Author: Kalashian Nyrie

SERGE SARGSIAN AND JOHN EVANS DISCUSS DETAILS OF VISIT TO YEREVAN TO
BE PAID BY DEPUTY COMMANDER OF US’ EUROPEAN COMMAND

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s cooperation with the NATO and
the European command of the US is making steady progress. Secretary of
the President-affiliated National Security Council, the RA Defence
Minister Serge Sargsian and the American Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John Evans stated this at the March
21 meeting, during which the present state of the Armenian-American
military cooperation was discussed. According to the RA Defence
Ministry’s spokesman Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, the sides also
spoke about the details of a visit to Yerevan to be paid by Deputy
Commander of the US’ European Command Gen. Charles Walds in late March.

IRNA, Iran
March 17 2005

Iran slips back in Corruption Perception Index

London, March 16, IRNA-Perceptions of the degree of corruption in
Iran as seen by business people, academics and risk analysts
marginally grew last year, according to the latest report by
Transparency International on Wednesday.

In its new index, Iran slipped down to 87th with a Corruption
Perception score of 2.9 in its league of 146 countries compared with
78th with a score 3.0 in its league of 133 countries in 2003. Most of
the fall was due to countries previously not included.

Amongst other Persian Gulf countries, Oman also dropped back from
26th to 29th, Bahrain from 27th to 34th, Qatar from 32nd to 38th,
Kuwait from 35th to 44th and Saudi Arabia from 46th to 71st, while
the UAE moved up from 37th to 29th.

Falls by other neighboring countries included Armenia from joint 78th
with Iran to 82nd, Russia from 86th to 90th, Pakistan from 92nd to
129th, Turkmenistan from 124th to 133rd and Azerbaijan also from
joint 124th to 140th.

Iraq, whose post-war reconstruction was highlighted as being in
danger of becoming ‘the biggest corruption scandal in history’, also
dropped from 113th to 129th.

At the top of the index, Finland retained its first-place ranking
with the cleanest Corruption Perception score of 9.7, followed by New
Zealand, Denmark, Iceland and Singapore.

The UK also held onto its 11th place ranking, although its score fell
back from 8.7 to 8.6, behind Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Austria,
and the Netherlands. The US was placed 17th, with the same ranking
and score as in 2003.

Transparency International, based in Berlin and London, is a non-
governmental organization with more than 85 independent national
chapters around the world devoted to combating corruption. The index
is the third it has produced since 2002.

Launching the latest report, its chairman Peter Egan said that
corruption in large-scale public projects was a ‘daunting obstacle’
to sustainable development.

“Corruption wastes money, bankrupts countries and costs lives,” he
warned.

Turkish Leader Calls for Study of Genocide Debate

Erdogan seeks review of archives amid challenges to the nation’s
official denial of blame in the deaths of Armenians during and after WWI

THE WORLD

Los Angeles Times
March 9, 2005

By Amberin Zaman, Special to The Times

ANKARA, Turkey ~W Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called
for an impartial study by historians of claims that more than a million
Armenians were slaughtered by Turkish troops in a genocide during and
after World War I.

The statement was widely seen here as a symbolic if small step by Turkey
to address the issue after decades of denial.

“We have opened our official archives to those people who claim there
was genocide,” the Turkish leader said at a news conference here. “If
they are sincere, they too should open their archives.”

Erdogan was referring to archives in Germany, Turkey’s wartime ally, and
in Britain and France, whose forces occupied parts of Turkey after the
collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the war. Troops from all
three nations could have witnessed what happened between the Turks and
the Armenians.

“Teams of historians from both sides should conduct studies in these
archives,” Erdogan said of the Turks and Armenians. “We do not want
future generations to live under the shadow of continued hatred and
resentment.”

Armenians say 1.5 million of their people perished between 1915 and 1923
in a genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turks. Millions of Armenians
worldwide are set to mark the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the
violence on April 24.

Turkey has countered that several hundred thousand Armenians died of
starvation and exposure during forced deportations after they
collaborated with invading Russian forces in eastern Turkey.

But a small, vocal group of Turkish intellectuals has begun to challenge
the official version of events, saying genocide did take place under the
orders of ultranationalist military officers who led the country at the
time. That view has touched off heated debate throughout Turkey.

Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, whose recent novel, “Snow,” has made
bestseller lists in the United States, was labeled a traitor here and
faced death threats after telling a German newspaper last month that “a
million Armenians were killed in Turkey.”

Erdogan’s appeal for an unbiased investigation was issued jointly with
Deniz Baykal, the leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party,
and it reflects growing concern about the issue after calls came from
within the European Union for Turkey to acknowledge that genocide
occurred. Some EU members have gone so far as to suggest that such
recognition should be a condition for Turkey’s entry into the European
alliance.

The parliaments of Canada, France and Switzerland have approved
resolutions stating the Armenians were victims of genocide. Similar
measures proposed by members of the U.S. Congress have been quashed by
successive Republican and Democratic administrations wary of alienating
Turkey, an important North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally.

“It is encouraging that the government is finally willing to talk about
the Armenian issue,” said Hrant Dink, publisher of the Armenian-language
newspaper Agos.

“And if they are truly sincere, they must bear the consequences of what
historians uncover ~W face up to the horrors of the past.”

,1,5991797.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

AZERI GUERILLA-DIVERSIONARY GROUP TRIED TO PENETRATE INTO KARABAKH ARMY REAR

09.03.2005 03:40

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ March 7 at 11.00 a.m. at the north-east sector of
the contact line of the Karabakh and Azeri armed forces, near the
inhabited locality of Seysulan of the Mardakert region of NKR, an
Azeri guerilla-diversionary group made an attempt to penetrate into
the rear of the Karabakh defense army, Arminfo agency reports. The
Karabakh soldiers, who were standing sentinel, noticed the group
and took measures for its neutralization. As result the enemy had
to retreat. Thus, the Azeri side carries on undertaking steps to
destabilize situation at the contact line by making diversionary
sorties and advancing their posts to the frontline of then Karabakh
defense army. The press service of the NKR Defense Ministry warned
that any actions jeopardizing the security of the NKR will be sharply
suppressed and called the Azeri party to preserve the cease-fire
regime.

SOCIETY DOES NOT TRUST ANYONE

A1 Plus | 13:31:47 | 07-03-2005 | Social |

What structure can be trusted to compile electoral rolls before any
elections? According to the draft election code, the administration
of passports and visas must be entrusted with the task. 66.3% of the
participants of the survey organized by the A1+ site is not for that
variant and supports “other variants.”

193 people answered to the question what structure can be trusted
to compile electoral rolls. 11.4% think that it must be the local
governing bodies, 9.3% support the variant offered by the draft
electoral code, 7.8% vote for the central electoral committee. The
society trusts the police less; 5.2% votes for them.

The internet site A1+ organizes different surveys every week which
concern the Constitution and the draft electoral code. We invite
everyone to take part in the survey.

—

The Washington Post
March 6, 2005 Sunday
Final Edition

Man’s Inhumanity

The mass murder of civilians in acts of genocide and other crimes
against humanity stand out amid a hundred years of bloody warfare.

Here are estimates of death tolls from some of the many episodes. The
exact numbers will never be known.

ARMENIANS IN TURKEY (1915-18)
1.5 million

STALIN’S FORCED FAMINE IN UKRAINE (1932-33)
7 million

JAPANESE MASSACRE OF CHINESE
(The Rape of Nanjing, 1937)
300,000

NAZI GERMANY AND THE HOLOCAUST (1938-45)
6 million

POL POT IN CAMBODIA (1975-79)
2 million

BOSNIA (1992-95)
200,000

RWANDA (1994)
800,000

SOURCE: COMMITTEE ON CONSCIENCE
AT THE U.S. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

Dual citizenship folly
By Bruce Fein

Washington Times
March 1 2005

The United States should end its folly of tolerating dual citizenship
for persons who vote, serve in office, or otherwise demonstrate
allegiance to a foreign government.
As the New Testament sermonizes, “No man can serve two masters:
for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will
hold to one, and despise the other.” The United States Constitution
thus prohibits any federal officeholder, without the consent of
Congress, from accepting “any present, emolument, office, or title of
any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Most would be stunned to learn, however, that under U.S. law (8
U.S. Code, section 1481), a person may retain citizenship despite
enrolling in the armed forces of a foreign nation at war with the
United States, serving as president of a foreign state, or even
committing treason. Raffi Hovannisian on becoming Armenia’s foreign
minister, declared, “I certainly do not renounce my American
citizenship.” Muhamed Sacirbey, foreign minister of Bosnia in
1995-1996, did not lose his U.S. citizenship. The chief of the
Estonian army from 1991-1995, Aleksander Einseln, likewise enjoyed
dual citizenship. As Thomas M. Franck has chronicled, several
Americans have represented their other country of citizenship as
ambassadors to the United Nations.
Last month, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies passed legislation
endowing 10 million Mexican and Mexican-Americans with the
opportunity to cast absentee ballots from the United States in the
2006 Mexican presidential elections. The Central Mexican state of
Zacatecas embraces Mexican migrants as candidates for electoral
office. Andres Bermudez, a wealthy California grower christened the
“Tomato King,” captured a mayoralty. Two other immigrants garnered
seats in the state legislature. Mexican candidates routinely
motorcade in the U.S. seeking political support from
Mexican-Americans.
The magnitude of the dual citizenship-divided loyalty problem is
elusive. Approximately 60 countries permit expatriates or migrants to
vote via absentee ballots, including Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil and
Honduras. The number permitting dual citizenship has been variously
estimated at from 37 to 89. The U.S. government neither records nor
estimates the number of its dual citizens. But baseline figures and
trends are troublesome. The foreign-born population in the United
States probably approaches 30 million to 35 million, or approximately
10 percent. That percentage is climbing because of disproportionate
youth and high fertility.
And immigrants to the United States characteristically arrive
from nations that accept dual citizenship. In sum, the problem of
split allegiances cannot be swept under the rug as an inconsequential
crumb.
Patriotism is the alpha and omega of national strength, even if
occasionally misappropriated as the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Undivided devotion to the United States and embrace of its hallowed
ideals and heroes are what make the nation flourish. Single
citizenship finds expression in eagerness to enlist in the armed
forces or to support its soldiers; to participate in the nation’s
political affairs; to join voluntary private organizations, like the
Rotary Club, the League of Women Voters or the PTA; to cooperate with
law enforcement; to make donations to domestic charities; and, to
promote America’s signature culture by living and breathing social
equality, nondiscrimination, individual rights, the rule of law and
freedom of speech.
Dual citizens who demonstrate political attachments to a foreign
government, in contrast, will be less resolute in celebrating and
advancing the interests of the United States. They will be less
inclined to sacrifice to make the nation like a sparkling “city that
is set on an hill,” in the manner that Augustus Caesar “found Rome a
city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” Furthermore, if dual
citizenship is indulged with official nonchalance, the lofty ideals
associated with American citizenship will be dimmed.
Accordingly, Americans who vote in a foreign election, occupy any
office in a foreign state, enlist in a foreign army, attempt to
overthrow the U.S. government, or otherwise affirm allegiance to a
foreign nation should forfeit their citizenship. Accomplishing that
is clouded by the United States Supreme Court decision in Afroyim v.
Rusk (1967). There, a narrow 5-4 majority held unconstitutional a
statute that made voting in a political election in a foreign state a
justification for revoking citizenship acquired by naturalization.
Writing for the court, Justice Hugo Black broadly sermonized that
the 14th Amendment permits loss of citizenship only by voluntary
relinquishment. Obeying that edict, current federal law makes a
specific intent to relinquish United States nationality the
touchstone for its loss.
Congress should either propose a constitutional amendment to
overcome Afroyim; or, enact legislation that deletes the specific
intent requirement in the expectation that the high court will
reconsider the precedent. Dual allegiances do not imminently threaten
the fabric of the United States. But they fuel a yawning indifference
to American customs and civic spirit indispensable to national
vitality.

Bruce Fein is a constitutional lawyer and international
consultant with Bruce Fein & Associates and the Lichfield Group.

US envoy urges fair parliamentary polls in Azerbaijan

Turan news agency
1 Mar 05

Baku, 1 March: The US government has allocated 7m dollars for the
implementation of a number of programmes in Azerbaijan, which include
training for specialists in the field of elections, the US ambassador
to Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish, has told journalists.

Harnish said the funds will be channelled into democratic
development. The ambassador expressed the hope that the parliamentary
elections will be free and transparent.

“We hope that the forthcoming parliamentary elections will bring
Azerbaijan closer to the Euro-Atlantic area,” he said.

“This does not mean that we are critical of the elections in
Azerbaijan. We would like the elections to be an accurate reflection
of the voting process,” Harnish said.

Asked about the statement by the US ambassador to Armenia, John
Evans, that Nagornyy Karabakh cannot be returned to Azerbaijan,
Harnish confirmed that the USA supports Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity. He said the USA does not recognize Nagornyy
Karabakh’s independence.

Speaking about bilateral cooperation, the ambassador said the USA and
Azerbaijan were successfully cooperating in the area of security and
pointed to great potential in this area. As an example, he cited the
cooperation in protecting the borders in the Caspian Sea.

“This cooperation can expand depending on the needs of the sides,”
the ambassador said.

SCIENTIFIC INNOVATIONS ARE POSSIBLE TO BE FINANCED IN ARMENIA

A1+
28-02-2005

The Corporative governing center was discussing with the
representatives of the financial market the problem of creating
venture funds in Armenia. In hotel â~@~Congressâ~@~] the workers
of the funs, the Central Bank, Union of banks, private organizations,
and the banks of abroad waited for the organizers of the round table
for 30 minutes.

Arman Sahakyan, expert of the Corporative governing center, explained
to the guests that it is already suitable to create Venture funds
in Armenia.

According to the experts, $30 million is needed to create such a
fund. In order to create a venture system, according to the project
developed by the Corporative governing center it is offered to
find and finance companies with financial difficulty, or innovator
authors. The experts of the Center think that our country has a
scientific potential, the inner capital can be directed to the
experimenting of the innovations and have super-profits.

The international experience shows that the venture funds act with
the principle of financing companies having ideas and not having
money for having super-profits later on. In case of cooperation the
fund becomes owner of a part of the shares of the company.

–Boundary_(ID_mpqD2eF4FgCEUM55jhXlaQ)–

Azad-Hye, Dubai
Feb 25 2005

170th Anniversary of the Armenian Church in Singapore

AZAD-HYE (25 February 2005): The Trustees of the Singapore Armenian
Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator and the Armenian residents of
Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, have decided to honour the 170th
anniversary of the construction of the Church with a series of
Armenian cultural, social and religious events, as mentioned in a
newsletter we recently received.

The planned dates for the celebrations are 10-13 November 2005, with
the attendance of All Armenians Catholicos Karekin II and Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian Primate of Australia, New Zealand and South East
Asia.

The newsletter says that this early announcement will give everyone
sufficient time to do travel arrangements to Singapore to help
Armenians of South East Asia celebrate and commemorate this historic
occasion.

It is estimated that some 100 persons may attend the event, mostly
Armenians from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Guang Zhou and
Malaysia. Armenians from other countries are encouraged to combine
their business or tourism trips to South East Asia with a stopover in
Singapore during the said period.

About the administrative steps taken so for, the newsletter (which
was issued on 14th February 2005) reports: “We have in the normal
Armenian tradition formed an Event Committee, which have just been
appointed and will, in the course of the next three months, summarize
an event program. The names and designation of the Committee will be
issued with Newsletter No. 2”.

The current newsletter is signed by Norayr D. (Bob) Kevorkian,
President of the Custodian Trustee, Armenian Church of St. Gregory
the Illuminator, Singapore.