Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Selectmen hear Armenian issue

Bedford Minuteman
Wed Sep 19, 2007, 02:22 PM EDT

Bedford, Mass. –

By Patrick Ball
Staff Writer

Flanked by fellow Bedford residents of Armenian descent, Nancy
Asbedian asked selectmen to help "lift the burden" borne by every
Armenian-American in the room – a burden that will be passed on to
their children.

Between 1915 and 1918, 1 1/2 million Armenians were systematically
slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks, she said. Much of the world has come
to recognize this tragedy as genocide, but some, including the
Anti-Defamation League, have not. This is the burden she spoke of.

There is no statute of limitations on justice, and the democratic
process starts with the people, she told selectmen Monday. "If the
truth doesn’t start in Bedford, then where?" she asked.

The truth sought by the Armenian-American advocates is for the
Anti-Defamation League to recognize unambiguously the Armenian
Genocide and to support a congressional resolution on the issue. The
ADL has said the massacre of 1 1/2 million Armenians by the Ottoman
Turks during WWI was "tantamount to genocide," but adamantly opposes
Congressional Resolution on the issue.

No specific action was requested of the selectmen at the Monday
meeting, but Asbedian, along with several other Armenian-Americans,
implored selectmen to support a letter sent by the town’s Violence
Prevention Coalition to the New England regional branch of the ADL.

Cathy Cordes, who is the selectmen’s liaison to the VPC, said part of
the VPC mission is to build inter-group understanding. "You being here
is doing that," she told the Armenian-American advocates. "I hope that
you keep telling your stories."

The VPC letter, was penned after discussing the issue with the
Armenian-American contingent at a Sept. 4 meeting, says the coalition
will "watch very carefully what the ADL does [at a November meeting
that will address the issue]." It was sent to the New England Regional
Office last week, and Sue Baldauf, VPC chairwoman, said she was
confident it would find its way to the national office.

Baldauf, who is also director of Bedford Youth and Family Services,
said the letter was intended to be supportive of the New England
regional branch of the ADL, which took a position contrary to the
national stance.

"The VPC letter is a very strong [statement], the only thing I see
missing is a deadline," said Stephen Dulgarian.

The New England regional office of the ADL sent a letter to Bedford,
which was received on Monday. The letter does not directly reference
the VPC’s letter, but does say, "We know that the Violence Prevention
Coalition and other members of the community have some questions and
concerns about the ADL and the Armenian Genocide issue."

The letter says regarding the "fundamental moral issue," the ADL did
acknowledge the genocide, but the "matter of the resolution before the
United States Congress … is a political issue by nature."

The ADL said it has been "proud to work with Bedford, and we certainly
hope to continue this vital work together." Furthermore, it hopes the
town will not "rush to judgment" before the ADL National Commission
addresses "this important issue further" at a November meeting.

Chairman Angelo Colao said the selectmen do not intend to make any
decision until after the ADL’s November meeting.

Baldauf said she agrees with the selectmen about not making any
decisions, and indicated the December VPC meeting is the likely the
earliest any measures would begin.

Selectman Gordon Feltman said the board was "in the process of
withholding judgment," and they not only wanted to see the ADL’s
November decision, but also any subsequent interactions between the
local and national offices.

The Armenian Genocide resolution is not new, Michael Bahtiarian said.
It has come up continuously throughout the 20-plus years he has been
active in Armenian-American issues, and Bahtiarian does not anticipate
changes will come of the ADL’s November meeting.

So swift and significant action from the selectmen will be expected,
since they plan to wait for the ADL’s decision, Bahtiarian said.

The "cynical and unprincipled" stance is tantamount to the U.S. State
Department’s backing of "every tin pan dictator in South America,"
said Feltman, who was surprised by the ADL’s national stance.

However, with the New England branch "spear-heading the effort" and
local groups embarking on a grassroots campaign, he is confident that
the November meeting will lead to change.
"I think your moment in history is coming," Feltman said.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, The Massachusetts Municipal Association Board of
Directors issued a statement "on the importance of recognizing the
Armenian Genocide and supporting the congressional resolution." The
MMA, which was a founding co-sponsor of the No Place for Hate program,
"applauds and supports the position of the New England Regional
Director and New England Regional Executive Committee of the ADL for
their leadership in calling for the unequivocal recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and support for the Congressional Resolution before
the U.S. House and Senate."

The MMA statement also "respectfully calls on the national ADL to
support the Congressional Resolution," and says the MMA will
"subsequently re-evaluate its official sponsorship of the No Place for
Hate program" pending the national ADL’s decision.
In other business:

–Selectmen granted contracts for the re-roofing of the Town Center
North Wing and portions of the Fire Station to WPI Construction, of
Webster.

–Selectmen approved an agreement between the DPW and M.E. O’Brien and
Sons, of Medfield, for their services and furnishings for a new tot
lot, which will replace the two existing tot lots in the Town Center
area.

Source: 820

ECONOMIC COMPETITION COMMITTEE TO COOPERATE WITH WORLD BANK

Panorama.am
21:21 18/09/2007

Today the president of the state commission on economic competition,
Ashot Shahnazaryan, received Aristomene Varudakis, head of the World
Bank office in Armenia, and Fernando Montes-Negretin, director of
financial development in Europe and Central Asia, as well as Karen
Grigoryan, economist for the Armenian office of the World Bank. Armine
Udumyan, press secretary for the commission, gave this information.

The first meeting took place in July.

The commission president expressed his thanks for the acceptance of
the offer to cooperate and for displaying consistency. "Cooperation
with the Word Bank is an important step, and can be beneficial in
institutional development," he said. Shahnazaryan pointed out that
assistance from the World Bank is expected to advance the state
of the legislative field (maintain the status of the mechanisms of
independence, forcing the carrying-out of decisions, etc.) and the
shaping of capabilities and general competence.

Montes-Negretin was interested in knowing what steps had been taken
until now concerning the mentioned points and what sort of results had
been registered, what the current state of the commission’s activities
were concerning juridical issues, consumer rights, etc.

Director of the World Bank office in Armenia, A. Varudakis, said that
programs that are expected to be implemented will be discussed by the
commission, as well as the amount of future cooperation and future
steps to be taken to carry out the program.

TURKISH MEDIA: GOVERNMENT TOOLS

Blogger News Network
September 19th, 2007 by The Stiletto

Given how Turkish newspapers "report" the news, "independent
journalist" Alexis Debat would have no trouble landing a top spot
at any one of them. For instance, during Pope Benedict’s visit to
Turkey last November, local papers quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan as claiming that the pontiff told him, "You know we don’t
have a political role, but we wish for Turkey’s entry into the EU" –
which prompted a swift "clarification" by the Vatican that essentially
boiled down to "as if."

In the latest example of great moments in Turkish journalism, here is a
comparison of how the paper Hurriyet sumarized a September 13th speech
by R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs to the
Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) and what the third-highest
ranking official at the U.S. Department of State actually said.

Hurriyet: Nicholas Burns … has said that Turkey-US relations have
reached a "critical juncture."

Burns: "I am pleased to be back at the Atlantic Council to discuss
what is one of the most critical relationships for America in the
world today – the relationship between the United States and Turkey."

Note: Nowhere in his remarks, does Burns say that the relationship
between the two countries has reached a "critical juncture"; he does
say several times that the two countries have a critical relationship.

"Critical juncture" suggests a crossroad, which in turn suggests a
parting of the ways. No diplomat would use such language to an ally.

***

Hurriyet: "Turkey is critical for us, an indispensable ally, with her
commitment to secular democracy. Prime Minister Erdogan and President
Gul are reliable. They have kept promises they have made to us in
the past.

Turkey is an important portal for energy sources to reach Europe. We
support Turkey’s accession to the European Union."

Burns: "The Turkish people have just concluded important, even historic
elections. These elections demonstrated the strong health of Turkey’s
democracy, the most impressive in the Moslem world. The result was
a decisive and Turkey can now expect a period of renewal and growth
at home and responsibility and challenge in its foreign policy. The
United States government looks forward to a very close relationship
with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan. President
Bush and Secretary Rice respect both of these men. We have worked
very well and productively with them in years past and know that
will continue in the years to come. We would like to agree with the
newly-elected Turkish leadership on a period in the coming months of
high-level visits, discussions and joint commitment to face together
the challenges of stability and peace in the Middle East."

…

"Turkey is the gateway for exports of oil and natural gas from the
Caspian region and Iraq to Europe.

Building on our successful cooperation in the 1990’s to develop
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gas
pipeline, we now seek to expand this critical energy infrastructure
into a Southern Corridor to help our European allies – Greece, Italy
and into Western Europe – create a free market for energy supplies
in Europe. These efforts can also help Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and
Turkmenistan bolster their own independence by providing them access
to European energy markets." …

"We are among the strongest supporters of Turkey’s EU aspirations. We
call on Europe’s leaders to signal clearly and unambiguously that
Turkey will have a voice in the European Union in the future."

Note: Nowhere in his remarks does Burns say that Erdogan and Gul,
specifically, have been reliable allies and kept their promises to
the U.S. Rather in weeping, historic terms, he states that Turkey
has been a dependable and important ally in a turbulent region dating
back to the Truman Doctrine.

***

Hurriyet: "The energy agreement between Iran and Turkey bothered us. It
is beneficial for both the US and Turkey to keep Iran, which supports
the Taleban and wants to possess nuclear power, under control."

Burns: "We have worked well together to support of the clear
international consensus demanding that Iran cease its nuclear weapons
development programs. Turkey has also proven to be strong partner
in countering Iran’s support for terrorists in the Middle East. But
the United States and Turkey still need to work out some tactical
differences in handling Iran. We understand that Iran is a neighbor of
Turkey and key trading partner, which sends over a million tourists to
Turkey each year. Turkey’s recent conclusion of a memorandum on energy
cooperation with Iran, however, is troubling. Now is not the time for
business as usual with Iran. We urge all of our friends and allies,
including Turkey, to not reward Iran by investing in its oil and
gas sector, while Iran continues to defy the United Nations Security
Council by continuing its nuclear research for a weapons capability."

Note: Hurriyet toned Burns’ remarks down big time.

This was the one and only clear criticism of Turkish policy Burns
dared to utter in his speech, and it was all-but censored. Burns
pussyfooted around every other sensitive topic – in some cases
ignoring some very inconvenient facts. For instance, Burns talked
about Turkey’s "160-year legacy of modernizing reform, as the most
successful example in the world today of a secular democracy within
a Muslim society that can inspire reformers in the greater Middle
East and beyond." He did not mention how the Armenian Genocide and
successive massacres of other Christian minorities during the Ottoman
era left modern Turkey 99.8 percent Muslim, how converts from Islam
are prosecuted and sometimes murdered, and the spate of murders of
Catholic priests that have occurred over the past couple of years. If
you are not Muslim, Turkey is neither secular nor a democracy.

***

Hurriyet: "The PKK is a terrorist organisation. Our good faith
should not be underestimated. I hope that solid steps will be taken
against the PKK within the next six months.""The PKK is a terrorist
organisation.

Our good faith should not be underestimated. I hope that solid steps
will be taken against the PKK within the next six months."

Burns: "[T]he United States condemns the PKK as a vicious terrorist
group. We mourn the loss of innocent Turkish lives in these attacks. We
remain fully committed to working with the Governments of Turkey and
Iraq to counter PKK terrorists, who are headquartered in northern
Iraq. We are making progress in putting in place the mechanisms
required to produce such concrete results against the PKK. We will also
follow up our success in working with Turkey and our other European
partners to interdict PKK terror financiers in Europe and bring them
to justice."

Note: Nowhere in his remarks does Burns mention a timetable.

***

Hurriyet: "The Fener Greek Patriarchate is of ecumenical status. The
US recognises Patriarch Bartholomeos as a friend. A priests’ school
should be opened in Heybeliada."

Burns: "We … hope Turkey will help make its own case with the EU
by allowing the Ecumenical Patriarch’s religious school at Halki in
Istanbul to reopen decades after it closed."

Note: Burns is very specific as to which school should be re-opened,
which has quite a different meaning than opening a school. Also,
Burns ties this to Turkey’s EU bid, not to U.S. "friendship" with
the Patriarch.

***

Hurriyet: "Normalize relations with Armenia. The Turkish-Armenian
border should be opened. We are opposed to the passing of the Armenian
bill in Congress. In the case of this bill passing, those in Turkey
who seek to keep a dialogue between the Armenians and the Turks will
be silenced."

Burns: "[T]he U.S. and Turkey face a serious challenge with regard to
Armenia. Each year on April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day, President
Bush has issued a public statement lamenting the mass killings
and forced deportations of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman
authorities at the end of World War I. …

We believe passage of the U.S. House of Representative’s Resolution
106, which would make a political determination that the tragedy of
1915 constituted genocide, would undercut voices emerging in Turkey
for dialogue and reconciliations concerning these horrific events. We
therefore have recommended to Congress that it not pass such a
resolution. We strongly encourage Turkey to normalize its relations
and reopen its border with Armenia, steps that will help bring peace,
prosperity and cooperation to the Caucasus. Now, in the wake of the
AKP’s resounding electoral victories, is the time for Ankara to make
a bold opening toward Armenia. And we hope that Armenia will respond
in kind."

Note: The phrase "will be silenced" has an ominous ring to it, as
compared to what Burns actually said.

Considering that Nationalist sympathizers "silenced" Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink by shooting him dead outside the offices of
his newspaper, Agos, this wording is not accidental.

***

Hurriyet: "Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, used even against
Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk, should be lifted."

Burns: [W]e hope Turkey will repeal Article 301 of the Penal Code,
which restricts freedom of expression and has led to outlandish
legal cases against private citizens and global figures such as Nobel
Laureate Orhan Pamuk.

Note: And why should it be lifted? For some reason, the editors
at Hurriyet did not feel comfortable using the phrase "freedom of
expression." Maybe they would have found themselves in violation of
Article 301, somehow.

***

Hurriyet: "We are working for the UN to start a new venture in Cyprus."

Burns: "We appreciate the difficulties that such cooperation poses
for Turkey given the still-evolving Turkey-EU relationship, the
circumstances of Turkey’s participation in activities within the
European Security and Defense Policy, as well as the complications
resulting from the lack of a Cyprus settlement. Yet it is vital for
all of us, including Turkey, that NATO and the EU are indeed able to
work together in crisis areas around the world. For this and many other
reasons, we call on all relevant parties to reinvigorate UN-brokered
efforts to reach a comprehensive Cyprus settlement that reunifies
the island into a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. We welcome last
week’s meeting of President Papadopoulos and Mehmet Ali Talat, and
look forward to future such meetings to implement last year’s July
8 agreement."

Note: This bowdlerization of Burns’ remarks makes no sense – at least
not to The Stiletto. Maybe "new venture" is a code phrase that only
Turks can understand.

The U.S. State Department Web site posted Burns’ speech, and hard copy
was no doubt distributed to reporters covering the event. Hurriyet’s
"version" of the speech cannot be chalked up to a poor translation.

In a country where journalists can be prosecuted and jailed for
insulting Islam or Turkishness, it is reasonable to assume a chilling
effect that induces papers to report the news the government wants the
people to know instead of the news the people need to know. Until
Article 301 is repealed, Turkey will never be a Western-style
democracy. In the long run, the U.S. does Turkey no favors by
pretending otherwise.

Note: To reward Israeli president Shimon Peres for personally calling
Abe Foxman to ensure that the Anti-Defamation League doesn’t let up in
lobbying against the symbolic Congressional resolution recognizing
the Armenian Genocide, Turkey provided Israel with intelligence
on suspected Syrian nuclear facilities before a sortie into Syrian
airspace by Israeli F-15I planes. Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reports
that Turkish intelligence did not inform Erdogan of its plans. In an
article no doubt meant to create the cover of plausible deniability for
Erdogan, Hurriyet reported that an unnamed government official demanded
to know whether the Israeli planes flew over Turkish airspace during
the mission. Anyone who does not believe that Peres’ phone call and
Turkey’s behind-the-scenes role in the Israeli sortie is not a quid
pro quo is either naïve or not paying attention.

Turkey will stop at nothing to guarantee that it will never be held
accountable for the Armenian Genocide.

The Stiletto writes about politics and other stuff at The Stiletto
Blog.

–Boundary_(ID_MJ9xEXuWlccNG1OFEet FZg)–

NKR LEADERSHIP’S GOODWILL GESTURE

DeFacto Agency
2007-09-18 16:52:00
Armenia

Nagorno-Karabagh Republic authorities expressed readiness to pass a
citizen of Azerbaijan arrested while crossing the territory controlled
by NKR in a unilateral order.

According to the information DE FACTO got at NKR State Commission for
POWs and the Missing, 22-year-old Ashraf Jafarov, native of Garachukhur
settlement of Azerbaijan’s Surakhanlin region, residing in the village
of Uchoglan of Aghdam region, had been arrested on the Aghdam direction
of Nagorno-Karabagh and Azeri Armed Forces’ contact line June 30.

Jafarov did not have any identifying documents; being arrested he
presented himself as Samandar Guliyev, native of the town of Shoushi,
residing in the village of Uchoglan.

Taking into consideration the reasons of Jafarov’s health, NKR
President Bako Sahakian has decided to pass him to Azerbaijan in a
unilateral order as a goodwill gesture.

"The Nagorno-Karabagh Republic leadership expresses hope that
Azerbaijan’s authorities will also express goodwill and release two
our compatriots held by the Azeri party for a long time", NKR State
Commission Chair Victor Kocharian said.

PRESIDNETS OF ARMENIA AND GEORGIA MET IN BATUMI

armradio.am
17.09.2007 11:47

September 15-16 RA President Robert Kocharyan paid a working visit
to Batumi, the capital of Adjaria, Presidentï~^’s Press Office reports.

In Batumi the Presidents of Armenia and Georgia discussed the agenda
of Armenian-Georgian relations.

The leaders of the two countries visited Kobuleti. Mikhail Saakashvili
presented the perspectives of development of tourism.

–Boundary_(ID_r8VKz56tTbGxXmWa3rMFlA)–

PRESS TV, Iran

Iranian companies in Yerevan expo

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 21:07:38

An international exhibition called "Armenia Expo 2007" has been opened
in the Armenian capital of Yerevan to attract foreign investors.

Executive Director of Armenia’s Logos Expo Center, the organizer of
the seventh regional and international trade-industrial exhibition in
Armenia, told IRIB’s correspondent in Yerevan that the aim of holding
the exhibition was to attract foreign investors.

Ara Stepanyan referred to the issue of expanding relations between
Iran and Armenia adding, "Iranian companies can easily invest in
Armenia and compete with major foreign companies there".

In recent years, Armenia’s Logos Expo Center has held five exclusive
fairs with the cooperation of Iranian and Armenian companies.

Over 180 companies from Armenia, Iran, Russia, Belarus, Spain and
other countries are present in the exhibition that started September
14 and is scheduled to last four days. Seven Iranian companies are
among the 180 companies participating in the exhibition.

HJF/GM/RE

WHY TURKS FEEL THREATENED BY THE US

The Seoul Times, South Korea
Saturday, September 15, 2007

Which Middle Eastern public has the largest percentage of people naming
the United States as the country that poses the greatest threat? The
answer, according to the most recent Pew Global Attitudes Project
survey, is Turkey, a NATO ally and a country that is generally touted
as the type of secular, multi-party democracy the United States should
foster in the Middle East.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Turkish respondents name the United
States-which guarantees Turkish security as a NATO ally and has urged
the EU to accept Turkish membership-as the country that poses the
"greatest threat" to Turkey in the future, Pew found. Among the Middle
Eastern publics asked the open-ended question by Pew, only in Turkey
did a majority name the United States.

Turkey is also the Middle Eastern country where public opinion toward
the United States has slipped furthest in recent years. Fewer than one
in 10 Turks (9%) have a positive view of the United States, a drop of
21 points from the already low level in Pew’s 2002 survey. More than
four out of five (83%) say their attitude is unfavorable, including
75 percent who feel very unfavorably.

That’s one of the highest negative percentages among the eight
Middle Eastern countries surveyed by Pew in 2007, second only to the
Palestinian public with 86 percent unfavorable.

But unlike the Palestinians (whose attitudes toward the United States
worsened after the 2003 invasion but have improved slightly since
then), Turks have remained as negative as they were in March 2003
(84%).

Moreover, not only do most Turks view the United States unfavorably,
more than three out of four (77%) also look on Americans that way.

The deterioration of the United States’ image in Turkey has coincided
with the increasing power of the Islamist-leaning Justice and
Development Party (AKP).

With the parliamentary election of Abdullah Gul as president, the
AKP has won control of a post that wields important veto powers and
considerable prestige, as the position once held by Kemal Ataturk,
the secular Turkish republic’s founding father.

But Dr. Emre Erdogan, a political scientist and partner of Infakto
Research Workshop, a major polling firm based in Istanbul, says
Turkish views of the United States have deteriorated largely because
of security concerns, not religious ones.

"This sudden and rapid decrease in positive attitudes towards the US
is an outcome of the invasion [of Iraq]," Erdogan said, adding that
polls in Turkey show that the public thinks that the invasion has
"led to increasing terrorist threats toward Turkey."

"Turkish public opinion perceives the US as the worst enemy of Turkey
as a result of the intensifying terrorist activities of the PKK,"
he said, using the acronym for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which
has been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984.

According to Erdogan, Turks believe that separatist guerrillas
operating out of bases in Iraq’s northern mountains have grown stronger
since the fall of Saddam Hussein and Turkish media frequently air
evidence of alleged US collaboration with the PKK.

Some 80 Turkish soldiers have been killed in rebel attacks so far
this year and the Turkish government has threatened to launch cross
border raids into Iraq to root them out if the US and Iraqi armies
fail to do so.

"Consequently, this intolerance and antipathy towards the PKK become
converted to the perception of the US as the major enemy of the
country," Erdogan said.

"Before the invasion of Iraq, the worst enemy of the country was
stated as Greece or Armenia, which are eternal enemies of Turkey,
rather than the US."

A June 2007 poll by the International Republican Institute found
that a third of Turks (30%) blame "foreign governments trying to
divide our country" for the problems in the Southeast, up from 24
percent in 2006. Foreign interference is the most widely chosen of
the seven "reasons for the problems in the Southeast" offered. Though
economic explanations are also widely cited-26 percent choose economic
underdevelopment and 11 percent lack of government investment-these
responses have together declined by 13 points over the past year.

A 2005 poll by Infakto found that 71 percent of Turkish respondents
agreed with the argument that "the West has helped separatist groups
in Turkey"-such as the Kurdish PKK-"gain strength." Sixty-six percent
think that "Western countries want to divide and break Turkey like
they divided and broke the Ottoman Empire in the past."

The declining support among Turks for the EU and NATO is consistent
with such convictions. The ratio of Turks who see membership in the EU
as a "good thing" fell from 73 percent in 2004 to 54 percent in 2006,
according to the German Marshall Fund. And the numbers saying NATO
is essential for Turkey’s security fell from a bare majority in 2004
(53%) to 44 percent in 2006, though this remains the largest percentage
of respondents.

These attitudes seem to be reflected in Turkey’s growing opposition
to American counter-terrorism policies. A majority of Turks (58%)
already said that they opposed "the US-led efforts to fight terrorism,"
in Pew’s 2002 survey. That jumped to 79 percent in 2007.

Not only do Turks express more negative opinion about Western political
entities, they also express such feelings about Western values. The
Pew survey found that Turkish respondents register more unfavorable
attitudes toward American democracy, business, and culture-even about
its science and technology:

~U 81 percent of Turks say they "dislike American ideas about
democracy," up 31 points since 2002.

~U 83 percent dislike "American ways of doing business," up 24 points.

~U 68 percent dislike "American music, movies and television," up
22 points.

~U 51 percent say they do not admire the United States for its
"technological and scientific advances," up 27 points since 2002 when
a majority of 67 percent did admire such achievements.

Erdogan says that until recently even Turks who disliked the US
government tended to appreciate Americans and their culture. Now
he sees an "emerging antipathy towards the Americans and the US
life style."

"Our previous research [indicated] that the climate of Turkish
public opinion was ‘anti-Bushism’ rather than ‘anti-Americanism,"
he said. "Nevertheless, recent findings indicate a change of the
climate towards anti-Americanism."

ARMENIA TRULY SURPRISED AT ELMAR MAMMADYAROV’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.09.2007 13:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "We are truly surprised at Elmar Mammadyarov’s
announcement, since in the recent period Azerbaijan has began to
stand back and resist provisions already agreed to regarding Nagorno
Karabakh’s status, which are in and continue to remain in the document,
proposed by Co-chair," RA MFA Spokesman Vladimir Karapetian said.

"If the reports in fact correspond to the truth and Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister has agreed to the provisions on Nagorno Karabakh
status, we welcome that," he said, the RA MFA press office reported.

According to Azerbaijani sources, today Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Mammadyarov has stated that the agreement by Armenia to the document
on the table in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict negotiation process,
can be a serious breakthrough in that process.

NKR PRESIDNET MET WITH RUSSIAN INTELLECTUALS

armradio.am
13.09.2007 17:49

September 13 NKR President Bako Sahakyan received a group of Russian
intellectuals headed by Viktor Krivopuskov, the President of the
Armenian-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Company. They were
accompanied by writer and publicist Zori Balayan.

The delegation comprised scientific, public, political and cultural
workers and journalists.

Issues related to the reinforcement and expansion of Russian-Karabakhi
relations and the necessity of transferring these to a qualitatively
new level were discussed during the conversation.

At the end of the meeting the guests awarded a jubilee medal to NKR
President Bako Sahakyan.

The meeting was attended by Head of Staff of the NKR Presidentï~^’s
Office Marat Musaelyan and the President of the NKR Writersï~^’
Union Vardan Hakobyan.

–Boundary_(ID_/inFjS3yw9xvV5JPd0jt0w)- –

RIVAL GANGS AT WAR NEAR CAMPUS PUT TEENS AT RISK
By Rachel Uranga And Rick Coca, Staff Writers, [email protected]

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
09/12/2007 12:46:40 AM PDT

LAKE BALBOA – Gang-related shootings near Birmingham High School have
left parents on edge, police scrambling and administrators frustrated
as the new school year begins.

The wave of violence continued unabated this week when a 23-year-old
man was shot outside a Jack in the Box across from campus as students
chatted or waited for the bus – just 40 minutes after the afternoon
bell rang and less than a week after classes began.

The shooting marked the sixth gang-related attack since July in the
neighborhoods around Birmingham, a storied high school that boasts
such alumni as Michael Milken, Michael Ovitz, Sally Field and the
late journalist Daniel Pearl.

The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the violence by
beefing up patrols in the area, and citing nearly 50 students for
ditching class.

"It’s scary," Principal Marsha Coates said. "We are living in the
Valley surrounded by gangs. My concern is always student safety."

Coates sends out notices to all freshman parents, warning them
not to let their children hang out after school at the Jack in the
Box – a known gang hangout – and directing students to supervised
locations. But there is only so much she can do.

"I wish the mayor would get out here and clean up the streets so we can
teach our children," she said. "It is really frustrating. I want them
to learn, our gangbangers to learn, so they have a route out of this."

School administrators say there are several gangs and only a handful
of security officers to patrol the sprawling, 73-acre campus – the
largest high school site west of the Mississippi River and a former
military hospital – where random metal-detector checks are part of
everyday security.

"What do I do about it?" Coates asked. "If your child is a gangbanger,
they are still entitled to a free and appropriate education."

Three years ago, after rising racial tensions between Latinos and
Armenians, the school revived a peer-intervention program and began
another in which students worked out disputes before they escalated
into violence.

"Those two groups are why we haven’t had major eruptions in
Birmingham," said Charles Miller, head of security and discipline
at the school. "It’s definitely a concern when the neighborhood is
erupting in violence. We try and teach the students how to deal with
these problems."

But the measures are small comfort to many parents.

"What I’m most concerned about is coming to pick her up one day and
find that something (tragic) went on," said Javier Covarrubiasas he
picked up his daughter Tuesday afternoon.

Lakes Miranda, a 17-year-old senior, said she heard the shots ring
out Monday as she was crossing the street to catch the bus.

"I just don’t think there’s anything they can do about it," she said
of school officials.

Police say part of the reason for tensions around the school is gang
members who cross into each others’ territory when they arrive at
the school – or recruit from it. But Miranda said she hasn’t heard
of serious problems, a sentiment echoed by other students.

On Monday, as police searched for witnesses, many of the students they
suspect saw the shooting were nowhere to be found, likely scared of
retaliation from the shooters.

The reaction is a testament to just how entrenched the fear of gangs
is at schools like Birmingham, which more than 3,000 students from
Encino, Van Nuys, Northridge and Lake Balboa attend.

High school seniors Michael Gomez and Kenny Rodriguez, both 17,
say violence is a hard reality on the streets outside campus – but
rarely makes it past the school gates.

"Everybody’s chill," Rodriguez said, but added that there are a few
consistent troublemakers.

"You got to watch your back," Gomez said. "… We leave straight home
(after school). It’s not safe."

The summertime wave of shootings between July and Monday involved
at least three gangs – Mara Salvatrucha, the Pacoima Criminals and
Logan Street, police said.

Though the motivations for all the shootings are unclear, police say
many, like a near-homicide July 17 just blocks from campus, stem from
old beefs.

On that day, an MS gang member had just picked up a student when
someone in the car spotted a rival gang member, police said. Summer
school had just let out and the rivals both had guns and scores
to settle.

Police believe the two had gotten into a fight the day before at
Birmingham. Ten gunshots later, a 20-year-old man had been shot in
the head. He remains hospitalized.

School officials decided not to put out notices or hold any kind
of assembly Tuesday regarding the shooting the day before. Coates
said she made the decision because until this point, there was no
indication that students were involved.

But investigators say there is too little information to know who did
it. The Jack in the Box has long been a dangerous place, the site
of several shootings since 2002 and a "a melting pot for gangs,"
said LAPD Detective Marc Martinez.

"The school can hoot and holler all they want that they don’t have a
gang problem, but they are there," he said. "(Gang members) know how
to hide it better when they are on school grounds, but they are there."

Parent Charisse Ridgle, who had enrolled her freshman daughter,
Tanesha, at Birmingham High after she heard about violence around
Monroe High School in North Hills, was shocked by Birmingham’s
problems.

"Wow, I’m trying to be a good parent here," said Ridgle, who picks up
and drops off her daughter from school daily. "That’s scary. … It
is very frustrating to hear that."