Author: Jalatian Sonya

AZERI LEADERS’ STATEMENTS ON KARABAKH RESOLUTION BY USE OF FORCE MERE BLACKMAIL

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.06.2008 13:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani Defense Minister’s statements on
resolution of the Karabakh conflict by use of force is mere blackmail
aimed to destabilize talks, Armenia’s Foreign Minister said.

"To respond to these warlike statements would mean to tense the
situation on the threshold of the presidential meeting. We stand for
peaceful process and understand that it’s dictated by interests of
the Armenian and Azeri people. However, the problem can’t be resolved
under Azerbaijan’s constant militaristic rhetoric," Edward Nalbanidian
told a news conference in Yerevan.

The Minister reminded that in 2001, after the Key West talks, the
sides were close to resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "It
did not happen because Azerbaijan said its population was not ready
for settlement. According to recent social surveys, 29 per cent of
Azeris stand for resolution of the conflict by use of force. 82 per
cent disapprove the OSCE Minsk Group activities. I do not know any
other country where so many people could speak out for war. It’s
absurd to condemn the countries wiling to help peaceful resolution
of the conflict," Mr Nalbandian underscored.

WORLD BANK’S REPORT ON ARMENIA’S DEVELOPMENT POLICY FOR 2008-2012 PRESENTED

ARMENPRESS
June 3, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS: Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian met
today with the World Bank Regional Director Donna Daouset-Coirolo
and representatives of the World Bank Armenian office.

Governmental press service told Armenpress that at the meeting present
were chief consultant of the Armenian president on economic affairs,
finance, economy, justice, education and science, health, labor and
social affairs ministers, deputy chairman of the Central Bank, heads
of state customs and tax committees. During the meeting the report
of the World Bank over the choice of variants of development policy
in Armenia for 2008-2012 was presented.

The aim of the report is to present the main variants of the policy
for confronting the challenges the country is facing. The regional
director of the World Bank said that in parallel with the program of
the new government and Poverty Reduction Strategic Program the report
is also viewed as a basis for cooperation for the coming four years.

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian said that the report, overall, is
corresponding to the program of the government and said that there are
some issues which must be additionally discussed. After the discussions
and summing up the results they will be presented to the World Bank.

5th CONGRESS OF "HERITAGE" PARTY TO BE HELD ON JULY 11

Noyan Tapan

Ju ne 2, 2008

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, NOYAN TAPAN. At the extended sitting of "Zharangutyun"
(Heritage) party on May 30, a decision was made to convene the 5th
congress of the party on July 11, NT was informed by the party’s
head office.

Proposals for amendments and additions to the Program and the
Regulations of "Heritage" party were discussed at the sitting. The head
of the group on amendments to the party program Movses Aristakesian
said that the amendments to be presented to the congress for approval
mostly include provisions of the pre-election program adopted before
the 2007 parliamentary elections.

The chairman of the regulations commission Hovsep Khurshudian
presented the proposed amendments, by which the position of the party’s
chairman will be replaced with that of chairman of the party board,
and the chairman is to be elected by the board. Amendments are also
envisaged in the order of forming the party council. In particular,
it is envisaged to remove restrictions on the right of the heads
of the party’s territorial subunits to be elected a member of the
council. The new Regulations will also coordinate the relations of
the party’s board and its parliamentary faction.

During the discussion, the council members were mainly in favor of
the party’s active participation in the elections to local government
bodies in the autumn – through nomination of its own cadidates and
support of alternative candidates.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
Fax: 617-484-1759
E-mail: [email protected]

LECTURE AT NAASR ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY LEMKIN AWARD-WINNER DONALD BLOXHAM

Prof. Donald Bloxham, Professor of Modern History at the University of
Edinburgh and currently the J. B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Senior
Scholar-in-Residence at the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.,
will give a lecture entitled "The Role of the Great Powers in the
Armenian Genocide" on Thursday, June 5, at 8:00 p.m., at the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Center, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA. This lecture will be Bloxham’s first in the
Boston area. (The lecture was originally scheduled for December 2007 and
was postponed due to a snowstorm.)

Bloxham is the author of the acclaimed book The Great Game of Genocide:
Imperialism, Nationalism, and the Destruction of the Ottoman Armenians
(Oxford Univ. Press), for which he was awarded the Raphael Lemkin Award
for 2007 by the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

Interaction Between Ottoman Empire and Great Powers

Bloxham has written, "The project from which the book evolved originally
intended to focus upon Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide, and
Western acceptance of that denial. But it soon became clear that denial
and its accommodation could not be properly understood without knowledge
of how the outside world related to the deeds of the Ottoman Empire
during and immediately after the First World War … [and that] it was
impossible to explain this pattern of interaction between the Ottoman
state and the ‘Great Powers’ in the Armenian Question up to and during
the genocide."

Bloxham is the youngest full professor of history in the UK and the
winner of several prizes and honors for his work in addition to the
Lemkin Award for genocide scholarship. He is also the author of
Genocide on Trial: War Crimes Trials and the Formation of Holocaust
History and Memory, The Holocaust: Critical Historical Approaches (with
Tony Kushner), and the forthcoming Genocide, the World Wars, and the
Unweaving of Europe. He is also author of nearly fifty articles and
book chapters, and serves on the editorial board of four journals:
Holocaust Studies, Patterns of Prejudice, Zeitschrift für
Genozidforschung, and the Journal of Genocide Research.

The NAASR Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next
to the U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building
and in adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling 617-489-1610,
faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.

CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF OF ESTONIAN DEFENCE FORCES: "OCCUPIED TERRITORIES ARE INTEGRAL PART OF AZERBAIJAN"

Azeri Press Agency
May 29 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Mahbuba Gasimbayli-APA. Lieutenant-genera Ants Laaneots, Chief of
the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces paid two-day official
visit to Baku on May 29 at the invitation of Colonel-General Safar
Abiyev, Azerbaijani Defense Minister, the Defense Ministry’s Press
Service told APA.

The guest laid a wreath at the grave of Heydar Aliyev in the Alley
of Honor and commemorative monument of those, who died for the
independence of Azerbaijan in the Alley of Martyrs.

The Defense Ministers had one-on-one meeting in Defense
Ministry. Abiyev spoke about cooperation between the two countries and
sated that Estonian experience as NATO member country is important for
Azerbaijan. Abiyev provided information about successes achieved as a
result of cooperation with NATO within the framework of Partnership
for Peace Program (PfP) and stressed that Azerbaijan gained much
progress within the framework of Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP). He stated that fist stage of plan has been implemented
successfully and second stage of plan has been started. Abiyev
touched upon military-political situation in the region and noted
that Armenia occupied 20% territories of Azerbaijan, create obstacles
to the peaceful settlement of the conflict and refuse to implement
demands of resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council.

"Unfortunately, efforts of OSCE MG remained without result",
he said. The Minister added that Azerbaijan would not settle for
compromise in restoration of its territorial integrity.

"If Armenia continues to delay peaceful solution to the conflict,
Azerbaijan will take serious steps against it and will liberate its
lands. Armenia should understand it once and for all", he said.

Chief of the General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces noted
that the two sides were interested in development of relations. He
stated that restoration of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan was
of principal importance for Estonia and stressed that occupied lands
were integral part of Azerbaijan.

The sides exchanged views on prospects of military cooperation and
other issues of mutual interests.

ARMENIAN POLITICAL PARTIES AND NGOs CALLED FOR EXPRESSING THEIR
POSITION OVER ISSUE OF BANISHING ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN FROM ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MAY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The Council of Elders of Armenian Forum
of Intelligentsia and its Coordinating Council sent an open letter to
all political parties and NGOs of the Republic of Armenia asking them
to express their position over a number of issues connected with
Zhirayr Sefilian. "The term of imprisonment of Zhirayr Sefilian,
first-class Combat Cross holder, Lieutenant-General, a Diasporan
Armenian voluntary freedom-fighter, expires on June 9, 2008," the
letter read. It mentions the issues, about which the parties and
organizations are asked to express their position: they are issues of
immediately granting RA citizenship to Z. Sefilian and banishing the
latter from Armenia.

"Taking into consideration these issues’ urgency for Armenia and all
Armenians, we ask you to briefly express your opinion in press, as
well," the letter of the Council of Elders of Armenian Forum of
Intelligentsia and its Coordinating Council read.

Several public organizations of Armenia condemn attacking Arsen
Kharatyan

2008-05-30 11:31:00

ArmInfo. Several public organizations of Armenia made a statement
condemning May 28 attack at member of "Sksela" (Started) oppositional
organization Arsen Kharatyan.

The statement, received by ArmInfo today, emphasizes that violence
carried out with respect to the activist of a youth organization, does
not testify of the authorities-declared policy of overcoming the split
between the power and the society. On the contrary, such facts prove
that the authorities have no such a desire, that aggravates the
society’s distrust to the authorities. "We condemn such behaviour of
the authorities and claim that each action, aimed at formation of an
atmosphere of fear, more intensifies the public’s indignation. We
demand impartial investigation of the incident and punishment of its
clients and executers", the statement says.

The statement has been signed by the "Transparency International"
Anticorruption Center, "Hyus" public organization, the Armenian
Helsinki Committee, Helsinki Association of Armenia and a number of
other organizations.

ARMENIAN TEAM OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS UNDER 19 NOT TO TAKE PART IN FINAL
OF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

13877

YEREVAN, MAY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian national team was defeated
by the team of the Ukraine with the score of 0:1 in the seventh group
tournament of the elite stage of the European Championship of football
players under 19 on May 24. The 3:0 score was recorded in the Spain –
Turkey game. The games of the last third stage are scheduled for May
27. The football players of Armenia will compete with Spaniards.
Irrespective of the results of the last stage among the seventh group
teams that of Spain will take part in the final to be held in Czechia
in July. The other three teams have been deprived of the pass for the
final.

JUSTICE MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND SLOVAKIA SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

arminfo
2008-05-26 20:51:00

ArmInfo. Today justice ministers of Armenia and Slovakia Gevorg
Daniyelyan and Stefan Harabin signed a cooperation agreement.

The agreement is aimed at ensuring further development of bilateral
cooperation in the judiciary and is based on the agreement signed by
the prosecutors general of the two countries two months ago. Harabin
pointed out that the agreement envisaged exchange of experience and
visits by experts groups. Slovakia is ready to share its experience
with Armenia so as to help the country to improve its judiciary and
to avoid problems. Harabin invited his Armenian colleague to visit
Slovakia.

Le Monde, France
24 mai 2008 samedi

Atom Egoyan perdu dans son labyrinthe

Le nouveau film du Canadien, en compétition

Le scénario d’Adoration tient un peu du jeu de société : à partir d’un
seul terme, il faut accumuler le plus de définitions possible.

Adoration pour Atom Egoyan, c’est aussi bien le culte que porte le
jeune Simon à la mémoire de sa mère morte que les figures de bois
découpé, représentant l’adoration des mages à la crèche, placées
devant la maison à chaque Noël par l’oncle qui a élevé Simon (Scott
Speedman). Il y a la foi musulmane d’une femme voilée qui fait
irruption dans la vie de Simon et son oncle. Il y a l’enthousiasme que
suscite sur Internet une fiction que l’adolescent a écrite, et qu’il
fait passer pour la réalité.

On retrouve dans ce film en compétition à Cannes, tourné assez
simplement à Toronto et dans sa région, la profusion de réflexions, de
questionnements et de jeux de l’esprit qui faisaient la force et les
faiblesses d’Ararat, le film par lequel Atom Egoyan a voulu faire le
tour de la question de l’identité arménienne en 2002.

Adoration souffre des mêmes défauts, sans être nourri de l’énergie
historique qui propulsait Ararat. Ici, l’artifice finit par dévorer
toute la fiction, réduisant les personnages aux éléments d’un rébus.

Les premières minutes font illusion. Mais très vite, les retournements
de situations, les révélations sur la double identité des personnages
tombent à plat. Malgré quelques moments spirituels (essentiellement
dus au personnage de professeur qu’incarne Arsinée Khanjian, la
compagne du cinéaste), toutes les intrigues d’Adoration se résolvent
de la façon la plus plate qui soit, à la manière des feuilletons
familiaux de la télévision nord-américaine.

Thomas Sotinel

Adorationd’Atom Egoyan Film canadien.Avec Rachel Blanchard, Arsinée
Khanjian, Scott Speedman. (1 h 40).