Author: Karapetian Hovik

INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION IMPORTANT
MECHANISM OF DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS: ARMENIAN
PRESIDENT

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 13 2005

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13. ARMINFO. Intergovernmental Commission for
Economic Cooperation is an important mechanism of development of
Armenian-Russian relations. It has always been significant by its
effective activity. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan made this
statement today, during his meeting with Russian Transport Minister,
Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission for
Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation, Igor Levitin.

The presidential press-service reports the sides as discussing the
programs of bilateral cooperation, focusing on the energy, transport
communication issues. The sides are reported to touch upon the
activation of the Abkhazian branch line of the Georgian railway and
the participation of Russia, Georgia and Armenia in its construction.

According to the source, Robert Kocharyan said that reactivation of
the branch line will open new possibilities of cooperation. The sides
also discussed activation of the Armenian enterprises transferred to
Russia under the program “Property for Debt.” In his turn, Levitin
said: “Russia is also interested in activation of the enterprises.

For this purpose, working groups have been formed.”

NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATURE GOES TO PLAYWRIGHT HAROLD PINTER
By Anna Weinberg

Book Standard, NY
Oct 13 2005

Just days after the celebration of his 75th birthday, British
playwright Harold Pinter has been awarded the 102nd Nobel Prize for
Literature. Past winners of the literature prize have included last
year’s controversial pick, Elfriede Jelinek, as well as Pablo Neruda,
Albert Camus, Saul Bellow, Boris Pasternak and Jean-Paul Sartre,
who declined to accept the award in 1964.

Born in 1930, Pinter made his playwriting debut in 1957 with The
Room, a short play that he wrote in four days about a blind woman
whose room is invaded by a strange succession of characters. But he
is better known for such works as The Caretaker, The Homecoming and
The Birthday Party, the original production of which closed after
just one week, thanks to thunderously bad reviews. “Pinter restored
theatre to its basic elements,” says the Swedish Academy, which every
year selects one author to receive the $1.3 million prize. “That he
occupies a position as a modern classic is illustrated by his name
entering the language as an adjective used to describe a particular
atmosphere and environment in drama: ‘Pinteresque.’ ”

As the son of a Jewish dressmaker growing up outside of London, Pinter
has said that it was in part his experience with anti-Semitism that led
to his becoming a playwright. But Pinter also lived through the London
Blitz in WWII, though he was evacuated from his home. Upon returning
to London, he played a variety of roles in his school theater, which
led him to seek a career in acting. He was accepted into the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art in 1948, and in 1951 obtained a place in Anew
McMaster’s world-renowned repertory company. Though he had some small
success with his early plays, it was not until 1959’s The Caretaker
that Pinter began to achieve fame. The Swedish Academy calls Pinter
a dramatist “who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday
prattle and forces entry into oppression’s closed rooms.”

This year’s announcement of the prize was delayed a week past the
originally scheduled award date. Many have speculated that this was
due to an internal scuffle over whether to award the prize to Turkish
writer Orhan Pamuk, a popular 53-year-old writer who has recently
come under fire from his government as a result of a controversial
newspaper interview. In the interview, Pamuk asserted that Turkey was
guilty of genocide against Armenians and Kurds in the 20th century,
a charge that the country has vehemently denied. The author has been
accused of insulting Turkey’s national character, and is facing a
trial this December. Though the Swedish Academy has officially denied
the allegations of a Pamuk-related argument, this would not be the
first time the secretive committee has split over politics. In 1989,
two judges resigned from the Nobel selection process when the panel
refused to honor author Salman Rushdie, then under a fatwa from the
Ayatollah Khomeini.

Pinter himself is no stranger to controversial politics. As a
conscientious objector, Pinter was fined in 1949 for refusing to
fulfill his mandatory national service. “I could have gone to prison-I
took my toothbrush to the trials,” Pinter wrote in Playwrights at
Work. “But it so happened that the magistrate was slightly sympathetic,
so I was fined instead, thirty pounds in all.”

More recently, Pinter has been a harsh critic of the war in Iraq. He
published a volume of anti-war poetry in 2003, and joined a group
calling for Prime Minister Tony Blair’s impeachment in 2004.

RUSSIA HOPEFUL ABOUT RENEWED RAIL LINK WITH GEORGIA, ARMENIA
By Nane Atshemian

Armenialiberty.org, Armenia
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 13 2005

Russia and Georgia are close to reaching a long-awaited agreement on
restoring their direct railway connection which could significantly
benefit the Armenian economy, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin
said on Thursday.

But he cautioned that the section of the railway passing through
Abkhazia is in need of serious capital repairs that would take as
many as two years.

The Abkhaz section of the Soviet-built railway was seriously damaged
during the 1992-1993 armed conflict which led to the Black Sea region’s
de facto independence from Georgia. Until recently Georgian leaders
opposed its restoration before a settlement of the conflict.

But the administration of President Mikhail Saakashvili appears to
have softened Tbilisi’s position on the issue.

Levitin said he will again discuss the issue with Georgian officials
during a visit to Tbilisi next week and is optimistic about a positive
outcome of the talks.

“If the Georgian side is prepared for the restoration and confirms that
to us, Russia, Georgia and Armenia will have to set up a consortium,
determine each country’s share of investments in the project and start
restoring the railway,” he told reporters in Yerevan. “According to
our calculations, [the repairs] could last for two years.”

Speaking at a joint news conference with Levitin, Armenian Defense
Minister Serzh Sarkisian said Saakashvili reaffirmed Tbilisi’s
commitment to a quick resumption of rail communication between Russia
and Georgia and Armenia during his recent informal talks with President
Robert Kocharian. “Armenia will certainly participate in the project,”
he said.

Sarkisian added that Russia is ready to cover most of the repair
costs. “We are not talking about tens of millions of dollars,” he said.

The lack of rail communication with Russia and other countries makes
export-oriented Armenian companies less competitive and hampers
foreign investment in Armenia’s struggling economy. It is also a
serious hindrance to Russian-Armenian economic ties. Hence, Yerevan’s
strong interest in restoring the vital transport route.

Sarkisian and Levitin spoke at the end of a two-day session of the
Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation,
of which they are the co-chairmen. Officials said the commission
discussed a broad range of economic issues, with the Armenian side
again pressing the Russians to make good on their pledge to revive
Armenian enterprises which were given to them in payment for Yerevan’s
$100 million debt. All of those enterprises except a big power plant
used to be part of the Soviet military-industrial complex and are
now largely standing idle.

“Russia feels its responsibility for those enterprises. That is one
of the obligations which we have not yet fulfilled,” admitted Levitin.

The Russian official said Moscow needs more time to decide what to do
with those industries. “We can’t figure out what type of production
they should have: defense or civilian or both,” he explained.

Russia’s strong presence in the Armenian energy sector was also
high on the agenda of the commission’s session. The two ministers
said they discussed in particular the recent controversial takeover
of the Armenian power grid by Russia’s state-run power monopoly,
Unified Energy Systems, but did not give details.

Levitin was also asked to comment on the Armenian government’s decision
not to grant Russia’s Gazprom giant a contract for the construction
of a pipeline that will pump natural gas from Iran to Armenia. Work
on the Armenian section of the pipeline will be carried out by an
Iranian company and financed with a $35 million loan provided by the
Iranian government.

“We understand the actions of the Armenian side,” Levitin said. “I
consider them logical.”

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
(CENN)

Weekly Digest
October 12, 2005

News from Georgia

Italian Businessmen Interested in Agriculture, Food Industry and Tourism

Source: News Agency Sakre (`Mirror’), October 4, 2005

Italy Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Productive Activities, Adolfo
Urso has said at an opening ceremony of the second business forum of
Italy and Georgia today, Italian businessmen are interested in
Georgia’s
<; more

Oil spill on Baku-Supsa western pipeline

Source: AssA-Irada News Agency, October 5, 2005

An oil spill took place on the Baku-Supsa western pipeline in the
Gardabani district of Georgia on Wednesday.
<; more

Georgia and Kazakhstan Decided to Continue Cooperation Within
BТС Framwork

Source: Black Sea Press-Turan, October 5, 2005

On October 4 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili signed the joint communiqué on
results of top-level bilateral negotiations in Tbilisi.
<; more

Georgia to Get $20 Million from Wild Bank to Eradicate Poverty

Source: The Georgian Times, October 10, 2005

Georgian state budget will receive USD 20 million from Wild Bank (WB)
this year for primary activities which will lead to eradication of
poverty.
<; more

Georgian Section of BTC to be Commissioned October 12

Source: The Messenger, October 10, 2005

The Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) main export
pipeline will be commissioned on October 12, Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili told journalists.
<; more

Dogfights

Source: Nika Tsiklauri, October 10, 2005

On Sunday, 9th of October, near Tbilisi Reservoir, dogfights were held
with participation of about 50 Caucasian Sheepdogs.
<; more

Transportation through Batumi Oil Terminal will be Reduced

Source’ `24 Saati’ (`24 Hours’),
October 10, 2005

>From the end of October the amount of petroleum transported through
Batumi oil terminal will be significantly reduced. As Prime News was
informed by the representative of oil terminal George Kharazishvili, the
member of BTC consortium
<; more

BTC pipeline’s poverty reduction credentials rubbished by new report

Source: Press Release of Bankwatch Network, October 11, 2005

Tbilisi, Georgia A new report out today reveals the real impacts of
BP’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and catalogues the
Georgian people’s unfulfilled hopes of increased welfare and development
arising from BP’s billion dollar project, hopes which have been
fuelled by project backers the World Bank and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
<; more

News From Azerbaijan

Birdwatch Day Held in Azerbaijan

Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, October 4,
2005

A Birdwatch Day was held in Gizilgol (Golden Lake) wetland and the
Heydar Aliyev Deepwater Jackets Fabrication territory, Caspian Sea, by
<; more

New Platform to be on Gunashli Filed

Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, October 4,
2005

Construction of the new platform in Gunashli structure, one of the
largest oil and gas field of the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian, will
start in 2006, State Oil Company of Azerbaijan / SOCAR/ has announced.
<; more

ILham Aliyev Has Stated About Reliable Providing of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan

Source: Turan Informational Agency, October 5, 2005

<; On October 5 the president Ilham Aliyev visited administrative building
of State Guard Service (SGS) and meets with personal staff of the
department. He familiarized with samples of arms, devices that can be
used while acts of terrorism, as well as cars and equipment bought for
protection of export pipelines.
<; more

9-Month Oil and Gas Production Targets Beaten

Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, October 6,
2005

According to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic /SOCAR/, oil
production exceeded the targets by 178,1 thousand tons and made up
6.723.1 thousand tons in January-September, thus, beating 9-month target
by 102,7 percent.
<; more

News From Armenia

Armenia signs deal to upgrade nuclear waste facility

Source: RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan, October 3, 2005

An agreement to upgrade the radioactive waste management facility at the
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was signed Monday, a senior official
said.
<; more

Armenian Agriculture Minister Calls on U.S. Counterpart
Source: Press Release of Armenian Republic Embassy, October 4, 2005

On September 26, 2005, Armenia’s Agriculture Minister Davit Lokian met
with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to discuss U.S.-Armenian
cooperation in the area of agriculture. Ambassador Tatoul Markarian also
took part in the meeting. Minister Lokian expressed his appreciation for
the past USDA programs in Armenia, which he said strengthened
<; more

Gold Plant Near Lake Sevan

Source: ARMENPRESS, October 5, 2005

Armenian nature protection minister Vartan Ayvazian has endorsed today
the arguments of local ecological non-governmental organizations who
claim that construction of a gold ore processing plant in Vardenis near
Sotk mines would prove catastrophic for environment and especially
Armenia’s biggest lake of Sevan, located some miles off.
<; more

Two Ministers: Who Will Win in Fight for Shikahogh Reserve

Source: ARMINFO, October 6, 2005

Minister for Transport and Communication of Armenia Andranik Manukyan
has submitted a project of Armenia-Iran highway to the Ministry of
Nature Protection. The project provides for construction of the highway
via Mtnadzor, 3.5 km area of Shikahogh reserve.
<; more

Aarhus Centers to open in Armenian regions with OSCE support

Source: Latest press release from the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), 6 October, 2005

Local public environmental information Centers (Aarhus Centers) will
soon open in the capitals of the Syunik, Tavush and Lori regions of
Armenia with the help of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, which today signed
an agreement with the Ministry of Nature Protection and local
administrations.
<; more

Armenian-Georgian Working Group Will be Formed to Prepare Feasibility
Study for Fourth Power Line Armenia-Georgia

Source: ARMINFO, October 7, 2005

An Armenian-Georgian working group will be formed shortly to prepare a
feasibility study for construction of a fourth power line
Armenia-Georgia. Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan told ARMINFO.
<;
more

International News

Preservation of Caspian Sea natural resources is important task for
Government: Kazakhstan Environmental Minister

Source: Kazinform: By Serik Koshkenov, October 3, 2005

During the live broadcast with the Kazakhstan President he was asked
about the situation in the Caspian region, where hydrocarbon production
is performed. The Head of the State noted, the country would always take
care of ecological clearness and enormous fish resources of the Caspian
Sea. First of all every investor should undertake environmental
commitments. Alongside with earth interior exploration we are to
preserve natural resources.
<; more

US Government Unveils Energy Hog to Promote Conservation

Source: Planet Ark, October 4, 2005

Washington – With US heating bills expected to hit record highs this
winter, the Bush administration on Monday launched a conservation
campaign featuring a cartoon mascot “Energy Hog,” which critics said
does little to discourage energy use.
<; more

IUCN helps set up transboundary cooperation on water resources
management in White Volta Basin

Source: The World Conservation Union (IUCN), October 4, 2005

`Water is life but it can also be a source of conflict if the two
partners sharing the resource are not collaborating’. As a response
to these opening words of Mr. Gilbert Nuriteg, District Coordinating
Director of Ghana’s Garu Tempane Municipality at the first White
Volta Basin Community Consultative Forum, the Forum delegates agreed to
set up a joint transboundary committee of water management associations.
<;
more

Breaking waste laws costs Worcestershire company more than £42,000

Source: Environment Agency: By Oliver Blackburn, October 4, 2005

On Friday (30 September 2005) a Worcester company which ran two illegal
waste dumps was fined £39,000 by Worcester Magistrates.
<; more

Demolition company fined for illegal waste burning

Source: Environment Agency: By Mike Dunning, October 4, 2005

A Dorset demolition company has been ordered to pay £4,079 in fines
and costs after neighbors were plagued by thick black smoke from burning
rubbish. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.
<; more

UK Government to Decide Within Year on New Nuclear Build

Source: Planet Ark, October 4, 2005

London – Britain must decide within a year whether it will invest in a
new wave of nuclear power generation, but no conclusions have yet been
reached, the government said on Sunday.

In a speech to his ruling Labor party’s conference last week, Prime
Minister Tony Blair pledged an assessment next year of all Britain’s
energy options, including civil nuclear power.
<; more

The CMS Secretariat hosts the 4th meeting of the Biodiversity Liaison
Group

Source: Conservation on Migratory Species (CSM), October 4, 2005

<; The
biodiversity liaison group was established in response to a request from
the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
( <; CBD), in order to increase the
collaboration and synergies among biodiversity-related Conventions. The
Convention on Migratory Species was asked to join with CBD, the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora
and Fauna ( <; CITES), the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands ( <; Ramsar) and the World Heritage
Convention ( <; WHC) and regularly meet to discuss
priorities and options for collaboration.
<; more

Kyoto Agreement Implementation in Russia will Cost 2 Million Euros

Source: Bellona News, October 5, 2005

Russia will present 2 million euros project for Kyoto agreement
implementation to the European Commission on October 6th.
<; more

Denmark clean but not spotless

European Environmental Agency, October 5, 2005

Denmark is among the European leaders in environmental performance in
areas such as renewable energies, water protection and organic farming,
but there are other areas which could still be improved, says EEA
Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade in an interview in the latest
issue of “MiljøDanmark” in connection with the launch of the Danish
state of the environment report 22 September.
<; more

Bush Pushes For US Oil Refinery Construction

Source: Planet Ark, October 5, 2005

Washington – President Bush Tuesday repeated his call for more oil
refineries to be built in the United States, a need he said was
highlighted by “tight” petroleum supplies and high energy prices caused
by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
<; more

Climate change and pollution are killing millions, says study

Source: John Vidal, Environment Editor, October 6, 2005

· Poor sanitation to blame, says World Bank report

· Economic growth stalled by environmental factors

Almost a fifth of all ill health in poor countries and millions of
deaths can be attributed to environmental factors, including climate
change and pollution, according to a report from the World Bank.
<; more

NGO News

WWF launches forest and trade network in Vietnam

Source: WWF News, October 3, 2005

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – WWF, in partnership with Vietnam’s
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will launch the Vietnam
Forest & Trade Network (VFTN), the first ever network to promote
business links between producers of responsible forest products in
Vietnam and concerned buyers around the world.
<; more

Many Dangerous Chemicals in European Blood – WWF

Source: Planet Ark, October 7, 2005

Geneva – European children are absorbing dangerous chemicals into their
blood from computers, textiles, cosmetics and electrical appliances,
according to a new study released on Thursday.

The conservation body WWF said results of its first European Union-wide
family testing survey found a total of 73 man-made hazardous compounds
in the blood of grandmothers, mothers and children from 13 families in
12 countries.
<; more

Legal News

Amendment of Georgian Law on Entrepreneurship

On October 11, 2005 the Ministry of Justice held the Round Table in the
hotel `Tbilisi Marriott’. On the meeting the
representatives of the Corporate Management Group of International
Finance Corporation (IFC) and German Association for Technical
Cooperation (GTZ) represented
<; more

Job, Internship and Study Opportunities

Translator/ Interpreter

Source: The Messenger, October 10, 2005

For the purpose of BP pipeline projects, and under the BP management
supervision, IRA Ltd is seeking to recruit a suitable qualified
individual for the short-term position of Translator/ Interpreter.
Translator/ Interpreter will be a third-party contractor for BP pipeline
construction project in Georgia working under BP management supervision.
<;
more

EASY ECO Training – open online application

Dear Colleagues,

I am happy to announce the next EASY-ECO event, the EASY-ECO Szentendre
Training which will be held from 25th January-3rd February, 2006 here at
the REC. The course explores key elements in sustainability evaluations
and is specifically focused towards bringing together young researchers
with evaluation practitioners as well as local and international experts
in the field. Participants will gain knowledge applicable in practice
and will be able to conduct actual sustainability evaluation projects
after attending the training.
<; more

Seminars, conference and meetings

Health & Wellness Convention 2005 in Costa Rica COSTA RICA

Source: World-Wire, October 5, 2005

There are few environmentalists today who are not aware of how the
increasing proliferation of pollutants, poisons, and toxic compounds in
our earth, air, and water are drastically affecting our physical health.
The medical and pharmaceutical industries have side-stepped the issue,
preferring to market symptom-masking drugs rather than confront the
corporate takeover of our health and well-being.
<; more

Announcement

BP Publishes Sustainability Report 2004

Source: The Messenger, October 10, 2005

According to a report released by BP on October 7, the oil giant has
spent nearly USD 2 million on social projects through out the country,
funding everything from repair to heritage projects in an effort to
encourage `sustainability’ in the country.
<; more

Courageous Baku-Ceyhan pipeline film wins festival prizes

Source: Media Advisory, October 10, 2005

Prague, Czech Republic — A documentary film about the social and
environmental implications of BPs Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline in
Azerbaijan was awarded prizes at two prestigious film festivals this
weekend. The Source, a joint Bionaut-CEE Bankwatch Network production
shot by Czech director Martin Marecek, received the international jury
prize and an award from the Czech Ministry of Environment at the Ekofilm
festival in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic and was also awarded the prize
<;
more

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YOUNG ARMENIAN MUSICIANS TO HAVE CONCERTS IN MOSCOW

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 11 2005

YEREVAN, October 11. /ARKA/. Young Armenian musicians will have
concerts in Moscow, President of the Russian “New Names” Interregional
Charitable Foundation Iveta Voronova told journalists.

The relevant agreement was achieved during performances of young
musicians from RF in Armenia within the year of Russia in Armenia.

She reported that dates and technical issues of these concerts are
negotiated now. Professor of the Moscow Conservatory were included
in the delegation of these foundation, and they held master-classes
at musical institutions of Yerevan. Violinist Vladimir Ivanov said
that “there is some inexhaustible source of talents both in Russian
and Armenia. Many of them go abroad, but the generation of talents
continuously emerges”.

“New Names” Foundation was established in 1989 within the Russian
Foundation “Culture”, and is supported by the RF President and the RF
Government. The goals of this organization are search of new talents,
their support and assistance to their professional growth. This
organization closely cooperates with the similar organization in
Armenia, which was founded in 1990.

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian
Prelate, Western United States
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
Email: [email protected]

For more information:
Zanku Armenian (818) 243-3557
Mercata Group

Catholicos Aram I Calls for U.S. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

His Holiness Says Reconciliation Cannot Begin Until There is Confession
First

(Los Angeles, CA – October 11, 2005) – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia, made a firm statement calling for proper U.S.
recognition of the Armenian Genocide during a special prayer service in
honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide held on October 8 at the
Armenian Genocide Monument in Montebello, California. The Catholicos stated
that the United States has always stood on the side of justice and human
rights and therefore should take a principled stand by properly recognizing
the Armenian Genocide.

The special ceremony was organized as a reaffirmation of the community’s
commitment to proper genocide recognition on the occasion of the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. There were several hundred members of
the community in attendance as well as many local public officials including
State Assemblyman Ron Calderon, Montebello Mayor Bill Molinari, Pico Riviera
Mayor David Armenta, Montebello Police Chief Gary Couso-Vasquez and a
representative from Montebello Congresswoman Grace Napolitano’s office.

“Reconciliation is based on forgiveness; however, there cannot be
forgiveness until there is acceptance of the truth and real confession,”
said the Pontiff during the event referring to the Turkish government’s
continuing campaign of denial and the lack of official U.S. recognition of
the genocide. “While this monument stands in memory of the martyrs of the
Armenian Genocide, it also symbolizes the struggle against evil, the quest
for justice, peace and human rights.” His Holiness also emphasized the
point that the United States should show greater leadership on this issue by
officially recognizing the genocide based on the fundamental principles of
freedom and human rights for which the country stands.

The Catholicos went on to say that the Genocide Monument in Montebello is a
living monument and should be viewed as the bell that tolls reminding the
Armenian community to continue the just struggle for the Armenian Cause and
remain loyal to the memories of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. The
Pontiff ended his remarks by telling the story of how on April 24 of this
year he journeyed to Der Zor to the Euphrates river where many Armenian
women and children had died during the genocide and he christened two
Armenian children and “the river that had symbolized death for the Armenian
people turned into a river of life,” he said.

After the ceremony at the Armenian Genocide monument, His Holiness traveled
to the Holy Cross Church in Montebello to meet with Armenian youth from the
Montebello community.

Catholicos Meets with Armenian Students in Glendale

On the previous day, Friday, October 7th, His Holiness held a meeting at
Glendale High School with approximately 1,000 students from the 11 Los
Angeles area Armenian schools. His Holiness stressed that students should
carry on the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Armenian people. He
also emphasized the importance of living life with high moral values and
stated that the students should serve as role models in the community.
After the Pontiff’s remarks, the program included poetry recitations, choir
ensembles and other instrumental performances by various students.

His Holiness Aram I Presides Over 1600 Anniversary of Armenian Alphabet
Celebration

On the evening of Friday, October 7th, His Holiness was present at the
Glendale Homenetmen “Ararat” Chapters special event celebrating the Armenian
alphabet. In addition to the hundreds of community members present, also
attending were Glendale Mayor Rafi Manoukian, Glendale City Councilman Frank
Quintero, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and Glendale School Board member
Greg Krikorian.

During the official remarks, His Holiness emphasized the importance of the
Armenian language in defining the Armenian culture and encouraged the youth
present to make the effort to learn the language as a means to living their
identity.

ACADEMY MAN QUITS OVER NOBEL WINNER

The Local, Sweden
Oct 11 2005

A member of the organisation that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature
has resigned – in protest against last year’s winner.

Swedish Academy member Knut Ahnlund, an author and literature
professor, says that the award to Elfriede Jelinek has stripped the
prize of value.

Two members of the eighteen member academy have refused to take part in
the organisation’s work since 1989. Kerstin Ekman and Lars Gyllensten
suspended their involvement after fellow academy members refused to
issue a statement condemning the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.

Ahnlund writes in Svenska Dagbladet that after a detailed examination
of Jelinek’s work, he considered that her writing was one dimensional –
a mass of text shovelled together without traces of artistic structure,
empty of ideas but full of cliches and violent pornography.

He asks how Jelinek could have been awarded the prize, and which
faction was behind the decision. He says he believes that certain
academy members allowed themselves to be impressed by her attacks
on the Austrian middle-class, but also suspects that most members of
the committee have not read Jelinek’s entire canon of 20-30 books.

“I speak from experience when I say that you can’t do this over a
week or a month,” writes Ahnlund.

“It is sheer slave-like work.”

Ahnlund argues that last year’s literature prize has damaged
progressive forces and has confused the public’s view of literature.

Ahnlund has been a member of the Swedish Academy since 1983.

The winner of the Literature Prize will be announced on Thursday –
a week after the recipients of the medicine, physics, chemistry and
peace prizes were named.

The delay in awarding the prize has caused rumours of a split over
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, who is facing trial in his homeland
for saying in a newspaper interview that Turkey was responsible of
genocide against Armenians and Kurds. The trial comes at a sensitive
time for Turkey, as it starts negotiations to join the European Union.

Knut Ahnlund argues that last year’s controversial choice could force
the Academy to choose a winner who will restore the prize’s standing.

;date=20051011

A HISTORY OF DISASTER: LAND AND RELIGION IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
Written by Mneesha Gellman

Toward Freedom, VT
Oct 11 2005

When the sun sets on the holy city of Jerusalem, the thick limestone
buildings are cast in a shimmering gold light. The ancient Old City
contains the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian Quarters, and the
religious mood is palpable in every alleyway. On Friday nights the
air is thick with Hebrew singing welcoming in the Sabbath, mingling
with the Arabic call to prayer from the mosques, and church bells
peal through the dusk. The interconnection between land conflict
and religious conflict is clearest in the Old City of Jerusalem
where the Western Wall borders the Dome of the Rock. The Western
Wall which stands today is part of the second temple complex which
was gradually rebuilt by the Jews upon the ruins of the first temple
when they returned from exile. After a period of rule by the Greeks,
Jerusalem was incorporated into Roman-occupied Palestine in 63 BC,
and when the Jews revolted against the Romans in 70 AD the second
temple was destroyed. The part of the Western wall which remains
standing is believed to be the closest place to the Holy of Holies
that Jews are allowed to go.

Millions of Jews make pilgrimages to the Wall every year, but generally
Israeli military prohibit Jews from entering Muslim-controlled Dome
of the Rock plaza for fear of violence from either side. Messianic
Jews believe they are not allowed to enter the Holiest of Holies
until the messiah comes, and thus they would refuse to enter the
Dome of the Rock complex anyway, for fear of treading on the area
prematurely. Tourists, however, flock to this controversial attraction.

Built atop the earlier location of the first and second Jewish Temple,
the Dome of the Rock was built by the Muslim ruler Abd el-Malik in
688-691 AD. Muslims believe this is the place from where Allah lifted
the prophet Mohammad into the sky and took him on a night tour of the
heavens. The gold-domed building is considered a shrine to this event,
and not a mosque.

Men pray instead at the Al Aqsa mosque located right next door,
and Muslims have sanctified this as the third most holy place in
the Muslim world, after shrines in Mecca and Medina, both in Saudi
Arabia. The fervor with which both Jews and Muslims believe in their
differentiated religious histories of the Dome of the Rock, Temple
Mount, and Western Wall area has led to bloody clashes and these places
are a major source of the ongoing discord between the two groups.

Origins of Zionism

In 1896 Theodor Herzl published his highly influential book The
Jewish State, and the following year the first Zionist Congress met
in Basle, Switzerland to discuss the idea of a Jewish state. This
was in response to the waves of anti-Semitic pogroms sweeping Europe
which systematically murdered the Jewish population from Estonia
to Ukraine. Whenever possible, European Jews fled. By 1914, 65,000
Jewish immigrants were living alongside half a million Arabs in the
Turkish Ottoman Empire that is now Israel and Palestine. Relations
between the groups were generally peaceful at this point in history.

In 1917, the British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour had committed
Britain to work toward “the establishment in Palestine of a national
home for the Jewish people”, in a letter to leading Zionist Lord
Rothschild (BBC). “The Balfour Declaration, made in November 1917 by
the British Government…was made a) by a European power, b) about a
non-European territory, c) in flat disregard of both the presence and
wishes of the native majority resident in that territory” according
to Edward Said in his book “The Question of Palestine.” In fact
“In 1916 the British Commissioner in Egypt, Sir Henry McMahon, had
promised the Arab leadership post-war independence for former Ottoman
Arab provinces since they aligned themselves with the Allies (BBC).

To nobody’s surprise, this double dealing had disastrous results.

On December 9, 1917, as World War I neared its end, Jerusalem
surrendered to the British forces. This act marked the end of four
centuries of Ottoman-Turk rule and the beginning of thirty years of
British rule (Palestine Facts). Unable to keep promises to both the
Arabs and the Jews, Britain subdivided the Palestine Mandate along
the Jordan River-Gulf of Aqaba line. The eastern portion–called
Transjordan–was to have a separate Arab administration operating
under the general supervision of the commissioner for Palestine,
and the western portion would be given to the Jews (Palestine Facts).

Uneasy relations existed between the two groups until the situation
exploded into violence with the establishment of the state of Israel
in 1948.

Land Wars

The day after the state of Israel was declared in 1948, five Arab
armies from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq immediately invaded
Israel but were initially repulsed

Eventually the Arab forces won key sections of land but many lives
were lost on all sides. Armistices established Israel’s borders on the
frontier of most of the earlier British Mandate Palestine. Egypt kept
the Gaza Strip while Jordan annexed the area around East Jerusalem and
the land now known as the West Bank. These territories made up about
25% of the total area of British Mandate Palestine” (BBC). When the
Jewish Quarter of the Old City was surrendered to the Arab armies,
Jews lost access to their most sacred place, the Western Wall. From
then on, the religious Jewish community struck out at the Arab
population whenever possible, in retaliation for taking away their
access to the Wall.

Prolonged tension between Israel and its Arab neighbors culminated
again in six days of hostilities starting on June 5, 1967 and ending
on June 11. The War of 1967 changed the geographic map considerably.

“Israel seized Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt in the south and the Golan
Heights from Syria in the north. It also pushed Jordanian forces out
of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The territorial gains doubled the
area of land controlled by Israel. The victory heralded a new age of
confidence and optimism for Israel and its supporters. The UN issued
Security Council Resolution 242, stressing “the inadmissibility of
the acquisition of territory by war” and calling for “withdrawal
of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent
conflict.” According to the UN, the conflict displaced another
500,000 Palestinians who fled to Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan”
(BBC). Israel was trying to fulfill the Zionist vision of creating
a modern state with Biblical borders. When “occupied Palestine” is
referred to, it is usually originating from the 1967 conflict when the
West Bank of Jordan and the Gaza strip of Egypt were taken by Israel.

After trying to negotiate with international authorities to regain
the territory they had lost in 1967, in 1973 Egypt and Syria launched
major offensives against Israel on the Jewish festival of the Day of
Atonement or Yom Kippur. The Yom Kippur War, as it is known to Jews,
and the Ramadan War as known to Arabs, ended in January 1974, when
Israeli Defense Forces withdrew across the Suez canal of Egypt and
on May 31, 1974, agreed with Syria to withdraw to the 1967 cease-fire
line in the Golan Heights (On War). Israel’s dependence on the US for
military, diplomatic and economic aid increased at this time. Soon
afterwards, Saudi Arabia led a petroleum embargo against nations that
supported Israel, causing inflated gasoline prices and fuel shortages
across the US (BBC), remembered by my parents as the long gas pump
lines of the early 1970s.

Why Intifada?

The first Intifada, translated as the “shaking off” of the Israeli
occupation, began on December 8, 1987 when four Palestinian men waiting
at a checkpoint into Gaza were crushed to death by an Israeli army
transporter (Jerusalemites). The resulting spontaneous explosion of
popular resistance to the occupation rattled the world.

“Protest took the form of civil disobedience, general strikes,
boycotts on Israeli products, graffiti, and barricades, but it was
the stone-throwing demonstrations against the heavily-armed occupation
troops that captured international attention” (BBC).

“According to the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in
the Occupied Territories, 1124 Palestinians lost their lives in the
first Intifada. Some 16,000 were imprisoned and many were routinely
tortured. Fewer than 50 Israeli civilians were killed” (Al Jazeera).

This first Intifada was concluded with the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993,
which attempted to bring calm to the region, but really perpetuated
the occupation by allowing the Israeli Defense Force soldiers to
maintain all their positions in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli settlements in Palestine increased dramatically during this
cease-fire period, and many Palestinian homes and olive orchards
were demolished both to make room for the settlements and as acts of
vengeance. Palestine was divided into areas A, B, and C depending on
if they were under all, some, or no jurisdiction of the Palestinian
Authority. Residents of Palestine were not allowed to travel Israel
and visa versa.

The physical control of Palestine by Israel increased dramatically,
while the international community assumed progress was being made
to restore Palestinian rights, since the Oslo agreement was called
a Peace Accord. “The Palestinian leadership, impotent in the face
of Israeli aggression, agreed to seemingly unlimited concessions to
Israeli demands – until there was no more to give. Instead of setting
the stage for Palestinians to move toward freedom and independence,
Oslo was dragging them toward fragmentation and surrender”
(Jerusalemites). Although negotiations with Israelis were starting
to address the four points critical to Palestinians: Jerusalem, the
settlements, refugees, and the establishment of an independent state,
little progress was made. Suicide bombings and soldier violence kept
both sides wound tight in a web of fear and anger, negating any real
chance for dialogue.

The second Intifada began on September 28, 2000 when Ariel Sharon, then
leader of the Likud Knesset opposition (conservative Israeli government
political party) went, heavily guarded by a 1,500 person police escort,
to visit the Temple Mount and enter the al Aqsa Mosque. Although
Sharon had stated he was going on a peace delegation, while there,
he declared the area the eternal territory of the Israelis.

This flagrant insult to the Islamic faith touched off riots by
the Palestinians, who saw Sharon’s actions as the ultimate symbol
of occupation, that not even the holiest Muslim place of worship
was free from Israeli government and military presence. Violence
followed. Palestinians threw stones, Israeli soldiers shot bullets.

“In the first six days of the Intifada, 61 Palestinians were killed
and 2,657 were injured” (Answers). From September 29, 2000 through
May 31st, 2004, the average number of Palestinians killed stands at
2.26 per day. The total killed is 3,023, and the number of wounded
is many times more. Because of their superior weapons and regional
control, Israeli soldiers have been able to inflict much more damage
than they have incurred, and the US has financially supported much
of their military development.

Palestine’s most famous scholar and political commentator Edward Said
notes that time hasn’t improved the lot of his people. “The fact is
that Palestinians are dramatically worse off than they were before the
Oslo process began. Their annual income is less than half of what it
was in 1992; they are unable to travel from place to place; more of
their land has been taken than ever before; more settlements exist;
and Jerusalem is practically lost…” (Said, The Progressive).

Mneesha Gellman is Associate Producer of “A World of Possibilities”
radio program at the Mainstream Media Project in northern California.

She traveled to Israel and Palestine in June 2005. This is the
fourth article she’s written as part of a series on her trip for
Toward Freedom.

Works Cited

Al Jazeera. Online Newspaper. Webstite found July 4th 2005

Answers. Website found July 13th, 2005.

da

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Websites, found June 30th,
2005.

/2001/israel_and_palestinians/timeline/1897.stm,
” orld/2001/israel_and_palestinians/timeline/1948.st m

h/world/2001/israel_and_palestinians/timeline/1967 .stm

epth/world/2001/israel_and_palestinians/timeline/1 973.stm

Chomsky, Noam. “The Fateful Triangle.” South End Press, 1983

Jerusalemites. Website found July 4th, 2005

Let’s Go. “A Let’s Go Travel Guide: Israel and the Palestinian
Territories.” St. Martin’s Press, New York. 2003.

Map. Israel and Palestine after war of 1967. Website found July
27th, 2005

+Israel+After+the+Six+Day+War.htm

Map. Israel and Palestine in 1948. Website found July 27th, 2005.

y/unplan47.html

Mid East Web. Website found July 25th, 2005.

On War. Website Found July 4th, 2005.

ppur1973.htm

Palestine Facts. Website. Found June 30th, 2005

british_mandate .php,
e_un_194.php

Said, Edward. “The Progressive” Magazine, March 1998

Said, Edward. “The Question of Palestine.” Vintage Books Edition,
April 2002.

SYRIAN ARMENIANS: ARMENIAN WRITERS IN ARABIC FROM ALEPPO

Azad Hye, United Arab Emirates
Oct 8 2005

AZAD-HYE (Dubai): From the 9th century up to this date some 400
personalities of Armenian origin from Aleppo have contributed to
the Arab culture. Within this group you can find poets, novelists,
short story writers, philologists, journalists, correspondents,
editors, publishers, translators, linguists, etc. Almost all aspects
of literature are covered by them.

It is obvious that not all these figures have achieved the same
quality of writing. Some have not risen beyond the level of being
simple reporters, but others have been known in all the Arab World
such as Rizqallah Hassoun.

A great number of them have kept their relationship with their original
identity, but there are some who have adopted Arabic as their sole
language of communication and expression.

Mihran Minassian is a Syrian Armenian scholar (born in Aleppo,
1959), has researched the history behind these writers and published
an article in the 6th issue of “Keghart” Aleppo Armenian Yearbook
(2000), under the title: “Armenian Writers in Arabic from Aleppo
along the Centuries”.

See the Armenian text at the following link provided by the “Research
Center on the Armenian Diaspora”, Paris (since 1976).

Mihran Minassian

Translator (Armenian/Arabic) and scholar of Armenian subjects related
to the Arab World.

Born in Aleppo, 1959

Completed studies in Haigazian Elementary School and Karen Jeppe
Armenian High School (Jemaran) in Aleppo.

His first translations from Armenian to Arabic (poems by Kevork Emin)
appeared in the student magazine of Karen Jeppe Jemaran (“Dziler”).

Poems of Barouyr Sevag (“Let There Be Light … And Other Poems”)
and Nahabed Kouchak (“Pomegranate Seed … And One Hundred Armenian
Love Verses”) appeared in separate publications in Arabic language in
1995, 1999 respectively (published in Lattakia, Syria). The poems of
Barouyr Sevag were previously published in the “Foreign Literatures”
prestigious periodical publication of the Arab Writers’ Union in
Damascus.

During his active membership in the Publication Committee of
“Hamazkayin” (Aleppo branch), Minassian supervised and edited
the publishing of more than 30 books in Arabic language (history,
literature, Armenian cause, memories, Genocide, etc.) and managed to
send all these publications in a systematic way to prominent Syrian
and Arab intellectuals and media establishments.

He has published articles in Cilicia’s Catholicosate “Hasg”, Haigazian
Armenological Review and in other reputable publications in Armenia
and Diaspora.

He has managed to record and preserve many important testimonies from
survivors of the Genocide. He has also saved popular songs, stories,
traditions, etc. and is trying now to allocate funds to publish them.

He has also a large collection of Armenian old books, silverware,
photos, materials of historical values, etc.

He deeply believes that time has come to tell the Arab reader that
the Armenians are not just successful craftsmen, but also they have
rich cultural heritage.

Nowadays he is busy in researching old Armenian manuscripts in the
Aleppo Prelacy. He earns his living as self-employed trader.

Note: Upper-Left Photo: Front cover of Mihran Minassian’s translation
into Arabic of Nahabed Kouchak’s (Medieval Armenian poet) verses,
published in Lattakia, Syria, 1999.

Regnum, Russia
Oct 8 2005

Head of MFA of Armenia: participation of Nagorno Karabakh in
negotiations is inevitable

`The positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan on some principal issues of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement have drawn together. We can
hope that soon it will be put on paper’, stated FA Minister of
Armenia Vardan Oskanyan.

Concerning the possibility of changing the negotiation format, from
OSCE Minsk Group to the European Council (on which the Azerbaijani
side insisted), Armenian foreign minister said that `useful’
negotiations could be everywhere. `But for full-fledged discussions
of problem settlement there is only one structure – the OSCE Minsk
Group. Azerbaijan can ask for format change; it’s the country’s
right. But it’s clear that Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be settled
in the format of the OSCE MG. It is recognized by the international
community’, stated Vardan Oskanyan, adding that we should distinguish
different place of discussion and different negotiations structures.
Then, the minister stated that `if tomorrow new format of discussion
would be chosen, we accept, but now there is no alternative to the
OSCE MG.’

Talking about the participation of Nagorno Karabakh in the
negotiations, FA Minister of Armenia said that it was inevitable.
`Once, Nagorno Karabakh will become a rightful participant of the
negotiations. Azerbaijani side also realizes this’, he noted. He also
expressed hope, that Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement would be
possible after the Azerbaijani parliamentary elections.