Author: Khoyetsian Rose

ARMENIA BLASTS GUAM CRITICISIM OF KARABAKH VOTE
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
Dec 7 2006

Armenia condemned on Thursday Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova for
joining Azerbaijan in strongly criticizing Sunday’s referendum
in Nagorno-Karabakh on a constitution that declares the disputed
territory an independent state.

In a joint statement issued earlier this week, the foreign ministers
of the four ex-Soviet states making up the so-called GUAM grouping
expressed serious concern at the holding of the referendum, saying
that it will undermine international efforts to resolve the Karabakh
conflict. The vote can not be legitimate because it runs counter to
Azerbaijan’s constituion and international law, they charged.

Foreign Minister denounced the GUAM statement as "misguided." "Once
again, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are playing into the hands of
Azerbaijan by meddling into an issue which does not concern them,"
he said in written comments released by his office.

Oskanian said that the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic has
built a "lawful, well-regulated internal governance system" and
therefore has a legitimate right for a basic law. He also insisted
that the vote will not roll back considerable progress made in recent
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

"Just the opposite. At the core of the negotiations to reach a peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the right of the people
of Nagorno Karabakh for self-determination," argued Oskanian.

18 YEARS LATER STILL RELIANT ON THE OUTSIDE
Aram Zakaryan

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 7 2006

18 years have passed since the devastating earthquake in Spitak in
1988. According to different sources, it took 25 thousand lives. We
commemorate the victims of the disaster on every December 7. You
cannot bring back the victims, but by caring for the alive we can
bring peace to the souls of the victims. Unfortunately, today we have
too little to boast for.

The funds of the Armenian government, as well as the funds of foreign
and international organizations and foundations have been spent
on the reconstruction of the area of the earthquake. The largest
foreign donation was Kirk Kerkorian’s 100 million dollars. Houses,
cultural and sport buildings were built on this money. Only in Gyumri
20 thousand apartments were ruined by the earthquake in 1988. So far
13 thousand have been reconstructed. The government has decided that
instead of building new apartments it will be more effective to sell
the existing ones, because, first, a new apartment eventually gets
ruined if nobody lives there, besides, according to the prime minister,
as soon as the family living in a cottage moves into a new apartment,
an inhabitant of the nearby villages occupies the cottage.

People are granted certificates for purchase of apartments with
a certain value. In 2005 220 certificates with a total value of 1
billion drams were granted in Gyumri, and all were used. In 2006 300
certificates with a total value of 875 million drams will be granted,
and only 40-50 were used. Currently there are about 6000 cottages
in Gyumri, but half of the inhabitants of the cottages have the
status of homeless. The other half did not lose apartments during the
earthquake, therefore they are not considered as homeless. They are
perhaps the "re-settlers" mentioned by the prime minister. In Spitak
500 families are homeless, they are living in cottages. If these
rates of certificate deals continues, the solution of the problem of
homeless in the region of Shirak will take at least 15 years.

The Dashnak governor of Shirak and the Republican mayors of Gyumri
and Spital state that new apartments are needed. However, instead of
trying to explain the necessity and effectiveness of building new
apartments to their party and coalition colleagues they are trying
to build new apartments on the money of businessmen who come from
Gyumri or Spitak and make money abroad. It is difficult to say how
successful they will be.

If the housing problem can be considered as partly solved, the problem
of unemployment remains a burning issue. Despite the two-digit economic
growth, unemployment is a more painful problem in the area of disaster
that took place 18 years ago. Absence of jobs and presence of grim
prospects of future were another problem why many are abroad now.

SETTLEMENT IN ARMENIAN MANNER OR TERRITORY IN RETURN FOR REPRODUCTION
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 6 2006

The stances of the Armenian political forces, both the opposition and
pro-government forces, as well as the the mixed ones, have similarities
along with differences. They all consider the return of the liberated
territories possible, some to a greater extend, others to a lesser
degree. The fact is, however, that if in 1997 Levon Ter-Petrosyan
and his team were alone in their approach on reaching settlement by
returning teritories, now Robert Kocharyan has a number of supporters,
including voluntary and unintentional supporters because the former
government is also a supporter, in fact: it is necessary to return the
territories to reach settlement. Of course, the political forces also
say that their return differs from Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s return, and
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters say their return was a better option
than Kocharyan’s return. It is a fact, though, that all this talking
involves return of territories, and the details are not essential
because the territories are essential which they are ready to return.

Most people are saying that the conflict has shifted from the problem
of Karabakh to the problem of territories, which they think is
negative. First, if the problem has been shifted to the territories,
it already means that Karabakh is not a problem any more. Is it
positive or not? Of course, it is positive because the independence
of Karabakh does not arouse two opinions in one person any more. In
this case, shifting the problem back from the territories to Karabakh
means endangering the existence of the state of Karabakh. And it is
stunning but this is what the government and the political forces
of Armenia are busy with. They are doing everything to show that the
territories are not a problem for them, the problem is Karabakh. The
purpose is clear: if the problem is shifted to Karabakh, returning the
territories becomes easier because it is presented as the price for the
independence of Karabakh. Meanwhile, a difficult situation is emerging
for the government if the territories become the problem. In this case,
it is clear that the public will be demanding a favorable settlement
of the problem, meanwhile, neither the previous government and the
present government have made any efforts to solve the problem in our
favor. No step has been taken to show the international community that
the Armenian side would govern these territories more effectively
than Azerbaijan. Instead, these territories were used by a group of
people to accumulate wealth, and the last use that the ruling elite
is hoping to get from the territories is an arrangement with the
international community – territory in return for reproduction. And
they are going to blame the opposition for the national tragedy.

In addition, in Armenia all this is served under the peace loving
icing, as if this were the only way of reaching lasting peace. In
reality, the return of the territories does not provide any guarantees,
and it even creates an excellent precondition for war.

The point is that the liberated territories are a security area, which
gives the Armenian force a strategic advantage in case Azerbaijan
steps up an offensive. The Armenian positions are highly favorable
for effective defense and prevention of the military actions in
the territory of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. It is known that
in case of aggression the force of any country faces one problem –
moving the military actions from the territory of their own country
to the territory of the foe. The Armenian side has already solved
this problem. Of course, it is possible to rely on the law of nations,
trust the force of diplomatic relations, the recognition by Azerbaijan,
the so-called international guarantees of security.

However, first of all it is necessary to get acquainted with the
distant and recent history of the world. If someone does not fancy
going too far, they can remember the recent clash of Isreal and
Lebannin, when no international guarantee prevented Israel from
demolishing the south of Lebanon. By abandoning these positions of
strategic importance for the Armenian force excellent conditions
are created for Azerbaijan at least to think about military actions
against Karabakh. Of course, now Azerbaijan is not the country which
can make an independent decision on starting war, but the factor of
oil may enhance its geopolitical importance and military potential.

In this case, the international community may help force out Azerbaijan
from Karabakh, and it is possible that the force of the Republic of
Armenia will lead the international peacekeeping contingent stationed
in Karabakh, but the commander will wonder: "How shall I keep peace
in this wilderness?"

ARMENIAN, IRANIAN GOVERNMENTS SIGN NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS ON AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 5 2006

YEREVAN, December 4. /ARKA/. Armenian and Iranian governments signs a
number of agreements on the agricultural sector. Armenian Minister of
Agriculture David Lokyan reported at the official ceremony of signing
of the agreements that the bilateral cooperation is beneficial for
both countries, and we have a few directions in which it will be most
effectively developed.

"The most effective segments of cooperation under the bilateral
agreements are particularly flower-growing, hothouse market-gardening,
seed-growing and livestock-breeding," he said.

Lokyan said that according to these agreements, working groups will
be created at the two countries’ ministries of agriculture that will
discuss establishment of disinfectants production in Armenia with
Iran’s support.

The minister pointed out that according to one of the agreements
Armenia is to supply Iran with 2000 tons of mutton and 6000 tons
of beef and veal annually during 2007-2009. Besides this, Armenia
will assist Iran in importing species of trout, and Iran will take
an active part in breeding new species of fish in Armenia. At the
same time, Lokyan reported that the Iranian ministry of agriculture
intends to render scientific and technical assistance to Armenia with
introduction of drip irrigation system to the country.

He explained that a number of verbal agreements.

In his turn, Iranian Minister of Agriculture Mohammad Reza Escandari
pointed out that Iran and Armenia have a positive potential for
cooperation that will contribute to further strengthening and
development of relations in the agricultural sector.

Armenian and Iranian governments signed agreements on cooperation in
the sanitary and veterinary sector, in the sector of protection of
plants and phytosanitary quarantine, and memorandum on understanding
on cooperation in the agricultural sector on November 29.

ARMENIA WANTS TO HAVE A RESIDENT-AMBASSADOR

A1+
[03:58 pm] 05 December, 2006

On December 5 RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan received Per Eklund,
newly appointed head of the European Commission’s mission in Armenia
and Georgia.

The RA prime minister congratulated Mr. Eklund on the new post
and voiced hope that they will continue the constructive and
close cooperation started during the office of Torben Holtze,
former head of the European Commission’s mission. In his words,
the EU-Armenia Action Plan, confirmed within the framework of the
European Neighbourhood, opens new prospects for the enhancement and
expansion of the above-mentioned cooperation.

Andranik Margaryan expressed Armenia’s readiness to exert all the
possible measures to implement the Action Plan efficiently and
underlined the great share of the EC mission.

The RA prime minister claims that the activity of the mission is
highly appreciated in Armenia. Mr. Margaryan also noted that taking
into account the quantity of the issues put into Armenian-EU agenda,
it would be wiser to have European Commission’s resident-ambassador
in Armenia.

During the meeting the two parties also referred to 400 million euros
assistance rendered by Euro-Commission within the realm of TASIS
program. The head of the RA government thanked the commission on this
score and said that the on-going assistance to Armenia contributes
to the economic, political progress of the country, as well as the
integration procedure.

Besides, it enhances the EU-Armenia commercial ties.

EU is Armenia’s commercial partner and the investments of the EU in
our country are rather significant.

The head of Euro-Commission mission assured the RA prime minister that
the relations between the two countries will still thrive and they will
be based on mutual understanding and fruitful cooperation. He thanked
Andranik Margaryan for Armenia’s readiness to cooperate further on.

At the end of the meeting Andranik Margaryan wished Per Eklund success
in his new office.

LAS VEGAS POLICE OFFICERS CLEARED IN TASER DEATH

KVOA.com, AZ
Dec 3 2006

LAS VEGAS — A coroner’s inquest jury has cleared two Las Vegas police
officers of wrongdoing in the death of a schizophrenic man who choked
to death after being shocked by a Taser gun.

The jury deliberated for 40 minutes before ruling that officers Michael
Martin and Stephen Cwalinski took excusable action when they shocked
29-year-old Vardan Kasilyan twice with a stun gun while trying to
subdue him in his parent’s apartment.

His parents, Areknaz and Vrezh Kasilyan, told the jury their son was
handcuffed at the time, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Saturday.

Medical examiner Dr. Gary Telgenhoff testified Friday that Vardan
Kasilyan died by choking on his own vomit. He said contributing
factors were Kasilyan’s use of methamphetamine and cocaine a short
time before the incident, the mental illness and the use of the Taser.

Areknaz Kasilyan just wanted to get her son to the hospital, she
testified through an Armenian interpreter.

Her son hadn’t been taking his medications and she was afraid he
might hurt himself, she said.

"I didn’t want police to come. I wanted just an ambulance to come to
help him," Kasilyan said.

An ambulance and the officers showed up at the apartment shortly
after Areknaz Kasilyan called for help at about 9:00 p.m. on Sept. 30.

She told the 911 dispatcher that her son might be armed with a
screwdriver or small knife. She made the call discreetly because
when she made a similar call two years ago, her son had jumped from
the second floor when he saw emergency vehicles and broke both legs,
she told the jury.

The officers did not wait for a crisis intervention team member,
who is trained to deal with mentally ill people, before entering
the apartment.

"There was a sense of urgency because we could hear a male voice and
a female voice adamantly arguing," Martin testified.

When he saw the officer in the apartment, Vardan Kasilyan moved toward
a patio door, Martin said.

Martin said he ordered Vardan Kasilyan to show his hands, but he
wouldn’t comply. Martin said he fired his Taser because he worried
Vardan Kasilyan might attack with a screwdriver, escape through the
patio door or grab what Martin thought was a shotgun on the floor
nearby.

The item on the floor was a black metal cane that Vardan Kasilyan
has used since he broke both legs, his father testified.

The officers said they then tackled Vardan Kasilyan to the ground
and tried to handcuff him. Martin was able to put cuffs on his right
hand, but Cwalinski couldn’t get the left hand out from under Vardan
Kasilyan’s body, they said.

The officers shocked Kasilyan again, handcuffed him and rolled him
to his side when he began to vomit immediately, they said.

Paramedics took him to the hospital, where he died.

Both parents testified that police shocked their son while his hands
were handcuffed behind his back.

The officers said they wouldn’t have done anything differently.

"In my mind, there’s nothing we could have done," Martin said. "I
would have to do exactly what I was trained to do and do what I did
that night."

Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal,

asp?S=5760175

ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTE-SCANDINAVIA
PRYLV. 7
12637 HÄGERSTEN
SWEDEN
CONTACT: SUZANNE K. HOLMQUIST
AGOP KHATCHERIAN
TEL. +46 708 809316
FAX: +46 8 645 65 92
E-MAIL. [email protected]

Swedish MP questions the FM Carl Bildt on the issue
of Mass grave recently discovered in Turkey

(Interpolation in Swedish Parliament on 12 December 2006)

Stockholm (anc-scandinavia):
Hans Linde, a Swedish member of the Swedish Parliament
belonging to the Vaenster Party /Left/ will be
addressing the Parliament on the 12 of December on
the issue of the mass grave discovered in Turkey
last October, which could contain the remains of
Armenian Genocide victims.

Hans Linde will specifically ask the Foreign Minister
to work for the creation of an expert commission that
would in a scientific manner identify the cause of
death and the identity of the remains discovered in
the mass grave.

Last October a mass grave was discovered when
villagers from Xirabebaba (Kuru) in Eastern Turkey,
were digging a grave for one of their relatives when
they came across to a cave full of skulls and bones of
reportedly 40 people. that according to historian
Davis Gaunt might contain remains of Armenian Genocide
victims.

According to a The Xirabebaba residents assumed they
had uncovered a mass grave of 300 Armenian villagers
massacred during the Genocide of 1915. They informed
Akarsu Gendarmerie headquarters, the local military
unit, about the discovered remains. Kurdish newspaper
published in Turkish Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, the Turkish
Gendarmerie then had has instructed local villagers to
keep silence about the discovery. Turkish army
officers, according to the Kurdish newspaper,
instructed the villagers to block the cave entrance
and make no mention of the remains buried in it. The
officers said an investigation would take place. The
newspaper reported on the developments and the Turkish
military’s attempt to hide the news. Journalists, who
had arrived to obtain more information, were denied
access to the cave.

As the mass burial made news, local Gendarmerie made
another visit to the villagers. The latter were
pressed to report the name of the person who leaked
the mass burial discovery to the press. The villagers
were warned not to show anyone directions to the cave.

The victims of the mass grave, according to Sodertorn
University History Professor David Gaunt, are most
likely the 150 Armenian and 120 Assyrian males from
the nearby town of Dara (now Oguz) killed on June 13,
1915. David Gaunt Believes that it could also be the
remains of Armenian women from Mardin who were driven
out and executed at that place. It could belong to
Assyrian children, men and women from the prison of
Nusaybin that were executed in the same place on the
28th of June 1915.
Professor Gaunt is an expert on the region’s history
and soon will his latest book entitled Massacres,
Resistance, Protectors, Muslim-Christian Relations in
Eastern Anatolia During World War I, (Gorgias Press,
New Jersey, 2006 ) describes 200 similar massacres
carried out in 1915, in Tur Abdin, a region in
today’s Eastern Turkey. These were massacres carried
out by the governor Reshit Bey, a representative of
the ottoman state apparatus.
The Turkish Human Rights Association since then has
been vocal about the issue and has addressed an open
letter to the Minister of Interior Affairs in Turkey
demanding the creation of an independent commission
that should look at the issue closer and identify the
cause of death and identify the ethnicity the
discovered human remains.

Hans Linde, the Swedish MP, will also demand answers
on such questions whether FM Carl Bildt is willing to
cooperate so that Sweden as an individual state and as
a member of the EU, can work to bring the Turkish
authorities to open the Ottoman archives for
international Research, and decriminalize all
research and debate on the Genocide of Armenians and
Assyrians under the Ottoman responsibility. He
justifies the importance of the issue by arguing that
‘reconciliation between the Armenian and Turkish
nations is not possible to achieve unless Turkey
opens its archives for research and free debate is
allowed. To talk and write about the Armenian
Genocide should be totally decriminalized’. Every
country’s history contains dark chapters he writes,
However, democratic states should be able to freely
study, map , debate and discuss these unpleasant pages
of history. Turkey cannot be an exception’.

ANC Scandinavia
Contact:
[email protected]

Below you can find more info on David Gaunt’s new
book:

Author: David Gaunt
Title: Massacres, Resistance, Protectors:
Muslim-Christian Relations in Eastern Anatolia during
World War I
Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Publication Date: 10/10/2006
ISBN: 1-59333-301-3
Format: Paperback xvii + 535 pages, 22 illustrations

This is a pioneering historical investigation of the
Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syrian Christian minorities
during World War I, who suffered the same fate as the
Armenians. Ethnic cleansing and large-scale massacres
occurred throughout northern Mesopotamia and parts of
Ottoman-occupied Iran. Based on primary sources from
official Russian, Turkish, and West European archives,
as well as hitherto unused manuscript sources and oral
histories published here for the first time, this book
attempts to give a full picture of the events of 1915.
Concentration is on the Assyrians of Urmia and Hakkari
and on the Syrians of Diyarbekir province,
particularly in Tur Abdin.

HOUSE BURNT TO ASHES

A1+
[06:03 pm] 29 November, 2006

On November 29 at 01:32 a.m. a fire broke out in houses N10 and 13
in Sari Tagh. A fire brigade left for the site. House N10 burned to
ashes. As for the other, only the roof was damaged.

It turned out that the fire fighters did not receive the alarm
immediately; the residents of Sari Tagh tried to put out the fire
themselves but failed. The fire fighters arrived at the site when
the fire threatened other houses too.

The fire was put out at 03:23 a.m.

ARMENIAN FORCES HOLDING MILITARY TRAINING ON OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Author: Sh. Jaliloghli

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 30 2006

Armenian Forces are constantly holding military training on the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan causing significant damage to
property of the villages located not far from the contact line.

Trend Regional Correspondent reports that due to vibrations resulting
from explosions used by the Armenian military during their training,
the land and houses belonging to the inhabitants of the neighbouring
Azerbaijani villages trembles, causing serious damage to houses of
the inhabitants.

Such cases have been observed in the villages of Chiragli, Chamanli,
Ortagishlag, Murasheli of Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Inhabitants
of the villages say that the ammunition explosions are damaging their
property making them susceptible to collapsing.

At present, the Armenian Forces are continuing their military training
on our occupied territories. Heavy artillery and arms involved in
training has resulted in loud explosions, causing the land nearby
to tremble.

SABINA FRAZER: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WILL NOT RECOGNIZE NAGORNO GARABAGH REFERENDUM

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 28 2006

International Crisis Group does not intend to publish new reports,
because no improvement has been made concerning the situation, Project
director of the International Crisis Group on the Caucasian region
Sabina Frazer told the APA Georgian bureau exclusively.

She said that the group will prepare a report concerning the situation
on the region in 2007. Estimating Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents’
meeting to be held within CIS head of states’ summit in Minsk Sabina
Frazer said she does not believe important decision will be taken on
the settlement of the conflict.

"Presidents Aliyev and Kocharian are not resolute in compromising.

They have not prepared the society for the possible compromises. If
the problem improves as far as the agreement of principles, the
presidents will have to explain the essence of agreement elements
and the necessity of compromise to the public," she said.

Sabina Frazer said the statements of both presidents on the conflict
do not harm the talks.

"Both parties have different interpretation on the history of Nagorno
Karabakh, but I do not think the different views are important.

International community recognizes Nagorno Karabakh as part of
Azerbaijan, but the talks include the refugees’ conditions, economic
cooperation and other details," she said.

Touching upon the referendum to be held in the occupied Azerbaijani
territories on December 10, Sabina Frazer said that analogous steps
are very popular in the Post Soviet countries.

"These may be the results of referendum in Chernogoriya. But there is
no resemblance between the situation in Chernogoriya and conflicts
in the Post Soviet countries. Because Serbia said in advance that
it will not recognize the referendum results. So it is clear that
international community will not recognize the results of Nagorno
Karabakh referendum," Sabina Frazer said.