Author: Kafian Jirair

RAFFI HOVHANNISYAN’S DEEDS – INEXPLICABLE
S. Haroutyunyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily News, Armenia
Aug 30 2007

The mosaic of the native pro-Opposition activists has always aroused
some pleasant surprise in terms of the abundance of its contradictory
figures. But the most contradictory and the least understood among
them is the virtuous image of Raffi Hovhannisyan, the leader of
"Heritage" party.

Let’s not go too far. Despite his MP’s mandate, R. Hovhannisyan
decided to concentrate his and his party’s "whole potential" on being
"re-elected" as a Deputy from constituency No. 15, Talin. Alas, he
was by and large defeated; the voter of Talin did not believe in the
patriotic speeches and the demonstrative manifestations of ordinary
populism by which the leader of "Heritage" made the impression of
a genius periodically before the elections and continuously during
the campaign.

Then R. Hovhannisyan rose against the elections which were "essentially
non-free and unfair" and, at the same time, immediately congratulated
the candidate "recognized as a winner". And, as should have been
expected, he found himself in the trap of the contradictory character
of his own image, i.e. under the attack of the pro-Government and
pro-Opposition fronts.

And then, without slackening his paces, the party leader appeared
with the successive unique initiative: he submitted the Draft Law on
Recognizing the NKR Independence to the National Assembly. Apart from
Stepan Safaryan, who disseminates political tracts on "fearing" the
hazards of the geopolitical damages resulting from the authorities’
unyielding attitudes, the other MPs belonging to "Heritage" turned
out to be totally unaware of bill whose author was R. Hovhannisyan.

Perhaps, in this way Raffi Hovhannisyan hoped on the one hand to
compensate the moral damage suffered in constituency No. 15 and recover
the good reputation of the greatest patriot and on the other hand –
bring RPA and ARFD face-to-face with a fact, as these parties still
have all the opportunities to recognize the NKR independence but
haven’t done so with diplomatic considerations and tactical motives,.

Formerly the country’s Foreign Minister who acted from the positions
of settling the problem by ‘mutual concessions’, R. Hovhannisyan
is well-aware that to recognize Karabakh’s independence officially
would mean to throw a gauntlet to the international community, deny
the Minsk Group format thus playing into the hands of Azerbaijan
and make an abrupt transition from the peaceful negotiation process
towards the solution of the problem by the use of force.

Alas, the things developed as usual in this case too. The leader
of "Heritage" immediately found himself between the devil and the
deep sea. The media belonging to the Armenian pan-National Movement
were extremely indignant, and they rebuked their former favorite
for assuming an improper "triumphant" posture with regard to the NKR
issue. And the representatives of the Parliamentary majority hurried to
state that the legislative initiative proposed by R. Hovhannisyan is,
mildly speaking, outdated. Moreover, it contradicts not only the image
of a balanced activist favoring "compromise", but also the interests
of Karabakh and Armenia.

The contradictory phenomenon of R. Hovhannisyan’s image does not
exhaust itself by this. We all remember the universal hue-and-cry the
leader of "Heritage" raised in 2001 when the criminal administration,
in the person of Robert Kocharyan, failed to satisfy his ambitions
and did not grant him 10 years’ citizenship backdate, going against
the native Constitution and laws. How drastically was the whole staff
immediately written, arguing the President’s decision passionately
and for a long time, a decision that produced an incorrigible impact
on Mr. Hovhannisyan’s pretensions and delayed the realization of his
great dream of becoming the RA President!

Anyway, we still have to discuss the most striking issue. The
outstanding figure, who has spent many sleepless nights for being
denied citizenship backdate, a man who, according to his statements,
has linked his future exclusively with Armenia and is ready to serve
his own people and country in the status of an ordinary citizen till
the end of time, makes no haste in dissolving the "insoluble entangled
strip" of granting his family members Armenian citizenship.

The wife and the 5 children of R. Hovhannisyan are still citizens
of the United States and live in their homeland in the status of
"tourists"; all they have is a permanent residence status.

Mrs. Armenuhi Gaspar Khachikyan-Hovhannisyan (American passport
No.Z8025010) received a special residence status for the term of 10
years, i.e. till 2009 (document series and No. AE 0466060). Perhaps,
in this way it is easier to extort grants from the transoceanic donors
and engage oneself in charity at the expense of other people’s money,
i.e. to hold a PR campaign through "Youth Achievements" and "Orran"
organizations and win extra credits for Mr. Hovhannisyan.

As to the sons of the leader of "Heritage", Karin (American passport
No.039309555), Taron (American passport No. 039317317), Van (American
passport No.Z8277222), Armen (American passport No.

710996318) and his daughter Shushi (American passport No.710484010),
they live in Armenia by the ordinary residence status. In the meantime,
the validity of the documents expired on August 24; therefore, to
extend the pleasure of living in their homeland, they have to prolong
the validity date of their "Armenian" passports.

In this situation it is difficult to say where the heart of the matter
is hidden: whether it is the contradictory character of his enigmatic
image or the pragmatic calculation that prevents R. Hovhannisyan from
"granting" his family members RA citizenship.

SOUTH-CAUCASUS COUNTRIES NEED 250,00 EURO TO ORGANIZE JOINT GUARD OF FRONT-ASIAN LEOPARD

arminfo
2007-08-30 13:21:00

ArmInfo. The German Office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) applied to
the donor organizations to finance the programme of joint measures to
guard the front- Asian (Caucasian) leopard in the territory of South
Caucasus countries. Earlier, the programme for saving and recovery
of leopard’s population was carried out only in Armenia.

As Head of WWF’s Armenian Office Karen Manvelyan told ArmInfo, the
WWF’s German Office intends to receive 250,000 Euro to implement
a more large-scale programme. Armenia spent $95,000 over 5 years
of implementation of the programme on protection of the Caucasian
leopard habitation territories. Financing of the programme completed
in June. Having lost financing, the WWF tries to find new sources for
the project financing, as specialists say, absence of means deprived
the rangers, who had been fighting against poaching in the territory
of Zangezour crest on the west of Armenia over several years,
of earnings. Collection of beneficent means has been temporarily
organized in the Yerevan Marriott-Armenia hotel, where a special
box will be placed during a month for voluntary donations with the
purpose of saving the leopard. The whole proceeds will be used to
acquire equipment, uniform, binoculars, communication means and fuel
for anti-poaching groups.

RELIGIOUS GROUPS CALL FOR FAITH-BASED SCHOOLS FUNDING

CBC News, Canada
Aug 28 2007

A newly formed group is calling on the Ontario government to fund
all faith-based schools that meet provincial standards.

Religious leaders from the Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Armenian
communities held a media conference Monday to announce the creation
of the Public Education Fairness Network.

The lobby group said it is unfair that the province funds the Catholic
school system without funding other faith-based schools.

"We all came to this country as immigrants at different times," said
Pandit Roopnauth Sharma, president of the Federation of Hindu Temples.

"Our Catholic brothers and sisters came maybe earlier than we did …

They fought very hard for the privilege they have today. We compliment
them for achieving this and we ask all to see that we equally deserve
similar treatment and privileges."

The group said it plans to launch an advertising campaign to make it
a prominent election issue, but denies that it will endorse any one
political party.

"Any advocacy that we undertake will be on the basis of the justice of
the issue and the importance of fairness in public education funding,"
said Howard English, spokesman for the United Jewish Appeal, which
is participating in the coalition.

The group’s demand is strikingly similar to a campaign promise made
recently by the Progressive Conservatives.

PC Leader John Tory said he would extend public funding to non-Catholic
religious schools that follow the provincial curriculum if he’s
elected premier on Oct. 10.

However, Premier Dalton McGuinty dismissed Tory’s plan, which he
said would only lead to increased segregation of people with diverse
backgrounds.

NDP pledges $100M for education, funding review Meanwhile, the New
Democrats said Tuesday they would invest an additional $100 million
in the education system and launch an immediate review of the funding
formula if elected.

Party Leader Howard Hampton said the review would include public
input and be completed by March 2008.

The funding formula would be reviewed every year so gaps in education
funding could be addressed before cuts are made at schools.

The pledged funding would flow through the Local Priorities Grant,
which would give school boards $200 per student to fund essentials
and supplies.

McGuinty has said the Liberals don’t plan a review of the funding
formula until 2010.

McGuinty said he wants to assess the impact of new recently announced
funding before calling a full review.

OPEN MESSAGE TO ISRAEL

Turkish Press
Zaman
Aug 28 2007

Ankara took action after Jewish organization in the United States
ADL accepted the incidents in 1915 as "Armenian Genocide".

Turkey expects Israel to get Jewish lobby in the U.S. to back
down, said Turkish Ambassador to Turkey Namik Tan, regarding the
Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) reversal of position last week on the
Armenian allegations.

In an exclusive interview with Israel’s prominent English daily
Jerusalem Post, Tan said he understood that Israel’s position had
not changed and that Israel should not let the U.S. Jewish community
change its position regarding the incidents of 1915.

AZERBAIJANI CEC CHAIRMAN: THE ELECTIONS SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 14 BY ARMENIAN SEPARATISTS ARE ILLEGITIMATE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 28 2007

"Armenians try to make us furious by so-called elections in Nagorno
Karabakh and use it in their purposes. We should not allow this,"
chief of Central Election Commission (CEC) Mazahir Panahov said
while commenting on the local elections scheduled fro October 14 by
Nagorno Karabakh separatists in the occupied Azerbaijani territories,
APA reports.

CEC chief said that the world community does not recognize the
"elections" held by Armenian separatists either and mentioned that
the international organizations have expressed strict position towards
any elections held in Nagorno Karabakh up to now.

"International organizations even express their position before
relevant Azerbaijani bodies and state that they do not recognize
‘puppet’ elections. The elections scheduled for October 14 by Armenian
separatists are null and void and no country recognizes the structures
they have established. Azerbaijan’s position is very resolute. If in
the 90s only Azerbaijan expressed its position, now all international
organizations support us. This is the success of Azerbaijan’s foreign
policy," he said.

Mazahir Panahov underlined that all steps taken by separatist Nagorno
Karabakh are contrary to Azerbaijan’s Constitution and international
law.

YUSUF HALACOGLI."IN 1936-37 STATE REVEALED EACH FAMILY OF CONVERTED ARMENIANS AND MADE A LIST"
By Hakob Chaqrian

AZG Armenian Daily #152
24/08/2007

Scandal in Turkey

On August 18, Yusuf Halacogli, chairman of Turkish Historical
Union, stated that "the Kurds have Turkmen origin, while the Kurdish
Alavinians are of "Armenian" origin, and there are many Armenians among
them who support TIKKO and PKK terrorist organizations, trying hard to
make a split in the country. This statement aroused the indignation
of the Kurds, Alavinians, progressive Turkish intelligentsia,
public-political figures, who demanded from Prime Minister Erdoghan
to fire Halacogli.

This confrontation forced Halacogli make some corrections Thus, he
said in the interview to "Radical" on August 20 that he didn’t deny
the existence of Kurds in Turkey. "But 30% of those who consider
themselves Kurds are Turkmens by origin, while the Alavinians
make 99%. In the course of the exile in 1915, many Armenians began
representing themselves as Alavie Kurds.

Fort example, some of the Alavie Kurds from Tunceli Ovacek regions
and Svaz are Armenians by origin. But this doesn’t mean that all
of the Alavi Kurds are Armenians by origin. Moreover, most of the
Armenians who converted into Kurds are not sincere from religious
point of view. They often tried to build churches. In 1936-37,
the state reveled all of the Armenian families who converted into
Kurds and registered their addresses. I can prove my statements by
documents. I have the list of converted Armenians at my disposal,"
he said. While, in response to the question of the newspaper when he
is going to publish the list of the converted Armenians, he said he
isn’t going to publish anything, as the printed press violated the
facts. He added that he just said that some of the Alavies are just
converted Armenians.

Moreover, he said that Hrant Dink also said that some of the Kurds
are of Armenians origin. "I am just interested who is a Turk and who
is a Kurd. These facts are just result of my personal investigation
based on my studies in the USA," he said. At the same time, he didn’t
specify the number of the converted Armenians.

On August 23, "Radical’ wrote that till recently the National Committee
for National Minorities was functioning in Turkey. According to the
newspaper, the main task of the committee was to spoil the life of
the non-Muslim national minorities in Turkey, forcing them to leave
the country. ‘In the course of the committee’s functioning the number
of the non-Muslim communities decreased in Turkey. Nevertheless,
this didn’t hinder our country to prosecute the Armenian families who
converted into Muslims in order to survive in the exile and murders of
1915. That’s why, Halacogli speaks of the state investigations on the
converted Armenians in 1936, then he says that he updated the lists
himself recently. We wander why the state investigation was carried
out and why the results weren’t published until now. Perhaps, this
factor is conditioned by the approach of checking the trustworthiness
of the persons to be appointed to high ranked positions by their
ethnic origin," the newspaper underscored.

In the August 22 issue of "Bianet’ agency, criticizing Halacogli,
publisher Racep Zarakogli, wrote that the party of Young Turks made
such investigations in the years of the World War I, to check who
they can assimilate to create a unanimous nation.

According to Zarakogli, the Young Turks instructed Esat Urasli make the
investigation , who wrote "Armenians in the History and the Armenian
Cause" book, later. He stated in his "Bank Ottoman" work that the
Turks can assimilate with the Kurds, but the Armenians will never
assimilate, that’s why they should be neutralized.

As for the recent statement by Halacoghli, Zarakogli considered that
a total failure of the Turkish official historical studies.

Daily Times Pakistan
Friday, August 24, 2007
Over 100 days in Evin – Pamela Kilpadi

For those of us who have chosen to leave behind relatively comfortable
lives, leave our `narrowed habit’ and engage with those less
fortunate, the importance of addressing social injustice becomes
painfully apparent

In 2004 I first met Kian Tajbakhsh, an Iranian American social
scientist held since last May in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. I
remember mentioning that my Indian husband always dreamed of visiting
Iran, especially Esfahan. Kian said that as an Indiaphile, we should
have a lot to talk about.

Kian quickly became a reliable friend of the scholars we helped
support, including many in Pakistan. At the time of his senseless
arrest on May 11, we were planning a meeting scheduled for early June
at the Lahore University of Management Sciences entitled Devolution As
Freedom? Devolving Power and Building Nations in Iran, Iraq,
Afghanistan and Pakistan. I last heard from Kian on May 8. When he did
not respond to an urgent message on May 9 and I read about leading
Woodrow Wilson Center scholar Haleh Esfandiari’s arrest, I immediately
had a sickening, sinking feeling.

Kian is undoubtedly a formidable scholar with an enviable ability to
engage in serious intellectual debate on a wide variety of topics. But
perhaps more importantly, he actively engages and challenges people
from all walks of life, always striving to understand the person
behind the ideas, thereby raising the most crucial questions. Kian’s
interest in urban studies was inspired, as he says, `by the use of the
metaphor of the city as a way to understand some key aspects of
contemporary societies, as well as their potential for human growth
and enlightenment’.

In his 2002 article `Cities and Civilisations: Exploring Problems of
Cultural Interaction from Both Angles’, published in Peace
Policy. `Looking at the concreteness of the spaces of the cities in
which we live helps us ask some important questions about the problems
of peaceful co-existence through negotiation and compromise… This
means that we can perhaps learn from the experience of complex,
multicultural cities something about how `peoples,’ even
civilisations, pursue dialogue, fail at dialogue (when interaction
turns to violence), or just get by…’

Apart from cities defined as a single homogeneous universal community
or those encompassing a multitude of homogeneous individual
communities, Kian attempted to imagine an alternative. `Democratic
procedures in a complex multicultural context require complex selves
where each individual needs to see things not only from other people’s
points of view but from the many different desires and needs,
sometimes contradictory, that exist within each person,’ he
wrote. This is what I have called the promise of the city.

`Unfortunately, an increasingly visible current trend in forms of
urbanism recoils from this possibility and `voluntarily’ withdraws
into residential enclaves and homogeneous spaces, whereby the
boundaries between inside and outside are made more rigid and more
brittle. Examples of these `gated’ or otherwise policed neighbourhood
residential spaces are increasingly to be found throughout North
America and even Latin American countries such as Brazil… The most
understandable reason for this rejection is that the openness I have
advocated can easily – as is the case in colonial experiences – lead
to the erosion and loss of cherished traditions, beliefs, and ways of
life. The stress on change, novelty, and hybridity – critics contend –
underestimates ordinary people’s need for a space of continuity,
stability, and order. These tensions clearly also underlie the debate
over the pros and cons of the interaction of civilisations and
cultures…

`This tension between stability and change, between the defence of the
known versus the embrace of the different and unknown, is also
reflected in the spaces of the modern city. A truly `urban’ city is
one which is complex enough to offer its inhabitants two fundamental
kinds of experience. One is a stable space of continuity, where we can
rely on our beliefs and self-identifications. The other is where we
put ourselves – our beliefs and worldviews – at risk. Through
confrontation with different truths, we question our beliefs, values,
and identities and are thus led to expand our moral imaginations of
what is possible and important.’

Kian is deeply committed to social research. He may dream of a better
world, but he is far from being naïve about the nature of human
behaviour and social interaction. For those of us who have chosen to
leave behind relatively comfortable lives, leave our `narrowed habit’
and engage with those less fortunate, the importance of addressing
social injustice becomes painfully apparent.

But when I think about Kian, I like to remember his incredible
wit. Especially in private conversation, when his mischievous grin
often signals a sarcastic comment or slightly irreverent joke. His
rich personality is a unique mix of the pragmatist and the poet, with
music and the arts central in his life. I remember sharing a meal with
one of our Armenian scholars, when Kian suddenly began humming an
Armenian song he had just recalled from a concert in Yerevan, which
our colleague immediately recognised. He can easily move between
speech and song.

Kian is passionate about his country Iran, its people, its culture – a
fact that makes his detention all the more tragic and cruel. Iranian
officials play directly into the hands of Washington hardliners by
targeting law-abiding patriots. And for those of us with multiple
countries, who live as citizens of the world, the categories and
labels imposed upon individuals by states, particularly post-9/11, are
often glaringly inadequate and arbitrary. As Gandhi once said: `No
culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.’ There are many
things I had hoped to discuss with Kian – research, books, music –
during our reunion in Lahore. I speak for Kian’s scholars in Pakistan
and around the world as well as myself when I say that Kian and his
family are constantly in our thoughts. Dr Esfandiari has finally been
released on bail. We sincerely hope that Kian will also soon be free.

Pamela Kilpadi, a social science doctoral candidate, served as the
founding director of the International Policy Fellowships programme in
Budapest, Hungary. Her first op-ed on Kian’s detention appeared in the
June 16 edition of Daily Times. Information about Kian Tajbakhsh,
including a petition for his release, is available at

CANDIAN COMPANY TO OPERATE IN ARMENIAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

Noyan Tapan
Aug 22, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, NOYAN TAPAN. A cooperation agreement was
signed a week ago between the Canadian software company Makademian
and M-Possible, an Armenian company engaged in electronic design
automation. According to the agreement, the Canadian company will
found its subsidiary in Armenia, the director of the Enterprise
Incubator Foundation (EIF) Bagrat Yengibarian said during a talk with
NT correspondent.

B. Yengibarian noted that the above mentioned agreement envisages that
Makademian will create a company with 15 employees (at the initial
stage) on the basis of M-Possible. The company will be located in the
building of the EIF and will become the second largest subsidiary of
Makademian in Eastern Europe and the CIS.

In the words of the EIF director, this agreement was reached with
the support of Armenia’s IT Representative Office in Toronto (Canada).

Makademian is the first Canadian IT company to have been fonded
in Armenia.

"The company has set up a regional center in Romania, and it has been
discussing with Armenia’s IT Representative office in Canada for over
a year the opportunity of working in Armenia," B. Yengibarian said.

According to him, Makademian is one of Canada’s leading companies
that produces software by using "C++" and ".net" programming languages.

YEZIDIZ OF ARMENIA CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO STOP GENOCIDE OF YEZIDIS IN IRAQ
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/08/2007

The members of the Union of Yezidis Worldwide rallied in front of
the government of Armenia on August 21.

They urged Armenia to help prevent atrocities against Yezidis in
Iraq. On the same day the president of the union of Yezidis Aziz
Tamoyan spoke about the genocide of his compatriots in Iraq in a news
conference at the Pastark Club. The Yezidis have also sent a letter
to the U.S. President George Bush and asked him to grant sovereignty
to Yezidis in Iraq under the aegis of the United States. They have
also made calls for help to the Russian president Vladimir Putin,
the prime minister of the U.K, Brown, the Armenian president Robert
Kocharyan and "all the humanists of the world."

Aziz Tamoyan says in Iraq the Kurds want to displace Yezidis from
North Iraq and live in their land.

According to Aziz Tamoyan, it is the joint project of the governments
of Kurdistan and Iraq.

As for the coming presidnetial elections in Armenia, Aziz Tamoyan
called the Yezidi community of Armenia to support Prime Minister Serge
Sargsyan, the leader of the Republican Party.Tamoyan said Sargsyan
is not only a devotee of the nation but also conducts a balanced
policy on ethnic minorities. Therefore Aziz Tamoyan said the Yezidi
community will support Serge Sargsyan.

In Armenia the Yezidis are thought to count 60 thousand. It is
notable that during the parliamentary election the Yezidi community was
divided because one part supported Samvel Babayan, while the other part
supported Tigran Karapetyan. Aziz Tamoyan supported Samvel Babayan.

THEY ENDORSE SERGE SARGSYAN

Lragir.am
21-08-2007 16:12:23

In a news conference on August 21 at the Pastark Press Club the
leader of the Union of Yezidis Worldwide Aziz Tamoyan called the
Yezidi community of Armenia to support Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan,
the leader of the Republican Party, in the presidential election of
2008. Tamoyan said Sargsyan is not only a devotee of the nation but
also conducts a balanced policy on ethnic minorities. Therefore Aziz
Tamoyan said the Yezidi community will support Serge Sargsyan.

In Armenia the Yezidis are thought to count 60 thousand. It is
notable that during the parliamentary election the Yezidi community was
divided because one part supported Samvel Babayan, while the other part
supported Tigran Karapetyan. Aziz Tamoyan supported Samvel Babayan.