Author: Kalashian Nyrie

FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO KOREA DOES NOT UNDERSTAND MOTIVES OF DECISIONS
OF US STATE DEPARTMENT
Yerevan, May 31. ArmInfo. In a talk with an ArmInfo correspodent
former US Ambassador to Korea Stephen Bosworth said that he did not
often understand the motives of the decisions of the US State
Department when he was in office. He said this in response to
ArmInfo’s request to comment on the reports about the recall of US
Ambassador to Armenia John Evans.
To remind, many believe that the key reason for Evans’ recall was his
last year’s public recognition of the Armenian Genocide during a
meeting with US Armenians.
Bosworth said that the Armenian Genocide recogniton is a fundamental
issue. Nevertheless, one should not forget that Armenia has many
other interests and concerns that require close attention and urgent
solution.

Zee News, India
June 2 2006
Indian men need big improvement in Chess Olympiad

Turin, June 02: In a make or break situation, the Indian men need to
pull themselves up going in to the final leg of the 37th Chess
Olympiad here.
After a bad start and a recovery, victories for the team led by
Viswanathan Anand have become elusive and what they need now is a
major turnaround in performance if they have to remain in with a
chance of finishing in the medal bracket in the biggest chess event
in the world.
As things stand, the second seeded Indians are currently on joint
ninth spot on 24.5 points and only a few big victories in the last
three rounds after the second rest day can help them recover lost
ground.
The Indian hopes and aspirations will be on display once more when
they take on strong-looking sixth seed Israel.
While Viswanathan Anand will start as a clear favourite against
Israeli top player Boris Gelfand on the top board, the remaining
three Indians will have to be at their best to bring the team back in
contention for honours.
Armenia has proved beyond doubt what a spirited team effort can do.
The major contributor for the team has been Gabriel Sargissian who
has scored a whopping 8.5 points out of his 10 games so far and aided
by some gutsy performances by other members, the Armenians seem to be
running away with the gold this time. They already have 29 points in
their bag and even a 50 percent score from here should be enough for
the team to win the event.
Though China is currently in second place, the Armenians will be more
worried about a rejuvenated Russian team that downed defending
champions Ukraine in the previous round.
However, a comforting feeling for Armenia is that they are currently
2.5 points ahead of the Russians and have already played them. The
Russians are definitely going to come firing on all cylinders in the
rounds to come and will hope to make things difficult for Armenia.
According to Anand, the last few rounds in the chess olympiad are
most important as far as the final standings are concerned as a good
finish can propel the team way up.
But herein, it appears that ‘a good finish’ is not enough, what the
Indians need is a windfall. And only then there is a chance.
Contrary to what was earlier believed, the Indian eves have come up
with far better results thus far and are currently in joint fifth
spot.
Though the race for the title is now only between leaders Ukraine and
top seed Russia, the Indians can still hope to figure amongst the
medals if everything goes right in the last few rounds.
In the 11th round, they take on Romania and an Indian victory can be
expected with grandmaster Koneru Humpy on the first board. However,
the problem with the team is that they have played neither Russia nor
Ukraine and if they are able to win by a good margin against Romania,
chances are they will meet one of these teams in the next round which
will be a tough test for them.
While both men and women players exuded confidence ahead of the last
few rounds, it remains to be seen how far the great Indian dream of
winning a medal in the Chess Olympiad goes.
Meanwhile, today is a big day in the chess olympiad with the fide
elections set to take place. The incumbents led by Kirsan
Illumzhinov, who is also the President of Kalmykian republic, seems
to have an upper hand as yet but, as in any other election, the
pre-poll predictions can go wrong. Later today, 155 countries will
vote for the next fide office.
Illumzhinov’s “chess fidelity” team is up against “right move” team
headed by Dutch businessman Bessel Kok.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/02/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Armenians Gather to Celebrate Independence Day 2) Kocharian And Aliyev to Discuss Karabagh Conflict in Bucharest 3) ANC-PAC Endorses Congressman Adam Schiff 4) Reception Bids Farewell to Outgoing Consul General Giragossian 5) Turkey Shells Autonomous Kurds in Iraq 6) Armenia Close to Victory in Chess Championship 7) Busted! 8) 'Son of The Community:' Paul Krekorian Receives Numerous Endorsements in His Bid to Represent Largest Armenian Community 9) Jackie Speier Has Edge over Rivals in Democratic Primary 10) Candidates off to Washington for 2006 Leo Sarkisian Summer Internship 11) California Teachers and Pediatricians Support Proposition 82 12) Professor Richard Hovannisian Spreads Genocide Awareness 13) Element Band Wins 'Best Newcomer Album' at Armenian Music Awards 1) Armenians Gather to Celebrate Independence Day --Over 7000 attend festival in Little Armenia LOS ANGELES (Glendale New Press/Armenian Youth Federation)--In a sign of their growing political clout, thousands of Armenians and Armenian Americans were joined Sunday by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a street fair to celebrate Armenia's first independence day on May 28, 1918. The fair, held in the Little Armenia section of Hollywood along Hollywood Boulevard between Vermont and Alexandria avenues, featured 45 vendor booths selling everything from shish kebabs and lavash bread, to Armenian arts and crafts and portraits featuring traditional Armenian costumes. More than 7,000 people turned out for the event, organized by the Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF) in cooperation with the Armenian Youth Federation-Western Region (AYF-WR). The festival was cosponsored by Los Angeles Council President Eric Garcetti, whose Council District 13 encompasses Little Armenia. It was the first time the event was held in Little Armenia, said Bo Patatian, media liaison for the Armenian Youth Federation. "We wanted to have it in a central place, and since 65% of the residents in this area are Armenian, there is no better place for this event to fit in," Patatian said, adding that previous Armenian Independence Day festivals have been held at Glendale High School and in Pasadena. Armenians are blessed with two independence days, Patatian said. The first, in 1918, marks the date on which the Armenian National Council declared the country's independence from Ottoman Turkey and the old Russian Empire. That first Armenian republic, however, was short-lived; in 1920, the country was absorbed into the former Soviet Union. "The real independence day is September 21, 1991," Patatian said, referring to when the modern Armenian state was born after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "But this first date still has a very important emotional connection to our people." Among those celebrating Independence Day in Little Armenia Sunday was Glendale Unified School District Board member Greg Krikorian. "This is the day on which Armenians first claimed independence, after surviving the genocide and stopping the Turkish armies," said Krikorian, who was also joined at the fair by Burbank Unified School District Board member and 43rd Assembly District candidate Paul Krekorian. "Being here today with so many different families, friends and neighbors is an emotionally moving time, a time to be thankful for what we have here in this country, to be thankful for our families, a chance to get together and enjoy life." The highlight of the festival was a special visit by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Mayor Villaraigosa congratulated the Armenian nation on its first independence and thanked the Armenian community for their contributions to the City of Los Angeles. Following his remarks, the Mayor joined the crowd to participate in the traditional Armenian `shoorch bar' dances and sample traditional Armenian cuisine. "This is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate not just the independence, but the fact that Armenians play such an important role here in Los Angeles, being part of the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia," said Villaraigosa, whose city officially declared the Hollywood neighborhood Little Armenia in 2000. "We appreciate all the contributions they have made and continue to make to our city." Other guests at the event included Kevin DeLeon, candidate for California's 45th State Assembly District, and Ed Ebrahimian, General Manager for LA's Bureau of Street Lighting. A representative from the Consulate of Armenia in Los Angeles was also present to join the celebration. Speakers that day included Vicken Sossikian from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Haroutioun Gojoayan from the Armenian Diplomatic Corps. The event was organized to celebrate Armenia's first independence day. After 600 years of Ottoman Turkish oppression, Armenia became independent on May 28, 1918. The republic established on this date set the foundation for today's independent republic. It is important for the Armenian community to remember the significance of May 28th. On this day, we not only celebrate the independence of Armenia, but also 3000 years of history and culture. We are grateful to the City of Los Angeles for allowing us to celebrate this occasion on the streets of Little Armenia', said Nora Ounjian, event coordinator. 2) Kocharian And Aliyev to Discuss Karabagh Conflict in Bucharest YEREVAN (RFE/RL/Armenpress)--Armenian President Robert Kocharian will fly to Romania's capital Bucharest on Sunday to attend a summit of Black Sea nations and hold talks on Karabagh with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Romania, which initiated the summit, views regional dialogue as a key factor for ensuing regional stability and creating favorable conditions for economic development in the region, said a statement released by Kocharian's press office. Kocharian's office confirmed on Friday that the meeting with Aliyev, the second in four months, will take place on the sidelines of the high-level forum on Monday. The Armenian and Azeri Presidents will start their talks in the presence of their Foreign Ministers, the Minsk Group co-chairs, and the OSCE's current chairman in office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht. `The two heads of state will then continue their conversation in a tête-à-tête format,' the statement said. The press service said that Kocharian is expected to deliver a speech at the summit. He is also scheduled to have a meeting with Romania's president Trayan Basescu and other bilateral meetings. 3) ANC-PAC Endorses Congressman Adam Schiff LOS ANGELES--The Armenian National Committee Political Action Committee (ANC-PAC) moved this week to formally endorse Congressman Adam Schiff, who is running for re-election to represent the people of California's 29th Congressional District. First elected in November of 2000 after the most costly House race in US history, Adam Schiff is widely acknowledged as a chief architect of Congressional efforts to appropriately recognize the Armenian genocide. In 2003 Congressman Schiff was awarded the ANCA-Western Region's prestigious Freedom Award for his pioneering efforts on advancing the Armenian Cause. In the 109th Congress, Representative Schiff has been an outstanding advocate of securing formal US recognition of the Armenian genocide. In June of 2005 the Congressman secured a commitment from House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) to hold a markup of a resolution (HCR 195) which calls for recognition of the Armenian genocide. Three months later, the Schiff measure and a similar bill by Congressman George Radanovich, were both overwhelmingly adopted by the House International Relations Committee. These Armenian genocide bills are currently pending in the House, awaiting the Republican Congressional leadership to bring them to the floor for a vote. "Congressman Schiff is an effective advocate for his constituents," commented ANC-PAC Chairman Leonard Manoukian. "It is clear to the Armenian community that Adam's energetic efforts to have the US Congress recognize the Armenian genocide are bringing us closer to the day when our nation will come to terms with the truth. The ANC-PAC encourages all Armenian American voters to cast their vote for Representative Schiff so that he can continue to fight for our community in the halls of Congress," Manoukian added. Congressman Schiff is a member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and he represents the largest Armenian American population in the United States. The Congressman is a member of both the House Judiciary and International Relations committees. California's 29th Congressional District includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City. Adam Schiff was born on June 22, 1960 and is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School. Adam and his wife Eve have two children, a daughter, Alexa Marion and a son, Elijah Harris. The ANC-PAC is a non-partisan federally registered political action committee established to support campaign committees for Members of Congress who share the values of the Armenian American community. The ANC-PAC is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the voice of the Armenian American community is clearly heard in our nation's capital. The ANC-PAC continues a century old tradition of Armenian Americans being engaged with the public policy issues facing national political leaders, both in the US Congress and the White House. 4) Reception Bids Farewell to Outgoing Consul General Giragossian A farewell reception for outgoing Consul General of the Republic of Armenia, Gagik Giragossian, and his wife Marina was held Wednesday at the "Karapetian" Hall of St. Garabed Church. The reception was organized by the Western Prelacy, under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and hosted by benefactor Mrs. Ashkhen Pilavjian. In attendance were members of clergy, Central Executive Council member Mr. Khajag Dikijian, ARF Bureau member Dr. Viken Hovsepian, members of the previous and newly elected Prelacy Executive Council, representatives of the ARF Central Committee, Board of Trustees Chairmen from Prelacy parishes, representatives of Armenian organizations, Ladies Auxiliary members, members of the press, and Prelacy friends and donors. The reception, emceed by Archpriest Vicken Vassilian, began with a prayer by the Prelate and clergy members and included an artistic program by tenor Suren Hazarian, accompanied by Professor Levon Aprahamian on the piano. During the reception, remarks were made by Chairman of the previous Executive Council Hrair Balian, Chairman of the newly elected Council Dr. Garo Agopian, and ARF Central Committee representative Hovig Saliba, who expressed their sentiments towards the Consul General and his gracious wife, and also their best wishes to the couple and their family as they return to Armenia. In his closing remarks, the Prelate emphasized that from his very first day in office, the Consul General became a part of the Prelacy family and has since that time maintained a close association with the Prelacy. The Prelate assured that the Consul General will remain in the hearts and memories of the Armenian community of Los Angeles as a close friend, and that we now have a new friend in our homeland, Armenia. His Eminence commended Giragossian's efforts in maintaining fruitful relations with members of our Western Region, and before concluding his remarks, offered the blessings of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to the Giragossians, after which he presented the couple with a gold medal of the Catholicosate's symbol, along with a book of the lost treasures of Cilicia. Following the Prelate's remarks, Giragossian expressed his heartfelt thanks for this honor and gratitude for the close collaboration he had with the Prelacy during his term in office, stating that he will return home with these fond memories in his heart. The reception closed with the Prelate reciting "Bahbanich" and the collective singing of "Mer Hayrenik." 5) Turkey Shells Autonomous Kurds in Iraq ANKARA (UPI/Reuters)--The Turkish military shelled Thursday Iraq's Kurdistan region. The barrage came a day after a group of Kurdish and American officials, including a US general, inspected Iraqi Kurdistan for evidence of purported illegal cross-border Turkish military operations. Ali Auni, an official from the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party, said a 50 year old shepherd was wounded in an attack in northern Iraq. "Yesterday morning at 11:00 AM Turkish forces shelled the village of Zawita and some other Kurdish villages," he said, referring to an area near the border. Turkish officials were not immediately available for comment, but last month a Turkish Government official dismissed a similar allegation as "total fabrication." Ankara habitually launches a spring offensives against fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the southeast of Turkey near the border with Iraq. Iraqi security forces have recently been trying to stop PKK fighters based in mountainous and mainly Kurdish northern Iraq from crossing over the border into Turkey. The Turkish Government has asked US and Iraqi forces to help pressure PKK units based inside Iraq. After a recent increase in PKK attacks Turkey has sent 40,000 extra troops to reinforce the 220,000 already in its Kurdish areas, representing the biggest military build-up in years. Turkey and Iran are wary of the autonomy that Iraqi Kurds have established since the war in Iraq in 2003 and are concerned that it might provoke more unrest among their own large Kurdish populations. 6) Armenia Close to Victory in Chess Championship TURIN (Armenpress)As of Press time, the Armenian men's chess team was leading with 32 points in the 11th round of the 37th World Chess Olympiad being held in Turin, Italy. Grand master Levon Aronian and Karen Asrian beat their rivals, and Gabriel Sargsian and Vladimir Hakobian drew. The Armenian chess players have already gained 32 points and are likely to win the Championship on Sunday, June 4. The women's team currently has 19 points in the Tournament. 7) Busted! Yup, caught in the act, red (in this case black-ink) handed. I committed an error in my article last week. I neglected to insert the term `vice-` in front of `chair' when stating that an individual holding such a prominent position with the Armenia Fund had no business supporting a State Assembly candidate running against the Armenian community's `hometown' favorite, Paul Krekorian. I regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Aside from the wry observation that now, with my streak of perfection broken, I'm free to make more mistakes, I'll also gleefully point out someone else's mistake. Misery loves company and this one's a lulu. Coincidentally and ironically, it's that of the Quintero campaign, Krekorian's opponent! In the wee hours of Wednesday May 31, 2006, an alert Burbank ANC activist noticed what appeared to be a simple e-mail redundancy. One message sent twice. On closer examination, it turned out to be the Quintero campaign trying to cover its tracks. (See the two e-mails in accompanying boxwhere it reads `sent... by ...'). Anyone visiting the site would be `amazed' to find that Voters Against Election Fraud has only uncovered one case, the same as that cited by Quintero, of `fraud' in all of California. You know how scrupulous California politicians are right? President Richard Nixon, Representative Randy `Duke' Cunningham, State Senator Alan Robbins... Now add this fact about the website--it is privately registered. Who's behind it remains hidden. Kind of odd, don't you think, for an organization whose very name speaks to the need for openness? The obvious conclusion is, Quintero set up the bogus website as a way of discrediting Krekorian with the same unsubstantiated mud slinging Quintero indulged in last week. You'll recall he accused the Krekorian campaign of fraud based on `evidence' that could just as easily indicate that the culprit was the Quintero campaign itself. But, providentially, someone erred and sent out the email under the Quintero campaign banner first. So, even in sneakiness, they're incompetent. Now as a voter, forget about Armenian interests in developing political power, one is faced with an easy choice. Vote for the guy who makes baseless fraud accusations only to be caught engaging in fraud days later. Or, vote for the squeaky clean guy. Hmm, I wonder... But meanwhile, on Armenian cable TV, at least one of Quintero's Armenian supporters has seen fit to cite certain comments from my piece last week, deeming them inappropriate. Again, hmm, a paragon of propriety, someone (totally in line with any citizen's rights though it is) who for whatever reason is working against our community's interests has the nerve to condemn critiques of those defending a candidate who is clearly less than a glowing example of integrity. While I'm flattered at being read, next time, I'd appreciate being asked for an Armenian translation of what I've written so the nuances are not lost or mutilated. I'd be happy to provide it. In the interest of fairness even toward those opposed to my perspective, I also appreciate the absence of being named--it allows focus on what's being said rather than who's saying it. However, using my commentary as part of a legitimizing springboard to deception-by-half-truths rankles. Most arose in the context of attempting to discredit `those who today are advocating supporting the Armenian candidate' (this is an approximate quote representing the spirit of what was said). I'll address three of these misdirecting representations. Pointing out the fact that ANC (again, not directly named, and similarly for the other examples) endorsed Quintero five years ago is irrelevant, since he was already not endorsed just ONE year ago in his second run for Glendale Council, a fact that was omitted. A false claim was made that ANC did not endorse George Deukmejian in his first run for governor in 1982. The correct information is--it was a dual endorsement for him and Tom Bradley. The latter had actually advised ANC to go `with your man only.' But his stalwart and forthcoming support for Genocide recognition and being the ONLY one willing to do the opening remarks in J. Michael Hagopian's 1975 documentary film `The Forgotten Genocide' earned his spot on the ANC slate too. Finally, it's ANC's non-endorsement of Bill Paparian in his current congressional run on the Green Party ticket. I guess the fact that he's running unopposed in the Primary Election of his party is irrelevant. The ANC has only infrequently made endorsements in primary races--this too must be irrelevant. See the pattern? Pick something that's true. Count on your audience's lack of complete information or short memory. Go into full-mislead-mode. Let's not omit the cream of electoral idiocy, its royalty, who on the night of May 31, through their late night cable TV show were busy providing misdirection too. It wasn't enough to cost a competent Armenian a seat on the Glendale school board last year. Now they've jumped on the Quintero bandwagon. They got creamed in last year's election. So, like many sore losers, they're claiming fraud in that election and trying to have their lies accrue to this year's election. It's absurd, but there seems to be no bottom to the depths they're willing to sink. How credible are they? They pretend to be experts on public schools issues. However, one of them was so out of line in disregarding school policy that a ban on entry to most school district property was enforced for a period of time. Possibly related to this prohibition is an incident in which another parent received advice from this `consultant' not to attempt to resolve a problem with the school principal. Rather, the parent was told she should go directly to the newspaper with her grievance. Want more? Go to and see the kind of big money interests--energy, alcohol, gaming, prison guards, pharmaceuticals, etc. this guy is supported by. Or take a look at who's been paying for all those fancy, glossy mailers, coming to your mailbox two and three per day touting St. Frank. Those of his supporters getting pieces into the local papers portraying him as some latter-day Robin Hood, standing up for the interests of the downtrodden should check these facts out. To top it all off, Quintero was heard to decry the intrusion of so-called `independent expenditures' on the electoral process. But that's what these groups are doing for him. (At a rate nearly triple what Krekorian has received in such support--largely from unions). The duplicity is astonishing. There seems to be a fairly well organized effort to disenfranchise the Armenian community. Here's how. Quintero's campaign has written a letter to the Registrar of Voters, the election official in Los Angeles County, asking that all absentee ballots (VBMs) be segregated, that is, not counted with the rest. Given that at least 40% (by a recent count I heard) are Armenians' votes, this is clearly an effort to muddy the waters and give Quintero an early lead. Then, if the final count, including VBMs, gives Krekorian the election, the former will cry foul, and actually seem reasonable (can you say Florida 2000?). This is where the game initiated last week, and referenced above, was leading. In addition, having Quintero's Armenian lackeys sow discord, doubt, and division among the relatively new voters comprising the otherwise unified Armenian voting community can lead to disinterest, disengagement, and finally non-voting--Quintero's desired result. What's really interesting is, some of the same people who have advocated, `vote for the Armenian candidate regardless,' and cried foul when a non-Armenian was supported over an Armenian, now are talking out the other side of their mouths. ANC and credible others have not adopted an `Armenians only' position. Rather, their approach has been to support the best candidate from the perspective of Armenian interests and who is most likely to win. Paul Krekorian becomes the obvious choice in the case of the 43rd. Be sure to vote. Be sure to vote for Paul if you're in the district. Email #1 From: Voters Against Election Fraud [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 10:05 PM To: [name withheld for privacy] Subject: Latest Information on Paul Krekorian's Voter Fraud Scam See the latest articles on Paul Krekorian's absentee ballot scam. Please visit This email was sent to [name withheld for privacy], by Quintero for Assembly P.O. Box 251150 Glendale, CA 91225 United States If you do not wish to receive future e-mail from Quintero for Assembly, please click here Email #2 From: Voters Against Election Fraud [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 10:21 PM To: [name withheld for privacy] Subject: Latest Information on Paul Krekorian's Voter Fraud Scam See the latest articles on Paul Krekorian's absentee ballot scam. Please visit This email was sent to [name withheld for privacy], by Voters Against Election Fraud 2170 E. O'Keefe Mountainvew, CA 90743 United States. If you do not wish to receive future e-mail from Voters Against Election Fraud, please click here. 8) 'Son of The Community:' Paul Krekorian Receives Numerous Endorsements in His Bid to Represent Largest Armenian Community By Taline Ghazarian LOS ANGELES--At a press conference Wednesday, representatives from various Armenian American organizations announced their endorsement of Paul Krekorian for State Assembly in the Democratic Primary for the 43rd District, which includes Glendale, Burbank, North Hollywood, and Los Feliz. As one of the most hotly contested primaries being held Tuesday, June 6, the race to fill the seat vacated by Dario Frommer has Burbank School Board President Paul Krekorian pitted against Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero. The winner of the primary in this predominantly Democratic district will most likely win the general election in November. According to the Los Angeles Times, "It is Krekorian who is best prepared for the role." Krekorian has been a leader in the area for many years, having served on the Democratic Central Committee, various educational advisory boards, and as counsel to the LA Police Commission after the 1992 riots. As President of the Burbank School Board, Krekorian stabilized its budget, introduced measures to improve curriculum and help the environment, and implemented programs that increased academic performance. Due to his extensive experience and demonstrated abilities, Krekorian has been endorsed by the Armenian National Committee Political Action Committee, California Teacher's Association, the Los Angeles Times, the LA Weekly, Congressmen Frank Pallone and Brad Sherman, and the Armenian community at large. This race has special significance to Armenian Americans, who represent approximately 20 percent of voters and are the largest ethnic group in the district. "Armenian voters have the power of making their voices heard," said Stepan Boyajian of the Armenian National Committee of Burbank. "It is the duty of every Armenian American to vote on June 6." As an activist within the Armenian community, Krekorian sits on the board of the committee charged with disbursing assets recovered in a lawsuit against the New York Life Insurance Company, which have been wrongfully withheld since the Armenian genocide of 1915. He is also a member of the Armenian Film Foundation and an advocate of Armenian students' rights in the public school system. "While others may seem like friends of the Armenian community, Paul Krekorian is a son of the community," added Boyajian. Come Tuesday, Krekorian will be relying on this community to give him the opportunity to serve them once more, in the State Assembly. If they elect him, the Armenian community will be represented not by just a supporter, but by one of its own. 9) Jackie Speier Has Edge over Rivals in Democratic Primary LOS ANGELES (Daily News/Combined Sources)--All three Democrats vying for the party's nomination for lieutenant governor insist they won't emulate the man who now holds the office, fellow Democrat Cruz Bustamante. The position may be historically impotent, they acknowledge, but they promise to actually do something meaningful with the office, unlike Bustamante, who all but disappeared from the scene. And while all are sincere in this idealistic belief, State Senator Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, seems the most likely to live up to it. Recognizing that the lieutenant governor is a regent of the University of California and a trustee of the California State University system, she promises to be both a champion and watchdog for California higher education. Speier's rivals seem less well-focused. State Senator Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, talks about seeking the office to be a role model for the state's children. And term-limited Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi speaks about using the post to fight global warming and other important issues--noble goals, to be sure, but hardly within the purview of the lieutenant governor's responsibilities. With financial scandal in the UC and a chronic lack of funding for community colleges, the state could use a higher education ombudsman. And it's a realistic, important role a Lieutenant Governor Speier could fill. "Jackie Speier has taken on some of Sacramento's most powerful forces--banks, insurance companies, prison guards, University of California administrators, even legislative leaders--in her crusades for the public interest," says The San Francisco Chronicle about this courageous public servant. The LA Weekly called her `a true talent in the state Senate, fighting to protect financial privacy, making prescription drugs more available to seniors, and demanding scrutiny of sweetheart state contracts.' Aside from the LA Weekly, Speier has been endorsed by The Armenian National Committee - Political Action Committee, The Los Angeles Daily News, Senator Dianne Feinstein, State Senator Jack Scott, the Sierra Club, and the California Democratic Club. 10) Candidates off to Washington for 2006 Leo Sarkisian Summer Internship GLENDALE--The Armenian National Committee of America Western Region (ANCA-WR) is pleased to announce that four candidates from California will be participating this summer in the prestigious Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Leo Sarkisian Summer Internship Program in Washington, DC. The Leo Sarkisian Internship Program provides young Armenian American leaders from the across the US the opportunity to learn first hand about the inner workings of the American political system. Now in its 23rd year, the program operates out of the ANCA headquarters in Washington, DC and runs for eight weeks. This year's participants from the Western United States include: Meri Davtian, a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) junior studying Mass Communications, and minoring in Political Science and Armenian Studies; Vache Thomassian, a UC Berkeley junior majoring in Legal Studies and a member of the AYF Orange County Chapter; Babken Der Grigorian, a UCLA junior studying Political Science and a member of the AYF La Crescenta Chapter; and Berj Parseghian, a UC Santa Barbara junior studying Political Science and a member of the AYF Pasadena Chapter; Talar Kivork, a UCLA junior studying English and Political Science and a member of the San Fernando Valley AYF Chapter. Certain proceeds from the Aram Karamardian Memorial Fund--designated to be utilized solely to fund internships--will help to defray costs of this year's internships in Washington, DC. Along with additional participants from the Eastern Region and Canada, interns will be working at the ANCA national headquarters in Washington, DC, where they will focus on specific projects and participate in an intensive lecture series geared toward advancing their community development and activism skills. In response to the growing number of applicants to the Leo Sarkisian Internship, the ANCA-WR will hold a Western-Region internship program modeled after the Leo Sarkisian Internship program in Washington. Like its counterpart program in Washington, the internship will provide candidates the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the political arena and to develop advocacy skills by experiencing first-hand the workings of politics and public affairs at the state and local level. The eight week intensive program will include a weekly lecture series featuring ANCA activists, staff, community leaders, and media and government officials. The ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Program is the cornerstone of the expanded ANCA Capital Gateway program, designed to provide university students and recent graduates with opportunities to intern or find career positions on Capitol Hill or at other US government agencies in Washington, DC. For more information visit the ANCA website For more information on these and other ANCA programs log on to or call the ANCA-WR office at (818) 500-1918. 11) California Teachers and Pediatricians Support Proposition 82 California's kindergarten teachers and pediatricians are backing Proposition 82--the Preschool for All initiative--in the June 6 statewide primary election. The California Kindergarten Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics call Prop 82 a historic opportunity to provide a head start on learning to all four year olds in California. Prop 82 will guarantee a free, high-quality preschool education for every four year old in California. It will provide trained, credentialed teachers in every classroom and increased efforts to involve parents. By sending more children to quality preschools, Prop 82 will strengthen our schools and improve education for all our kids. A statewide poll of California kindergarten teachers by Peter D. Hart Research last year showed that 95 percent believe children who have been to preschool are better prepared for school. `As a kindergarten teacher, I can tell which kids have gone to preschool because I see the difference first hand,' said Armando Argandoña, President of the California Kindergarten Association and a kindergarten teacher in Los Angeles. `Preschool gives kids a head start on learning and prepares them socially and academically for kindergarten.' Studies show that children who go to quality preschool read earlier and learn faster. But only 20 percent of our children actually go to quality preschools. According to a recent survey by Fight Crime, Invest in Kids California, the average cost of part-day private preschool in Los Angeles County is $3783. That's more than one year of college tuition at a California State University campus, and it puts preschool out of reach for too many families. `Preschool is one of the best investments we can make in our children's future,' said, Dr. Robert Black, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, California. `Research has shown that preschool helps kids stay on track in school and reduces the need for remedial and special education. Preschool can also help families access preventative health and developmental screenings to keep children healthy.' A 2005 study by the RAND Corporation found that the benefits of a universally available preschool program in California would greatly outweigh the costs. Economists estimated that every dollar invested in quality preschool would generate $2.62 in savings to California's schools, criminal justice system, and through increased tax revenue to state and local governments. In Los Angeles County, RAND economists estimated preschool could prevent 3,245 kids from dropping out of high school and reduce the number of juvenile arrests by 9,650 per year. Despite the benefits of preschool, programs often have long waiting lists. A 2005 study found that 73 percent of publicly-funded preschools--which are supposed to serve children from low-income families--in Los Angeles County have waiting lists. If passed by voters on Tuesday, Prop 82 will fund public, private, and nonprofit preschools, as long as they meet specified quality standards, including well-trained teachers. Parents will be able to choose the program that best fits their needs. Prop 82 includes strict accountability measures to protect taxpayer dollars. According to the Legislative Analyst, all revenues would be used for the new preschool program and Prop 82 provides audits and criminal penalties, including possible jail time, for misuse of funds. Preschool for All has no cost for 99.4 percent of California taxpayers. Californians are coming together to support Prop 82. The initiative has been endorsed by an unusual alliance of business groups and labor organizations, along with early childhood educators, seniors, and civic leaders. The California Police Chiefs and the California State Sheriff's Association--and more than 100 individual police chiefs, sheriffs, and district attorneys--are backing Prop 82 because of preschool's proven effect on reducing crime. The initiative is also supported by dozens of elected officials, including Senator Dianne Feinstein, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. For more information on Prop 82, visit: <;www.yeson82. com. 12) Professor Richard Hovannisian Spreads Genocide Awareness LOS ANGELESProfessor Richard Hovannisian, Holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at UCLA, has since late March and throughout the month of April continued raising awareness of the Armenian genocide and its legacy. During this period, he traveled to Salt Lake City, Yerevan, Worcester, San Francisco, and Lyon, France, to deliver lectures, work with teachers, and participate in international symposiums on human rights and genocide. Utah to Armenia At the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Utah, Dr. Hovannisian spoke on March 27 about `The Armenian Genocide: Premeditation or the Radicalization of War,' in which he assessed the somewhat conflicting historiography about the decision-making process and perpetration of the Genocide. Hovannisian spent considerable time discussing a recent University of Utah Press-published volume by Professor Guenther Lewy, which is aimed at disqualifying the Armenian `tragedy' as genocide and builds on arguments of deniers and the Turkish Government. Hovanissian gave examples of factual errors in the seemingly-balanced book and how the author takes out of context what is actually stated in the sources he cites. Although Lewy insists that he has `no ax to grind,' he has in fact previously written volumes that discount the enormity of the Gypsy annihilation during World War II and the treatment of the American Indians during US colonial expansion. After Utah, Hovannisian went to Yerevan in late March and early April to serve as the co-chair of the international jury reviewing and ranking works on the Armenian genocide. This competition, organized by the All-Armenia Fund through a grant from the Boghossian Brothers, is meant to further research on the Armenian genocide by rewarding the most effective work on the topic. Two presidential prizes, each carrying a monetary gift of $10,000, were awarded for the best submission from a resident of Armenia and one from abroad. The jury selected Verjine Svazlian of Armenia for her work on oral history and the collection of the woeful songs of exile that were sung in Turkish by Armenian women deportees (now also published in Turkey), and Edgar Hilsenrath of Germany for his `Story of the Last Thought,' a powerful novel about the Genocide and memory, which has been translated into several languages. Genocide Education Immediately after returning to Los Angeles, Hovannisian was the keynote speaker on April 5 for Glendale Unified School District workshop on teaching about the Armenian genocide. The teachers, according to Sara Cohan, Education Director of Genocide Education Project which coordinated the event, were deeply moved and impressed by the `smooth and thoughtful' presentation and `compelling overview' of the Armenian experience. Hovannisian previously participated in similar teacher workshops coordinated by Facing History and Ourselves, Inc., in Los Angeles, Montebello, Santa Barbara, Los Gatos, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Brookline, Worcester, New York City, Annandale-on-Hudson, Long Island, Memphis, and West Palm Beach. Professor Hovanissian and Dr. Vartiter Hovannisian then traveled to Clark University in Worcester on April 19-20 to take part in the celebration of the successful completion of the fundraising campaign for the Kaloosdian-Mugar Chair of Armenian Genocide Studies and Modern Armenian History. This is the only position in Armenian Studies in the United States that carries the word `Genocide' in its title, with the first chair holder being Dr. Simon Payaslian, a graduate of UCLA's Armenian History program. During a dinner for major donors hosted by President and Mrs. Bassett at their residence, the Harrington House, Hovannisian delivered a congratulatory message and challenge to attract and support students to the program. Then, following an engaging public lecture by Professor Payaslian on his recent book, `United States Policy toward the Armenian Question and Armenian Genocide,' he reflected briefly on the issue of pragmatism versus humanitarianism in foreign policy. Hovannisian was also the keynote speaker at the Bay Area's commemoration of the Armenian genocide in San Francisco City Hall on April 25. Following the greetings of Mayor Gavin Newsom and remarks in Armenian by Dr. Antranig Kasbarian, Hovannisian addressed the large gathering on the theme of universalizing the Armenian experience as a way of integrating it into collective human memory. He noted the progress made toward that goal in recent years and the challenges that still have to be met in the struggle of the Armenian people for international recognition and condemnation of the crime and for acts of contrition and restitution by the perpetrator. Lyon, France From San Francisco, Dr. Hovannisian traveled to Lyon to participate in an international symposium on April 28-29 under the honorary presidency of Mary Robinson, former president of the Irish Republic and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The conference was organized by `Le Collectif Reconnaissance,' an alliance of fifteen human rights groups, with support from a variety of French academic institutions, municipal and regional administrations, and the French Senate and Ministry of Culture. The primary themes of the conference were devoted to Genocides and Crimes against Humanity; The Consequences of Genocides; and The Prevention of Genocides: Obstacles and Dynamics for Action. Each of the three themes was further divided into particular topics. Opening addresses were made by Jules Mardirossian, president of `Le Collectif Reconnaissance,' and Jean-Jack Queyranne, former president of the Rhone-Alpes Region. For the session on the political consequences of genocide, Dr. Hovannisian was asked to speak on a topic that appeared in the program with the lengthy French title, `The Crime and Its State Denial Are the Foundations of the Successor State That Oppresses the Survivors and Nourishes Antagonisms: The Example of the Armenian Genocide and Kemalist Turkey.' In his presentation, Hovannisian traced the patterns of denial from the very beginning of the Genocide in 1915 through the forced exodus of the survivors and appropriations of Armenian goods and properties by the Kemalist regime in the 1920s. He analyzed the efforts of the Turkish state to deceive and to suppress memory of the crime, a campaign that has gone through several distinct phases and now continues into the twenty-first century. General and specific aspects of genocide and its prevention were addressed by the twenty-five conference participants, who included, among others, Roger Smith of the United States, Yair Auron of Israel, and Sevane Garibian, Janine Altounian, and Kevork Kepenekian of France. A powerful visual display, mounted under the direction of Daniel Meguerditchian, incorporated the crimes committed against the Armenians, Ukrainians, Jews, Gypsies, Cambodians, Tibetans, and Rwandans and other African peoples. While in Lyon, Professor Hovannisian also visited the newly-dedicated Armenian memorial in the heart of the city at the Place Bellecour. Designed by architect Leonardo Basmadjian, the monument includes thirty-six aesthetically-placed columns and a ground-level, gold-lettered stonework with a trilingual commemorative inscription in French, English, and Armenian: `In the memory of the 1,500,000 Armenians, who were exterminated by the `Young Turk' government during the years 1915-1918, and of the victims of all genocides and crimes against humanity.' 13) Element Band Wins 'Best Newcomer Album' at Armenian Music Awards LOS ANGELES--Element Band, one of the hottest emerging Armenian bands, received the "Best Newcomer Album of The Year" award at the 2006 Armenian Music Awards on May 25, for their CD "Yev O Phe" that debuted in March. Since its release, "Yev O Phe" has garnered a diverse mix of listeners that span three generations and successfully transcended the diverse musical tastes prevalent in Armenian culture. The arrangements are bold with the sounds of flamenco, tango, and Rembetika wafting in and out of performances of traditional Armenian songs, which are never forsaken to foreign sounds. Refusing to compromise Armenian melodies, Element nevertheless complements them with the use of the accordion, bouzouki, mandolin, classical guitar, violin, and the purity of the band's vocalists to serve up a compelling combination of fiery Mediterranean and hauntingly raw Armenian. Just as the Armenian alphabet incorporated the two additional letters o and phe during the Middle Ages to better incorporate European sounds, Element's Armenian compositions that incorporate the sounds of Europe and the Mediterranean, while remaining untethered, simply free... to be uniquely Armenian. Element Band can be heard in concert on Friday, June 16 at 8:00 PM at the Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. For tickets or information, call (818) 343-4757 or (818) 342-6624. Visit <;www.elementband .com for additional information. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Panorama.am
15:58 01/06/06

WAY TO EUROPE BY FIGHTING AGAINST ABUSE
Children exhibited their pictures at Khnko Aper library within the
framework of the project `Let’s build Europe with children and for
children.’ The exhibition was tilted `Violence against children in the
eyes of children.
`Looking at the pictures you can judge yourself what is the situation
in Armenia in relation to child abuse,’ EC Information Office Head
Siuzan MARUKHYAN said. The children also staged The End of the Evil.
The Council of Europe has announced children’s rights protection as
one of its major concerns in 2005-2008. /Panorama.am/

RUSSIAN PAPER VIEWS GUAM AS PEACEKEEPING RIVAL
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
1 Jun 06
The formation of a GUAM peacekeeping unit, which was announced
at the Baku meeting of CIS defence ministers, will put an end to
Russian peacekeeping operations in the CIS, a Russian newspaper has
predicted. The following is the text of the article by Sokhbet Mamedov
and Svetlana Gamova: “Hot Spots for Sale. Ukraine Suggests Setting Up
a CIS Peacekeeping Force As an Alternative to Russian Peacekeepers”
published by Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 1 June:
Russia will have to prove the effectiveness of its peacekeeping
contingent in the immediate future: Serious rivals have appeared in
the post-Soviet area. This became obvious at the latest 50th session
of the CIS Defence Ministers Council. On the eve of the session,
Ukrainian Defence Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko met with his Azeri
counterpart Safar Abiyev and expressed the need to set up a separate
peacekeeping unit within GUAM.
The Ukrainian minister’s statement caused a sensation. Moreover,
it was clearly aimed at weakening the positions of Russia, which
remains the main peacekeeping force in the CIS. It is the Russian
“blue helmets” who have been on peacekeeping missions in Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, and the Dniester region since the early 1990s. The
point is that the same morning Azeri Defence Minister Safar Abiyev
directly linked the viability of the CIS to the organization’s ability
to settle internal conflicts in the member states. The Ukrainian and
Azeri defence ministers’ statements became a kind of death sentence
on Russia’s peacekeeping missions and the entire CIS as a structure
performing mediator functions in the peaceful settlement of conflicts.
Moreover, all the indications are that the concept of setting up
GUAM’s peacekeeping force has already been prepared very thoroughly.
At any rate the Ukrainian minister mentioned in Baku the date for
the appearance of the new “blue helmets” in the post Soviet area:
around mid-June this year. According to Hrytsenko, the deputy chiefs of
the General Staffs of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova should gather
in Kiev around that time specifically to discuss the creation of a
joint peacekeeping subunit, its goals, and structures. It is easy to
guess under whose auspices it will be formed: Hrytsenko proposed to
his Azerbaijani counterpart that these issues be discussed in detail
in Brussels where, as we know, the NATO Headquarters is situated. All
organizational issues will be finally resolved in the fall during the
meeting of the GUAM member states’ defence ministers. The Ukrainian
minister said that the venue and date for the meeting will be set
during the course of work. According to Anatoliy Hrytsenko, the
GUAM peacekeeping force will fulfil its mission based on a UN or
OSCE mandate.
The Georgian and Moldovan defence ministers’ opinions on the plans
articulated by Anatoliy Hrytsenko are not known yet, for they did
not take part in the Baku session of the CIS Defence Ministers Council.
Meanwhile, Azeri Defence Minister Safar Abiyev expressed his attitude
to the Ukrainian minister’s statements very cautiously. According to
him, discussions on setting up the GUAM peacekeeping force have been
held for a long time now, but this issue is still in the development
phase. “When we arrive at the unanimous decision we will submit it
for the state leaders’ consideration following the defence ministers’
meeting,” Safar Abiyev pointed out. At the same time, he did not rule
out that should the peacekeeping subunit be formed, it could also be
deployed in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
Safar Abiyev also pointed out that the Azerbaijani people will never
put up with the occupation of their land and that “Azerbaijan will
use all its rights guaranteed by international norms to restore its
territorial integrity.” “It is time we took a categorical objective
stance: declared Armenia an aggressor and demanded that it observe
international norms and leave the occupied Azeri territory,” the
minister said.
We would point out that a peacekeeping force within GUAM set up at
Ukraine’s initiative would allow the states comprising the organization
(unsettled conflicts smoulder in three of them) to jointly cope with
the existing territorial problems. This will mean that Russia will be
automatically excluded from the peacekeeping effort in the former USSR.
Awareness of the consequences of the Ukrainian minister’s statement
urged Russian Federation Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov to respond.
He launched an attack and stated in Baku that Russian peacekeepers will
stay in the Dniester region until the Chisinau-Tiraspol conflict has
been resolved. “We are going to protect the artillery depots in the
Dniester region village of Kolbasna until a political solution to the
Dniester problem has been found,” Ivanov said at the press conference
following the CIS defence ministers’ meeting. According to Ivanov,
Russia cannot allow a situation where ammunition would fall into
terrorists’ hands. In addition to this, the defence minister pointed
out that peacekeeping subunits might be deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh
in the immediate future, because its problems are not being solved
in any way. Admittedly, the Russian minister did not specify whose
peacekeepers would be stationed in the Armenian-Azeri confrontation
zone.
As regards the GUAM peacekeeping force’s prospects, the countries
comprising the organization have the experience of international
peacekeeping operations in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Liberia.
Georgia is particularly experienced in this field: Its soldiers
serve in peacekeeping units in a number of hot spots and in the
Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.

TURKEY, ARMENIA HAVE HELD TALKS ON NORMALISING TIES: OFFICIAL
Agence France Presse — English
May 31, 2006 Wednesday 12:02 PM GMT
Diplomats from Turkey and Armenia have held exploratory talks since
last year in a bid to normalise bilateral ties poisoned by allegations
of genocide against Armenians during World War I, a Turkish foreign
ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
Three rounds of talks have been held so far between deputy
undersecretaries of the two foreign ministries “to determine whether
there is common ground on which to make progress with respect to
bilateral ties,” spokesman Namik Tan told a press conference here.
Preparations are under way for the next round of talks, he added.
Tan said Ankara is determined to pursue efforts to normalise relations,
but said Armenia too must do its part.
“Naturally, getting a result from these efforts would depend on
Armenia adopting a more flexible and constructive attitude, as well
as acting in line with international law in current bilateral and
regional problems,” Tan said.
Ankara has refused to set up diplomatic ties with Yereven since the
former Soviet republic gained independence in 1991 because of Armenian
efforts to secure international condemnation of the controversial
1915-1917 killings as genocide.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings during the last years of the Ottoman Empire,
the predecessor of modern Turkey.
Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and argues that
300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife
when the Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia
and sided with Russian troops invading Ottoman soil.
In 1993, Turkey also shut its border with Armenia in a show of
solidarity with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was at war with
Armenia over the Nagorny-Karabakh enclave, dealing a heavy economic
blow on the impoverished nation.
Ankara wants Armenia to both abandon its campaign for the recognition
of the massacres as genocide, and make progress in its dispute with
Baku before formal diplomatic relations can be established.
Tan explained that the recent talks were launched after an exchange
of letters in April 2005 between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Armenian President Robert Kocharian.
In initiating the correspondence, Erdogan proposed the creation of a
joint commission of historians to study the genocide allegations as
a first step towards normalising ties.
Kocharian accepted the Turkish proposal in principle, but underlined
that Ankara should first unconditionally normalise relations with
Yerevan.
Ankara is under pressure from the European Union, which it is seeking
to join, to re-open its border with Armenia, and has faced mounting
calls from EU countries to address the genocide allegations.
The Armenian massacres remain one of the most sensitive periods in
Turkish history despite a burgeoning debate among Turks on the issue.
Several Western countries have recognized the killings of that period
as genocide, much to Ankara’s chagrin.

ARMENIAN MFA DOES NOT DENY OR CONFIRM REPORTS ON ARMENIA-TURKEY SECRET TALKS
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.05.2006 16:36 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia does
not deny or confirm reports on secret meetings between diplomats of
Armenia and Turkey, acting Spokesperson of the Armenian MFA Vladimir
Karapetyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
“Armenian and Turkish diplomats contact at various levels,” he said.
According to Turkish sources, after the letter sent by Turkish PM
Erdogan to Armenian President Kocharian “three secret meetings” were
held between diplomats of those countries. “The latest round of talks,
was held under the auspices of the European Troika in Vienna in closed
regime,” the New Anatolian agency reports.

PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ADDRESS TO OMBUDSMAN
Panorama.am
14:03 31/05/06
Summing up his 100 days in office, human rights ombudsman Armen
Haroutunyan said that 770 complaints were received during that time,
550 of which in written form. “There are not many complaints from the
regions, only several dozens,” he said. He is, however, sure that the
low number of complaints from the regions is connected with technical
problems. It does not mean that people in the region have nothing to
compain on human rights.
In the words of the ombudsman, 3 months are not long enough to make
statistical analyses. So, he prefered to bring statistics after
6 months. However, he said almost half of the complaints are not
related to his authority. Therefore, they are just ignored.
A. Harutunyan also said that most letters do not address a specific
public official but name the structure in which he/she works. However,
the ombudsman assured that they send official letters to the mentioned
structures to solve the issues raised.

Boston Globe, MA
May 30 2006
Menino opposes Armenian memorial on Greenway
By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff | May 30, 2006
Placing a memorial donated by the Armenian-American community on the
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway would open the door to other groups
with causes and is “a dangerous precedent to start,” said Mayor
Thomas M. Menino.
Menino has joined a chorus of influential public officials and
others who don’t have a direct say in what gets built on the Greenway
— the city’s rainbow at the end of 15 years of urban disruption —
but have weighed in against the memorial.
Other opponents include Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy board
members, who have questioned whether the park corridor is an
appropriate location for a memorial.
“We could have 44 out there — what prevents that?” Menino said in
an interview. “It’s a dangerous precedent to start.”
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which oversaw the Big Dig and
is constructing the new parks, plans to install a park to be paid for
by the Armenian Heritage Tribute and Genocide Memorial Foundation.
The design includes a 12-sided sculpture recalling the 12 former
provinces of Armenia, a water jet and pool, and a 60-foot-diameter
labyrinth of paved granite and grass, symbolizing renewal and hope.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy told the Globe that the conservancy, a
nonprofit group organized to fund and maintain the emerging corridor
of downtown parks, should decide whether the memorial belongs there.
“The conservancy should try to make the judgment,” Kennedy said. The
senator suggested a moratorium on proposals for Greenway memorials,
similar to one that has been in effect since 2003 on the National
Mall in Washington.
The National Mall has now become home to 19 memorials or plaques,
while Greenway planners over the last decade have said they don’t
want to dot the new parks with commemorative monuments.
Kennedy’s suggestion for a moratorium is consistent with the wishes
of the 10-member board of the conservancy. At this month’s meeting,
chairman Peter Meade said the board hoped to go at least five years
before considering proposals for groups that want space on the
Greenway.
Menino said there could be another suitable place in Boston for a
small park that would recall the Armenian Genocide that began in
1915. “If there’s an alternate site, I’d be willing to work with the
Armenian community to put it there,” Menino said.
In 2000, the Legislature directed the Turnpike Authority to study
whether there was a place — the legislation did not specify where —
for a memorial to the Armenian Genocide.
James M. Kalustian, president of the board of about 45 religious and
cultural institutions that make up the Armenian heritage foundation,
said their proposal fits in with Greenway parks planned for the North
End and Chinatown.
“To say there’s no ethnicity on the Greenway, I don’t think that’s a
fair statement,” he said. But those two parks were conceived as both
public and neighborhood-oriented parks from the start, and unlike the
Armenian park will be located in largely ethnic neighborhoods.
The proposed park was shown publicly for the first time at a meeting
of North End and Wharf District residents last month, and Turnpike
officials made clear they plan to build it on a piece of land near
Christopher Columbus Park.
“It’s going there,” said Fred Yalouris, director of urban
architecture for the Big Dig. “The only question is the design, and
what the inscriptions are.”
Supporters, including state Representative Peter J. Koutoujian, say
that the park would display the names of accomplished
Armenian-Americans, as well as those of the former provinces.
Koutoujian and others have emphasized that the park will recall the
struggles of other groups as well as Armenians.
“It will be as universal in its message as possible,” Donald J.
Tellalian of Tellalian Associates Architects & Planners LLC of
Boston, the lead designer, said this month.
The park would cost about $4 million and is to be funded and
maintained by its sponsors. That would save the Turnpike and
conservancy considerable amounts of money.
But US Representative Michael E. Capuano, whose district includes the
North End and Chinatown sections of the Greenway, said he also was
concerned about fairness in the consideration of proposals by groups
representation.
“We should put every one of these projects under the same criteria,”
said Capuano, who joined Kennedy last week at the groundbreaking of
the Greenway park in Chinatown.

Unlock the door to history’s atrocities

Financial Times; May 26, 2006
By David Scheffer
In spite of the relentless march of modernity, war atrocities and
other human rights abuses of decades or even centuries ago continue to
stoke anger and conflict across the globe. Remarkably, this often
occurs among societies sharing common values and embracing
globalisation. Collective memory of atrocities holds a historical
death grip on so many peoples today that we desperately need a new
means to help victims and perpetrators understand the past.
Consider Serbia’s sad example, in which self-censorship in politics
and schoolbooks about atrocities continues to isolate the country. The
recent death of Slobodan Milosevic, former Serbian leader – before the
international court trying him could render a verdict – and Belgrade’s
subsequent failure to arrest Ratko Mladic, the indicted war criminal –
fuelled both anger and memories.
Is it any wonder that political reconciliation in the Balkans remains
fragile or that Bosnia still seeks validation of Serbian-inspired
genocide before the International Court of Justice?
Remarkably, this anger often occurs among societies sharing common
values and embracing globalisation. Consider Turkey. Kurdish riots
threaten to reignite a civil conflict plagued by too many denials of
past atrocities and present realities. Turkish officials have long
contested labelling the forced marches and mass killings of Armenians
by Ottoman authorities almost 100 years ago as “genocide”. Some
European nations demand that Ankara acknowledge genocide before
approving Turkey’s accession to the European Union. The recent defeat
of French legislation criminalising denial of an “Armenian genocide”
has intensified tensions. Turkey pulled out of Nato military
exercises after Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, publicly
described those events in Armenian history as “genocide”. Pride and
political agendas still divide Armenians, Turks and the western
alliance. Japan, meanwhile, although a trading empire, is at
loggerheads with South Korea and China (neither sporting clean human
rights records) over how to explain and acknowledge aggressive
criminal conduct before and during the second world war. Japanese
school textbooks have reached new levels of revisionism about past
atrocities. Officials dodge the truth. Junichiro Koizumi, prime
minister, annually visits the Yasukuni shrine honouring Japanese war
criminals, despite foreign protests. South Korea declassified
documents that purportedly demonstrate Japan’s culpability for crimes
against humanity committed during its years as an occupier. Seoul
insists that Tokyo assume responsibility.
Relations between Poland and Russia are strained, too, partly because
of the “reciprocal silence” underpinning memories of atrocities.
Baltic states are revisiting, with rising anger, the killings and
disappearances they endured under Soviet rule and in the second world
war. Latin American societies remain burdened with past human rights
outrages. Seeds have been planted to inspire decades of hatred and
tension between the Islamic world and the US. Bush administration
officials have seemed increasingly oblivious to allegations of torture
and abuse within foreign detention facilities since September 11 2001,
as well as to their own credibility gap on the invasion and occupation
of Iraq.
Civilian deaths under US firepower in Iraq and Afghanistan leave far
too many questions unanswered. In contrast, Washington occasionally
faces up to atrocity crimes committed long ago against its native and
ethnic populations, but redemptive acts havenot fully overcome
societal divisions.
Robert Zoellick, US deputy secretary of state, noting Sino-Japanese
tensions over the history of Japan’s colonial rule in Taiwan, said:
“One way to defuse some of the tension on both sides is to have what
is called in diplomatic parlance a ‘track two’ effort, perhaps have
historians of China and Japan, perhaps the US, too, examine the
historical situation in world war two and perhaps other periods as
well.”
Efforts similar to this have been attempted in various countries to
address post-atrocity tensions plaguing society. Scholars convene
conferences and truth commissions and accomplish much good work, but
their efforts are insufficient. Records established by the
international criminal tribunals remain remote and partial at best.
The internet with its global reach offers a powerful way to educate
people and compete with political demagoguery about atrocities. A
consortium of leading independent scholars across the globe should
collaborate to develop in cyberspace credible accounts of the facts
about atrocities, drawing on solid research but striving to avoid
intellectual gridlock. Each such historical account should be easily
readable and printed in relevant languages so that ordinary people,
particularly students, can learn from a trusted source, free of
distortion. Other sources on atrocities and contested views must not
be ignored, although it is important to remember that too much
information in too many places on the web means most people remain
ill-informed.
Japanese, Turkish and Serbian schoolchildren – among many others –
could use such a website to overcome their textbooks’ shortcomings.
Africans, as they gain internet access, could retrieve objective
accounts of the atrocities that have plagued their continent.
Competing websites and government efforts to block access would
challenge the endeavour. But the existence of a reputable website
might help ease tensions and discipline public officials by helping
understanding of precisely what happened in the dark past.
The writer, a former US ambassador at large for war crimes issues, is
a law professor and director of the Centerfor International Human
Rights at Northwestern University