Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Armenian leader congratulates Karabakh on Independence Day
Arminfo
1 Sep 05
Yerevan, 1 September: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today
congratulated the Nagornyy Karabakh people in connection with
Independence Day.
The Armenian president stressed in his address that independence
chosen by the Karabakh people is indestructible. This is proved by
the establishment of the army, state agencies and economic progress
in the republic.
“Armenia is a reliable home front for Artsakh [Nagornyy Karabakh]
and will always remain such,” Kocharyan pointed out, adding that the
Armenian authorities are doing everything possible to bring forward
a fair solution to the Karabakh problem without violating peaceful
settlement principles.
He also called on everyone to pay tribute to the memory of heroes
who gave up their lives in a war thrust upon Karabakh. Their memory
should be immortalized in a prosperous, peaceful and stable Artsakh,
the Armenian president pointed out.

VISITING US SENATOR DOES NOT EXPECT REVOLUTION IN AZERBAIJAN – TV
Zamina Aliyeva, Sehrac Azadoglu, ANS.
ANS TV, Baku
31 Aug 05
[Presenter] US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard
Lugar and Senator Barack Obama ended their visit to Azerbaijan today
[31 August].
[Passage omitted: reported details of the senators’ meetings with
Azeri leader and opposition representatives]
Lugar gave a news conference on the results of the visit. Lugar,
who is described as a grey cardinal behind the Orange Revolution in
Ukraine, said that he was expecting no revolution in Azerbaijan.
[Correspondent over video of news conference] The USA is concerned
about the composition of electoral commissions, the failure to
ensure that one person will cast one vote and the creation of equal
conditions for candidates in the mass media, US Senate Foreign
Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar and Senator Barack Obama
said after their meeting with the Azerbaijani opposition which was
held behind closed doors. At their news conference, the senators made
some other statements about the [6 November] parliamentary election.
Lugar said that they praised Azerbaijan. Lugar, who is believed to
have a special position in the implementation of orange revolutions
[as heard], also answered questions about the possibility of revolution
in Azerbaijan.
[Lugar in English, with Azeri voice-over] I do not stage revolutions.
I want the world to know me as a person bringing optimism. I expect
no revolution in Azerbaijan. I believe that fair and free polls will
be held. We learnt at the talks with opposition representatives that
the registration of candidates passed off without trouble. This must
be regarded as a step forward.
[Correspondent] Senator Lugar believes that the polls would be
undoubtedly fair if the instructions signed on 11 May by the president
[on improving electoral practices] is carried out, voters are not given
several voter ID cards, exit polls are held and international observes
are enabled to observe the voting process without obstacle. The
Nagornyy Karabakh problem was also discussed during the senators’
visit. Senator Lugar regarded as absolutely normal the allocation
of funds to Nagornyy Karabakh by the USA. He expressed the hope that
the conflict would be settled through talks.
[Lugar speaking in English, with Azeri voice-over] The USA allocated
humanitarian aid to Nagornyy Karabakh. We are trying to give equal
aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan every year. I can add that more aid
would be allocated to Azerbaijan within the framework of the Lugar
initiative programme and this will be added to funds which are to be
allocated to the country. We hope that the conflict will be settled
peacefully and regrettable consequences will be coped with.
[Correspondent] Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defended valiantly
his signing of the Armenians’ letter about the so-called genocide.
[Obama speaking in English, with Azeri voice-over] The letter was
full of historical facts about the killing of thousands of Armenians.
I express the position of the state which I represent. I think that
the killing of civilians is inadmissible.
[Correspondent] Commenting on the killing of hundreds of people in
Xocali [Armenian-occupied Azeri town], Mr Obama confined himself to
saying that he had information about that. The senators also touched
on the ongoing production of nuclear weapon by Iran and said that
this posed a threat to Azerbaijan as well. The guests expressed
their satisfaction with cooperation with Azerbaijan in the security
sphere and said that the two countries would start cooperation for
border protection.

Orhan Pamuk droht in der Turkei Haft wegen Aussagen zu Armeniern
Berliner Morgenpost
1 sept. 2005
Dem turkischen Schriftsteller Orhan Pamuk (53), der in diesem Jahr
den Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels erhalt, droht wegen
“offentlicher Herabsetzung des Turkentums” eine Haftstrafe von
bis zu drei Jahren. Die von der Staatsanwaltschaft im Istanbuler
Stadtbezirk Sisli erhobene Offizialklage werde am 16. Dezember vor
Gericht verhandelt, teilte sein turkischer Verlag gestern mit. In
einem Interview einer Schweizer Zeitung hatte Pamuk davon gesprochen,
daß in der Turkei “eine Million Armenier und 30 000 Kurden” getotet
worden seien. Mit dem Interview, das in einer Ubersetzung im turkischen
Nachrichtenmagazin “Aktuel” erschienen war, hatte sich Pamuk 90 Jahre
nach Beginn der Armenier-Vertreibungen im Osmanischen Reich heftige
Kritik national gesinnter Kreise zugezogen. dpa
–Boundary_(ID_VLDpfpqeTzLFGJYr5p+vUA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH NOVELIST UNDERGOES CIVIL SUIT
By Culture & Art News
Zaman, Turkey
Sept 1 2005
zaman.com
Public prosecution has filed a civil suit against the famous Turkish
novelist, Orhan Pamuk, for the “public denigration of Turkish
identity”.
The Sisli Office of Public Prosecution demanded a prison term of six
months to three years for the novelist who said in a Swiss newspaper
last March that, ” One million Armenians were killed in these lands
and nobody but me dares to talk about it.”
Pamuk will be judged with the 301/1 article of the Turkish Penal Code
(TCK).
Pamuk’s publisher, Iletisim Publishing, considering the novelist’s
deposition due to the inspection, announced there was no crime that
constituted the denigration of the Turkish society.
Since the claims did not constitute a crime according to article
301/final, the court already decided that there was no need for
prosecution on 1 July 2005, the publisher said.

PRESIDENTS OF LATVIA AND FINLAND TO VISIT ARMENIA
By Tatoul Hakobian
AZG Armenian Daily #154, 31/08/2005
Visit
The presidents of Latvia and Finland are going to visit Armenia till
the end of this year. Foreign minister of Armenia said that President
Kocharian will visit Belgium and another state.
Dmitri Rupel, OSCE chairman, will arrive in Armenia on September 5-6.
Vartan Oskanian will leave for Strasburg, Venice and Bologna in
September.
Kocharian Makes Remark to Oskanian
Vartan Oskanian confirmed that RA President made him a remark
concerning the recent incident connected with his son. Few days ago,
Mr. Oskanian’s son ran over a citizen who was taken to hospital with
injuries. Mr. Oskanian condemned himself for the incident again. In
response to the issue whether the Armenian authorities display
prejudiced attitude to Vartan Oskanian, Mr. foreign minister said:
“I am confused about the incident and concerned about the health of
Karen, the injured citizen.”

ACTIVE PHASE OF ANNUAL DUAL ARMENIA-RUSSIA TACTICAL MANEUVERS WILL TERMINATE ON SEPTEMBER 13
Krasnaya Zvezda, August 25, 2005, p. 3
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 29, 2005, Monday
That was declared by first deputy of the Armenian Defense Minister,
head of the general headquarters of the republican Armed Forces,
Colonel General Mikhail Arutyunyan. The maneuvers will take place on
Armenian Marshall Bagramyan’s polygon. In the tenth muster, according
to the words of Mikhail Arutyunyan, a motor-shooting regiment will
participate from the Armenian side, while soldiers of the 102nd
Russian military base will take part form the Russian side.

AN ADDITION TO ‘LEGAL BACKGROUND’
TDN
Monday, August 29, 2005
Opinion by Gunduz AKTAN
Gunduz AKTAN
In my article published on Aug. 23, I sought to explain the legal
background in the struggle against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)
terrorism. In this article I will focus on the fact that the Kurds
have already exercised their right to self-determination.
A group of people can exercise the right to self-determination only
once in history. Once this right is exercised, however, resorting to it
again and in a different manner is out of the question. The use of the
right to to self-determination generally requires the dismemberment
of countries and the emergence of new states as a result of long
and bloody wars. Exercising this right could so profoundly upset
international relations, regional peace, stability and security that
its repetition is not permissible. The only exception is persecution
bordering on genocide perpetrated on a group in a country where the
right to self-determination has been exercised.
I submit that the Kurds have exercised their right
to self-determination together with all people in Anatolia and
Thrace. There are two important documents on this issue. The first
is a declaration issued at the end of the Erzurum Congress (Aug. 7,
1919), forming the backbone of the Misak-ı Milli (National Pact).
The first article of this declaration states that “Trabzon
province, Samsun sanjak [a sub-province under Ottoman system] and
Erzurum, Sivas, Diyarbekir [the name of Diyarbakır in Ottoman times],
Elazıg, Van and Bitlis, which are known as the ‘Six Provinces,’
cannot separate from each other or secede from Ottoman territory for
any reason.” This article was aimed at preventing the creation of an
“Armenian homeland” in this region. But the document’s stipulation
that the region would not secede for any reason from the Ottoman
territory that is the Turkey of today is still valid.
Article 6 states that “We reject the concept of separating
individuals or human beings and dividing the land in regions that are
within the borders defined [by the Oct. 30, 1918 Mondros cease-fire
document], i.e., in Eastern Anatolia and at other areas inhabited by
the majority Muslim people.” Thus integrity of eastern Anatolia and
other regions was evaluated within the framework of the togetherness
of individuals or human beings rather than on the basis of the ethnic
or religious groups living in those areas.
Article 7 defines as “nationalism” the principle expressed
in Article 6, that is, not separating individuals or human beings
on the one hand and the land on the other. Therefore, what is being
defended was not a concept of nationalism based on two separate
nations but one on the basis of uniting individuals.
Article 8, after making a direct reference to the right to
self-determination, states that “our central government must
be subordinate to the national will” and that for that reason
“the national assembly must convene without delay.” Here, in its
most contemporary meaning, the right to self-determination would
be exercised through a national will that would be achieved at the
national assembly. Thus, including the Kurds, everyone who participated
in the deliberations of the assembly have become partners in the
exercise of that right.
In Article 9, while it was being said that the “Å~^arki Anadolu
Mudafaa-i Hukuk Cemiyeti” (Eastern Anatolia Association for the
Defense of Rights) is a union of people born out of the sufferings
and calamities endured by our country,” once again an emphasis on
the individual was made with the expression that “all Muslim citizens
are natural members of this community.”
Article 1 of the Misak-ı Milli (National Pact) adopted on Feb. 17,
1920 by the last Ottoman assembly in Istanbul has great importance for
our subject. Here it was pointed out that the Ottoman Muslim majority
living within the borders drawn up by the cease-fire form a unity
“religiously, racially and of origin.” Therefore, it underlined that
“All the regions [populated by these people] are an inseparable
whole that cannot be divided by force, de facto or de jure, for
whatever reason
The Turkish War of Liberation was waged and won on the basis of
these documents.
There is no reference in the two aforementioned documents that the
exercise of the right to self-determination was a bi-national one or
that it was realized by the regions and groups coming together.
There was an emphasis on the inseparability of the geography within
the borders drawn up by the cease-fire and the “individuals or
citizens” living in it, while territorial integrity is emphasized in
that context.
Nationalism was described as the inseparability of the individuals
or citizens and the integrity of the land.
The nation was made up of a Muslim majority that constitutes a
unity “religiously, racially and of origin.”
The right to self-determination was exercised through the national
will that manifested itself in the national assembly.
I don’t know whether in history there has ever been as clear a
description of nation and homeland that are still valid today and an
exercise of the right to self-determination as advanced and elaborate
as this.
–Boundary_(ID_fmklg/Bb8Tl53TG3L5HfOw)–

ARMENIAN CONFERENCE IN TURKEY WILL TAKE PLACE ACCORDING TO PRIME
MINISTER’S CHOICE, MILLIYET WRITES
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25. ARMINFO. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan expressed desire that the conference dedicated to “Armenian
Genocide” takes place before the October 3 negotiations with the EU.
Rector of Bosfor University, Professor Ayse Soysal made this
statement, the Turkish newspaper Milliyet reports.
According to the newspaper, as regards the postponement of the
scientific forum “Armenians in the period of collapse of the Ottoman
Empire” expected in May 2005 to September 23-25, interesting details
have been revealed. Recently Prime Minister of Turkey personally
informed Rector of Bosfor University that he is for the forum’s
organization. Erdogan thinks it will be useful if the forum starts
before the negotiations for admission of Turkey to the EU on October
3. To note, even Europe responded to the failure of the forum.
The source reports that Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of Turkey
Abulah Gyul has accepted the invitation by Rector of Bosfor University
to make a welcoming speech to the forum participants. Turkish
Spokesman Namek Tan addressed to journalists yesterday that Gyul
agreed to participate in the forthcoming forum. According to the
Turkish foreign minister, the forum and such events allow
demonstrating approaches inside and outside the country. “We shall not
refuse from presenting our conclusion openly. There is no sense to
avoid it like if we were guilty,” the minister thinks. At the same
time, Turkish Spokesman stated that in conformity with the effective
schedule, on the days of the forum the minister will be in New York
and probably he will not be able to participate in it.

REFERENDUM ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS TO BE CONCLUDED WITH “FLOWER”
REVOLUTION, ARSHAK SADOYAN THINKS
YEREVAN, AUGUST 24. ARMINFO. The referendum on constitutional reforms
in Armenia this autumn will be doomed to failure, followed by “flower”
revolution. Deputy of National Assembly of Armenia from the opposition
Justice bloc, leader of party Bloc of National Democrats Arshak
Sadoyan stated during news conference, Tuesday.
He reminded that his bloc has delivered an ultimatum to the authors of
the package of the amendments from the ruling coalition. According to
the ultimatum if no one out of 11 amendments proposed by the BND is
accepted, then the party will agitate for failure of the referendum,
by the way the deputy is ‘150%’ sure in that the ultimatum will remain
without a response. In this connection Sadoyan reminded that his
party organizes a rally in the square near Matenadaran. The whole
political elite – beginning from the ruling coalition to radical
opposition, as well as representatives of all the parliamentary
factions, foreign diplomats accredited in the Republic of Armenia,
special representative of CE Secretary General to Armenia and the head
of the OSCE mission are invited to the rally. “Let them go and say
what they like and what they don’t like in the package of the
reforms”, Sadoyan said.

SYSTEM’S FIERY SONGS `MEZMERIZE’ METAL FANS
By Dave Wedge
Boston Herald, MA
Aug 26 2005
Tony Danza and Frankie Avalon may seem worlds away from fiercely
political rock, but for System of a Down’s Daron Malakian, they were
perfect fodder.
The pair became an odd muse for the guitarist/songwriter after
he fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing baseball at Los Angeles’
Dodgers Stadium in a pseudo-celebrity game.
“I was just so weirded out. It was just a surreal situation,”
Malakian said, recalling his inspiration for the song “Old School
Hollywood.” “When I went home, no more than half-hour, I just shot
out that song.”
Like most tracks on the band’s latest platinum smash,
“Mezmerize,” the song is an uncompromising mix of Frank Zappa-esque
lyrics and punk-metal fury. And while many of their peers are whining
about lost love and broken homes, somehow System – which performs
tomorrow at the DCU Center in Worcester with fellow art-metallers the
Mars Volta – manages to morph ’50s teen singer Avalon’s name into a
catchy chorus. “I don’t put any walls in front of me when it comes
to things that inspire me,” Malakian said by phone before a show at
Miami Arena. “I write about my life.”
Though all four members of System are of Armenian descent, they
claim the Armenian connection is coincidence. Malakian grew up in
Hollywood, a disgusted spectator of the superficiality of the City of
Angels, an experience responsible for one of the album’s most intense
tracks, “Lost in Hollywood.”
“The L.A. persona is a bunch of people who never grew up in
L.A., who think they have to act a certain way. They aren’t usually
from L.A.,” he explained. “And that’s what `Lost in Hollywood’ is
about – me growing up watching it all. I’m really proud of that song.”
On “Mezmerize” and its forthcoming counterpart “Hypnotize,”
due out in November, Malakian takes over a large chunk of the
vocal duties from frontman Serj Tankian. But, Malakian explained,
it’s really not much of a change. When the band formed a decade ago,
Tankian was a keyboardist and Malakian was the frontman. Their vocal
chops, coupled with the band’s fiery, off-kilter style, puts them in
a category of their own.
“I think we play honest music. That’s a rarity these days in pop
culture or radio culture or mainstream,” Malakian said. “You don’t
have many bands playing honest music – music that is not produced
and cookie cut in the regular, corporate fashion just so it will be
marketed out like Pepsi.”
Their latest single, “B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs),” is
clearly anti-war, but it’s abrasiveness is softened by a disco-fied
chorus, played with a sarcasm casual listeners may miss. Its references
to the Iraq war are pointed, but Malakian said “it’s more of a social
statement, a class statement” than a political song.
“We’re just a band that looks at music as art,” he said. “We
don’t just look at it as `Let’s just play our guitars.’ We’re a
heavy band, but we’ve got emotional and light sides to our songs,
funny and sad. We don’t limit ourselves.”
And thanks to rabid grassroots support and relentless touring,
Malakian said, “We’ve seen some success without having to change
our ways.
“We’ve kind of stuck to our guns,” he said. “We’ve pretty
much done things our way and things fell in the right place at the
right time. With a little bit of luck here and a little bit of hard
work there.”
System of a Down plays tomorrow at the DCU Center in Worcester
with the Mars Volta and Bad Acid Trip. Tickets are $37.50-$45. Call
617-228-6000 or go to