Call on Laid Bomb Received at French Embassy in Armenia, Alarm Was False
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.07.2006 18:44 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A telephone call was received at the French Embassy
in Armenia July 27 afternoon, which reported a bomb was laid in the
building. Arriving there, policemen of Center community evacuated the
workers of the diplomatic mission. No explosive assembly was found
resulting from search. The Embassy continued work in its usual regime,
reports IA Regnum.
Torosyan Suggests Establishing EU Plenipotentiary Representation in Armenia
PanARMENIAN.Net
25.07.2006 13:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ July 24 Armenian Speaker Tigran Torosyan received a
delegation let by EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus,
Ambassador Peter Semneby, reports the Press Service of the Armenian
NA. When assessing the high level of EU-Armenia relations, Torosyan
underscored the need to strengthen the cooperation more. He remarked
that creation of a commission for cooperation with European structures
under the charge of the Armenian Speaker is another step by Armenia,
confirming the priority of European integration in the country’s
foreign policy. The Armenian Speaker suggested establishing an EU
plenipotentiary representation in Armenia.
As proposed by the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus,
T. Torosyan turned to the draft Election Code and arranging for the
parliamentary election in 2007. It was underscored that resulting
from a discussion of 40 proposals of the Venice Commission, the
political forces of the Parliament managed to reduce the number of
remarks causing differences, from 15 to 6-7. This will allow hoping
that in late August, during the discussion with participation of
Venice Commission the Electoral Code will take its final shape, fully
in line with European criteria. To hold free, fair and democratic
election Torosyan specially underscored the importance of forming
a favorable atmosphere between the authority leaning and opposition
political forces.
During the meeting the issue of establishment of the Individual
Action Plan was also discussed. Peter Semneby noted that Brussels
is well aware of Armenia’s serious approach to relations with the EU
and after a few clarifications the Plan will be adopted.
OVER 50 PEOPLE ARRIVE IN YEREVAN BY SPECIAL FLIGHT ARMAVIA
Yerevan, July 24. ArmInfo. Over 50 people arrived in Yerevan by
special flight of "Armavia" company from Israel. The company informed
that tonight they will carry out a regular Yerevan-Aleppo-Yerevan
flight to transfer all the citizens that want to return from Beirut
to Yerevan.
Letter to the New Republic
The New Republic
July 31, 2006
Golden Dole
Too bad we don’t have a Bob Dole handy right about now to push for
the Darfur intervention the editors demand ("Again, Part II," June
19). As much as I disliked the former Republican senator, he deserves
credit for forcing Bill Clinton to react to the genocide in the former
Yugoslavia. Dole was a World War II veteran who was wounded in Italy
trying to save his radioman. His heroism and battle injury earned the
interest of Chicago surgeon and Armenian genocide survivor Hampar
Kelikian, who operated on Dole for free. Kelikian told Dole of the
genocide and Dole became aware of that awful crime. Although he lost
the 1996 election, by pushing the issue of genocide in the Balkans,
Dole forced Clinton to act or risk defeat. We need another Dole in
the 2008 election.
Amanda Pollak Kensington, Maryland
Armenian MP happy about Iran’s position on Karabakh conflict
Ayots Ashkar, Yerevan
19 Jul 06
Excerpt from Vaan Vardanyan report by Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkar
on 19 July entitled "The Armenian-Iranian relations"
An interview with the leader of the RPA [Republican Party of Armenia]
parliamentary faction, Galust Saakyan. He commented on the results
of the recent visit of the Armenian parliamentary delegation to Iran.
[Correspondent] Mr Saakyan, what was the purpose of the visit of the
parliamentary delegation to Iran? Who did you meet there? What issues
did you discuss?
[Saakyan] Members of the Armenia-Iran interparliamentary friendship
group in the National Assembly visited Iran at the invitation of
the Iran-Armenia parliamentary friendship group. Its purpose was to
discuss the current state of our relations and prospects of them. I
do not remember any visit of the parliamentary delegations held at
such a high level. We had meetings at standing commissions of the
Iranian Majlis, met speaker of parliament, discussed wide-ranging
issues of mutual interest, including economic ones.
Naturally, we also met representatives of the Armenian community of
Iran and once again were convinced that Iran’s state policy towards
ethnic Armenians is very positive. Our Iranian counterparts emphasized
correct position of the Armenian community in relations with the state.
[Correspondent] What positive steps may be expected in development
of mutual relations in the near future?
[Saakyan] Both the Iranian side and we stressed that there were all
the grounds for the development of normal relations. We do not have
religious, ethnic, political or other disagreements which may create
extra problems for cooperation. This was general position of our
delegation although the opposition representatives were also involved
in it.
[Passage omitted: the names of the opposition representatives]
As for the prospects, the Iranian side thinks that the implementation
of all joint big projects are of great significance. They proved
once again that they are ready to complete the construction of the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline by the end of this year. The Iranian side
is concerned about the issue as we shall return consumed gas prices
with electricity which Iran needs today and Armenia has relevant
capacity. Iran is also concerned at transportation via the territory
of Armenia towards Georgian ports and then to Ukraine, western Russia
and Europe. We also discussed the importance of taking advantage of
Iranian communication system and using it for Armenia’s needs. Our
Iranian counterparts believe it is highly important if we create
normal legislative guarantees for the Iranian business in Armenia. Some
problems in the banking system should also be settled.
It was mentioned several times during the meetings that the documents
signed during the visit replenished the necessary legal and contractual
basis. At present wider prospects are being opened in the field of
economic relations.
In general, there is big unrealized potential in the Armenian-Iranian
relations which should be exploited.
[Correspondent] Did you discuss the Karabakh issue? What is Iran’s
current position on this issue?
[Saakyan] Iran’s position remains balanced and we think it is
normal. We discussed the issue and said that it was not the religious
conflict, and Iran sees the settlement only on the basis of mutual
agreements between the parties to the conflict. This is really an
impartial position if we take into account that anyway Azerbaijan is
a Muslim state.
But I should say that apprehensions over Azerbaijan are not so much
favourable in Iran. Over the meetings, our Iranian partners mentioned
that they watch Azerbaijan as a factor which may be used by the USA
to cause problems to Iran’s security.
Arab-Israeli Conflict Dangerous to Middle East Armenian Community
PanARMENIAN.Net
21.07.2006 16:54 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A few months will be necessary for attaining any
peace in the Middle East, Head of Hay Dat Office, ARF Dashnaktsutyun
Bureau Responsible for Foreign Policy Affairs Kiro Manoyan stated
in Yerevan.
In his words, preservation of Lebanon as an independent state is the
point. "In worst case Lebanon will face civil war: if relations between
Hezbollah and Lebanese exacerbate. Then the Armenian community will
have to leave the country. Unfortunately, our country cannot host that
number of refugees and they will probably go to the West. Moreover,
the current Arab-Israeli conflict is dangerous to Middle East Armenian
community," Manoyan stressed.
He also added that if the international community cannot stop Israeli
invasion, 20-25km of South Lebanon will be annexed. "This war is a
conflict between two branches of Islam, it is not another Arab-Israeli
conflict. The Iranian factor is present as well and it proves its
superiority over the US forces in Iraq almost every day," Manoyan said.
GREAT EIGHT LEADERS CALL FOR ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO
DISPLAY POLITICAL WILL FOR SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO
KARABAKH CONFLICT IN 2006
AZG Armenian Daily #135, 20/07/2006
According to G-8 site, the Great Eight leaders emphasized the
importance of agreeing about the basic principles for the peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan in 2006. The communique of Russia as the country in
chair of G8 Summit in St. Petersbourg as of July 15-17 stated about
this. "We confirmed that "Group of Eight" supports the mediatory
efforst of the OSCE MG and emphasized the importance of agreeing
about the basic principles for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2006. We call for
Armenia and Azerbaijan to display political will, achieve agreement
and prepare their peoples for peace and not for war," it is stated
in the communique.
By Nana Petrosian
Drawing Borders with Other People’s Blood: A Brief Comment on Ralph Peters’s ‘Blood Borders’
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
July 19 2006
By Barin Kayaoglu
Prominent novelist and author U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (Ret.)
has recently published a controversial op-ed in the Armed Forces
Journal titled "Blood Borders: How a Better Middle East Would Look."1
The piece caused a controversy among Turkish intellectual circles
to the point of re-examining the fundamentals of Turkish-American
relations and America’s motives in the region. The implications of
this controversy for the Middle East in general, and U.S.-Turkish
relations in particular, must be analyzed more closely.
To start off with the piece itself, Peters states that "international
borders are never completely just." The degree of injustice borders
inflict upon those who live there, he continues, makes the difference
between "freedom and oppression," "tolerance and atrocity," "the
rule of law and terrorism," and "peace and war." Without expressly
putting it, Peters seems to be telling the U.S. government that
whatever it does or does not do, the borders of the Middle East are
poised to change; Washington should act on this and take advantage
of the situation.
Peters advocates a re-adjustment of national borders and comes up
with a list that spares no punches: A separate Sunni Iraq, a Shia
Arab state (made up of southern Iraq, Iranian Khuzestan, and eastern
Saudi Arabia), secession of Iranian Azerbaijan and its merger with
the Republic of Azerbaijan, creation of "Greater Lebanon" from Syria’s
Mediterranean littoral, Armenia (finally) taking Mt. Ararat, uniting
Farsi-speaking parts of Afghanistan with Iran, the disintegration of
Pakistan, and last but not least, a Free Kurdistan (with territory
from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey). The panacea does not touch on
the critical Israeli-Palestinian conflict because, in Peters’s words,
it is "too intractable."
What was truly remarkable about "Blood Borders" was its reception by
Turkish intellectuals. Last week, veteran Turkish diplomat Gunduz Aktan
dedicated his entire column on Radikal to the Peters essay. Calling it
"unbelievable," Ambassador Aktan found it incredulous for a retired
American serviceman to advocate such a crude and impracticable idea.2
According to another Radikal columnist, Mehmet Ali Kýþlalý, who enjoys
an analytical outlook with Turkey’s military establishment, the article
was part of Washington’s "carrot-stick" policy toward Ankara. With
the July 5 declaration of "Strategic Vision and Structured Dialogue"
by the United States and Turkey, the Bush administration was extending
a "carrot." Peters’s work, according to Kýþlalý, was the "stick."3
That two very respectable Turkish observers have taken issue with
Peters needs scrutiny. Critical thinking is not to make judgments
forthwith, but first to question the matter at hand. It is necessary
to further scrutinize the meaning of "Blood Borders."
The worth of an idea is not really measured by its originality,
but by its compatibility with reality. In order to realize the
above-mentioned borders, the United States would have to expend so
much G.I. blood that it would make the current American casualties
in Iraq look like a pleasantry. It is highly improbable, to say the
least, for the disgruntled American public opinion to give the Bush
administration such a luxury after Iraq.
The United States, precisely because of the Iraq quagmire, is neither
in a condition to dictate terms in the region nor around the world.
The insurgency in Iraq would not be defeated and the Palestine-Israel
question seems anything but on a "road map." Meanwhile, North Korea,
Iran, and Venezuela conspicuously defy "Pax Americana" and easily
get away with it.
Specifically, and this relates to the reason why Turkey must not be
too frightened with the "Free Kurdistan" scenario, is that the Kurds,
be they Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, or Turkish, are not stupid. They
know the dire consequences of being perceived as "a second Israel"
in the Middle East. A state that is formed under the auspices of "the
imperialist West" will never have an easy time in the region after its
sponsor leaves. This is the reason why the Kurds are only going to rely
so much on the Americans. The leader of the autonomous Kurdish region,
Masoud Barzani, knows this better than anybody. It was his father,
Mustafa, who was abandoned by the United States in the 1970s as a quid
pro quo for Washington to thaw its relations with the Baathist regime.
This point ties to Peters’s lack of knowledge on Turkey’s Kurds.
While the "new map" happily gives an enclave to "Free Kurdistan" on the
Black Sea coast, had Peters been informed about Kurdish demographics
in Turkey, the proper provinces would be Adana and Mersin on the
Mediterranean, where they are in a majority, and not the Black Sea,
where they hardly reside.
Speaking of demographics and politics, it is apt to note that almost
half of Turkish Kurds live outside "Free Kurdistan" and are unlikely to
return if that country ever came about. As for their voting patterns,
even though comprising about twenty to twenty-five percent of Turkey’s
70 million population, Turkish Kurds hardly vote for Kurdish parties,
as evinced by these parties’ poor electoral performance.
Economically, Turkey’s Kurds do fairly well. The Ceylan and Toprak
corporations, owned and run by Kurds, have been around for so long
that nobody recognizes them as distinctly "Kurdish;" they simply do
not make news for that. People of Kurdish origin fill the ranks of
Turkey’s nascent middle class.
One last point about Kurds, who evoke Peters’s sympathy because
they "have endured decades of violent military oppression and a
decades-long demotion to ‘mountain Turks’ in an effort to eradicate
their identity." That most Kurds have migrated to western Turkey proves
quite the opposite: People always run in the opposite direction when
they are oppressed. During the 1990s, Turkey’s Kurds did not flee to
Iraq, Iran, or Syria. Instead, they chose Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir,
Adana, Mersin, and Bursa as their new homes.
Ralph Peters has always stood out as a very smart and original analyst;
he has said things as he saw them and said what others would not
say. Outspokenness is a virtue that is in dire need these days.
Unfortunately, Peters has not done a very convincing job with
"Blood Borders."
Some of Peters’s previous prophecies have already been invalidated.
Three years ago, after the fall of Baghdad and President Bush’s
announcement that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended,"
Peters published "Au Revoir Marianne…Auf Wiedersehen, Lili Marleen:
The End of America’s European Romance" at the Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung.4 In that article, Peters pronounced the death of Europe’s
strategic significance (at least that of "Old Europe") for the United
States. In just three years, with the United States relying on the
P5+1 initiative over the nuclear crisis with Iran and with increasing
U.S. support for Turkey before and during every major EU-Turkey summit,
it is safe to say that this prediction has been proven inaccurate.
Recently, Peters refuted the claims that there was a civil war brewing
in Iraq, after the bombing of the al-Askari mosque in Samarra last
February. His New York Post op-ed of March 5, 2006 was titled as a
reference to a teenage comedy of a similar name (Dude, Where’s My
Car).5 "I’m looking for the civil war," Peters had said, "and I just
can’t find it." In the past four months, many Iraqis have not been
that fortunate.
If the new American grand strategy of bringing peace and prosperity
to the Middle East through democratization has any hope of success,
the answer is not cropping up new states, but working with the ones
at hand. Only a unified/federal Iraq can bring true peace to the Iraqi
people, including the Kurds. A "Free Kurdistan" would never be free –
it would be choked upon birth, exacerbating region-wide strife.
Only a peaceful, democratic, and secular Turkey can legitimize U.S.
policies in the region. For if neutrals and adversaries regard U.S.
policies as damaging to an ally like Turkey, the United States will
never be able to gain their confidence.
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, a well-functioning Turkish-American
partnership may be the world’s "last best hope." It is critical for
Turks and Americans to realize this sooner rather than later.
–Boundary_(ID_yKJn22DNK9Es0kFqCea4HQ)–
System of a Down stays left of center
By Alan Sculley Weekender Correspondent
sleader/entertainment/15071168.htm
Posted on Wed, Jul. 19, 2006email thisprint this
System Of A Down’s 2001 CD, "Toxicity," was a huge victory for fans
of adventurous music. The album stretched the boundaries of hard rock
and heavy metal, employing frenetic stop-and-start beats, crunching
guitars and offbeat and hyper vocals to create a sound that careened
from moment to moment, yet somehow was both catchy and stirring.
The chaotic, left-of-center sound was hardly a recipe for mainstream
success, yet that’s exactly what "Toxicity" became. A multi-platinum
seller, the CD debuted at number one on the "Billboard" magazine
album chart and spawned four hit singles, including the chart-topping
"Aerials."
With the prospect of even bigger success within reach, many fans
undoubtedly wondered if System Of A Down would rein in some of
the unpredictable and unconventional tendencies that characterized
"Toxicity." But to hear guitarist/singer Daron Malakian tell it,
fans never had anything to worry about when it came to the band’s
next project, the release of two CDs, "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize,"
just six months apart last year.
As the band’s chief songwriter, Malakian is clearly driven not by
financial reward, but by his creativity.
"That’s what makes you wealthy, man, not money," he said in a recent
phone interview from his home base of Los Angeles. "Money doesn’t
bring me happiness. We’ve done well. I’ve bought myself a house and a
car and stuff. That stuff doesn’t bring me happiness. For me it’s all
about the next song or taking what I’ve done to another level. That’s
what gets me high."
System Of A Down have been following their unique musical path since
1994, when Malakian and singer/keyboardist Serj Tankian – who had
started a group called Soil the year before – added Shavo Odadjian
on bass and changed the band name to System Of A Down. Drummer John
Dolmayan came on board in 1996, and two years later, after landing
a deal with American Recordings, the band released their self-titled
debut CD, followed by "Toxicity" in 2001.
> > From the start, Malakian said, he and Tankian (who shares lyric
writing duties in the band and is heavily involved in helping shape
the final form of the songs) put musical development as their number
one priority.
"When we were a club band, we always used to say ‘Man, if we ever
see success, we’d like to open doors for other people, to push the
boundaries and fully contribute something to art, to music, that is
going to help it evolve instead of doing stuff for the sake of money or
doing stuff for the sake of being popular or whatever," Malakian said.
Given that mindset, it’s no surprise that the members of System Of
A Down, who have announced they will go on an extended hiatus after
headlining this summer’s Ozzfest tour, kept musical growth as a key
goal for "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize."
"We wanted to make a record that was a success beyond where we were
at," Malakian said. "All of my favorite bands evolved, and I really
wanted our band to evolve, and so did Serge. We were just focused
on not repeating ourselves, not putting out (another) ‘Toxicity,’
not doing the same things all over again. So yeah, we were pushing
it a little bit."
Malakian and his bandmates can consider that mission accomplished,
as both "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" went straight to number one on
"Billboard’s" album chart upon their releases. Both CDs are every
bit as daring and difficult to categorize as "Toxicity."
"Mezmerize" is the more approachable of the two albums, with many of
the songs being even more melodic than the group’s past work. Songs
like "Revenga," and "Violent Pornography," and "Radio/Video,"
in particular, feature soaring vocals from Tankian and Malakian,
plenty of catchy instrumental riffs and other nifty sonic twists.
"Hypnotize," has its melodic songs as well, including "Dreaming" and
"Kill Rock ‘N Roll," but overall is a bit more chaotic musically.
At the same time, System Of A Down has not softened their sound. Just
note "B.Y.O.B.," the popular first single from "Mezmerize." That track
opens with pummeling guitars and an unhinged screaming vocal before
shifting into hookier, but still hard-hitting territory. "Vicinity
Of Obscenity," from "Hypnotize," is full of sudden twists and turns
in melody, rhythm and even the vocals.
Malakian, who wrote most of the music for "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize,"
pushed out material at a voluminous rate for the new CDs. In fact,
he wrote so many songs that for a time System Of A Down considered
making the new record a double CD.
In the end, the band opted to split the material into separate
single-disc sets, with "Mezmerize" to be followed by "Hypnotize."
"As a writer I kind of go crazy," said Malakian. "I even had like at
least 20 or 30 more songs to bring into the band. But we had to stop
and get into the studio at some point. I mean, what I do is I write a
lot of songs, just a lot of stuff, and hopefully pick the best out of
the bulk. There are so many things that I still didn’t bring into the
band that probably could have made the record. So it’s not unusual,
though. That’s just the way I work."
NDU, ZHARANGUTIUN AND A NUMBER OF OTHER FORCES INITIATE NON-ELECTORAL CIVIL MOVEMENT
YEREVAN, JULY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Democratic Union (NDU),
the Zharangutiun (Heritage) and a number of other parties initiate
public civil movement. As NDU Chairman Vazgen Manukian informed the
July 18 press conference, the initiators will come up with a statement
in the coming days.
According to Manukian, the movement will be non-electoral and the
parties involved in it will be able to take part in the parliamentary
elections in any bloc. According to the speaker, formation of such a
structure has a goal to put aside the ideological difference and to
solve an important problem, to return the power to the people. "We
think the main problem of Armenia is to return the power to the
people and for this the people should consolidate," the NDU Chairman
emphasized. According to him, the society should be organized
irrespective of the fact, what political force will come to power.
Manukian affirmed that in democratic counties "it is up to the people
to decide." He said that huge sums are spent in the West not to bribe
people but to convince them but the final choice is made by the people.