Author: Kajoyan Gevork

THERE WERE DRUNK PEOPLE ON THE PLANE
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[07:22 pm] 16 May, 2006
Today Michael Baghdasarov, owner of the “Armavia” company, didn’t
exclude that there were drunk people on the A-320 airplane but he
excluded the possibility of panic on the plane saying that “Dispatchers
record all conversations and they would have recorded it as well. The
voice of the pilot was very quiet and he spoke rather calmly.”
There was no thief on the plane. There wasn’t any bustle either. I
don’t exclude the possibility that some people were drunk, but I must
underline the fact that the bodies of many victims haven’t been found
yet. This itself testifies to the fact that they were wearing belts,
thus there couldn’t be any panic on the plane.
Baghdasarov added that they haven’t found the bodies of more that
60 people and those found are mainly women and elderly men, which
means that mainly men who are accused of organizing a bustle on the
airplane wore belts.
He also excluded the existence of weapon on the plane.
“It is impossible to take any weapon to a plane as they check
everything.”
Mr. Baghdasarov excluded 3 versions. “Our conclusions must be
warranted, we have the following facts; 8 tons of kerosene testify
that there was enough fuel on the plane. The plane underwent all the
necessary checks, we simply mistook Belgium for Budapest, but the
checking were made and our planes systematically undergo technical
checking in Yerevan”
As for the pilot’s sophistication there shouldn’t be any doubt on
this score. He studied abroad and was properly trained. We don’t
possess other facts.”
Baghdasarov noted once more that the weather was terrible on that day
but it couldn’t hamper the landing. “Armenian airplanes of Soviet
period encounter such problems in awful weather conditions whereas
the weather is not a serious problem for “Airbus” planes.”
Baghdasarov voices hope that the record boxes will be taken out of
the depth of the sea and they will be able to reveal the truth. “It
is a French airplane, the investigation is held by the “Airbus”
investigation bureau and I think that the record boxes will be
deciphered by the French as well, though Armenians and Russians
will also participate in the process as they are both conducting
investigation.”
He informed the journalists that they are negotiating with the
insurance company so that the payments will be done in time. “Today
the representatives of the company will arrive from London. Before
that they came from Russia. I think that the insurance money will
be paid soon.” “Armavia” has already bought a new plane and “Airbus
319” will be in Armenia on Thursday. The airplane was transported to
Canada, the pilots are having a rest at present and tomorrow they
will fly to Yerevan and on Thursday evening the airplane will make
its first flight. Baghdasarov promises that “Armavia” will hold the
flights according to the schedule by 3 “Airbuses” and 1 “Yak 42.” The
company intends to buy a new American plane for 50-70 passengers.

Revolutionary Worker Online, IL
May 15 2006
Reading, Promoting, and Discussing Bob Avakian’s Memoir
We received the following correspondences from readers in Los Angeles
who have been reading, promoting, and discussing Bob Avakian’s
memoir, From Ike to Mao and Beyond.
Letter 1
I had a discussion of the Bob Avakian’s memoir with two
Latin-American immigrant proletarians, Tony and Pablo, who consider
themselves supporters of the Party, one much longer than the other.
Both are much more comfortable reading and talking in Spanish, but
both read the book.
The younger of the two, Tony, had raised two years ago, before anyone
knew that a memoir was being prepared, when he first had read a few
issues of the newspaper, `He [Bob Avakian] seems like an important
leader, do you have any kind of book about him?’
Tony said that there were many things that `surprised’ and interested
him in reading the Memoir. One was learning about Bob Avakian’s
father’s family as immigrants from Armenia. He said he had never
heard of Armenia before and said it was striking `how different the
experience of immigrants has been coming from different places’ and
in this case how they fell out around the issue of racism in the
U.S., identifying more as white people, and how Bob Avakian dealt
with this contradiction. He also said he was surprised by Bob’s
account of growing up in a segregated environment in the late 50’s
and then `crossing over’ and sharing his life with Black people.
Pablo said that he was at a disadvantage in this discussion because
he had lent his copy of the Memoir to a Latina immigrant friend (who
finally has a place of her own after being in and out of homeless
shelters and losing all of her possessions including her books) and
so he hadn’t had the opportunity to actually review the Memoir prior
to our discussion. He said, `I read it like a novel. I find
autobiographies/memoirs interesting as a story more than something I
will take notes from’ (like he does with other things he has read by
Avakian). He said that though it wasn’t fresh in his mind, some
things still struck him a year later. He was surprised to learn that
the Chairman had come from what he described as an `upper middle
class’ family and how that affected him. He said that it was
interesting how `he learned a lot about law and politics from his
father,’ while at the same time rebelling and choosing his own path.
He said that it was interesting how at a certain point in his life,
Bob `led a double life,’ one with his family and one at school, and
how `timing’ was important to his development: `The turmoil in the
world affected his thinking.’ Like Tony, Pablo said that there were
surprises in the book that made it interesting; he listed three: 1)
His nearly life-ending illness; 2) His relationship with the people
who would form the Black Panther Party and how that influenced him;
and 3) His first experience `going to the working class’ in Richmond,
California – Pablo said `it seems that he went there with a lot of
illusions about people.’
He said it was interesting how Bob Avakian described his (and
others’) way of seeing life in the late 60’s, `they expected
revolution to happen then.’ He said that there was a theme in the
book of repeatedly `learning from mistakes.’ He found particularly
funny the episode in China of continually being offered snails, a
food that he and others had trouble with, but not wanting to offend
anyone by commenting negatively.
Tony said he was also struck by Bob Avakian’s journey from the middle
class – `how people make that kind of change’ was new to him. He said
it was interesting how Bob Avakian `mixed with people’ and how that
affected him. Overall he said that the Memoir painted a picture of
Bob as `another human being and not some sort of super-hero.’ He was
also struck by how the Chairman’s mother’s concern for basic people
(albeit from a religious standpoint) was something that he learned
from and was influenced by. He described the struggle in the book
involving his sister dating a Black person and said it reminded him
of a situation that he had had working in a Korean-owned store. The
Korean owners tried to keep a distance from the mainly Black and
Latino customers, but one of the sons (around 18-20) worked there and
befriended him, which the owner tolerated but didn’t like, but that
then when the son started to date a Black young woman, the parents
went ballistic.
Tony said he liked the part `Getting Free of Religion.’ He said that
this was very interesting. He said that the journey from religion to
atheism was explained as because `there is no truth to it.’ Tony said
that in his own case he had lost connection with religion in much the
same way, but `I couldn’t be a total atheist until becoming a
communist.’
Pablo said the memoir gave him a picture of Bob as a `regular guy…
someone who liked sports,’ etc. He said he liked (and identified
with) Bob’s description of how his `proudest achievement’ in high
school was being listed as `Teachers’ Trial.’ and how Bob saw himself
as a rebel against `arbitrary authority.’ This means a lot and
concentrates, as Pablo explained, his own contradictory feelings
about promoting leaders. Pablo had grown up in a home where his
father was the tyrannical minister of an evangelical church, and was
lauded as the `great leader’ of that church. He said that this really
angered and alienated him and when he questioned this `arbitrary
authority’ he was literally thrown out of the house when he 14 years
old and lived on the street selling candies etc. on street corners
before leaving his home town in the country he is from. So he says
sometimes he feels uncomfortable with the promotion of Bob Avakian as
a leader, even though he said, `I agree with more than 90% of what
Bob Avakian says and writes.’ At the same time, he said he felt a
great kinship for his rebelliousness and his challenging `arbitrary
authority.’
We also talked with someone who had really liked some portions of the
DVD by Bob Avakian (Revolution: Why It’s Necessary, Why It’s
Possible, What It’s All About), but felt uncomfortable promoting any
one leader. We talked about how to get into these kinds of
issues – taking up the Leadership Resolutions [see `Resolution: On
Leaders and Leadership’ and `Some Points on the Question of
Revolutionary Leadership and Individual Leaders,’ both dated Oct. 1,
1995, available online at ], and also the
part in Michael Slate’s radio interview with the Chairman, that
discusses the question, `Isn’t it dangerous to invest so much in an
individual leader?’ (Bob Avakian’s interview with Slate is available
online at bobavakian.net) I won’t go into all of that here, but what
is most directly connected with the Memoir is how from reading the
Memoir even people with a general `distrust of leaders,’ will `want
to make an exception’ for Bob Avakian once `they get to know him.’
People agreed that reading the Memoir really gives you a sense of Bob
Avakian’s integrity and his deep connection with the people. But
Pablo raised that is not enough. He said, Malcolm X had a lot of
integrity and a deep connection with the people and this comes out in
his autobiography, but `what if he had not been killed, I sometimes
wonder what would have happened with him. I worry that he could have
ended up becoming a Mayor or something.’
This got us into how the Memoir as a whole not only gives `a
humanizing portrait’ of Bob Avakian’s early years, but paints a vivid
picture of his development into how he is described on the back of
the Memoir, as `America’s most radical revolutionary communist.’ This
brought Tony back to the day he first asked if there was a book about
Bob Avakian. He said he had wanted to know `who is this leader, how
did he become that kind of leader.’ He said that as a young person
himself, `I naturally identified a lot with the part on his early
years.’ But he said this whole book is about `his life and our
lives.’
In the previously-mentioned discussion, the person had raised, `you
can’t put so much in one leader – what would you do if he became a
fascist?’ Tony said that the Memoir gave him great confidence that
this wouldn’t happen with Bob Avakian. He turned to the last chapter
of the Memoir and read aloud the concluding passage: `So this is what
my life will continue to be devoted to, and this is what the ongoing
story of my life will be about.’
>From there we got into the significance of Cornel West’s description
of Bob Avakian as `a long distance runner in the freedom struggle
against imperialism, racism and capitalism.’ They felt that having
read the Memoir that they got a deeper sense of why that is in fact
true. Pablo hearkened back to a part of Carl Dix’s interview with Bob
Avakian that had stuck with him – his answer to `What sustains you?’
[`Bob Avakian Speaks Out: On War and Revolution On Being a
Revolutionary and Changing the World, Interviewed by Carl Dix,’ also
available as downloadable audio] He said his answer was very
important. One of them (I forget which) said, `People often say to
you, ‘you are radical now as a youth, but then you will get more
conservative when you get older,’ but Bob Avakian continues to get
more radical.’ Tony raised that another reason he has confidence in
Bob Avakian (in response to our friend’s challenge) is how he will
fight for what’s right even if at times it is very unpopular or even
dangerous to do so, even within the existing movement of the time. He
mentioned in particular the section of Memoir where Bob describes
getting ready to go to the showdown RCP Central Committee meeting on
the coup in China and his wife asks him `Do you think we will win?’
and he answers, `I don’t know if we will win, but we can’t lose.’
———————————————– ———————————
Letter 2
I spoke with a Black college student who grew up in the Valley. She
is not a communist or into socialism, or even revolutionary, but she
is very progressive-minded. She really enjoyed reading the Memoir.
When I went to speak with her, we talked about both her thoughts on
the book and also seeing if she could help and/or had any ideas about
popularizing it at her school. She told me that she was expecting it
to be really different, more like Bob Avakian’s other writings (she’s
read some of his pieces in Revolution newspaper, and also she read
part of his book, The Loss in China and the Revolutionary Legacy of
Mao Tsetung). She thought it was going to be more complex and at
first she didn’t really like that. But she said, `It wasn’t a hard
book at all! It was like having a conversation with someone!’ She
really liked the stories he told.
There were two things in particular she spoke about that really
impacted her. The first was how he lived through the times of
segregation. She said that a lot of people she knows, especially
white people, were really affected in very negative ways from
segregation. She said that a lot of the people she has interacted
with `have this sense of `it’s okay’ or somehow acceptable if you
called people `nigger’ back in those days. They try to excuse
themselves by saying `oh that’s how it was in those days, everyone
was like that,’ but he really lets us know that things weren’t like
that and that not all white folks were racist like that and accepted
that as normal!’ I should say that she is half white, and growing up
with her family that was the gringo side (that’s what she calls it),
was very hard for her. She had to endure a lot of shit from them. So
for her the beginning of the book, and how Bob Avakian looked at
Black people as his brothers and sisters in those days is very
admirable. It gave her a bigger sense of who he really is and his
convictions, and how he became the leader of this Party.
Another part she really enjoyed was when he starts talking about his
involvement with the Black Panther Party. That whole section about
the sixties she really enjoyed. `It’s like a history lesson.’ She
says you really get a feeling of what he went through, and really a
feeling of what youth were going through at the time and the real
struggle. We were tripping out for a while because I have a copy of
the movie, `Berkeley in the 60s’ and we would watch it all the time.
In the book Avakian talks about times he was at different events
which are also documented in the movie. For example the time when the
Mario Savio got arrested at a Free Speech Movement protest and people
surrounded the car, and they had a rally and the stage was on top of
the pig car. She remembered during our conversation that they mention
Bob Avakian in the video at one point (I believe it was during `Stop
the Draft Week’) and she got so excited saying she was going to go
back to the book and read that whole section again.
Another really good conversation I had was when I spoke with a youth
who lives in the projects. He also told me that he really enjoyed the
part from the 60s. He said that in the part on the Civil Rights
Movement, Chairman Avakian really brings it to life for people. It’s
really good for youth to read and they can learn from the history and
grow from that, like how he analyzes the socialist societies of the
past and is advancing our science (of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism) to a
whole other level. We can learn from the movement of those times, and
take it much further this time around. He was saying how this book is
crucial for youth to get their hands on, especially with the
immigrant struggle going on. When I talked to him it was in the
middle of the week of walk-outs, so he was tripping out for a while,
imagining, what if the students had this book in their hands and were
reading it, what difference it would make! He said that the book
really paints the picture of really how much struggle it took to keep
the Civil Rights Movement forward, and how in the wildness of
everything he became a communist.
He also said a really important thing in the book is how he analyzes
the other trends he came across in the past, like the PLP
(Progressive Labor Party) and others, like the Weathermen, and the
Trotskyites. It’s like Marxism-Leninism-Maoism vs. other lines.
People should see that and question these other lines in a way
similar to how people were engaging in it during those days. We
should study what they are really about and where these other lines
will lead you. That is also really important for youth to get into
because sometimes, he said, youth out of spontaneity get sucked into
these other lines, and the wrong line leads people to nowhere good,
so a lot of youth get discouraged and think that all revolutionary
groups and communist groups are the same when its not the case. He
explained to me that he really got a living sense of what the
chairman is like, for example, how he would never run away from
getting into struggle with people, and debating politics even from
his early days as a revolutionary!
Another high school youth from the same housing projects said that it
would be really good to get this memoir into classrooms. It can be a
very good textbook. And also it can help people see what Bob Avakian
is really like and what he’s really about and they’ll get over these
wrong ideas they have of him and of communism. He had some really
good ideas of how to promote this at school and among youth. He
suggested having teachers sell the book in class to the students or
have the students demand that the teacher carry the book in class,
get the book into every library (public and school), get it to stores
so people can more easily buy it, and promote Libros Revolucion
because they carry all his works. But the idea he was most excited
about was making some pamphlets of excerpts of the book, that aren’t
really expensive so youth can read it and they get hooked so they’ll
want to get the whole thing!! I thought this was a really great idea.
—————————————– —————————————
Letter 3
Taking the Chairman’s Memoir to South Central
Note: People have downloaded the audio files of Bob Avakian reading
the Memoir (available at revcom.us and bobavakian.net) and put it on
CDs for distribution in places like the Nickerson Gardens where many
people do not have access to the Internet.
Ester and I have been getting together each week over the past few
weeks listening to the Memoir on CD and taking turns reading it out
loud to each other. One day we got together at Starbucks for a cup of
hot chocolate and some good reading of the Chairman’s Memoir. Ester
loves hot chocolate, and she really liked reading the Memoir. We
laughed and talked about the stories about Bob Avakian’s childhood
growing up. Ester said he was a real `prankster,’ and he’s funny. She
used to listen to a lot of singers he mentions in the book, the
Chantels, Jimmy Reed (one of her favorite blues singers), Chuck
Berry, the buster brown shoes, this was all during her time and she
was reminiscing about it. She loved the corn bread story, she
described how he must have been looking at that cornbread, and how
hungry he must have been. She could understand how he would go after
that cornbread, because the other kid had two pieces and he was
hungry. She just laughs about this story and describes it. Then she
says, he could have got his ass kicked, and then we laughed.
We got so involved in reading the book, even though Ester didn’t have
any glasses and the strain was hurting her eyes she still wanted to
read on. As we read each page in anticipation of what the next
chapter would hold, what new adventure was young Bobby going to get
into. She said to me, his life was exciting all the little chances he
was taking. She went onto say that from reading the book so far `he
is someone who loves people no matter what color they are. He hung
out with kids of all colors no matter what people thought about him.’
She is referring to the part in the book where this one white kid he
knew was questioning why he was hanging out with Black kids. She
quotes Bob’s response. She loves his response to this kid. When we
got to the part about him going to the student dance with a Black
girl during a time when there was segregation in the country and in
his school, Ester was on the edge of her chair anxious to find out
what happened. After reading it later she commented, that was a Big
Kiss, and we both laughed.
She liked how the Chairman hung out with all nationalities and how he
would fight for what he thought was right, even though it might get
his ass kicked or get him in trouble. She thought the prankster stuff
was like kids do and it was funny. She thought he was funny too. She
liked the arbitrary authority chapter too. She said he was right,
`his parents had taught him to stand up for his rights.’
Through the pages of the book and listening to the CD’s Ester is
getting to know Bob Avakian, who he is as a person. She had seen the
DVD, Revolution: Why It’s Necessary – Why It’s Possible – What It’s All
About before and we have had many debates and discussions
particularly over the question of him being white. After reading the
book she is questioning if he is really white. As we read through the
book each week, Ester has been referring back to things he said or
did in the chapters before. Through the pages of the book she is
getting to know who Bob Avakian is. This is just a beginning. Through
the pages of the book the Chairman is becoming more a part of her
life. She knows by heart many of the stories we have read and she
talks about the stories as though it was a story of and old friend or
neighbor. After reading the early years of his life some questions
have come up with her and others who are reading the Memoir or
listening to the CD’s. People want to know more about Armenia (Bob
Avakian’s family is Armenian). Where is Armenia? What happened there?
Why were people massacred by the Turks? How many got killed?
———————————————– ———————————
Mable and I listened to parts of the Memoir on CD and watched part of
the DVD sampler.
She said, when you hear the Memoir on CD it’s like having a
conversation with him. He’s telling you his story and he’s funny. She
said in watching him in the DVD, he’s hard. She grew up in the South
and could identify with and remembers all the stuff he talked about
like about Emmet Till and all what Black people went through. She
liked the DVD and the parts of the Memoir we have listened to on the
CD. She wants to know how old is he? Where is Armenia? She thought it
was awful what happened to the Armenian people with the Turks
massacring a million people. She wants to know more about this and
where Armenia is? She was impressed with the review on the back of
the book from Cornel West and Howard Zinn. She has the book now and
the CDs. I can’t wait to see what all she thinks of the book after
reading it. I have told her and others most of the stories in the
book and how good it is, and how he is such a great revolutionary
communist leader and a real human being – who loves the masses and has
a strategy and plan for how we can get out of this system and build a
whole new one. People are beginning to learn who the Chairman is as a
person.
————————————– ——————————————
Letter 4
A youth in the LA Writers Collective wrote a review of the Memoir
last year while he was a college student. He said the Memoir was a
very important part of him getting to know the Party better. At first
it took struggle to get him to read the book – he asked why people
should be reading books about an individual instead of studying what
the U.S. government is up to in the world and organizing anti-war
demonstrations. Eventually he decided to pick it up because he had
been reading some of Bob Avakian’s works and he wanted to get to get
to get to know the person more.
He said the thing he enjoyed the most about the Memoir is that it’s
so personal and honest. He said that through reading more about how
Bob Avakian became the kind of person that he is – his interaction and
friendships with Black youth, his deep discussions with people on
basketball courts, and the way he dealt with his serious illness – he
gained a deeper appreciation for Bob Avakian. He also gained insight
on why Bob Avakian stayed on the revolutionary road, while many
others from his generation gave up or made peace with the system.
A book like this can move you to see what human beings are capable of
doing even though they are born into a fucked up society like this.
And through this book, he gained new insights into Bob Avakian and
the Party he leads.
He said the Memoir is a reflection of the society we should want to
live in and the kind of communist we should all strive to be like.
—————————————— ————————————–
Letter 5
The following are stories of two people who connected with the
Memoir. The first is about a revolutionary comrade. The second about
someone who died recently.
P’s comments on the Memoir were very heartfelt. He said: `There’s
something special about it. Humor, his life story, the history of the
60’s in the Bay Area and the country – you can see his development and
why he came out to be who he is. There are a lot of political lessons
in the book – like the free speech movement. It shows a lot: the
person, the political, why he is who he is, why he’s so important.
Like the Autobiography of Malcolm X, you get to know this side of Bob
Avakian. One thing I love about the Memoir – when I read it, it feels
like he’s talking to me, telling me stories, I can hear his voice.
There’s an element to personally getting to know this leader – it draws
people closer to him. I didn’t think it would be so humorous and warm
and inviting as it actually is, I thought it would be hard core.’
—————————————– —————————————
D died this past year. He was in his 70s. He was someone I knew from
work – he worked part-time in the copy room. He was really a
character – an artist who would bring his paintings into work to show
everyone – mainly abstract paintings with a lot of brilliant color. He
had a lot of energy and liked to go to raves and parties. Many, many
times he would come into work telling stories about the wild weekends
he’d had – sometimes he even brought pictures. He was bipolar and had
been hospitalized in mental institutions for long periods of time
when he was younger. He was born in France but spent most of his life
in the U.S. and had a lot of patriotism for the U.S. D constantly
checked out all kinds of politics and trends and read newspapers,
magazines, books – he read all the time.
D came to the premiere of the DVD (Revolution: Why It’s Necessary,
Why It’s Possible, What It’s All About) in Santa Monica. He said that
Bob Avakian must be a good speaker because he kept his attention for
the whole two hours – that it was rare he could sit in a theater for
two hours without falling asleep. He bought the Silver Book of
quotations from Bob Avakian at the premiere and stayed up all night
reading it. He came in the next day with the book all underlined and
he wanted to talk about it – particularly what Bob Avakian had to say
about art. He said what struck him about Bob Avakian from the Silver
Book was how honest he is and how funny he is. For Christmas I gave D
a copy of the Memoir. He really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I don’t
know the specifics of what he liked about it. D and I used to have
roaring arguments about Communism – Stalin, the cultural revolution,
sending the intellectuals to the countryside. After reading the
Memoir, D said that he still doesn’t know about Communism, but that
if he had to pick someone to be a leader of society it would be Bob
Avakian. And I know that it was mainly because of those qualities he
first saw in the Silver Book – the honesty and the humor – that made D
feel like this was someone he could trust. I don’t know if D talked
to a lot of other people about the Memoir, but I have a feeling he
did talk to people about Bob Avakian, because he made comments to me
in passing all the time. And Bob Avakian would show up in his art. D
used to do a lot of little sketches about things he was thinking
about. Sometimes they were interesting, a lot of times they were kind
of weird and funny. (He was always trying to be funny – and he loved
puns.) He was really into the Star Wars movies and for a while he was
doing a lot of sketches related to Star Wars. One time he drew a
sketch of himself in a Darth Vader outfit with a caption that he’d
gone to the darth side. Later he drew a sketch of Bob Avakian with
the same caption – he had Bob Avakian in a Darth Vader outfit, holding
an Ayn Rand book. I thought it was pretty funny.
ces.html

COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF RUSSIAN AIR FORCES: PILOTS OF CRASHED A320 DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WEATHER CONDITIONS
Sochi, May 16. ArmInfo. Weather was the reasons of the recent crash
of Airbus A- 320 belonging to Armavia airline, stated Vladimir
Mikhaylov, Commander-in-Chief of Russian Air Forces, Russia Mass
Media report. “It is quite sure that pilots did not take into account
weather conditions as weather was the reason of the crash,” he told
journalists. Russian Air Forces, “specialists of the 13th state
National Research Institution of the RF Defense Ministry are ready to
assist in deciphering the ‘black boxes’ of the plane,” Mikhaylov said.
To note, A320 crashed failed to land at Adler airport on May 3 night
and crashed in the Black Sea killing all 113 on board. Only 51 bodies
were pulled out. Two airborne recorders were found at the depth of
490 meter, data of RF Emergency Situations Ministry say. Deep-sea
robots are currently used to pull out the recorders.

GROUP LAUNCHES VIGIL AGAINST ARMENIAN BILL
Dunya, Turkey
May 16 2006
A protest was launched yesterday against an Armenian bill to be
debated on Thursday by the French Parliament.
The committee set up by the Labor Party (IP) against the so-called
Armenian genocide claims will hold demonstrations for three days in
front of the French Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in
Izmir under the title “The Turkish-French Friendship Vigil.”
A group called the Armenian Genocide Lie with Armenian Documents Grand
Project 2006 Counseling Board started the same action at Place de la
Concorde in Paris.
Meanwhile, France’s Ambassador to Ankara Paul Poudade yesterday said
that the French government was opposed to the Armenian bill set for
debate at the Parliament on Thursday.

KOCHARYAN WILL NOT LEAVE FOR PARIS
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[01:04 pm] 16 May, 2006
RA President Robert Kocharyan will not participate in the session of
the NATO parliamentary symposium which will be convened on May 26 –
30 in Paris.
“The President got an invitation from chair of the NATO Parliamentary
symposium Pier Lelush but unfortunately he cannot participate in
the session as his agenda of those days will be very tense. The
OSCE Minsk group co-chairs are to visit the region at that time and
the celebrations of the republic holiday will be held on May 28,”
speaker of the President Viktor Soghomonyan informed about it the
Radio Station “Liberty.” Asked the question wether it is determined
by the current situation of interior policy he gave a negative answer.
The analytists made conclusion that Kocharian – Aliev meeting would
likely be held in Paris. According to various sources, Azeri President
Ilhalm Aliev accepted the invitation to visit Paris.
The 3 co-chairs of the Minsk group will arrive at the region from
May 25 to 30 but the exact date of their arrival in Yerevan is still
unknown according to the speaker.
By the way, the next meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Foreign
Ministers will be held in Strasburg on May 18 within the framework
of the session of the EU foreign ministers’ council.

Zaman Online, Turkey
May 14 2006
Armenians and Greek Cypriots Lobby Against Sale of Missiles
By Cihan News Agency
Published: Sunday, May 14, 2006
zaman.com
Armenian and Greek Cypriot lobbies in Washington have launched a
joint campaign against the selling of 50 SLAM-ER smart missiles to
Turkey, NTV channel said.
Four MPs including Michael Bilirakis, Carolyn Maloney, Frank Pallone
and George Radanovich sent a letter to the US Congress, asking senior
officials to revise the selling of the missiles to Turkey. They
claimed that the selling of missiles would allow Turkey to threaten
Armenia and would break the arm balance in Cyprus.
The US Department of Defense has been seeking permission from the US
Congress to sell 50 SLAM-ER smart missiles to Turkey.
The SLAM-ER air-to-ground missiles will be attached to Turkey’s F-16
warplanes.
The statement from the US Department of Defense said in late April
that the $162 million purchase offer from Turkey had been accepted.
The Boeing Company will produce the missiles and the payment will be
meet through military sale credits to Turkey.
The sale will be finalized within upcoming day if Congress does not
raise any objections. It is expected that Congress will ratify the
sale.

STATE PROGRAMS OF IRAN INVOLVE WORKS OF REPAIRING OF TWO ARMENIAN
MONASTERIES IN THAT COUNTRY

YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. At the May 10 meeting with RA Minister
of Culture and Youth Issues Gevorg Gevorgian, Alireza Haghighean, the
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the RA, expressed his
deep condolence on the occasion of the accident of the aircraft
implementing the Yerevan-Sochi flight. The Minister thanked for the
brotherly sympathy and mentioned that the two people support one
another and are united both at moments of sadness and happiness and
victories. An agreement was reached between the sides during the
meeting concerning 2006-2009 cooperation in the sphere of the cultural
heritage among the RA Ministry of Culture and Youth Isses and the IRI
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. Deputy Minister Gagik
Gyurjian, thanking for the Iranian side’s initiative for works of
reconstruction of the Armenian Surb Anna church in the Farsi state of
IRI, presented the Armenian initiative of the researching drafting
works for reconstruction works of the Persian mosque in Agarak.
G.Gyurjian also mentioned that drafts on reconstruction of the roof of
the Surb Tade monastery and the church tower of the Surb Stepanos
monastery complex have already been finished by Armenian
architectures, and the main restoration works are involved in the
state program of Iran.

Armenian political party opts out of governing coalition

AP Worldstream; May 11, 2006
A leading liberal party decided Thursday to opt out of the governing
coalition in the Armenian parliament, one of its leaders said.
Orinats Yerkir (Country Ruled by Law) made the decision during a
session of its political council, Oganes Markarian, a lawmaker and a
member of the party’s leadership, said in televised remarks.
The decision means that the party’s leader, Artur Bagdasarian, will
have to resign as parliament speaker and two other senior party
members will have to give up their Cabinet posts.
Orinats Yerkir has been part of the governing coalition since 2003
when it teamed up with the Republican Party and Dashnak-Tsutyun. It
had 20 seats in the 131-seat parliament.
Markarian didn’t explain the motives behind the party’s decision, but
some attributed it to a recent political scandal triggered by
Bagdasarian’s remarks.
Bagdasarian reportedly told a German newspaper last month that
Armenia’s future lies with the European Union and NATO, and that
Russia should not block its Westward path _ a statement that should
have vexed Russia, which has a military base in Armenia.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian quickly disavowed the speaker’s
statement, saying that the Caucasus nation doesn’t have plans to join
NATO.
Amid the scandal, seven lawmakers from Orinats Yerkir resigned from
the party.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383, x118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, May 9, 2006
AGBU CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY IN CAIRO & ALEXANDRIA
Hundreds from 17 Countries Attend Week-long Festivities in Egypt
Between April 12 and 18, 2006, AGBU Egypt hosted the kick-off
celebrations for AGBU’s highly anticipated year-long centennial
commemoration that began in Cairo and will conclude in April 2007 in
Yerevan, Armenia. For this landmark in the history of the thriving
organization, leaders and supporters gathered in the city of its
founding to assess the past achievements and explore the future
challenges that remain fundamental to securing a dynamic role for AGBU
in years to come.
Armenians in Egyptian History
The six-day event began with a cocktail reception at the Armenian
Embassy in Cairo, hosted by Ambassador Roupen Garabedian. Local
Chapter Chair, Onnig Belekdanian, welcomed guests to the historic AGBU
Chaker building located in the heart of Cairo’s embassy row. This
property was made available for the use of the Armenian Embassy by
AGBU.
In the official message of Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed
Aboul Gheit, read by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Fatma El Zahraa
Etman, Gheit acknowledged the significant role that Armenians played
in the history of Egypt and emphasized the value of Armenian-Egyptian
diplomatic relations.
In a message addressed to AGBU President, Berge Setrakian, on the
occasion of the centennial, the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vartan
Oskanian, highlighted the important position of AGBU in Armenian
communities around the world and the significance of Egypt as its
birthplace.
Egyptian Tour
The following morning, the Egyptian Armenian hosts treated the AGBU
guests to the sights and sounds of the ancient land. The Great
Pyramids of Giza and the Sakara step pyramid were among the landmarks
visited by the seven tour buses of AGBU participants from five
continents. The day concluded with an elegant nighttime Egyptian
dinner cruise down the Nile on the Nile Maxim complete with
traditional Middle Eastern entertainment and festivities.
Armenian Language Conference
A conference on Armenian language education dominated the Centennial
program on Friday, April 13. Entitled “Armenian Education and Armenian
Language Teaching,” the panel of academic experts from four continents
presented informed perspectives on the future of Armenian education
while evaluating the current state of Armenian schools, particularly
those administered by AGBU. The speakers also addressed the
organization’s role in diasporan education.
Moderated by AGBU District Committee of Egypt Chairman, Berdj Terzian,
the panel invited academics and educators to speak on critical
topics. Educator and Secretary of the District Committee of Egypt,
Gassia Djeghalian, addressed the question: “Is the Armenian Language
Necessary for the Survival of the Armenian Identity?” Editor of AGBU’s
Egyptian publication, Deghegadou, Araxi Devletian, spoke for Jirair
Tanielian, who was unable to attend, on “The Present Status of the
Western Armenian Language in the Diaspora.” Educator and former AGBU
school principal, Dr. Nadya Sarafian, evaluated the current state of
instruction by examining the “Level of Armenian Language Teaching in
Schools.” Principal of AGBU Manoogian Demirdjian School, Hagop
Hagopian, proposed new directions in his presentation, “Suggestions
for the Improvement or Planning of the Armenian Language Teaching and
Armenian Education Programs.” Ashot A. Melkonian, Director of the
Institute of History of the National Academy of Science of the
Republic of Armenia, offered a look at the history of the diaspora and
AGBU in his discussion entitled, “The Armenian Language as a Means of
Survival: Historical Perspective and Profiting from Existing
Possibilities.”
All the papers presented at the panel were available at the conference
in a bilingual (Armenian and English) publication.
Gassia Djeghalian overviewed communities that have worked to maintain
their linguistic identity, including the Celtic of the British Isles,
the Maori of New Zealand, and the First Nations of Canada. She
suggested that the Armenian language needed a revival like those
experienced by other groups that had long been disconnected from their
linguistic heritage. Araxi Devletian spoke extensively about the
media’s role in retaining language and used her knowledge as a
diasporan editor to encourage greater efforts to energize a vibrant
Armenian media culture. Nadya Sarafian spoke about her practical
experience as longtime principal of the AGBU Manoogian School in
Michigan, USA, its transition to a charter school, and its continuing
success at increasing enrollment among Armenians and non-Armenians
alike. She also cited the school’s success at Armenian language
instruction to non-Armenian students. In addition, Sarafian spoke
about AGBU’s prominent role in saving the Armenian nation from
destruction during the perilous years of the Armenian Genocide, and
addressed the new challenges of maintaining language instruction in
the diaspora.
Hagop Hagopian outlined current priorities of Armenian schools and the
future obstacles facing diasporan institutions, namely, competition
from free public schools and access to Armenian language resources.
Ashot Melkonian delved into the history of the diaspora and the
Armenian community’s successes and failures at retaining its
linguistic and cultural identity. He focused on Western Armenian as an
endangered dialect that was almost wiped out as a result of the 1915
Genocide. He reminded the audience about AGBU’s own roots in the
vibrant pre-1915 intellectual culture that sought to bridge the
cultural and dialectical differences among its various members and to
create a universal Armenian identity.
Digitalizing Armenian Education
AGBU Silicon Valley Chairman and 2005 IEEE (Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers) Industrial Pioneer Award Recipient, Yervant
Zorian, concluded the daylong Armenian Language Conference by
presenting an innovative online educational program to teach Armenian
language, history and culture mainly to non-Armenian-speaking youths
and adults alike.
“We need to encourage students to learn,” Zorian said when
demonstrating the attractive bilingual multimedia website.
The audience was captivated by the colorful demonstration that
included learning puzzles, crosswords, memory flash cards, and short
lessons, each emphasizing one aspect of a growing curriculum. AGBU
President, Berge Setrakian, stressed that this project was to be
officially launched on the occasion of the centennial.
Celebrating Cultural Heritage
The weekend’s festivities highlighted the vast and varied cultural
heritage of Armenians in Egypt. On Saturday, April 15, guests visited
the world-renowned Egyptian Museum for a tour of the most remarkable
repository of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. In the
afternoon, AGBU Egypt District organized a unique book exhibition of
60 publications in Armenian, Arabic, and English, printed in Egypt and
made possible through AGBU Cairo’s Satenig Chaker Fund.
District Chairman Berdj Terzian addressed the attendees about the
importance of Armenian books in the cultural continuity of the local
and global communities.
One of the highlights of the week was the official Gala Night at the
Marriott Hotel, which attracted over 400 guests and featured famous
pop vocalist Nune Yessayan from Armenia for her first performance in
Egypt.
At a ceremony to mark the official April 15th birthday of the
organization during the Gala, Berdj Terzian, in his capacity as Chair
of the Diocesan Executive Committee, welcomed AGBU delegates and
guests. Terzian was joined by Roupen Garabedian, Armenian Ambassador
to Egypt, Berge Setrakian, AGBU President, Onnig Belekdanian, Chairman
of AGBU Cairo, Antranig Mesrobian, Chairman of the Cairo Diocesan
Council, and Levon Katzaghian, Chairman of the Alexandrian Diocesan
Council, for the ceremonial cake cutting.
The following day, AGBU guests visited the city’s St. Gregory the
Illuminator Armenian Church for Easter service followed by the
traditional Easter blessing of the salt, water and bread by Bishop
Ashod Mnatzaganian, Primate of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and South
Africa. The event was attended by AGBU Board Members and guests, and
took place at the Egyptian Diocese adjacent to the church.
Cultural Gala
In the evening, a special cultural program was organized at Cairo’s
Gomhoreya Theater. Speeches by AGBU President Berge Setrakian and AGBU
Egypt Chairman Berdj Terzian preceded the performance. Then, AGBU
Chapter Chairmen or their representatives from around the world were
invited to the stage to receive commemorative plaques marking the
centennial celebration.
Viennese Soprano Hasmik Papian and renowned Paris-based pianist Vardan
Mamikonian performed a selection of arias and compositions by Verdi,
Puccini, Catalani, and Chopin. The second half of the program was
devoted to Armenian musical pieces by Komitas, Arno Babadjanian, and
Armen Tigranian.
For her debut Egyptian performance, Papian received thunderous
applause from the large audience of Armenians from around the
world. The performers ended the evening with a rousing rendition of
the popular song “Cilicia.”
Day Trip to Alexandria
With the conclusion of the Cairean leg of celebrations, AGBU guests
ventured to the coastal city of Alexandria to visit the old Armenian
community that continues to call Egypt’s second-largest city
home. Following a trip to the local Armenian Apostolic church, Saints
Peter and Paul, the guests visited the elegant Nubar family memorials
located on the grounds of the church and diocesan building complex,
and were welcomed by Chairman Levon Katzaghian and his fellow Diocesan
Council members.
After paying respects to the AGBU founder and his family, the guests
visited the new Alexandria Library, which has become a leading
repository of learning in the Arab world and a modern facility for
researchers and scholars. Director of Library Foreign Relations, Taher
Khalifa, and Chief Librarian, Dr. Sohair Wastawy, welcomed AGBU guests
and spoke about the importance of Armenia and Armenians in the history
of the city and the Armenian love of the written word. As a ceremonial
gesture, President Setrakian donated a vast array of books on Armenian
topics on behalf of AGBU to the library to demonstrate AGBU’s
continuing commitment to education around the world.
After taking in the magnificent views of the Mediterranean during a
lunchtime break in Alexandria, the guests toured the manicured gardens
of the Montazah Palace, a local landmark.
In the evening, AGBU Alexandria organized a dinner reception for the
visiting guests and local community in the AGBU Alexandria Center and
HMEM Nubar Sports Club. Guests toured the historic facility and were
treated to local musical talent and speeches by Alexandria
representatives, including Dr. Garo Ansourian, member of the
Alexandria Chapter.
At the conclusion of the week’s activities, Mr. Berdj Terzian,
Chairman of AGBU Egypt said, “I and my fellow Committee Members of
both AGBU District Committee of Egypt and Cairo Chapter are proud that
the Centennial Celebrations of AGBU kicked off in Cairo, where it was
founded 100 years ago by ten prominent Egyptian Armenians. It is a
great feeling that the organization created by our ancestors was able
to assist the Armenian people both in Armenia and the Diaspora during
the most difficult moments of our history and is still contributing to
the welfare of our nation and homeland. We have done our best to make
the Cairo Celebrations as near as possible to perfection, in order to
match a century of great achievements of AGBU, and hope we have
succeeded.”
AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit organization in the world and
reaches 400,000 Armenians annually in 35 countries through its
educational, humanitarian and cultural projects. For more information
about AGBU and its centennial celebrations, please visit

CONSORTIUM OF BLACK SEA RAILWAY WORKERS TO BE SET UP
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. An international Consortium of Black
Sea Railway Workers will be set up in order to organize the work
on reopening of the Vesyoloye-Ingiri transit railway traffic. The
consortium will operate as a joint-stock company. This agreement
was reached by the administrative heads of the Russian, Georgian,
Abkhazian and Armenian railways during a working meeting held in
Moscow last week. NT correspondent was informed from the press service
of the RA Ministry of Transport and Communication that prospects of
long-term development of railway communication in Transcaucasia were
discussed at the meeting. It is envisaged to hold the next meeting
of the working group in Tbilisi.