Author: Kalantarian Kevo

POLICE DISPERSE MASHTOTS PARK ACTIVISTS
Sona Avagyan

hetq
12:50, February 17, 2012

Earlier today, around 70 police showed up at Mashtots Park in Yerevan
and dispersed a crowd of activists who had been staging a picket to
protest the construction of stores in the public green space.

Yerevan Police Chief Nerses Nazaryan was on hand when the cops evicted
the protestors and got into a debate with Heritage Party MP Zaruhie
Postanjyan, who argued that the construction was illegal.

Zaven Arakelyan, Head of the Yerevan Municipality’s Department of
Legal Affairs, then pulled out a bunch of papers that he claimed were
permits for the construction.

The police chief then got on the phone for instructions from
higher-ups.

THE ARMENIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PARTICIPATED IN THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF THE PARIS PACT HELD IN VIENNA

Noyan Tapan
2012-02-17

On February 16, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian attending the
Third Ministerial Conference of the Paris Pact Partners dedicated
to the fight against opiates trafficking from Afghanistan. The
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the high-ranking
delegations of around five dozen countries attended the conference
and delivered speeches.

Edward Nalbandian addressed a speech during the meeting chaired by
the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Russia, France and Austria Sergey
Lavrov, Alain Juppe and Michael Spindelegger.

In his speech the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs presented
Armenia’s contribution to the fight of the international community
against illicit drug trade and reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to
continue actively supporting to the international efforts aimed
at reduction and eradication of illicit drug production, trade and
trafficking.

In Vienna Edward Nalbandian’s agenda was full of bilateral meetings.

Foreign Minister Nalbandian had a meeting with Lamberto Zannier,
the OSCE Secretary General.

In the course of the meeting the interlocutors had a thorough talk
on the recent developments in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue. In this context, the OSCE Secretary General expressed concern
over the maintenance of tension on the line of contact and stressed
the importance to create mechanism for the investigation of incidents.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and OSCE Secretary General
touched upon the preparatory works for the upcoming parliamentary
elections to be held in Armenia, as well.

In Vienna Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with his Russian counterpart
Sergey Lavrov, as well.

During the meeting of the Ministers, the bilateral agenda issues,
and international and regional developments were touched upon.

Edward Nalbandian and Sergey Lavrov discussed the issues related
to the improvement of the legal framework existing between the two
countries. The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated the
invitation presented to his Russian counterpart to visit Yerevan.

The meeting with Ambassador Eoin O’Leary, the Chairman of the OSCE
Permanent Council took place in Vienna, as well.

Minister Nalbandian presented Armenia’s support to the implementation
of the Irish Chairmanship’s priorities in the OSCE.

Edward Nalbandian and Ambassador Eoin O’Leary touched upon the
scheduled visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland and
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Eamon Gilmore to Armenia.

The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was on the agenda of the
meeting, as well. In this regard, Ambassador Eoin O’Leary reaffirmed
the support of the Irish Chairmanship of the OSCE to the efforts
being undertaken by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Edward Nalbandian met with Michael Spindelegger, the Vice Chancellor
and Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the
Republic of Austria.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Austria discussed the
preparatory works of the visit of the Austrian President to Armenia
scheduled this year.

Ministers Nalbandian and Spindelegger had a thorough talk on the ways
to expand bilateral cooperation in various spheres, deepening of the
interaction in the frames of international organizations. The sides
exchanged views on international agenda and regional issues.

The next meeting of the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs was
with Milan Rochen, Montenegro’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and
EU integration.

The agenda of the meeting included the issues related to the
expansion of a legal framework existing between the two countries, the
development of an economic interaction, and decentralized cooperation,
as well as upcoming visit of Montenegro’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
and EU integration to Yerevan.

In Vienna Edward Nalbandian gave an extensive interview to the leading
Austrian newspaper “Der Standard”.

On the same day, concluding his visit, Edward Nalbandian returned
back to Yerevan.

RUSSIAN ASTRAVEL RESUMES TOURS TO NAGORNO KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 17, 2012 – 12:45 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russian Astravel company resumed tours to Nagorno
Karabakh. This is not the first time this company organizes trips to
Artsakh, what naturally sparked another wave of “discontent” in Baku
which thinks it can interfere with Artsakh’s domestic issues.

“Information about organization of trips to Nagorno Karabakh by the
Russian Astravel company is provocative. This is not the first time
this company organizes such tours. Last time trips were cancelled
due to efforts of relevant bodies. Most likely, similar measures
will be taken this time as well. The Foreign Ministry will address
Azerbaijan’s embassy in Russia to contact the management of Astravel
company. In a word, we are launching our investigation,” Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Echo paper.

The Russian Astravel travel company organizes historic and culture
trips both to Armenia and Artsakh. The company announced the trips on
its website saying during the 7-day and 6-night long trips tourists
can visit Armenian cities and also Nagorno Karabakh, in particular
Shushi and see their cultural and historic monuments.

Astravel has been established in 1992 as a commercial enterprise.

Founders of the company were activists of the Travelers’ Association
bringing together professional tourists.

LE PRESIDENT SARKOZY RAPPELLE LA NECESSITE DE PENALISER LE NEGATIONNISME
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 17 fevrier 2012

Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun reproduit, se referant aux ” Nouvelles
d’Armenie “, le discours du President de la Republique au dîner du
CRIF, a l’occasion duquel celui-ci a declare que la Turquie etait
” un grand pays, une grande civilisation “. ” Mais pour etre tout a
fait grand, chacun doit regarder dans son histoire. Et chacun doit
voir dans son histoire les zones d’ombre et de lumière “.

” La Turquie s’honorerait en revisitant son histoire. Nous le disons a
un pays ami, mais nous le disons. Je veux que vous reflechissiez bien
a cela : si, sur notre territoire, on peut contester la realite d’un
genocide, prenez bien garde a ce qu’un jour, d’autres ne viennent pas
contester la realite de la Shoah. C’est un ” tout “, les principes. Ce
n’est pas une affaire d’opportunite, c’est une affaire de conviction
“. / Jamanak, Hayots Achkhar, Azg

Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun reproduit aussi l’entretien de Valerie
Boyer aux ” Nouvelles d’Armenie “, disant esperer que le Conseil
constitutionnel approuverait la loi dont elle est l’auteur.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN – DECOUVERTE D’OSSEMENTS DE 23 PERSONNES DANS LE SUD-EST DE LA TURQUIE
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 17 fevrier 201

Les autorites turques ont decouvert les ossements de 23 personnes
dans une fosse commune situee près d’un ancien bâtiment de la police
militaire, a Diyarbakir, principale ville du sud-est de la Turquie,
a majorite kurde, a annonce mercredi l’agence Anatolie.

Les premiers restes humains ont ete decouverts plus tôt en janvier,
lors de fouilles archeologiques a Ickale, dans le centre de Diyarbakir,
près des ruines d’un palais datant du 13e siècle.

Ce emplacement etait celui du siège local de la police militaire
jusqu’au debut des annees 2000.

Un musee et un centre culturel doivent etre crees a cet endroit,
après les fouilles et des travaux de restauration.

Selon les associations de defense des droits de l’Homme, ces ossements
appartiennent a des civils kurdes tues par les forces de securite
pendant les annees 1990.

“Des crânes et d’autres ossements humains ont ete trouves ici… Selon
ce qui a ete constate, ils ont ete empiles dans un endroit exigu…

Ils ont semble-t-il ete jetes a cet endroit, sans ceremonie
religieuse”, a declare cette semaine le ministre de l’Agriculture,
Mehdi Eker, après une visite du site.

La section de Diyarbakir de l’Association des droits de l’Homme
(IHD) et 36 familles dont des parents ont disparu dans les annees
1990 ont porte plainte mercredi contre les autorites de l’epoque et
ont reclame des tests ADN d’identification.

Plus de 45.000 personnes sont mortes depuis les annees 1980 dans le
conflit qui oppose les forces de securite turques aux rebelles du
Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), principalement dans le
sud-est du pays.

Jusqu’a present, les restes de 190 corps ont ete trouves dans 29 fosses
communes de plus de 10 provinces du sud-est de la Turquie, selon l’IHD.

L’association estime qu’au total, plus de 3.000 personnes sont
enterrees dans 224 fosses communes, sur toute la region.

Dans un article publie dans le journal TARAF Ayhan AKTAR affirme que
les restes humains retrouves sont ceux d’Armeniens massacres en 1915.

Le palais ayany servi de prison pour les notables armeniens de la
ville en 1915 avant qu’ils ne soient tortures puis massacres.

YOUTHS OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY CALL ARMENIAN OFFICIALS TO LEARN CONSTITUTION

news.am
February 16, 2012 | 16:04

YEREVAN. – The youth student union of Armenia’s opposition Heritage
Party releases a statement calling officials to read the Constitution
and follow it.

They call the officials to read the 3rd article of the Constitution
which says ‘The State is the defender of human rights which correspond
to international norms’ and the 5th article stating ‘The authorities
and officials are only allowed to act according to the constitution’.

CHAIRMAN OF ARMENIAN WRITER’S UNION CALLED HEAD OF ARMENIAN UNION IN TBILISI CROOK

news.am
February 16, 2012 | 20:13

The announcement made by the head of the Armenian Union in Tbilisi
Michael Tatevosov, who criticized the deal on selling part of
Armenian Poet Hovhannes Tumanyan’s house, is lie, Chairman of
Armenia’s Writer’s Union Levon Ananyan told the reporter of Armenian
News-NEWS.am commenting on the statement of Tatevosov, according to
which the transaction has a speculative nature and the destiny of
Tumanyan’s house is unknown.

Commenting on the statement that the Armenian side is involved in
speculations, Ananyan said:

“How can a large house in the center of Tbilisi cost $25 thousand. The
Armenian Community in Tbilisi made out that sum. We were only able
to lower the price from $150 thousand to $145 thousand.”

TURKEY BEARS BRUNT OF ISRAEL
By Jamal kanj

Gulf Daily News

Feb 16 2012
Bahrain

FRENCH politicians voting on the Armenian Genocide Recognition Law must
be familiar with the biblical quote: “Don’t judge lest you be judged.”

Last month, the French Senate passed a bill making it illegal to deny
that the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in 1915 Turkey
was genocide.

But instead of looking outwards at Turkey’s history, French politicians
should first take an inward look at their colonial past.

The veracity of the Armenian genocide is not at issue, for history
speaks volumes of those poignant events. However, things are not as
they appear with the French vote.

In the historical context, France’s incandescent genocidal crimes
in Africa were much worse and more recent than Turkey’s slaying of
Armenians almost 100 years ago.

In Algeria, during eight years of France’s 130-year colonial rule,
from 1954 to 1962, French troops murdered more than 1.5 million
natives. So what is the impetus behind the French vote? Have French
politicians suddenly transformed into benevolent citizens? Why now?

Turkey’s new political detachment from its old military stance is
perturbing Israel. That is why Tel Aviv has mobilised its worldwide
Zionist network to blackmail the Turkish government.

Simply put, the Zionist campaign to smear Turkey’s history has little
to do with the Armenian genocide. It is more about de-legitimising the
political leadership of the current Turkish government for standing
against Israeli genocide in Palestine.

In the US, a little over 10 years ago, the “unofficial” body
representing Israeli interests – the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) – lobbied the House of Representatives to halt a
vote on an Armenian genocide resolution.

In June 2010, The Washington Post reported that AIPAC, with help
from the State Department, had pressured President Bill Clinton in
2000 to warn the house speaker that a vote on the Armenian genocide
would damage US interests – for which the speaker pulled the plug,
killing the proposed resolution.

That was then. The Zionists who blocked the vote in 2000 were prodded
by AIPAC to reintroduce the Armenian genocide resolution before the
House of Representatives.

Answering that call, Jewish Congressman Adam Schiff of California,
with his pro-Israel voting record, sponsored US House Resolution
252 – exploiting the Armenian genocide to punish the current
Turkish government. Pro-Zionist members of the US Congress exist in
the Republican and Democrat parties, often embracing diametrically
opposing viewpoints on local, international and social issues, yet
adopting the same record when it comes to supporting Israel.

Israel “firsters” in the Congress use their positions and influence
on the most important congressional committees and subcommittees,
such as the foreign affairs, appropriations and armed services panels.

Apparently indifferent to US interests, they routinely cross party
lines to manipulate, at the embryonic stage, any Middle East-tinged
resolution to Israel’s benefit.

It is part of an international crusade, led and financed by Zionists,
buoyed by a globally co-ordinated media, with the intention of creating
a rift between the West and Arab/Muslim countries, to undermine any
political leader opposing Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

For 50 years, Turkey’s subservient alliance with Israel offered Turkey
absolute international immunity. However, today, the more democratic
Turkey is censured not for its past crimes, but for daring to stand
up to Israel’s present crimes.

l Mr Kanj writes frequently on Arab world issues and is the author
of Children of Catastrophe, Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp
to America.

KIWANIS DIRECTOR HONORED FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Mount Shasta Herald

Feb 15 2012
CA

Mt. Shasta area – Karen Baltayan Pautz, immediate past president of
the Mount Shasta Five Star Kiwanis, was presented last week with the
organization’s Distinguished Service Award.

Pautz, who is the executive director of First 5 Siskiyou and the
charter president of the Five Star Kiwanis in 2010, accepted the award
from Division 39 Lieutenant Governor Larry Mower during the CalNevHa
Governor’s dinner hosted by the Shasta Lake Kiwanis Club on Feb. 3.

Mower called attention to Pautz’s career-long dedication to youth
development and wellbeing on local, regional and national levels.

Pautz was born in Armenia and came to the United States with her
family at an early age. She is also the co-owner and founder of
Shasta Training & Consulting, was recently elected Northeast Regional
Director for First 5 California, is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma,
sits on the Board of Head Start and was recognized as a national
leader in early childhood advocacy by the Children’s Defense Fund.

“Fiercely loyal to her mission, she works tirelessly to address
important issues affecting children’s welfare, such as literacy,
health and nutrition, early childhood education, research-based
parenting skills and preventing the negative effect of trauma and
media violence on children,” said Elizabeth Mitchell-Collord, the
current president of the Five Star Kiwanis.

Mitchell-Collord added that Pautz “is always appreciative and sees
the best in everyone, and is boundless in her perception of what
is possible. She is a dedicated and loving wife and mother, and is
reliably late because she is always helping one more someone. She is
a caring and faithful friend, and is worth of this award.”

ARMENIAN EXPERT SAYS ISRAEL CAN’T STRIKE IRAN ALONE

PanARMENIAN.Net
February 16, 2012 – 18:44 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The European Union has not officially confirmed
yet the information regarding suspension of Iranian oil export to 6
countries, according to Armenian political analyst.

“Iran is certain about sanctions against the Iranian oil import to
harm the EU first. Iran has already started searching for new markets.

For instance, oil supplies to India increased by 37%,” Roman Smbatyan
told PanARMENIAN.Net

Dwelling on Israel’s stance on Iran issue and statements on possible
strike on Iran, the expert noted that Iran has no potential for launch
of hostilities by itself.

“Israel can’t attack Iran alone, without the U.S. assistance which
currently faces complex situation as to forthcoming presidential
elections and international financial crisis,” Mr. Smbatyan said.