Author: Karagyozian Lena

ONE FAMILY SCARRED BY GENOCIDE
By Peter Reuell, Daily News staff

MetroWest Daily News, MA
Oct 21 2007

ARLINGTON – For Kevork Norian, the question of whether the mass
killing of Armenians after 1915 should be acknowledged as a genocide
isn’t one of righting the historical record, or musty academic debate.

For Norian, the genocide was frighteningly personal.

Norian, 89, and born at the end of World War I, was one of thousands of
Armenians whose families were caught up in what would later be called
the Armenian genocide, in which more than 1.5 million Armenians were
killed and thousands more forced from their homes.

"My name is Kervork Norian and I am a survivor of two genocides,"
the Arlington resident said this week, from a couch in his living room.

"How did I survive? My father was in manufacturing clothing. When
the Turks entered the war (World War I) they drafted two million
soldiers, and they need clothing, so they took my father…and the
families of those draftees were exempt from deportation. So that’s
why we survived."

Though recognized by most scholars and historians as meeting the
traditional definition of genocide, the killings have returned to
the headlines in recent months.

Earlier this year, Watertown officials pulled out of an Anti-Defamation
League program due to the organization’s refusal to recognize the
killings as a genocide. Watertown has a large Armenian population.

The question of whether to recognize the genocide has in recent
weeks erupted into an international controversy, as Democrats push
ahead with a bill to recognize the genocide, while Turkish officials
threaten to withdraw their support for the U.S. military in the region
if the bill passes.

For Norian, though, the killings remain intensely personal.

At the end of World War I, the Turkish government began the forced
deportation of thousands of Armenians to the desert of Syria, where
they lived in what essentially was a refugee camp.

"So we settled in Syria, and lived a refugee life, that was (the)
second genocide," he said of the forced relocation of Armenians to
the Syrian desert.

Norian’s entire family – seven people – was forced to live in a small,
one-room shack, in an area where there was one toilet for every few
hundred people.

The conditions were so bad, he said, his grandmother was killed by
cholera which was spread through the water.

"But somehow we survived," he said. "I was five years old when we
moved to Syria, and we remained there until 1964, and then we came
to the United States.

"We were welcomed in the United States, we were accepted. We were
treated with respect and dignity. I say, ‘Thank You, USA for saving
us from this hell."’

To see the killings again go unrecognized, Norian said, is as if they
are being committed all over again.

"This is another genocide," he said. "They are not recognizing what
happened. Americans say they are for justice and human rights, but
when it comes to recognizing it, they are denying it.

"We suffered so much, and our wounds will not be healed until the
world recognizes it. We are not asking more than that."

PRICE OF BREAD MAY CONTINUE TO RISE

KarabakhOpen
21-10-2007 18:55:04

Yesterday Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan held a consultation on
the price of bread and other products. Relevant officials and bread
producers participated in the consultation.

According to the prime minister, the government will make efforts to
relieve the consequences of the soaring price of bread. A commission
had been set up which released the results of the research, stating
that the price of 1 kg of bread went up by 20-40 drams due to the
rise of the price of flour.

It was mentioned that the prices grew proportionally. Already 50 kg
of flour costs 11,500 drams, and there is no guarantee that it will
not continue to go up. Meanwhile, it means that the situation will
not improve until the next harvest. "We cannot keep the price of
wheat low because the producers of wheat are also our citizens and
they also want to benefit.

Therefore, we need to seek for other mechanisms," Ara Harutiunyan said.

The prime minister proposed increasing the volume of production of
bread in big amounts enabling to save electric power and to cut the
mark-up. It may be of help.

According to bread producers, the mark-up of a small loaf is 10 drams,
a big loaf 20-30 drams. The prime minister instructed the owners of
shops that the mark-up of any kind of bread should not exceed 10 drams,
and the price should depend on the weight of the loaf.

The prime minister instructed the commission to study the daily amount
of bread produced in the capital and the regional centers.

The head of the government did not rule out subsidy as a means to
keep the price of bread low.

Attleboro Sun Chronicle, MA
Oct 20 2007

Smells like Bush bashing

By Jim Hand
Saturday, October 20, 2007 12:38 AM EDT

Congressional Democrats may have outsmarted themselves by resorting
to hardball tactics over a children’s health care program.

Democrats are promising to hold the line and not compromise with
President Bush on the issue, even though the House upheld his veto of
an expansion of the program known as S-Chip.

The public is overwhelmingly supportive of the Democratic efforts to
make the coverage available to more children who lack health
insurance, but Democrats have been unable to deliver.

By overplaying their hand, Democrats look like they are more
interested in bashing Bush than getting a bill passed.

A massive advertising plan did not convince a single House Republican
to change his or her vote on the bill.
ADVERTISEMENT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again seems unable to get anything
done, even when the public is behind her. This comes on top of the
fiasco with Turkey over the Armenian genocide resolution, the
inability to get spending bills passed, the waffling over domestic
spying and Democratic futility on the war in Iraq. No wonder the
congressional approval rating has dumped to 11 percent.

Backing Obama, Biden

Sen. Hillary Clinton appears to be pulling away from the competition
in the race for Democratic nomination for president, but that has not
deterred Massachusetts politicians from throwing their support behind
those trailing in the polls. Gov. Deval Patrick will announce with
some fanfare next week that he is backing Sen. Barack Obama.

Earlier in the week, state Sen. James Timilty showed his support for
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, but with a lot less hoopla. Timilty, D-Walpole,
escorted Biden around the Statehouse, introducing him to other
Democrats.

Timilty, who represents part of the Attleboro area, said he has been
a longtime admirer of Biden, D-Delaware, and supports him despite his
low position in the polls.

A surprise for Dems

Massachusetts Democrats are still trying to figure out why a special
election Tuesday for a congressional seat in the Lowell area was so
close. Democrat Niki Tsongas won by a 51-45 percent margin over Jim
Ogonowski.

Tsongas seemed to have all the advantages in a strongly Democratic
district, but only won by six points. She had name recognition from
her late husband, Paul Tsongas, who once held the seat.

She had a money advantage, having raised $2 million compared to his
$460,000. She also had help from national Democrats.

Most of all, she had the gift of President Bush’s unpopularity and
the advantage of being on the popular side of issues like the war in
Iraq and health care for children.

Some believe Ogonowski kept it close through the force of
personality, his military background and the fact that he lost a
brother in the 911 attack. Others said Tsongas was hurt by the
perception that she was banking on her husband’s name and she was
something of a carpetbagger, having moved back into the district just
before the election.

Regardless, Ogonowski’s loss is a missed opportunity for
Massachusetts Republicans, as Tsongas will only get tougher to beat
as she settles into office.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. His commentaries
appear in this space on Saturdays. Contact him at 508-236-0399 or at
[email protected]

ARMENIAN GDP GROWS BY 13.2% IN FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-September 2007, Armenian
GDP grew by 13.2% on the same period of 2006 and made 2 trillion 16
billion 623.2 million drams (over 5 bln 755 mln USD). The
index-deflator of GDP made 103.9%.

According to the National Statistical Service of the RA, industrial
production grew by 2,1% in Armenia in January-September 2007 on the
same months of 2006 and made 509 bln 443.1 mln drams, industrial
production without diamond production grew by 8.3% to 505 bln 695.3 mln
drams.

The gross agricultural output increased by 8.3% to 417 bln 791.4 mln
drams, construction – by 18.3% to 418 bln 669.6 mln drams, retail trade
– by 9.8% to 584 bln 372.2 mln drams, while services – by 16.9% to 391
bln 245.1 mln drams.

Armenia’s foreign trade increased by 38.6% to 3 bln 30 mln USD as
compared with January-September 2006. Exports grew by 22.8% to 835.4
mln USD, imports – by 45.7% to 2 bln 194.6 mln USD. Foreign trade
without diamond trade grew by 50.1% to 2 bln 790.3 mln USD, exports –
by 37.2% to 717.2 mln USD, while imports – by 55.1% to 2 bln 73.1 mln
USD.

Consumer prices rose by 3.8%, whereas industrial production prices fell
by 0.4% in January-September 2007 on the same months of last year.

Monetary incomes of the population increased by 25.5% in the first nine
months of 2007 on the same period of 2006 and made 1 trillion 399
billion 774.8 million drams, while monetary expenses grew by 23.9% to 1
trillion 348 billion 24.8 million drams. The average monthly salary
made 74.028 thousand drams (20.5% growth), including that of budgetary
institutions’ employees – 53.343 thousand drams (22.2% growth) and of
nonbudgetary institutions’ employees – 92.63 thousand drams (19.4%
growth). The average exchange rate of a US dollar made 350.41 drams in
January-September 2007, while in the whole year 2006 this rate made
416.04 drams.

The number of officially registered unemployed made 80.5 thousand in
Armenia in late September 2007, declining by 1.9% as compared with the
respective index of last year.

MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO VISIT THE REGION OCTOBER 24-27

armradio.am
17.10.2007 16:55

October 17 in Paris RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with the
French and Russian Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier
and Yuri Merzlyakov, MFA Press and Information Department informs.

Discussed were issues concerning the forthcoming visit of the
Co-Chairs to the region October 24-27, as well as some questions
the mediators may raise during the meetings with the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

WHEN HILDA CHOBOIAN ARRIVES IN KARABAKH

KarabakhOpen
16-10-2007 12:08:06

Strange things are happening in Karabakh after the presidential
election. It became known that Armenia Fund is likely to set up an
office in Stepanakert.

The fund was created 10 years ago and has implemented large-scale
programs in Artsakh but never thought about setting up an office. What
is the reason, and why did the fund suddenly decide to set up an
office in Karabakh after the election of Bako Sahakyan?

Armenia Fund and the government of Karabakh had controversies not
a long time ago. The relationship between the Lincy Foundation
and the Karabakh government were not smooth either. The foundation
refused to cooperate with the Karabakh government despite the immense
potential. Immediately after Bako Sahakyan’s election he met with
the vice president of the foundation Harut Sasunyan in Yerevan.

After the Karabakh election the Moscow-based Armenian businessmen have
also become active. In fact, every day we hear news about one Russian
businessman or another supporting the renovation of a hospital,
construction of a house, and so on. Meanwhile, all the Armenians
of Russia did earlier was monuments in their native villages. Now
Ara Abrahamyan, the president of the Union of Armenians of Russia,
says to build a residential area for the army personnel.

Why did the Armenian Diaspora keep away from Karabakh, who impaired
the Diaspora’s activities? The next thing could be the visit
of Hilda Choboian who coordinates the Armenian organizations in
Europe. The second congress of the Armenians of Europe opened on
October 15. After the congress the leader of Armenians in Europe
could arrive in Karabakh.

TIRANA’S KORRIERI BRINGS BAD LUCK TO TEHERAN
by Ardian Ndreca

55 Pesedhjetepese Newspaper
Oct 10 2007
Albania

Last Sunday, on 7 October the Korrieri newspaper published a strange
interview with the Iranian Ambassador to Tirana, in which the Tehran
representative sang his government’s praises and listed its successes.

In the morning of the following day, in the Tehran University campus
several hundred students met Mr Mahmud Ahmadinezhad with whistles
and calls: Death to the dictator, Ahmadinezhad is like Pinochet,
and so forth.

This shows that Korrieri is a bird of bad omens.

Certainly, we have fresh memories of the statements by ambassadors
of former communist Albania, who lauded to the skies the successes
of Enver Hoxha [former Albanian communist dictator] and his clique,
making them the laughing stock of the whole world which knew the sort
of rascals they and those who ordered them from Tirana were.

The whole world, including those who put their microphones and their
newspaper columns at the disposal of the Iranian obscurantist dictator,
had a fit of laughter that day.

It is not the first time that this has happened with Ahmadinezhad.

The world press and international organizations know that he and
his regime have little familiarity with freedom, but the Korrieri
journalist – a poor fool! – was not aware of it as none of his
questions dealt with the essentials of Iran’s position in the world.

For his part, the ambassador proved to be an utter ignoramus as he
was unable to avoid even the commonest of traps. So unaware was he
of the real state of things as to declare that it was no problem for
Iran if Albania joined the European Union, but ultimately he woke up
to the reality when he was asked whether Berisha backed Iran’s nuclear
policy, or whether Bush’s Albanian visit created a problem for Iran.

We learned little about the vilayet [province] the journalist came
from.

Certainly, it is ridiculous for a Persian diplomat to be checkmated
by an ordinary newspaperman, but as a Latin saying goes, ‘mala tempora
current’ [we live in bad times].

However, the truth is rather different.

Iran tortures and kills old and young alike for such ‘crimes’ as
unseemly dress, indecent painting (of women, not walls), or opposition
to the policy of the pasdaran [Iranian revolutionary guard corps];
Iran kills the Kurds and other ethnic minorities for political motives;
Tehran’s legislation is reminiscent of the Middle Ages; in Iran there
is no freedom of the press or speech; public and secret torture is
applied there, and amputations are normal penalties; women enjoy no
rights: their existence is worth half of men’s, they can inherit only
half of what otherwise would belong to them. According to Hoseyn Ali
Montazeri, a Khomeini follower, in 1988 criminal fanatics hanged some
Iranian women after torturing and raping them.

As Amir Taheri noted in the Wall Street Journal, a wave of terror,
the most savage since 1988, is sweeping over Iran now. It has some
150,000 people sitting in its prisons, and Ahmadinezhad has issued
orders to build 33 new ones.

Korrieri stays silent about all these monstrosities, because perhaps
it does not know of them, but it does know – as one gathers from the
interview – that Persian was the second language in Elbasan some 200
years ago.

The wretched journalist might have asked the ambassador what punishment
would have been meted out to Omar Khayyam if he was alive, as the poet
sang to wine and women: would he have been shot, or hanged, or simply
given 50 lashes? Or he might have asked how come that Persia was the
second language in Elbasan and then why it was no longer used. This
is rather surprising, since until the 20s and the 30s some 90 per
cent of Albanians were illiterate, so one is prompted to ask where
on earth these illiterates learned Persian 200 years ago.

We understand full well the malice of both the interviewers and those
who stand behind him. And although we have been among those few who
have asked Mr. Berisha to leave the Islamic Conference for good,
the hypocrisy of the political force which Korrieri represents is
disgusting.

The ‘comrades’ clung to power from 1997 to 2005, enriched themselves
to unimaginable proportions, but did not take the trouble to get
Albania out of the Islamic Conference.

In those days the Tirana government was some sort of a filial of the
Athens government, but it did not say a single word about Iran. All
of us know those interested in presenting Albania as being linked to
Iran and other states like it.

Our neighbours, who have not yet been able to free themselves of their
primitive feelings, want us to look like dangerous barbarians as much
as possible and they are ready to pay for that. The Albanian market
is full of people who, regardless of their little worth, are ready
to sell themselves. These can be found in the left-wing parties,
but a lot of them can be found in the right-wing parties too.

Certainly, it was no coincidence that the Turks seized a ship laden
with weapons a sovereign state such as Albania had sold to Armenia.

Only a poor fool can mistake Azerbaijan for Albania and hence consider
the selling of weapons to Armenia unacceptable.

Still – let us repeat – Korrieri was a bird of bad omen for the
Iranian regime. Before giving an interview, an Iranian ambassador
must put some dry garlic in his pockets for luck, at least to cover
up the heavy smell of hypocrisy.

However, if the democratically-minded youth of the noble Indo-European
people of Iran continue what they have already started, I am afraid
the ambassador of the Iranian dictatorial regime will no longer give
us the pleasure of reading his interviews full of deep learning and
supposed Attic salt.

TURKEY SHOULD NOT ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE

Gulf News, United Arab Emirates
Oct 15 2007

Hot heads in Ankara need to cool down. They could very well be on
to another regional conflict whilst another ugly one has yet to
be sorted out. Turkish troops continue shelling Iraqi border areas
where Turkish Kurd rebels have reportedly set up bases. The Turkish
government is also seeking a parliamentary approval for a military
incursion into northern Iraq, where an estimated 3,500 rebels of the
separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are based.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said political pressure,
mainly from close ally the United States, would not deter Ankara from
sending troops into northern Iraq as he believes Turkey has no other
option to resolving the issue militarily because neither Washington
nor Baghdad are helping out.

Turkey has not bothered to explore "other options" and will shoot
itself in the foot if it continues to pursue a military solution.

Ankara should remember that none of its military offensives over
the past decade in Iraq has succeeded in eliminating the rebels. Why
would another one be any different?

On the contrary, the political efforts being invested by the Turkish
government in the past three years to win the hearts and minds of
its Kurdish minority in the southeast will be doomed if the military
campaign becomes again "the" option to resolve a complicated issue.

The Iraqi government is facing its first real test of regional politics
in the post-Saddam era. It walks a fine line as its foreign policy
is mostly defined by the US. The perplexity stems from the fact there
was no significant provocation from the PKK to the national security
of Turkey. The odds are that Ankara is using the Kurdish issue to hit
back at its Nato ally for the recent vote by Congress to recognise
the genocide of Armenians in the early 20th century. And Iraq is being
used again to settle regional scores. And that is dangerous for both
Turkey and its Arab neighbour.

FIRST PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA MAY ANNOUNCE HIS PARTICIPATION IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TOMORROW BY UNCONFIRMED DATA

ArmInfo, Armenia
Oct 15 2007

ArmInfo. First president of Armenia may make an official statement
about his participation in the February presidential election by some
unconfirmed information. A source close to an opposition party not
supporting the ex-president told ArmInfo.

The Armenian Pan National Movement refused to comment on the
information. Head of the ex-president’s office Avetis Avakyan told
ArmInfo he has no relevant information.

On October 16 the supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosyan are to call
a conference devoted to the first presidential election in the
independent Armenia in 1991, when Levon Ter-Petrosyan was elected
president.

GESTURES ARE FINAL WARNING TO U.S.

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 15 2007

Turkish leaders hope a series of "gestures" will be enough to block
a resolution labeling the 1915-1917 massacres of Armenians a genocide
from going to a full vote in the US House of Representatives.

Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy returned home on Saturday for
consultations but will be back in Washington by next month, sources
say.

Sensoy’s "recall" to Ankara should be seen as a protest against the
adoption of the resolution by the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Turkish government sources said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made it clear that she will submit
the bill to a full vote, despite Turkey’s staunch opposition.

Turkey is trying to demonstrate that "we are not bluffing," a senior
Turkish government source told The New Anatolian. "The resolution
runs contrary to the strategic ties forged with the United States
and we must make the Americans understand this," he said.

Ankara strongly criticised the committee’s vote on Wednesday, saying
it was "unacceptable that the Turkish nation be accused of a crime
it never committed."

It is now trying to limit the damage with a series of diplomatic
measures, such as cancelling joint military exercises and official
visits, to prevent the bill being adopted by the House. The first
move was to call back Turkey’s ambassador in Washington, Nabi Sensoy,
on Thursday.

The Turkish-American Business Council which was supposed to meet in
Washington next week has been cancelled. State Minister Kursat Tuzmen
who was supposed to be attending the meeting and also hold official
talks in Washington also cancelled his trip.

Earlier, the military announced the planned visit of Navy Commander
Admiral Metin Atac to the U.S. was cancelled.

As the Turkish gestures started to unfold the White House moved to ease
Turkish anger. It sent two top government officials to Turkey Saturday.

"We thought it would be very good idea for two senior officials to go"
to Turkey, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Moscow
from where the two officials including a former U.S. ambassador to
Turkey were sent.

"We are certainly working to try to minimize any concrete steps
the government might take, such as restricting the movement of our
troops," said Rice, who along with U.S. President George W. Bush
opposed Wednesday’s resolution.

"I am hopeful we can prevent that," she added.

The officials – Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman,
a former U.S. ambassador to Ankara, and Assistant Secretary of State
for European Affairs Dan Fried – met on their arrival in Turkey with
Ertugrul Apakan, the undersecretary of foreign affairs.

Edelman told reporters as he arrived at Ankara airport that the U.S.

officials’ visit was to express regret for the resolution being
passed. The two had been accompanying Rice in Moscow and their
diversion to Turkey was unscheduled.

After the meeting Edelman said that the two-hour talks had been
constructive. Edelman, ambassador in Ankara from 2003 to 2005, said
that he had expressed his regret that the resolution had been passed
and that the White House was making every effort to stop it going
to the floor of the House for a full vote by the lower chamber of
the Congress.

Fried said that the resolution would have a detrimental effect on
U.S.-Turkish relations but that he hoped to limit this through talks.

Meanwhile, the Turkish party said that Turkish people are disappointed
by the approval of the resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Turkish party also asked the
delegation to convey its expectations about the fight against terrorism
to the U.S. administration and the government of Iraq.

Edelman and Fried left Ankara late Saturday following their meetings.

Turkey’s furious reaction to the congressional vote has fueled fears
within the Bush administration that it could lose access to a crucial
military base in NATO ally Turkey.

Though the resolution is non-binding, it is likely to come before
the full House in November although bringing a legislative measure
to the floor does not guarantee that it will proceed to a full vote.

Rice said in Moscow that the White House was trying to limit the
damage to U.S.-Turkish relations and would try to stop a vote going
to the House floor although she said this would be "tough."

She added that she had spoken on Friday to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan following the vote.

"They were dismayed," she said.

Some analysts believe the vote could weaken Washington’s "restraining"
influence on Turkey and increase the likelihood of a Turkish incursion
into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish terrorists.

Rice said she told the Turkish officials "that we all have an interest
in a stable Iraq and that anything that is destabilising is going to
be to the detriment of both of our interests".

"It is a tough time," she told reporters. "It’s not an easy time for
the relationship and it was perfectly predictable."

Ankara has long complained Washington has not done enough on its own
or through the Iraqi government to crack down on PKK militants who
use northern Iraq as a base to attack Turkey.

The possibility of a major Turkish military incursion into northern
Iraq is troubling to US officials, who fear this could destabilise
a relativelystable area of Iraq.