Author: Jalatian Sonya

RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 15 2004
STATE DUMA SPEAKER DISCUSSES ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, December 15, 2004 (RIA Novosti’s Gamlet Matevosyan) –
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Russian State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov, currently in Yerevan, discussed prospects of
development of Armenian-Russian relations.
Mr. Kocharyan expressed satisfaction with the improvement of the
structure of bilateral trade turnover in 2004, the Armenian
President’s press service said.
On his part, Mr. Gryzlov stressed that the high level of
Armenian-Russian relations would let us achieve much progress in the
future.
The sides pointed out the importance of the forthcoming session of
the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission for economic
cooperation in December 2004 in Moscow. This meeting is to focus on
the enterprises Russia purchased from Armenia in compliance with the
Property for Debt interstate agreement.
According to Boris Gryzlov, the modernization and full-fledged
functioning of one of these enterprises, the Mars plant, is a top
priority. Placement of Russian orders is currently under discussion.
Moreover, the sides considered the possibilities to develop transport
communications between Armenia and Russia. At issue were railway
communications and the Kavkaz ferry complex on the Russian bank of
the Kerch Strait which separates the Crimean peninsula and the
Russian Krasnodar territory.

Edicom, Suisse
mardi 14 décembre 2004
Charles Aznavour l’an prochain au Québec avec l’Orchestre symphonique
de Montréal
MONTREAL (AP) – Charles Aznavour se produira l’an prochain au Québec
accompagné par près de 80 musiciens de l’Orchestre symphonique de
Montréal, placé sous la direction de Simon Leclerc, selon le «Journal
de Montréal».
Bien qu’il soit venu en septembre 2002 dans le cadre d’une »tournée
d’adieu’, Charles Aznavour sera au Colisée de Québec le 5 juin et à
la place des Arts de Montréal du 8 au 11 juin.
Le chanteur d’origine arménienne n’est pas monté sur scène avec un
orchestre symphonique depuis une vingtaine d’années. Il l’avait fait
à Vancouver, Edmonton, Paris et Los Angeles.
Pendant les trente premières minutes du spectacle, l’OSM présentera
seul la musique de Charles Aznavour. Ensuite, ce dernier viendra
interpréter ses grands classiques pendant environ une heure et quart.
Charles Aznavour a raconté au «Journal de Montréal» qu’avec les
années, sa voix s’améliore et qu’»elle est devenue plus forte». Il
peut donc maintenant se permettre d’être «un peu plus lyrique».
L’invitation de l’OSM semble avoir été particulièrement alléchante
puisque le chanteur ne donne plus que quelques spectacles par année,
privilégiant les grands événements.

The Union Leader, NH
Dec 14 2004
TURKISH ANGER:
Relations fray with U.S. over war
By AMBERIN ZAMAN
Los Angeles Times

The delay was a another sign, many analysts and policymakers here
say, of the deepening rift between Turkey and its most powerful ally.
The split reflects anger among Turks over the war in Iraq and their
growing pressure on their government to stand up to the United
States.
Using exceptionally harsh language, Turkish officials and politicians
in recent weeks have attacked the Bush administration, with much of
their invective reserved for U.S. policy in Iraq.
The opening salvo came from Erdogan, who last month referred to Iraqi
insurgents killed in a U.S.-led assault on the city of Fallujah as
“martyrs” and exhorted the Muslim world to unite behind Turkey
“against powers that are seeking to assert their hegemony.”
Tensions shot up when Mehmet Elkatmis, a lawmaker from Erdogan’s
conservative Justice and Development Party, which has Islamist roots,
likened the U.S. occupation of Iraq to “genocide” and said the U.S.
military might have used atomic weapons against Turkey’s neighbor.
“Never in human history have such genocide and cruelty been
witnessed,” Elkatmis declared. “Such a genocide was never seen in the
time of the pharaoh, nor of Hitler nor of Mussolini.”
Angered by the Turkish government’s halfhearted rebuttal of Elkatmis’
remarks, several U.S. officials have warned that the next time
Congress considers legislation labeling the mass killings of
Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I as genocide, the Bush
administration might not quash the bill.
The latest spat comes before a summit Friday of European Union
leaders, who will decide whether to open talks aimed at admitting
Turkey to the union. The United States has long lobbied for Turkey’s
membership, and Washington’s influence over seven former Soviet Bloc
nations that joined the EU last year so far has bolstered the Turks’
case.
Emerging from a 90-minute meeting with Erdogan on Monday, U.S.
Ambassador Eric S. Edelman sought to downplay the chill, describing
the talks as “constructive, thorough and frank.” Turkish Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul called the tensions a misunderstanding.
“Why would we want to weaken ties with a superpower?” he said in an
interview with the daily newspaper Hurriyet.
But for all the upbeat talk, analysts predict further turbulence.
“Despite 50 years (of partnership), it is clear that Turkish-American
relations will remain fragile and replete with mini-crises,” said
Asli Aydintasbas, a longtime observer of ties between the two
nations.
Turkey, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s sole majority-Muslim
member, served as a bulwark against communism during the Cold War.
During the 1990s, the Turks allowed U.S. warplanes to use bases in
their nation to patrol a “no-fly” zone over northern Iraq.
With the threats of communism and Saddam Hussein removed, Turkey’s
support is no longer crucial, Aydintasbas noted. That is one reason,
she said, that the Turks want to join the EU.
U.S. officials acknowledge that the most immediate cause of mounting
anti-American sentiment here is the military occupation of Iraq.
Fierce public opposition to the Iraq war prompted Turkish lawmakers
to reject a resolution in March 2003 that would have allowed
thousands of U.S. troops to use Turkey to open a second front against
Saddam’s forces.
The rebuff came as a surprise to many U.S. officials, long used to
the pro-Western views of Turkey’s military prevailing.
“What the Americans didn’t fully understand then, and perhaps still
don’t today, is that Turkey has matured as a democracy,” said Fehmi
Koru, a columnist for the pro-Islamic daily Yeni Safak. “Politicians
need to take account of the public if they want to be re-elected, and
Erdogan is no exception.”
The prime minister is under intense pressure from his conservative
flank over his government’s quiet support for the U.S. military
presence in Iraq. U.S. warplanes en route to Iraq are refueled by
tanker planes taking off from Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.
In addition, Western officials estimate that as much as 40 percent of
all noncombat supplies for U.S. forces in Iraq are produced in and
shipped from Turkey.
“The U.S. sees us (Turkey) not as a strategic partner, but as a
logistical partner,” said Abdullah Caliskan, a lawmaker from Adana
province, where Incirlik is located. “We must suspend our ties with
the United States. If we remain silent, we will be tainted by
America’s tyranny.”
Some critics charge that the Americans do not provide adequate
protection for the convoys and speculate that this is punishment for
Turkey’s refusal to allow U.S. troops to pass through it last year.

The Calgary Herald (Alberta)
December 12, 2004 Sunday
Final Edition
The ring master: Calgary’s Intergold has built a franchise from
crafting victory bands for pro sports teams
by Grant Robertson, Calgary Herald
Tom Wilson is no stranger to glitzy jewelry. For the past 15 years,
the Detroit Pistons’ chief executive has been the owner of two
championship rings from the team’s back-to-back titles in 1989-90.
He remembers when the Pistons received those rings, they seemed so
big and extravagant. It almost makes him laugh all these years later.
When the team received their 2004 championship rings last month, it
was evident how times have changed. The designs are much more complex
and the jewelry itself is massive.
The latest Pistons bauble — a conglomeration of roughly $20,000 US
worth of gold and diamonds — makes the old ones look like high
school rings, he says.
“It is gargantuan, yes — three times the size. You can’t lift your
arm. It covers two knuckles,” says Wilson, exaggerating only slightly
on the phone from Detroit.
“People are saying this is the greatest championship ring the NBA has
ever produced. I don’t know whether it is or it isn’t, but everyone
thinks it is. And that’s all that matters.”
The man behind the masterpiece is Miran Armutlu, a fifth-generation
Armenian jeweller and the founder of Calgary-based Intergold Ltd., a
small company that has taken the North American sporting scene by
storm in the past three years.
In addition to the Pistons, the company has made the championship
rings for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Tampa
Bay Lightning; Major League Baseball’s Anaheim Angels and Florida
Marlins.
It’s been a long road for the company Armutlu started with his
brother in the early 1980s. But Intergold — the smallest player in a
business dominated by international giants Jostens and Balfour — is
now commanding a good portion of the spotlight.
“Finally, over the last three years I would say, our reputation is
starting to precede us,” says Armutlu, sitting in the boardroom at
Intergold’s manufacturing plant in northeast Calgary.
“We’re finding that when we get in the door, people have heard of
us.”
Sales used to be much more difficult. When Armutlu decided the
company should branch out from designing jewelry, graduation rings
and corporate items into the sports arena, he walked into the offices
of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1989 as an unknown.
“I just told them I wanted to do their ring,” Armutlu says of the
meeting with the team’s managers, all of them ex-football players.
“They all stood up, looked down at me and said. ‘you better make us
the nicest championship ring in the world.’ Well, these were big
boys, they could be very persuasive.”
Intergold landed several Canadian Football League contracts after
that, including the 1992 Calgary Stampeders Grey Cup ring, but the
company still lacked a major U.S. deal.
Part of the challenge, says Armutlu, is that pro sports is dominated
by close relationships between teams and manufacturers. Once the New
York Yankees or Chicago Bulls picked a jeweller, they stuck with
them.
In a strange twist, Intergold’s break came when Michael Jordan left
basketball to play minor-league baseball. With the Bulls’ dynasty on
hiatus, the Houston Rockets stepped in to claim back-to-back titles
in ’94 and ’95.
More important, the Rockets were a team without a jeweller.
“We were lucky. The organization didn’t have any old ties, so they
took a chance on us,” he says.
“When the established relationships are there, they are very
difficult to break. Our uphill battle has been to break those
relationships.”
Being a small operation is an initial hurdle for Intergold against
its larger competitors, but agility has also become its biggest
asset.
Where other jewellers produce artist renderings of rings for teams,
Intergold makes a genuine version of each proposal, no matter how
many variations. Whatever rings aren’t used get melted down and
recycled.
“We knew they were the smaller company,” says Wilson of the Pistons’
decision to go with the Calgary firm.
“But they kept telling us, don’t make a decision based on something
that looks good on paper. If you like these five designs, we’ll make
you five rings.
“Other companies were saying, ‘Well, maybe we can do one ring, but
these things are very expensive’ . . . We started to get a feel for
just how badly they wanted the job.”
The samples allowed the wife of Pistons general manager Joe Dumars to
give the rings one final test, which essentially secured the
contract.
“Our guys like the bling-bling, as the saying goes,” Wilson chuckles.
“So she took the rings out into the sun, just to see how much ‘bling’
there was — and there’s a lot.”
On Friday, Armutlu boarded a plane for Florida where he will meet
with Boston Red Sox executives in a bid to design that team’s World
Series ring.
It’s the third time the company has pitched the Red Sox since October
and Armutlu has already produced nine variations of a ring, with the
latest three being rolled out at this meeting.
“We’ll produce on average maybe 15 or 16 variations before we arrive
at the final one with some teams,” Armutlu says.
The hardest part of designing the Red Sox ring so far is getting a
scaled-down depiction of Fenway Park onto the band, which the team
has requested.
His business is half science, half art, says Armutlu. A good
championship ring will tell a story of how the team won.
When Intergold designed the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup ring
this year (admittedly a bittersweet task for the Calgary firm) the
emphasis was on that story.
The ring has 138 diamonds — one for each of the Lightning’s regular
season points and two for every victory in the playoffs. The band
carries the logos of Tampa Bay’s opponents, including the Flames’
symbol and the 4-3 series score.
Etched on the inside of the ring are two mottos used by Lightning
coach John Tortorella during the season: ‘Safe is Death’ and ‘Good is
the Enemy of Great.’
“The goal is to make something that can bring back the feeling of the
moment of victory six, seven, eight years from now,” Armutlu says.
“I was talking to Phil Esposito about his Stanley Cups and he doesn’t
really remember them. Most players don’t remember. They know they
won, but how they got there is forgotten.”
Many companies bid for the championship contracts, but the process is
usually narrowed to three or four players in a hurry, Armutlu says.
“Everyone says they can do a championship ring until they start to
attempt it,” he says. “Jewellers think it’s easy. But once the sample
stage starts, you know right away who can do what.”
Intergold’s most opulent piece so far is the Florida Marlins’ 2003
World Series ring, which boasts nearly 250 diamonds and has the
weight of a baseball when you hold it in your hand.
“That one really pushed us to our limits in terms of design,” Armutlu
says, explaining that the ring involves several themes — from a
full-colour baseball to a three-dimensional diamond rendering of the
team’s fish logo.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has since requested a special version of
the ring that flips open to reveal a watch. It’s something Intergold
hasn’t attempted before.
“He also wants it to play ‘Take me out to the Ballgame’ when it
opens,” says Armutlu. “So we’re figuring out how to do that.”
How the rings look before they are delivered — and how much each one
costs — is a closely guarded secret.
Walking through Intergold’s manufacturing plant, Armutlu offers a
peek at Team Canada’s World Cup of Hockey rings, which are in
mid-production.
“This one will be (Jarome) Iginla’s,” says Armutlu, holding a gold
base with the Hockey Canada logo that has just been forged. “None of
the players have seen these yet.”
All glamour aside, Armutlu says the financial foundation of the
company is rooted in the high school and college ring business as
well as its corporate products.
Up to 50 per cent of graduates in the U.S. buy school jewelry each
year — more than twice the average in Canada — and most of what
Intergold makes goes into that market, he said.
While the big-name sports contracts open doors for Intergold, they
have yet to lure investors. The company went public at $3 a share in
1994 but has seen its stock fall sharply to penny status since then.
Intergold has averaged less than 30 cents on the TSX Venture Exchange
this year.
“We went public at a time when we needed funds to take risks on the
the ideas we thought would work,” Armutlu says. “But if I knew then
what we know now, would we be a public company? Probably not.”
The company used its share offering to finance equipment and
processes that are now used to manufacture the high-end jewelry.
“At a time when no other traditional institution would give us the
dollars to build the machines we wanted to, it was the public vehicle
that did that,” he says. “Several years ago, we once had obstacles,
but we now have tools to break down those obstacles with.”
[email protected]

Monetary market in convulsions
By Gurgen Gevorgian
Yerkir/arm
December 10, 2004
During the past week the numerous currency exchange units and a number
of private banks, making use of the Central Bank’s commitment
â=80=9Cnot to intervene with the monetary market,’ decided to scrape a
good bunch of money.The recent ` denouncement’ of dollar is a proof of
that.
The ups and downs of the monetary market
Just one week ago one USD was sold at 485 AMD and was bought at 492,
while the same morning these numbers were 493 and 500. Today, dollar
has gone down to 460 and 465 respectively. So what causes this
down-flight?
First, note that dollar primarily fell as the IMF contributed 14
million dollars to Armenia for economic development and poverty
reduction. But thisis just a slight factor. The real reasons for
reinforcement of drams are more serious and weighty.
This situation is caused by the international fall of dollar on one
hand and the pre-Xmas demand for dram on the other. Experts say that
at this rate dollar may fall to 400 drams or more by the end of
December, if the CentralBank chooses not to intervene. And the CB
believes that the people would prefer this deflation rather than rise
of prices. If dram continued to fall during 2004, the prices for
products would now be very high.
So it appears that strong drams keep down the prices. It only remains
for us to put up with the further reinforcement of drams, since it is
impossible to simultaneously fix dram rate and keep prices down.
However, a number of simple questions come up: where is the limit
beyond which there will be no sense in speaking about the role of
foreign currencies and it will be possible to regard dram as most
reliable currency for transactions? Why should Georgia and Russia be
able to intervene into this market, which, by the way, is a normal
tool, and Armenia cannot?

ANDRANIK MARGARIAN: PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED NOT IN US AND EUROPE, WE SOLVE
PROBLEMS.
YEREVAN, December 11 (Noyan Tapan). “The “Erkrapah” volunteers union
is not an artificial union: we are united by a joint struggle and the
EVU membership certificates with Vazgen Sargsian’s signature.” The RA
Prime Minister and member of the union board Andranik Margarian stated
this at the opening ceremony of the sixth congress of the EVU on
December 11. According to him, the recent frequent talks about a
possible split in the union are exaggerated. “There have been such
talks since 1999, however, nothing has happened,” Prime Minister
noted. Speaking about the situation formed around the Karabakh
conflict settlement, in particular the issue of the territories under
control of the Armenian side, A. Margarian underlined: “The problems
are solved not in the US and Europe. We do solve the problems. 15
years ago we stated that we would not give, and even if we give, then
only on conditions that suit us.” The salutatory address of the RA
President Robert Kocharian was read at the congress. In particular it
was noted in the address that the Erkrapah Volunteers Union was
founded at a difficult for Armenia time, it has always been with the
people and played a serious role in the society. Levon Mkrtchian, head
of the ARF faction, and Mher Shahgeldian, chairman of the NA standing
committee and vice chairman of the “Orinats Erkir” party, made speeces
of welcome on behalf of the ARF and “Orinats Erkir” parties.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wisconsin)
December 5, 2004 Sunday
ALL EDITION
IN RACINE, IT’S `MERRY FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN’;
AN ARMENIAN-AMERICAN TRADITIONS PROGRAM AT THE RACINE HERITAGE MUSEUM
LETS VISITORS LEARN ABOUT THE CHANGING HOLIDAY.
by Phyllis Sides Racine Journal Times
The Racine Heritage Museum has a Christmas gift for the community in
its Armenian-American Traditions program this afternoon.
Not everyone celebrates Christmas and New Year’s Day the same way,
archivist Dick Ammann said.
The program is an opportunity to discover some of the unique and
changing holiday traditions among Racine’s Armenian-American
residents.
Visitors can discover the stories of the Feast of Saint Stephen and
the New Year’s Father as well as stories of special traditional
foods, music and other practices, and learn how these practices have
changed over time, adapting and adopting some American holiday
customs.
Charles Hardy, the archdeacon at St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic
Church, is one of the presenters. Hardy will speak about the
religious traditions of the season.
“At one time, the whole Christian world celebrated Christmas on the
same day, Jan. 6,” Hardy said. “But the Western Church changed to
Dec. 25 to draw attention away from paganism. They changed it because
many of the Roman Christians still celebrated a feast called the
Saturnalia around that date,” Hardy said. The Saturnalia was a feast
that focused on the light and energy of the sun. The move was an
attempt to sanctify the date.
However, in Armenia the conflict didn’t exist and Christmas continued
to be celebrated on Jan. 6, Hardy said, although today Armenians in
the west exchange gifts on Dec. 25, too.
Armenians also celebrate Jesus’ baptism on Jan. 6, Hardy said. In the
Armenian church, the Epiphany commemorates Jesus’ baptism.
The program will be divided into four parts. Dr. Levon Saryan will
speak about Armenian music and cultural traditions. Mary Buchaklian
will talk about food and Julie Der Garabedian will talk about
Armenian New Year’s customs and traditions.
Armenians celebrate New Year’s Day on Jan. 1, and traditionally it’s
the day Santa Claus would come for the children, Der Garabedian said,
giving out small gifts and little bags of fruit and nuts.
This free program is in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit
focusing on State Street as a gateway neighborhood and the Armenian
Americans who called the neighborhood home. It is part of the
Heritage Museum’s ongoing Conversations Series.
GRAPHIC: Mark Hertzberg – Racine Journal Times Charles Hardy, the
archdeacon of St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church, helped organize a
display about Racine’s Armenian heritage at the Racine Heritage
Museum. It includes a showcase of religious items, including a crown
worn by the celebrant during the Divine Liturgy.

Agence France Presse
9 décembre 2004 jeudi 3:18 PM GMT
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Le Comité des oulémas d’Irak condamne des attaques contre des églises
BAGDAD 9 déc
Le Comité des oulémas d’Irak, principale association de religieux
sunnites du pays, a condamné jeudi les attaques contre deux églises
de Mossoul, perpétrées mardi par des hommes armés.
“Le Comité des oulémas condamne cet acte criminel et affirme devant
Dieu son opposition à toute action contre les Irakiens innocents,
leurs biens, leurs lieux de prière, sans distinction de religion ou
d’ethnie”, écrit le Comité dans un communiqué publié à Bagdad.
L’association se dit certaine que cet attentat “ne peut être commis
par des Irakiens” et estime qu'”aucun musulman qui craint Dieu ne
peut s’attaquer à des lieux de prière”.
Elle attribue l’attaque à des parties “cherchant à attiser la
sédition interconfessionnelle et à servir les intérêts des occupants
en provoquant la zizanie entre les fils d’une même patrie”.
Une église arménienne-catholique et l’archevêché chaldéen de Mossoul
(370 km au nord de Bagdad) ont été dynamités mardi par des hommes
armés, qui avaient au préalable évacué les personnes se trouvant à
l’intérieur de ces édifices. Ces attaques n’ont pas été revendiquées.

Azeri customs impounds 1,500 wagons en route to Georgia
ANS TV, Baku
9 Dec 04
[Presenter Leyla Hasanova over archive footage] It is reported that
1,500 wagons en route from Azerbaijan to Georgia have been impounded
at the Boyuk Kasik railway station [northwestern Azerbaijan].
About 1,000 of them are transporting oil products, 300 grain and the
rest of them flour and fuel. A group of customs officers, who are
involved in inspecting the destination of the cargo from Azerbaijan to
Georgia [the cargo is said to be sent to Armenia], left for Batumi
yesterday evening. The investigation of this issue will continue for
three days.
[Passage omitted: ANS correspondent reiterates the same figures]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ABUE BESTOWS $130.000 TO MEDICAL CENTER AFTER ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR
Azg/arm
9 Dec 04
Sedrak Atchemian, ABUE (Armenian Benevolent Union for Education)
trustee in the western shore of America, arrived in Yerevan with
a special mission to inquire how the $130 thousand transferred
by the Union for St Gregory the Illuminator medical center were
used. He visited the center accompanied by Stepan Mantarlian, ABUE
representative in Armenia. After having talked to the head physician
of the center Ara Minasian, Sedrak Atchemian said: “Other regions of
Armenia as well as Artsakh will receive such aids. ABUE’s motto is
to be with people and for people”.
Such a mission organized by Harry Sarafian, alumnus of the Yerevan
State Medical University, and Sedrak Atchemian to our doctors and
medical centers once saved numerous lives of our freedom fighters in
90s. A visit to Artsakh to modernize medical establishments of the
region is envisaged to carry out in 2005.
By Hamo Moskofian