to hear some
of the best historians speaking on what happened at that historical
moment in 1915, in order to make up my own mind. I now feel dismayed.

The only consolation in this depressing sequence of events is to
receive positive after-shocks. Prime Minister Erdogan put distance
between his government and Cicek. Erdogan denounced him when he replied
to question on the matter by saying that Cicek’s outburst was his
own opinion and did not represent that of the government. Parliament
Speaker Bulent Arinc reproached the postponement of the event on
the basis of “freedom of expression” during his visit to Washington,
DC. The Board of Higher Education (YOK) initially supported Cicek’s
criticism, although it has changed its position after having second
thoughts on the matter.

So what really happened?

The powers that be in this country always look towards intellectuals
with deep suspicion. They feel uncomfortable whenever they are not
in their own territory, discussing issues with unfamiliar faces,
getting unexpected reactions. From time immemorial, they, the powers
that be, tend to breed their own coterie of trustworthy people to
raise and discuss issues of high importance. They never let things
go out of their control. Governments change, parties come and go,
politician after politician takes central stage, but the official
line is never broken. When we talk about “the continuity of state
politics” in Turkey, we really mean it.

Of course I have my own opinion on the critical events which took place
90 years ago, but my approach to the issue is not to automatically side
with this or that interpretation of the events. I feel deeply sorry
for the loss of human life which occurred in that critical timeframe,
regardless of the numbers. Whether the human life lost before and
during the forced migration was only one person or one million people,
a matter which does not concern me greatly, I would not feel relieved
if only a limited number had died during that fateful period.

It might be terribly important how many men and women from each side
lost their lives in 1915, who instigated the carnage, and who issued
the instructions to that effect. Those are the areas into which
historians should delve and I would like to hear their thoughts. My
main approach to the matter is more compassionate and I think if
we start discussing the issue using our hearts rather than logic,
we would make headway in the issue’s resolution.

What happened in 1915 was probably the result of bullies from both
sides who took advantage of the sorry state of the collapsing Ottoman
Empire. I look at that period retrospectively and try not to hasten
my judgment, but what happened in May 2005 is in my time and thus
naturally it concerns me more. Furthermore, I am one of those who
now bears the label “traitor,” which makes the matter all the more
vital to me.

I should have warned you about my treachery before, but as your humble
columnist, I am sure you will forgive me.

>>From The New Anatolian, May 31, 2005

–Boundary_(ID_TLPpr2gAzTfNTfuGYdtnuA)–

Turkey amends penal code
By Savanna Reid

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
May 30 2005

Turkish Parliament eliminates worst censorship laws

Although press freedom advocates are far from satisfied with the new
penal code, Turkey’s legal reform is a major step forward for formal
recognition of basic human rights and freedom of speech. Replacing a
justice system modeled on fascist Italy (circa 1927), the new criminal
laws are more firmly opposed to torture and human rights abuses,
and impose stronger penalties for abusing women and children.

Several extremely heavy-handed censorship provisions have been
dropped. One such article would have sentenced journalists to 15
years for recognizing the historical Armenian genocide as such, or for
advocating Turkish withdrawal from Cyprus. Other provisions remain in
place that will seriously handicap investigative journalism in Turkey,
but overall the reformed code is an important partial fulfillment of
human rights activists’ goals for protecting political speech in a
deeply divided country notorious for brutalizing minority activists.