Author: Kajoyan Gevork

U.S. HOUSE PANEL OKS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEASURE
CTV.ca News Staff

CTV.ca, Canada
ws/20071010/genocide_071010/20071010?hub=CTVNewsAt 11
Oct 11 2007

A U.S. House committee has approved legislation that classifies the
mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 as genocide,
despite the protestations of President George Bush.

The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted in favour
of the resolution 27-21.

The bill will now move to the Democrat-controlled House floor, where
it could pass next month.

The resolution, H. Res. 106, can be found here.

In short, it calls upon Bush "to ensure that the foreign policy of
the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and
genocide documented in the United States record relating to the
Armenian Genocide, and for other purposes."

Turkey called the legislation an insult, and Bush urged Congress not
to support the resolution.

"This resolution is not the right response to these historic mass
killings," he told reporters Wednesday.

The comments followed a meeting Bush held with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Rice and Gates issued a joint appeal earlier Wednesday, hours before
the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on the issue.

"This is not to ignore what was a really terrible situation and we
recognize the feelings of those who want to express their concern
and their disdain for what happened many years ago," Rice said.

"But the passage of this resolution at this time would indeed be
very problematic for everything we are trying to do in the Middle
East because we are very dependent on a good Turkish strategic ally
to help with our efforts," she said.

But Democrat Brad Sherman, who represents California, said the
U.S. should not back down from the resolution to protect its
relationship with Turkey.

"We cannot provide genocide-denial as one of the perks of friendship
with the United States," he said.

The Armenian-American Political Action Committee, a lobby group that
promotes Armenian issues in U.S. politics, described the resolution’s
approval as a positive first step.

"Today is a great day for the Armenian-American community, but our
work is not yet over and we must thank each and every one of the 26
members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for withstanding the
intense pressure from President Bush and the Government of Turkey not
to pass this resolution," co-chairs Annie Totah and Edgar Hagopian
said in a press release.

"We are hopeful and optimistic that the entire House of Representatives
will be able to pass this critical human rights resolution shortly."

The basic dispute surrounds the 1915 massacres of up to 1.5 million
Armenians by Ottoman Turks — widely viewed by scholars as the first
genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the event was genocide, claiming the toll has been
inflated and that the deaths were the result of civil war and unrest.

Turkish officials warned that the move could damage relations between
the two countries. The U.S. military uses Turkey, a NATO ally, as a
major portal for operations in Iraq.

"I have been trying to warn the (U.S.) lawmakers not to make a historic
mistake," said Egemen Bagis, a close foreign policy adviser to Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Seventy per cent of U.S. air cargo destined for Iraq flows through
Turkey as does about a third of fuel used by the military in Iraq,
Gates said Wednesday.

"Access to air fields and to the roads and so on in Turkey would very
much be put at risk if this resolution passes and Turkey reacts as
strongly as we believe they will," Gates said.

Gates also said that 95 per cent of the new Mine Resistant Ambush
Protected vehicles are flying through Turkey to get to Iraq.

Meanwhile, reports emerged Wednesday that Turkey began shelling
suspected Kurdish rebel camps in Northern Iraq.

"If that area blows up because we don’t handle this right, we will
rue the day that could lead to a war much wider than we’ve seen,"
said Republican Dan Burton, who represents Indiana.

The U.S. opposes Turkey’s action, fearing a new war front in the most
stable part of the country.

The Turkish government is currently seeking parliamentary approval
to conduct a cross-border military operation in the region.

In April 2006, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the
first Canadian prime minister to publicly declare that the deaths
of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during the First World War
constituted a genocide.

The House of Commons passed a resolution in 2004 characterizing what
happened in Armenia as genocide, but the Liberal government at the
time said it did not constitute government policy.

BAKU REPORTS ON CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS FALSE, AS ALWAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.10.2007 16:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The NKR Defense Army doesn’t violate the
ceasefire. Statements by the Azeri Defense Ministry do not correspond
to the truth, as always," a representative of the NKR Defense Ministry
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"On the contrary, the Azeri side often provokes firing and is given
an adequate response," the source said.

APA news agency reported that the Armenian armed forces violated
the ceasefire over 76 times in September and killed 5 Azeri
soldiers. During January-September the Armenian side violated the
ceasefire 332 times, APA said.

EMDASHES: PRESSED FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
By Emily Greenhouse

The Wesleyan Argus
Features – October 9, 2007

One year ago almost to the day, the Russian journalist Anna
Politkovskaya was found slain in her apartment building in Moscow,
shot through the head. For years, Politkovskaya’s hard-hitting
investigative reporting had told stories of the brutality and
corruption of Russia’s ‘dirty war’ in Chechnya that most of the
international media had ceased to write about. Through arrests, death
threats, and a near-poisoning–and in a media increasingly controlled
by the state and its oligarchs–the unflinching Politkovskaya never
slowed down.

Even at the time of her death, the 48-year-old Politkovskaya had been
reporting on the torture of Chechen civilians by pro-Moscow security
forces. Four days after her murder on October 7 of last year, the
independent Novaya Gazeta (Russia’s leading opposition newspaper)
published her unfinished article, alongside pictures of the torture
victims.

Despite her international acclaim, there was no attempt made to
disguise Politkovskaya’s murder. She was shot multiple times in
broad daylight, her body lying in the elevator of her apartment,
next to the assassin’s pistol.

The Novaya Gazeta now knows the identity of Politkovskaya’s assassin,
yet the man has been neither found nor arrested. Furthermore, Russian
prosecutors have not identified the person who ordered this contract
killing.

Politkovskaya was a shining example of courage in journalism, and her
unsolved case is singularly devastating. The murder of journalists,
however, is a story by no means unique to Russia. According to the
Committee to Protect Journalists, which keeps "detailed data on
journalists killed on duty as part of its mission of defending press
freedom," 636 journalists have been killed worldwide since 1992.

One-hundred fifteen journalists have been killed in Iraq since March
2003, and as of December 1, 2006, 134 journalists worldwide were
imprisoned (China, Cuba, Eritrea and Ethiopia being the top jailors).

A weekly glance through international news reports shows how
commonplace such abuse is. This past week, a 17-year-old admitted to
killing a well-known Turkish-Armenian journalist in January. Less than
two weeks ago, a Japanese journalist named Kenji Nagai was shot to
death in the crackdown by Myanmar’s junta. Nagai, a photojournalist,
continued to take photographs from the ground, after being shot by a
Burmese soldier. In mid-August, two Somali journalists were killed in
Mogadishu, one fatally wounded as he drove back from the funeral of his
colleague at HornAfrik, who had been shot outside his office. Chauncey
Bailey, a journalist who had recently been named editor of The Oakland
Post (considered a prominent African-American publication), was shot
to death on August 2 on a downtown Oakland street.

Each year, numbers of journalists across the globe are arrested,
beaten, harassed, raped, kidnapped, exiled and murdered. But it’s not
only through violence that freedom of the press is restrained–even
in this country.

When The New York Times published an article detailing
U.S. investigations into terror-financing activity last year,
President Bush called it "disgraceful," and Donald Rumsfeld claimed
the piece would "cause the loss of American lives." Right-wing pundits
discussed whether Bill Keller, the Executive Editor of the Times,
should be jailed, killed by firing squad or electrocuted by gas
chamber. Two-hundred twenty members of the House, including every
single Republican but one (Connecticut’s own Christopher Shays,
actually), voted to condemn the paper for violation of the Espionage
Act of 1917.

As part of its crusade not to be held accountable for certain
actions, the Bush administration has made it exceedingly difficult for
reporters to do their job. During the few press conferences that Bush
actually holds, he often finds ways to dodge the most hard-hitting
questions. In skewing public broadcasting, in paying off pundits and
in deceptively delivering fake news on matters like Iraq (this does
not mean Jon Stewart), the administration seems contemptuous of the
Freedom of Information Act and what it stands for. Bush and co. are
all about gaining maximum access to information for themselves (see:
the Patriot Act) and denying it to the public.

U.N. Goodwill Ambassador and arm-candy-de-Brad Angelina Jolie was
right in "A Mighty Heart," her valiant attempt to raise awareness
about the kidnap and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel
Pearl. The assault on journalism does not just concern journalists.

We can critique The New York Times for its liberal (or conservative)
slant all we want and mock The New York Post or The Wall Street Journal
(especially considering the Murdoch-approaching reign), but the moment
we stop fighting for freedom of the press, we lose an important pillar
of democratic society.

For fighting against Russia’s ‘dirty war,’Anna Politkovskaya met
her end in the ‘dirty war’ against journalism. She was punished in
her quest for openness and accountability; Politkovskaya was killed
for doing her job. Her murder should be remembered, therefore, as
nothing more and nothing less than a testament to the power of the
written word.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is urging Russian President
Vladimir Putin to conduct an investigation that is "diligent,
transparent, and free of political influence." Politkovskaya’s tale
deserves such an investigation, and Russia cannot afford to cast
aside the case without doing justice. Freedom of the press, after all,
is one casualty that we cannot afford.

"BARGAVACH HAYASTAN" PARTY HAS ONLY 80 THOUSAND MEMBERS
By Marieta Khachatrian, translated by L.H.

AZG Armenian Daily #183
09/10/2007

Secretary of the parliamentary faction of "Bargavach Hayastan"
(Prosperous Armenia) Aram Safarian made a sensational announcement
about the number of the members of the party.

The number 380 thousand that was announced before the parliamentary
elections no longer exists. Now the party has only 80 thousand members.

To the question, who is guilty for the exaggerated figures and are
the sinners unmasked, Aram Safarian answered: "They are aware of
everything, and the question will be discussed in the coming conference
of "Bargavach Hayastan" in November".

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: October 8, 2007
Contact: Haig Hovsepian

Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANC-WR Annual Banquet Celebrates Unprecedented Year of Grassroots
Achievements

Los Angeles, CA — More than 1000 supporters of the Armenian National
Committee’s Western Region gathered on Sunday, September 30 to celebrate a
landmark year of grassroots activism at the Universal Sheraton in Universal
City, California. This year’s banquet highlighted an unprecedented year of
Armenian American advocacy in the name of human rights and ending the cycle
of genocide. Government officials joined members of the community in
honoring United States Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), community leader Hacob
Shirvanian and the Right Honourable Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"This year’s ANC-WR banquet signaled a serious step forward in our
community’s efforts," stated ANC-WR board member and Banquet Chairwoman Aida
Dimejian. "We must continue to educate our communities and government
representatives and secure a just resolution of the Armenian Genocide," she
added.

Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), recipient of the ANC-WR’s "Man of the Year"
award, addressed the sold out audience and discussed the enormous obligation
of all human rights advocates to continue the struggle to ensure truth and
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The Senator also recounted the holds
he placed on the nomination of then Ambassador-designate to the Republic of
Armenia on Richard Hoagland. Hoagland provided denialist responses to the
Senate Foreign Relations during questioning pertaining to the Armenian
Genocide at his confirmation hearings. In his acceptance speech, Menendez
said that the next nominee as Ambassador to Armenia should be able to answer
the following question: "Do you agree that there was an Armenian Genocide?"
He insisted that anything but an affirmative response would subject that
candidate to the same fate as Ambassador Hoagland. Sen. Menendez also urged
President Bush to change his policy and recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Menendez insisted that Bush did not recognize the Genocide, the next US
President will.

The evening also awarded community activist and philanthropist Hacob
Shirvanian with the "Legacy Award" for his remarkable commitment and
leadership in the Armenian American community. In accepting the award
presented by Mistress of Ceremonies Anahid Oshagan, Shirvanian thanked the
ANC for the decades of leadership and hard work. He said he had been like a
"father figure" to the organization, always prepared to give his advice and
guidance to the ANC’s endeavors and activities. He thanked all supporters
and family members who had gathered at the banquet, but especially thanked
his wife, Mina, for a lifetime of support and encouragement. Shirvanian was
also given a US flag that flew over the US Capitol presented by US Rep. Brad
Sherman (D-Calif.).

Finally, on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canadian Secretary of
State Jason Kenney accepted the "Freedom Award" for the Prime Minister’s
courageous and principled affirmation of recognizing the Armenian Genocide
as the Canadian government’s official policy. Kenney noted that he was
honored to accept the award on behalf of the Prime Minister and insisted
that the recognition of the Genocide would go a long way in preventing
similar crimes from taking place. "I am proud to say that Canada’s New
Government is committed to ensuring that today’s world is one where respect
for human rights and democratic freedom prevails," he said. "We have made it
very clear that our recognition of the Armenian genocide represents the
official position of the Government of Canada," said Kenney as he read to
the audience a letter from Prime Minister Harper. "Please be assured that
Canada will remain firm in our position. On behalf of the Right Honorable
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, I want to thank the Armenian
National Committee of America for inviting us here this evening, and to wish
all of you the very best," he said. "Your efforts to promote human rights
and foster public awareness about issues affecting the Armenian community
abroad are helping create a world where everyone can enjoy peace and
stability," added Kenney.

Also speaking at the banquet was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who
said that he had been attending ANC banquets and other events by the
organization for the last 10 years. He recounted that last year, he focused
his speech on the Hoagland nomination, adding that this year, the imperative
was the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress.
Villaraigosa praised Sen. Menendez for his principled stance, as a result of
which President Bush withdrew Hoagland’s nomination as ambassador. He also
urged his political colleagues in Congress to pass the resolution and
finally set the record straight.

The Armenian National Committee’s Western Region is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots public affairs organization in the
Western United States. Working in oordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated
organizations around the country, the ANC-WR promotes awareness of issues of
concern to the Armenian American community.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

Speaker of the Armenian parliament: there is no state in Europe where
human rights were broken at least once

ArmInfo. ‘There is no state in Europe where human rights where
broken at least once’, – speaker of the Armenian parliament Tigran
Torosyan said at the two-day international conference ‘The role of
the Constitutional Court and Human Rights Defender in human rights
protection issues’ opened in Yerevan today.

The conference is organized by the joint efforts of Constitutional
Court of Armenia, Armenian Ombudsman office and the European
Commission ‘Democracy via law’. Representatives of constitutional
courts of more than 30 European states are taking part in the
conference. President of the European Court on Human rights Jean-Paul
Costa and Secretary General of Venice Commission of the
Council of Europe Gianni Buquicchio made a greeting speech at the
conference.

Tigran Torosyan emphasized that after making amendments to the
Armenian Constitution ordinary citizens of Armenia gained an
opportunity to apply to the Constitutional Court. Just close parallel
activity of the three structures – constitutional court, parliament
and ombudsman office can effectively resolve the problem of ensuring
and human rights protection, Torosyan said.

To note, a scandal happened at the beginning of the conference, as
its organizers did not take the number of the participants into
account, as a result of which not only journalists but also deputy
Russian ambassador to Armenia could not get earphones and listen to
translations. The latter was loudly expressing his indignation until
getting earphones. As for the journalists, the majority of them
relied on their knowledge of foreign languages.

PEOPLE ARE UNREADY TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS FROM PRE-ELECTION MEETINGS

Karabakh Open
Oct 4 2007

The local election day is October 14. The candidate to mayor
of Stepanakert Vazgen Mikayelyan, director of the Artsakh Scrap
Metal company, holds meetings with voters. His only opponent Ara
Ghahramanyan, head of the Federation of Labor Union, does not hold
any meetings.

Ara Ghahramanyan said in an interview with Karabakh-Open.com he decided
to run in the election on the last day of nomination. He was advised
to. His purpose was to be the alternative candidate. In answer to
the question why he does not meet with voters, Ara Ghahramanyan said
people are not ready to draw serious conclusions from pre-election
meetings. "I often meet with the representatives of labor unions. We
published my biography and program in the newspaper of labor
unions. If the voters need to meet me, they can turn to my election
headquarters. I cannot afford a TV campaign," Ara Ghahramanyan said.

The candidate said in case he is elected he will pursue granting
Stepanakert the status of capital, and involvement of businessmen in
the development of the city. "If I am elected, I will not "attack"
the staff of the City Hall. For 2 hours every day the office of the
mayor will be open for the citizens who want to meet with the mayor.

It is also necessary to define clearly the powers of the government
and the City Hall," the candidate said.

MARXIST CANDIDATE TO FIGHT AGAINST "REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA"

A1+
[02:52 pm] 04 October, 2007

Head of the Marxist Party of Armenia David Hakobyan has decided to
run for presidency in 2008. "My entrance to the political field
is an absolute precondition of ideological vacuum", said David
Hakobyan. According to him, the victory is not that important here.

The chief Marxist tried to explain what an ideological vacuum was:
"After Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s famous speech, the "Republican Party of
Armenia" and other opposition leaders have been barking for two weeks.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan appeared after 9 years of negotiations with empty
pockets", said David Hakobyan.

"During the state revolution on 4 February in 1998 Robert Kocharyan
and Vazgen Sargsyan had a legal version of the Karabakh conflict
settlement. During the last 10 years no reasonable diplomatic version
was proposed. The only version is the following – the coalition
parties made a decision to put to an auction the 7 provinces".

By the way, David Hakobyan considers that the representatives of
opposition and the governmental wings feel depressed and that is why
they do not convene meetings, but it does not mean that "I want to
meet them".

To the question who the Marxist leader considered a serious rival,
he answered: "The main competitor will be the one who will rely on
rigging, while criminal army is in the hands of Serge Sargsyan. I
will fight against the "Republican Party of Armenia" since they are
destroying the nation". Mr Hakobyan welcomed Ter-Petrosyan’s return:
"The real ideological fight will start now".

By the way, the Marxist is sure that if Serge Sargsyan is engaged in
dissembling ballot-papers, then Mr Hakobyan will enter the second
stage. "I am convinced that I have a place in the nation’s heart
after the NA elections".

VEGETABLE OIL AND BUTTER ROSE IN PRICES
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
04/10/2007

Recently our fellow-citizens were taken aback because of the sharp
rises in the prices of consumer goods.

Unable to bear the rise in bread prices our citizens today think
of how to put up the prices of vegetable oil and butter in their
miserable salaries.

Actually, the prices of consumer goods rise rapidly and
severely. People comment on the rise of prices differently.

1 liter of vegetable oil costs 750-800 drams. Cheaper vegetable oils
"Lusastgh" and "Gonche" today cost 750 drams instead of 510 drams.

The prices of oils "Avtab", "Gonche" also have had a rise. Butter
also rose in price.

It’s worth to mention that the mentioned consumer goods’ prices
have risen not by 10 or 20 drams, but by 100 or more drams. What’s
the reason?

Some of the citizens think that the rise in prices is connected with
the rise in pensions. Some of them don’t know the reason: "We don’t
know. Everything rose in price", said a saleswoman. Naturally, the
saleswoman couldn’t give reasons for the logic of the rise in prices.

One of the saleswomen informed that "Baltimor" company imports
the vegetable oil. We know also that one of the biggest importers
and producers of vegetable oil is "Salex Group" owned by Samvel
Aleksanian. "Marnik" company is one of the biggest sellers in the
market of butter.

We couldn’t find the owners of the above-mentioned companies to listen
to their comments on the rise in prices, but we’ll try to write their
explanations in our next issues.

Nevertheless, people are not interested in their even reasonable
explanations; they are concerned about their pockets, as the content
of their pockets will not suffice to live properly.

"Azg" daily tried to gain an explanation from the State Commission on
Economic Competition Protection on the rises in prices of vegetable
oil and butter, but the press secretary of the Commission informed
that they are now investigating the market to clarify is the rise in
prices connected with the results of abuse or impact of international
market. They promised to inform about the results after the end of
the investigation

What conclusion will the State Commission on Economic Competition
Protection come? – We’ll learn later, but at this moment the settlement
of the situation maybe needs an interference of high levels. Otherwise,
it’s not understandable were that rise in prices will lead the people.

NO NATIONAL OR RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION IN AZERBAIJAN, BAKU SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2007 16:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Nagorno Karabakh problem is not connected with
national and religious discrimination," Azeri Milli Mejlis deputy
chairman Valeh Aleskerov said in his address to the BSEC committee
of culture, education and science.

There was never national, religious or ethnic discrimination in
Azerbaijan, he said.

"Azerbaijan was always tolerant toward other nations and religions. It
is obvious," he stated.

According to him, the "Nagorno Karabakh conflict was provoked by some
political groups wishing to come to power." "Presently, these forces
hamper the conflict resolution in order to maintain power," he said,
Trend news agency reports.

However, it worth reminding of the pogroms of Armenians in 1988. Dozens
of Armenians were slaughtered in Sumgait during three February days.

Official sources reported 52 victims. Some 14 thousand Armenians
had to flee Sumgait after the massacre, which came up as a brutal
response to the decision of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
to secede from the Azerbaijani SSR and join the Armenian SSR.

The Sumgait massacres were followed by pogroms in Kirovobad, Baku
and Armenian-inhabited villages.