Author: Karapetian Hovik

NKR PRESIDENT PRESENTED NEW DEFENSE MINISTER TO REPUBLIC ARMED FORCES LEADING STAFF

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 15 2007

May 14 the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic President Arkady Ghoukassian
visited the Defense Ministry to present the NKR new Defense Minister
to the Republic Armed Forces leading staff.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the NKR President’s
Press Office, addressing the Defense Ministry leading staff Arkady
Ghoukassian had thanked Lt. General Seyran Ohanian and underscored
great contribution the latter had paid to the construction of the
Karabagh army and establishment of Armed Forces.

Congratulating Major-General Movses Hakopian on appointment as NKR
Defense Minister and Major-General Leva Mnatsakanian on appointment
as chief of the NKR Defense Army Headquarters, the head of the state
voiced confidence they would fulfill their duties with honor and
continue good traditions in army’s construction.

LEVON ANANIAN: "I ESTIMATE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AS TWO STEPS BACK"

Noyan Tapan
May 15 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. "If the international observers
estimated the parliamentary elections held in Armenia on May 12 as
a step forward, I estimate them as two steps back," Levon Ananian,
the Chairman of the Writers’ Union of Armenia stated at the May 15
meeting. The WUA Chairman was the only intellectual who was nominated
by the majoritarian electoral system at electoral district No40
involving Noyemberian where famous businessman Mikayel Vardanian won
with majority of votes.

Levon Ananian stated at the beginning of the meeting that he will
speak only about the process of elections held in his electoral
district as all he saw and heard concerning only one district "is
enough for reaching conclusion."

"I was an evident of all-embracing poverty, saw an atmosphere of
fear and dread, saw empty border villages. Electoral bribe, money,
food and other household units, was given from the morning to the
evening on May 12. The Noyemberian Chief Police Officer himself gave
the electoral bribe. Open vote was implemented almost everywhere,"
L. Ananian facted.

In the Union Chairman’s words, his meetings with electors were few
times failed with efforts of local officials what is criminally
punishable. He at the same time mentioned they many times addressed
to groups of local and international observers what was ignored by
the latters.

Writer Nelli Shahnazarian who was near Levon Ananian during the
whole propaganda mission, facted that everybody is guilty of this
situation: authorities, intellectuals who lost their opposing posture:
"We are obliged to report on all we did and on everything about what
we kept silence."

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT EDUCATES HUNDREDS OF CLASSMATES ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ArmRadio.am
15.05.2007 10:33

On Wednesday, May 9, student’s grade 9-12 of Souhegan High School,
gathered in the school’s theater to watch Armenian student Rachel
Manoogian-Brayman video, break the silence of her descendants and
share the stories that have haunted her cultures past for a long time.

The video was originally made for the schools graduation requirement,
"Senior Project". The goal of the project is to make students pick a
topic that they are passionate about, create an essential question
and produce and applied piece that will answer it. Souhegan High
School is apart of the Coalition of Essential Schools and has been
doing senior project for many years.

Manoogian-Brayman picked the topic of the Armenian Genocide and her
essential question was; "What are the inter generational effects of
genocide on a culture?" As for her applied piece, she answered her
question through a video that made its way through the generations
to show how it affects every Armenian. "My Dad is Jewish and his
family was apart of the Holocaust, and my Mom is Armenian, and her
family endured and survived the genocide. I really wanted to stress
that because I think the world has cast a real dark shadow on the
massacre of the Armenians" explains Manoogian-Brayman.

Manoogian-Brayman and mentor Pam McGrath started forming and
researching her essential question and ideas for the video in
November. In December, she began filming Armenians all over her area
(New Hampshire and Massachusetts). "It was really interesting to see
how the silence became less as you went through the generations,
you can tell that every person is eager to spread knowledge about
this" says Manoogian-Brayman. The video is 20 minutes long and
includes authentic footage of the emotions, effects and issues
that connect with the Armenian Genocide. The schools world studies
classes, film seminar and ethics seminar viewed the video first,
and Manoogian-Brayman received very positive feed back. "It was very
informative. The pictures were real moving and the personal stories
were very engaging" comments 11th grade world studies teacher Gavin
Sturges. Ethics teacher Chris Brooks said that "It was outstanding work
and there is a lot that can be done with this." Film student Ali Bower
said "It was unbelievable how she really captured the best parts of
the interviews and got the best emotional standpoints." Students said
that this was interesting to watch, especially because they had no idea
this ever happened. "I didn’t even know about the Armenian Genocide,"
says World Studies student Andew Beliveau, "it was really moving."

The faculty and student body was invited to watch the final showing;
two were shown during the school’s lunch periods. She received
a standing ovation and had over one hundred viewers for both
sessions. "My Grandfather was in the first audience, he needed to see
the school honoring his past and our culture" said Manoogian-Brayman,
"I hope that he and my family left the theater knowing that more than
100 people were now more knowledgeable about the genocide then they
were before they came into the room."

Although many people were not familiar with the Armenian Genocide,
they had a great response to the movie. "This was so amazing" says
11th/12th grade biology teacher Melissa Chapman, "Rachel really
set the bar for senior project applied research. I wanted to go
congratulate her afterwards, but I was reduced to a puddle of tears
after seeing her work." 9th grade teacher Tom Sawyer mentioned "It
was the most amazing senior project I’ve ever seen in the 12 years
I have been here." Manoogian-Brayman also found that silence was an
equivalent to a compliment too. "So many people were just silent after
she finished. They needed time to digest it, and then after awhile,
vocalize their thoughts" said Ethics teacher Amy Pham. Student Carly
Walker said "It was so amazing! I cried!" Other students such as
Evan Ommundsen said "I had no idea who ‘the Armenians’ were before
seeing this." School nurse said "I still get chills when I think
about it. "Teachers and students both said that this has not only
raised awareness by interests in this topic as well.

Manoogian-Brayman will be presenting her complete research and project
on May 16th in front of the official panel. However, she strongly
feels that this project will be continued and built upon far beyond
the project date. "I owe this to my family, my grandparents and to all
the Armenians. The survivors are old, but I am young, and I want to
work hard to make sure they get to experience a sense of recognition
and honor before its too late."

ARMENIAN PARTY SAYS ELECTIONS NOT FREE AND FAIR

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
May 14, 2007 Monday 10:42 AM EST

Parliamentary elections in Armenia on Saturday cannot be regarded as
free and fair and the new parliament was not formed through a free
expression of the will of the people, the head of the opposition
People’s party of Armenia, Stepan Demirchyan. Said on Monday.

According to preliminary results, this centre-left party failed to pass
the 5-percent barrier and was not elected to the National Assembly.

The party, however, admitted its own mistakes and said they would be
studied most thoroughly.

Demirchyan believes, for example, that the opposition should have
pooled its ranks before the elections.

Meanwhile, the European Union said the elections in Armenia were on the
whole fair and free and consistent with the country’ s international
commitments.

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, who is also the head of the
Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), said earlier his "deepest wish"
is that the people and numerous international observers recognise
the current parliamentary elections as the best in the history of
independent Armenia.

Sarkisyan said the elections were held in strict compliance with
democratic standards.

The prime minister believes that the opposition in Armenia "is quite
mature and will not resort to law offences".

At the same time, he said "the opposition forces are free to hold"
rallies.

Responding to the opposition’s claims that the results of the elections
would be falsified, the prime minister said, "My party would also
make such statements if it received a small number of votes in the
elections."

He believes his party, which is considered to be a hopeful, has
"rather high" chances of success.

President Robert Kocharyan said he had cast his ballot for "the future
of Armenia, for continued economic and social reforms".

The president declined to say for whom he had voted but expressed
confidence that "everything will be fine" especially since the election
had been "calm".

According to Kocharyan, "What is important is that the country should
go back to normal businesslike life after the elections".

"Despite equal opportunities for all, the party that will get the
majority in the parliament will have a better start-up position in
the presidential election next year," he said.

Following the constitutional reform, if the president has no strong
support in the parliament he will hardly be able to become an effective
head of state but will become "a figure head".

Kocharyan said he would like a constructive opposition – "political
parties of Armenia, not representative offices of foreign forces" —
to be elected to the parliament.

AZG Armenian Daily #089, 14/05/2007

Culture

ARMENIAN ARTISTS PARTICIPATE IN ANNUAL EXHIBITION IN
ARGENTINA

Within the framework of "ArteClassica" annual
exhibition in Buenos Aires, a special section was
allocated for the artists from the Post-Soviet
republics, including pieces by the Russian, Armenian,
Ukrainian, Byelorussia and Georgian painters. The
pavilion was entitled "The Post Soviet Painting" and
comprised of 45 canvases. It’s worth mentioning that
the majority of the artists exhibited in this section
are Armenians. Besides, the Armenian Embassy to
Argentina greatly supported in the organization of the
abovementioned pavilion.

The presentation of the pavilion took place on May 8.
High ranked state officials, foreign ambassadors,
journalists and many other guests were present at the
event. The Argentinean artists highly estimated the
value of the exhibited pieces.

Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
May 12 2007

Armenian bottled water withdrawn from shops
By a staff reporter

12 May 2007

ABU DHABI – Jarmouk, an Armenian-made purified bottled water, has
been withdrawn from the department stores and other outlets in the
capital, Mohammad Jalal Al Riyassa, director of the Department of
Communication and Information at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority
(ADFCA) has informed.

The move comes after the General Secretariat of Municipalities found
excessive amount of arsenic in the water, which can cause cancer.

Dr. Ameen Yousof, health and food safety consultant at the
Secretariat General of Municipalities, said, `lab analysis proved
that the Armenian-made purified bottled water contained large amounts
of arsenic which was above the prescribed limit.

Yousof added that the Secretariat General of Municipalities had
circulated the decision to all concerned bodies in the country to
seize the bottled water.

Meanwhile, officials of Dubai Municipality confirmed they had issued
instructions to the supermarkets to stop the sale of the
Armenian-made purified bottled water.

Arka News Agency, Armenia
May 12 2007

POLLING STATIONS OPEN IN ARMENIA AT 8:00 LOCAL TIME

YEREVAN, May 12. /ARKA/. Parliamentary elections are being held today
in Armenia. 1923 polling stations opened at 8:00 local time
parliamentary elections. Voters can go to the polls from 8:00 to
20:00.
Armenian Police Department says there are 2 million 285 thousand 830
people eligible to vote in Armenia.
As many as 22 parties and one bloc, Impeachment, are competing for
131 seats in National Assembly.
According to the police’s information, 1245 candidates will try to
win 90 seats through party lists and 119 will run for 41 in
individual races. Under Electoral Code, parties have to score no less
than 5% while the bloc needs 7% for entering the parliament.
Preliminary results of the vote on party lists will be unveiled on
May 13, no later than by 20:00. Results of the vote on individual
races will be released by 14:00.
13808 members of 53 local organizations and 767 members of six
international missions will observe the election.
The new-convocation parliament is to hold its first session on May
31.
Previous parliamentary elections were held on May 25, 2003. Six
political parties won seats in the then parliament. Republican Party
of Armenia with its 23.66%, Orinats Yerkir with 12.60%,
dashnaktsutyun with 11.45%, Justice bloc with 13.71%, National Unity
with 8.91% and United Labor Party with 5.67% entered the parliament
in 2003. M.V.-0–

EurasiaNet, NY
May 11 2007

Police, Opposition Members Clash in Yerevan

By Marianna Grigoryan
Published May 10, 2007

Police and opposition protestors clashed on May 9 in downtown Yerevan
amidst a protest against what activists claim is a government plan to
rig Armeniais parliamentary vote. The brawl, the first such
well-publicized incident of the campaign, came just over a day before
official campaigning for the May 12 election ends.

The demonstration was the second joint rally taken by the Republic
and New Times Parties and Impeachment election bloc. An initial
gathering was held by the recently assembled coalition in Yerevan on
May 3. Republic Party leader Aram Sarkisian has pledged that the
group will hold another demonstration on May 13 ito prove that the
master of this country is the peoplei if the parliamentary vote is
not ifair,i

Opposition supporters had marched to the National Security Service
headquarters in Yerevan to protest the recent arrest of opposition
activist and former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian for alleged
money laundering as well as what they describe as an atmosphere of
fear on the eve of the May 12 parliamentary elections. [For details,
see the Eurasia Insight archive.]

Numbers for the size of the protest vary widely n and wildly.
Organizers claim more than 35,000 people took part in the rally; some
local observers estimate 20,000, while police say 4,000. Lights on
the street were switched off, however, immediately after the
protestorsi arrival in front of the NSS.

The demonstration had started blocks away, in front of Yerevanis
Manuscript Museum. There, with raised fists and cries of
iImpeachment!,i hundreds of demonstrators — primarily men, though
also children, some waving huge Republic Party flags — yelled for
the resignation of President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian, and the end of iDodization,i a reference to the
nickname for pro-government Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik
Tsarukian, iDodi Gago.i)

A gaggle of uniformed police gathered at the bottom of the street,
had initially looked on with disinterest or talked among themselves.
As protestors approached the NSS, Armeniais former KGB, that mood
changed.

Armed with truncheons and shields, police and members of a special
anti-terrorism squad took up positions in front of the security
servicesi building. Police used tear gas several times to dispel the
crowd. In what some onlookers assumed was an attempt by police to
confuse protestors, men in civilian dress yelled that the
demonstrationis leaders ihave run away!i

Officials reported that three policemen were taken to the hospital
following the clash with supporters. No statement has been released
about the number of protestors injured, though badly bruised
participants were noted. The general prosecutoris office is
investigating the incident.

Impeachment bloc leader David Matevosian along with several other
individuals was arrested, though later released.

In a May 10 statement, officials put blame for the violence on
protestors, who, they implied, were spoiling for a fight. Rally
participantsi behavior, police said, was icynical and disrespectful.i

iAppeals instigating hooligan activities were made also during the
previous rallies of the given parties, but due to the restrained and
equilibrated behavior on the part of the police it was possible to
control the situation and avoid unwelcome consequences,i the police
statement said.

A subsequent call to protestors by newspaper editor Nikol Pashinian,
one of the leaders of the Impeachment bloc, will no doubt do little
to dispel such an impression: i[A]fter all these things, is there
still anybody, who doubts that we will win?i he cried to protestors
in nearby Liberty Square after the clash.

That question, and whether protestors will feel inclined to join
demonstrations against perceived vote rigging, remains unanswered,
though. In 2004, opposition demonstrations against the 2003
presidential elections were sparsely attended and brutally put down.
[For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive.]

Independent political analyst David Petrosian contends that the
Republic Party-New Times-Impeachment trio is largely united — for
now at least — in their campaign. Other opposition parties could
conceivably join a post-election rally, he said, though noted that a
forecast of heavy rain for May 13 could reduce attendance.

One cab driver approaching the Manuscript Museum demonstration took a
skeptical view: iThereis going to be politics there,i he warned with
a laugh. iWho wants that?i

Editoris Note: Marianna Grigoryan is a reporter for the online
independent ArmeniaNow weekly in Yerevan. Elizabeth Owen,
EurasiaNetis Caucasus news editor, also contributed reporting to this
article.

RA LEADER EXPECTS IMPARTIAL ASSESSMENT FROM EU OBSERVERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.05.2007 17:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian President Robert Kocharian met
the EU parliamentary observation mission headed by Marie Anne
Isler Beguin, the RA leader’s press office reports. The President
thanked the observers for their presence in Armenia and said that the
parliamentary election, which followed the constitutional reforms,
precedes the presidential election.

The pre-election period and agitation activities proceeded in quiet
and civilized atmosphere. Political forces were given the possibility
to present their standpoint, Robert Kocharian said. The newly elected
parliament will be entitled with new authority, he added.

The parties also referred to electoral processes and fundamental
observation principles.

Emphasizing the willingness of the Armenian government to hold an
election meeting international standards, Robert Kocharian said he
expects an impartial assessment from the observation mission.

HEARTS AND MINDS IN TURKEY
by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Los Angeles Times
May 9, 2007 Wednesday
Home Edition

SECULAR AND LIBERAL Turks have had a rude awakening from years of
deep slumber. Kemal Ataturk’s heritage is about to be destroyed —
not by an invading power but from within, by fellow Turks who yearn
for an Islamic state.

Ever since Ataturk, Turkey has been divided into those who want to
run state affairs on Islamic principles and those who want to keep
Allah’s will from the public space.

The proponents of Islam in government, such as Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and their Justice
and Development Party, have been remarkably successful. They have
exploited the fact that you can use democratic means to erode
democracy, employing a powerful strategy.

Three pillars of that strategy are worth discussion.

The first is Dawa, a tactic inspired by Islam’s founder, Muhammad.

Dawa means to preach Islam as a way of life, including a way of
government, perpetually and with conviction. Every convert is obligated
to preach Islam to others, creating a grass-roots movement.

The secularists in Turkey underestimated this pillar and thus
neglected competing with the Islamists for the hearts and minds of
the electorate. Polls suggest that 70% of voters might still elect Gul
president if Erdogan succeeds in changing the constitution so that the
president can be elected directly. Any protest from the secularists
against this evident popular will sounds irrational and undemocratic.

The second pillar is the improvement of the economy. No one can deny
that when the secular parties were in power, the Turkish economy
was in tatters. Since Erdogan took office, growth has been strong,
with inflation down and foreign investment high.

The third pillar is taking control of two types of institutions in a
democracy: those designed to educate civilians (education and media)
and those designed to keep law and order (police, justice and the
secret service).

After an initial attempt at Islamic revolution failed in 1997, when the
military engineered a "soft coup" against elected Islamists, Erdogan
and his party understood that gradualism would yield more lasting
power. They surely realize that Islamizing Turkey entirely is possible
only if they gain control of the army and the Constitutional Court,
the two institutions that have helped preserve Turkey’s secular state.

The recent Constitutional Court ruling annulling the nomination of Gul
for the presidency, after the military warned that it is the guardian
of secularism, is only a temporary setback for the Islamists. Erdogan
and Gul have another trick up their sleeves.

If they show the same restraint and patience that have brought them
this far, they may achieve their aim by continuing to court membership
in the European Union. Well-meaning but naive European leaders were
manipulated by the ruling Islamists into saying that Turkey’s army
should be placed under civil control, like all armies in EU member
states.

In hindsight, Turkey’s secular liberals have only themselves to
blame. They underestimated the power of Dawa, they failed at growing
the economy and they have not realized that members of the EU have
been manipulated.

An important trait of liberalism, however, is the opportunity to
learn by trial and error. Turkish secular liberals must start their
own grass-roots movement, one with the message of individual freedom.

They must restore the confidence of the electorate in entrusting
Turkey’s economy to them, and they must reconquer the institutions
of education, information, police and justice.

They must also make EU leaders understand and respect the fact that
the army and the Constitutional Court — besides defending the country
and the constitution — are also, and maybe even more important,
designed to protect Turkish democracy from Islam.

Bringing back true secularism does not mean just any secularism. It
means secularism that protects individual freedoms and rights,
not the ultra-nationalist kind that breeds an environment in which
Adolf Hitler’s "Mein Kampf" is a bestseller, the Armenian genocide is
denied and minorities are persecuted. Hrant Dink, the Armenian editor,
was murdered by such a nationalist.

It is this mix of virulent nationalism and predatory Islam in Turkey
that makes the challenge for Turkish secular liberals greater than
for any other liberal movement today.

AYAAN HIRSI ALI, a former Dutch legislator and women’s activist who
now lives in the U.S., recently published her memoir, "Infidel."