Author: Khoyetsian Rose

A1 Plus | 17:28:08 | 29-03-2004 | Politics |
OSCE MISSION CONCLUSION ON THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN GEORGIA
The 28 March parliamentary elections in Georgia demonstrated commendable
progress in relation to previous elections, concludes the International
Election Observation Mission in a statement of preliminary findings and
conclusions issued today.
The Georgian authorities have seized the opportunity in the last few months
to bring Georgia’s election process into closer alignment with European
standards for democratic elections, the Mission has found. However,
continued intimidation and physical abuse against opposition supporters and
journalists in Ajara, cast a shadow over the overall progress in the
election process, its statement adds.
It also makes clear that Georgia’s election process will only be fully
tested in a more competitive environment, once a genuine level of political
pluralism is re-established.
—

A1 Plus | 17:09:53 | 29-03-2004 | Politics |
BILL ON HOLDING RALLIES AND MEETINGS TO BE DISCUSSED
Parliament will discuss the bill on “Order for Holding Meetings, Rallies and
Marches”. Suggestions over making amendments to the Law on “Administrative
Law Transgression” are represented, too.
Parliament State and Legal Committee and the temporary Committee of
Integration with the European Structures introduced these bills.
Parliament has continued discussion of the Labor Code since morning. It is
planned to consider the suggestions over making changes to the law on
granting privileges of tax and social insurance payments to Agarak’ copper
and molybdenum enterprise and Kapan’ ore mining and processing enterprise.
—

Armenian opposition official says attack on him politically motivated
Noyan Tapan news agency
25 Mar 04
YEREVAN
The secretary of the opposition Justice faction, Viktor Dallakyan, was
attacked on 23 March. Dallakyan said that three unidentified people
attacked him at about 2240 1840 gmt , and as a result he was
injured. The attackers took his leather coat with his deputy mandate,
keys and diary in the pocket.
“I am an active participant in opposition activities and it is
absolutely obvious that the incident had political grounds,” Dallakyan
said. He expressed his confidence that the authorities would not be
able to undermine the opposition by such attacks.
“The authorities should understand that by throwing eggs or attacking
people in the dark they cannot stop the process which has started in
Armenia: change of power is inevitable as all the people demand this.”
Dallakyan did not rule out that the authorities could take unexpected
steps and added that the opposition was ready for any
developments. Commenting on Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan’s
statements that the army was entitled to ensure internal order,
Dallakyan said: “I would like to tell the minister that under Point 13
Article 55 of the Constitution, the army can be used only in case of a
war or external threat.”

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
March 24, 2004
Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian
Telephone: 818.500.1918
LOS ANGELES MAYOR EXPRESSES FULL SUPPORT FOR ANCA GENOCIDE PREVENTION
POSTCARD CAMPAIGN
Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn expressed his full
support for the ANCA Genocide Prevention Postcard Campaign. The
Postcard Campaign is designed to seek passage of legislation pending
in both the U.S. Senate andHouse of Representatives commemorating the
15th anniversary of America’s adoptionof the Genocide Convention. The
legislation specifically references the Armenian Genocide. Over 50,000
Americans have participated in the ANCA postcard Campaign since it was
launched last year.
Mayor Hahn expressed his support for the ANCA Postcard Campaign in a
personal note sent to ANCA-WR Headquarters on March 17, 2004. The
Mayor thanked the ANCA for focusing Congressional attention on the
need to end cycles of genocide. `The ANCA Genocide Postcard Campaign
continues the never-ending endeavor to keep alive in our minds and
memory what History is want to omit: the extent to which humans are
capable of implementing a system of hate,’ wrote Mayor Hahn in his
letter to ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian.
“We appreciate Mayor Hahn’s support for the ANCA Genocide Postcard
Campaign,” explained ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes
Kassakhian. “His support for our Campaign is building the momentum we
need to force Congressional leaders to permit a vote on bills, which
we and over 100 organizations support, commemorating the 15th
anniversary of America’s adoption of the Genocide Convention,’
Kassakhian added.
Individuals wishing to participate in the ANCA Genocide Prevention
Postcard Campaign are encouraged to contact the ANCA-WR offices at
(818) 500-1918 or visit
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughoutthe United States and affiliated organizations
around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
Editor’s Note: Letter from Mayor Hahn is attached.
#####

The provider
Jerusalem Post Online
DANIEL BEN-TALMar. 21, 2004
The tale of Rahamim Moshik Levy, a former Etzel militia warrior and
one of the capital’s few surviving kerosene distributors.
Veteran Jerusalemites fondly remember the city’s once-ubiquitous
kerosene distributors.
“There was a time when everybody knew me and I knew everybody,”
recalls Rahamim Moshik Levy, who delivered heating fuel from his horse
and cart for almost two decades.
In 1968, Levy got behind the steering wheel of a much-maligned,
German-made “Gogomobile” distribution van.
“It had an aluminum motor, two flimsy chains, and couldn’t pull a ton
of fuel up the steep Jerusalem hills – I was happier with the horse.”
A road accident in 1984 forced him into early retirement and now he is
wheelchair-bound, but Levy has no regrets.
“I wasn’t spoilt,” he under-states.
The second of eight siblings, he was born in 1927 in Nahlaot – then a
struggling neighborhood of impoverished immigrants from Persia, Allepo
in northern Syria and the Urfa district spanning the Syrian-Turkish
border.
“Life was very, very hard,” Levy relates. “People didn’t have big eyes
in those days – we were happy with what we had. I grew up in a small
ghetto: a tight community, surrounded by Arabs. We were scared to
cross the wadi into Sheikh Bader, where the Knesset and Givat Ram
campus are now. There used to be wheat fields where Sacher Park is
today – as children, we would pick the wheat until the Arabs chased us
away with rocks and dogs.”
His father Moshe (Musa) fled from Urfa to Israel by donkey back in
1916.
“The Turks were slaughtering Armenians by the hundreds of thousands,
and the Jews realized that they were next. Entire villages of Jews
left before the Turks could massacre them also.”
Levy Sr. sold blocks of Nablusi soap (traditional soap from olive oil,
water, elm ashes, and plaster still produced in Nablus).
“We maintained good relations with the Arabs before the War of
Independence.
I had many friends in the Old City, and often slept at Abu-Haled’s
house,” he says.
“When I was about 15, he took me to Id-el Adha prayers in the Al-Aksa
Mosque.
I was young and brave, and didn’t think about the danger. I dressed
like a young Muslim, stood when they stood, and knelt when they knelt
– nobody realized that I was a Jew!” While Hebrew was the children’s
mother tongue, the family spoke Arabic at home.
“We would read the Pessah Seder service in Hebrew, Aramaic and
Arabic,” he chuckles, then playfully recites the Ma Nishtana (Four
Questions) in Arabic.
“Our parents spoke to each other in Turkish when they didn’t want us
to understand.”
The pre-state Yishuv endured an economic crisis during the 1930s, and
the debt-shackled family business fell bankrupt in 1936. Aged 13, Levy
became a cobbler.
At the same time, he was also a street activist for the pre-state
Etzel militia.
“Our family hid a weapons slick of pistols and hand grenades under an
old hut in our courtyard, but I wasn’t involved in the hit-and-run
operations – my job was to post Herut banners around the city under
the cover of darkness,” he says.
Early one morning, the British police caught Levy by the Ritz Caf near
today’s Liberty Bell Gardens, and took him to their police station
near Jaffa Gate for interrogation. After he was released, his mother
begged him to leave Etzel and join the Hagana instead, so he bought a
blue shirt with red lace – it was a good disguise against the British.
Levy vividly recalls listening to the UN partition vote of November
29, 1947 on a crackling radio.
“It was Saturday night and my father was asleep, but I woke him to
tell him the news. Outside, there was spontaneous celebrating and hora
dancing – except for one rabbi, who warned everyone that the Arabs
were sharpening their swords.”
British rule was already crumbling by the time he was sent for a
two-week Hagana training camp in Tel Aviv.
“Every one of my school class answered the call to the flag. Many did
not return,” he recounts.
On their return, his convoy of armored buses found the road to
Jerusalem blocked by Arab militants, but took advantage of a heavy
rainstorm to break through to the capital.
“The city was under siege. The rain-swept streets were deserted, and
the British were confiscating weapons from Jews to give to the Arabs,”
he recalls.
On May 16, 1948 – the day after prime minister David Ben-Gurion
proclaimed Israel’s independence in Tel Aviv – Levy was dispatched to
guard food convoys to Neveh Ya’acov.
He later spent six months defending Kibbutz Ramat Rahel.
“We lived in trenches and couldn’t raise our heads because of
snipers. On Yom Kippur night 1948, they brought us this secret weapon,
the Davidka. We fired it at Mar Elias and Tzur Bacher… The noise
scared them so much that they ran away.”
Demobilized in 1949, Levy married his childhood sweetheart, Mazal, and
moved into a 3 m. x 2 m. room with no WC or running water. He soon
found a job as one of Jerusalem’s 35 kerosene distributors, riding its
familiar streets on a horse-drawn cart with wooden wheels.
“I would ring my bell, and people shouted their orders from their
windows. It was hard work carrying kerosene containers up staircases
for 12 hours, but I earned six lire a day.”
Levy had to provide for five children, and went back to making shoes
during the summer months.
“I never let them suffer like I did as a child.”
In 1952, he joined the Shalhevet fuel distribution cooperative, and
eventually upgraded to a rubber-tired cart, loading about 600 liters
daily at the kerosene depot near his horse’s stable behind the railway
station.
“Those were the happiest days of my life. I would ring my bell as I
rode past the Jordanian legionnaires on the Old City Walls by the
Mandelbaum Gate.”
He finished his career driving a small Dodge D-200 tanker after the
cooperative folded in 1982.
“Times move on and the market disappeared,” he shrugs.
For comments and feedback on this article email: [email protected]
This article can also be read at
;cid=1079844505460&p=1077423454793
Copyright 1995-2004 The Jerusalem Post –

Useful advice to Misha
Aravot, Yerevan
13 Mar 04

On the eve of his visit to Armenia, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili gave an interview to Armenian journalists and said that he
wanted very much to learn Armenia’s experience in the law-enforcement
agencies and especially, in fighting corruption in the police, as the
level of corruption in Georgia is incomparably higher than in Armenia,
according to Saakashvili. So the Georgian president wants Kocharyan to
explain how he manages to do this and in addition, how our president
has managed to establish law and order in the state service system. We
are also eager to discuss this issue with Kocharyan. To be short, the
young president of Georgia has come to Armenia not only for
establishing friendly relations with the Armenians, but also for
learning our country’s experience that will be applied in Georgia
afterwards.
If, for example, the police in Georgia do not simply take bribes as
they do in our country, but demand money from drivers threatening them
with a gun, then Kocharyan may give really good advice. The same
concerns the state system, as nobody is being robbed in our country,
and people and private companies “pay taxes” of their own volition. In
this case, Kocharyan will teach Saakashvili how to create a system
under which people will give bribes to officials and policemen of
their own volition.
But corruption is not the most important issue. The newly-elected
president of Georgia should be thinking of gaining victory in the next
presidential elections, when the people’s euphoria ends and most of
social problems are not resolved. Our president will really become an
inestimable adviser for Saakashvili on the issue of “being re-elected”.
For example, Kocharyan may give very valuable advice about how to
revoke the licence of any undesirable independent TV company, about
how to turn the parliament into a puppet, about the laws that the
parliament should be forced adopt in order to restrict freedom of
speech and the press and about how to fight the opposition that
irritates them from time to time. Saakashvili may get advice about how
to stuff ballot boxes and rig the results of elections. And remember,
my friend Misha [meaning Mikheil Saakashvili], opposition activists
should be definitely arrested. The people should be kept in an
atmosphere of fear. To be honest, Saakashvili will learn all these
skills without his counterpart’s advice in a year.

Paul Goebel says no democratic revolution in Azerbaidjan yet
Pravda
14:42 2004-03-16
To date, there has not been a democratic revolution in Azerbaidjan,’
according to American political scientist Paul Goebel. In a radio
interview Monday with the Voice of America, Goebel said that ‘the
holding of elections does not indicate the presence of democracy. In
addition, the majority of the people in Azerbaidjan are inheritors of
the Soviet system and continue to display that mentality. Such people
hope that the presence of even a modicum of stability is a good thing,
but what they don’t understand is that it’s impossible to sustain such
stability.’
He expressed the hope that the current president of Azerbaidjan will
consider the long-term interests of the country. ‘The question doesn’t
concern the next two or three years, but the condition of the country
in 40 or 50 years. In order to achieve success, it is imperative that
Azerbaidjan shift over to democracy. That shift has to be carried out
by the people of Azerbaidjan themselves,’ he said.
The most worrisome factor, in Goebel’s opinion, is the fact that the
government is not yet based on the rule of law, that civic
institutions are absent, and that elections are neither free nor
fair. ‘One shouldn’t consider the preservation of independence since
1991 as an accomplishment,’ he said. ‘Negative influences on the
development of Azerbaidjan consist of a lack of fundamental
governmental institutions, the presence of corruption and problems
with democracy. Currently, the government of Azerbaidjan merely
appears strong. In fact, the system is extremely weak and must be
strengthened,’ said Goebel. Blaming the lack of democratic reforms on
the persistent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaidjan is not good
enough. External threats are often used to justify the absence of a
government based on the rule of law.’

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Foreign Press Office
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
March 16, 2004
Rev. Fr. Aren Shahinian Appointed as Spiritual Pastor of the Armenian
Community of Rome
By the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians, Rev. Father Aren Shahinian is appointed as
spiritual pastor of the Armenian community of Rome. The Armenian
communities of Italy are under the jurisdiction of the Pontifical Legate for
Western Europe, His Eminence Archbishop Kude Nakkashian, Primate of Paris.
Fr. Shahinian is a member of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin.
* * *
Father Aren Shahinian
(baptized Shant)
Father Aren Shahinian was born on January 20, 1970, in Baghdad, Iraq. He
received his primary education in the local elementary school.
>From 1989-1992, he studied at the College of Mechanical Sciences in the city
of Kirkuk.
In 1993, he began attending a five-year ecclesiastical course organized by
His Eminence Archbishop Avak Assadourian, Primate of the Armenian Church
Diocese of Iraq. Concurrently, he pursued his education at the “Babylon”
Theological University of Baghdad.
On January 29, 1999, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Avak
Assadourian.
On March 2, 2000, he was ordained a celibate priest by Archbishop Avak
Assadourian, in the Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, of
Cairo, Egypt. The same year, he successfully defended his thesis entitled:
“The Gospel and the Koran”, and was awarded with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Theology and Philosophy from the “Babylon” Theological University.
Following his ordination, Father Aren departed for Rome to continue his
theological education.
In 2004, upon the Pontifical Order of the Catholicos of All Armenians, he
was appointed spiritual pastor of the Armenian community of Rome.
##

Foreign Policy Association
March 16 2004
Project Manager- Armenia
World Vision
Job Categories: Environment | Full-Time/Contract | Central Asia
| Global Health | Environment

World Vision International is the largest privately funded Christian
Relief and Development Organization working against hunger, poverty
and injustice in over 98 countries around the world, helping over 85
million people.
World Vision Deutschland – in close co-operation with World Vision
Armenia – has successfully applied for funding under “Co-financing
with European development NGOs’ Operations in developing countries”.
The project entitled “Building Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in
Tavush region – Armenia” seeks to reduce poverty among the vulnerable
population in the remote regions of Armenia through increased rural
communities capacity to manage their assets and agricultural
resources and secure an increased income. The target population
encompasses disfranchised population, especially refugees and
internally displaced persons, living in border communities,
mountainous communities, and small remote villages not covered by
other programs. The project activities are geared towards achieving
the following results:
1. Farmer associations are enabled to promote diversified and
market-oriented agriculture
2. Off-farm income-generating activities are initiated
3. Community initiatives in infrastructure improvement are supported
In order to guarantee the effective implementation of the project,
the position of a qualified expatriate Project Manager needs to be
filled during the 2nd quarter of 2004. The duration of the project is
36 months.
To lead and facilitate the efficient and effective implementation of
the project “Building Sustainable Rural Livelihoods in Tavush region
– Armenia” building on, integrated in, and expanding WV Armenia’s
long-term development activities in Armenia. The Project Manager
reports to WV Armenia Operations Director and works in coordination
with the Area Development (ADP) Manager in Tavush Region towards
achieving the following objectives:
Supervise a structured project start-up including office
establishment, notification to all stakeholders concerned in
collaboration with the WV Armenia Operations Director and ADP
Manager, and recruitment and orientation of local staff in compliance
with WV Armenian procedures
Develop operation plans and establish a monitoring system that allows
for the measurement and documentation of project progress toward
objectives and results, which maximizes cross- cutting themes and
programs within the Tavush ADP
Provide guidance and leadership to the project based on the best
practices in multi-sectoral development projects that include
agriculture, income generation and community development
With the support of WV Armenia?s Finance team ensure that project
finance management meets the standards of the WV Armenia Finance
Manual and the specific EU requirements
In Coordination with the WV Armenia Operations Director engage in
networking with the donor and develop relationship of mutual
confidence and respect
Maintain good working relationship with local government bodies
without compromising the independence of World Vision and its
non-governmental role
Support the ADP Manager in her role of overall WV representation in
Tavush Region
Coordinate visibility actions with donors and WV Armenia Marketing
team
Work with WV Armenia Program Officers to prepare narrative and
financial reports for the donor as stipulated in the contract and
ensure any difficulties or changes that might arise during the
implementation of the project are agreed with the Operations Director
and communicated to the donor in due time
Prepare monthly narrative reports to be distributed to WV Armenia
national office, WV Deutschland, and other stakeholders as deemed
appropriate
Provide all necessary information/documentation needed for the
regular monitoring and evaluation missions in collaboration with WV
Armenia?s M&E Officer
Network with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local
government officials, and community leaders in the project area to
ensure continued project co-ordination, quality and innovation
Undertake continuous capacity building of national staff engaged in
the project in the areas of agriculture, income generation,
sustainable livelihoods, rural development, and project management,
so as to create and strengthen relevant indigenous skills &
understanding
Assist the WV Armenia Operations Director and the ADP Manager in the
development of strategies for long-term or additional interventions,
including the preparation of further plans and proposals, and
handling the marketing of these
Perform other duties as assigned by the Operations Director
Qualification:
3-5 years of similar management experience in cross-cultural
environment
A degree in Agriculture or similar with experience in working with
farmer associations and an understanding of marketing
Understanding of environmental issues and micro-catchments’
management
Prior work experience in project implementation, monitoring,
evaluation, training/capacity building, conceptual program planning,
office administrative procedures and report writing
Excellent English speaking, reading and writing skills
Working knowledge of Russian and/or Armenian
Computer literacy (word processing and spreadsheets)
Ethnic sensitivity and understanding, with an ability to resolve
complex cultural issues
Strong inter-personal and cross-cultural communications skills and
sensitivity. Ability to work closely within a team/group environment
and to be diplomatic and flexible in a sometimes remote and
challenging environment and/or under stress
Team-player attitude, with initiative & self-confidence to develop
and lead program
Strong organizing, planning and writing skills. Strong attention to
detail
Representation aptitude – including relations with donors
Willingness to travel locally around Armenia up to 40% of the time.
Staying overnight in unprivileged living conditions is possible
Experience of working in FSU transitional economies preferable
Strong commitment to World Vision?s Christian Values and ability to
reflect these in day to day work
Applications for this position should be sent to:
Gisela Poole [email protected] and Kristina Baghdasaryan
[email protected] 3-5 years of similar management
experience in cross-cultural environment.
Contact Information: Gisela Poole
Email: [email protected]
Apply by: March 31, 2004

ArmenPress
March 9 2004
GEORGIA’S PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ARMENIA MARCH 12
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: The president of Georgia, Mikhail
Saakashvili, will pay an official two-day visit to Armenia on March
12 at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian.
Kocharian’s press office said the Georgian delegation is composed of
foreign, energy, infrastructures and development ministers, members
of the parliament, representatives of the Armenian-populated region
of Javakheti and journalists.
On March 13 the two presidents will have a private conversation
after the official ceremony of welcoming, to be followed by
Georgian-Armenian negotiations. The two presidents will also brief
the journalists on the results of their talks.
During the official visit Saakashvili will meet with Armenian
parliament chairman, prime minister and representatives of the
Georgian community in Armenia. He will be received by the head of the
Armenian Church Catholicos Karekin II. The itinerary of the Georgian
delegation includes also a visit to Genocide Memorial where he will
lay a wreath in commemoration of the victims of the 1915 massacre of
Armenians by Turkish authorities. He will then visit the nearby
Genocide Museum and Institute, then the Matenadaran Institute of Old
Manuscripts. Saakashvili will fly back the same day.