Author: Khoyetsian Rose

European Parliament (press release), EU
May 22 2008

Wednesday in Strasbourg: Turkey, crisis in Burma, China

Institutions – 22-05-2008 – 15:21

Turkey’s EU aspirations were debated by MEPs on Wednesday
morning. Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, Ria Oomen-Ruijten
(EPP-ED), called for 2008 to be "a year of reforms". Later the House
voted to support criminal sanctions for offences against the
environment. MEPs also debated recent natural disasters in Burma and
China – deploring the obstruction of Rangoon and praising the reaction
and transparency of China. A treaty to ban uranium shells was also on
the agenda.

Turkey progress in 2007 – "We have a mixed picture"

Speaking about Turkey’s 2007 progress towards EU accession, Mrs
Oomen-Ruijten, said that only the new Turkish constitution will
guarantee the separation between the state and religion and safeguard
the protection of religious and ethnic minorities – namely Kurds. "We
have a mixed picture, a lot more needs to be done, in order for Turkey
to keep their promises to the EU and to their own people."

Women’s and children’s rights, trades unions and cultural and
linguistic freedoms were quoted in the report as among the areas where
Turkish authorities still have serious backlogs. In addition,
so-called "honour killings" and a failure by Ankara to acknowledge the
Armenian genocide as well as bans on political parties were all
matters cited by members in the debate as indicators of Turkey’s
continued need to reform.

The adopted report says recent changes to the controversial Article
301 of the Turkish Penal Code is a "first step towards a fundamental
reform of that article as well as other articles of the Penal Code,
and looks forward to further moves in this respect." Parliament adds
that in its view "the repeal of Article 301 and other legal provisions
representing an illegitimate restriction on freedom of expression as
guaranteed by international law would be the best solution."

In her speech Ms Oomen-Ruijten welcomed the fact that in 2007 the
country stood up to the military and said she wanted Turkey to remain
a "lay state".

Criminal measures to protect the environment

In adopting a report by German Christian Democrat Hartmut
Nassauer,MEPs agreed on the principle that governments should apply
criminal measures to punish any illegal behaviour likely to seriously
injure people or damage the environment. The entry into force of this
legislation would oblige national government to apply "effective,
proportionate and dissuasive" criminal penalties to specific cases.

Burma cyclone and its generals – "dialogue of the deaf"

As the situation continues to deteriorate in Burma following
dramatically cyclone Nargis, MEPs were united in denouncing the ruling
military Junta for its reluctance to accept international aid and in
urging, the international community to work through the UN to
pressurise Burma’s Generals.

Speakers from the Socialist, Liberal, Green and Union of Nation’s
groups said the Burmese military’s behaviour was a "crime against
humanity" and said the Generals should face international justice.

The speaker for the largest group in parliament, the EPP-ED group,
said they wanted other Asian countries to put more pressure on the
regime in Rangoon.

Earlier EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel called his fact-finding trip
to Burma a "dialogue of the deaf" with Burmese officials. He said
epidemics such as diarrhoea and malnutrition affected hundreds of
thousand of people.

China quake – Beijing praised for openness to help

In contrast, China was praised for way it had reacted to the 12 May
quake in Sichuan province and its willingness to accept international
aid. Many MEPs expressed condolences to Chinese people. Speaking for
the Slovene Presidency Janez LenarÄ?iÄ? told MEPs that 10
million had been affected and that 50,000 were dead. Louis Michel said
the EU has funded Red Cross blankets, tents, food and drinking water.

All groups praised the transparency of Beijing and the willingness to
allow media access. The Speaker for the Socialist group said that the
EU should help China with reconstruction The EPP-ED and Green speakers
voiced concerns over construction of buildings, especially schools.

Depleted uranium weapons

A group of MEPs tabled oral questions to the Commission and the
Council on the Global treaty to ban uranium weapons. In November 2006,
the Parliament called for a moratorium on uranium weapons in a
resolution on `biological weapons and inhumane conventional
weapons. The oral question urges Commission and The Council to follow
up the document. In December 2007, the UN General Assembly passed a
resolution highlighting concerns over the military use of uranium that
urges UN member states to re-examine the health hazards posed by the
use of uranium weapons.

Dutch Green Eli de Groen said that of EU/NATO members only Germany,
Italy and Ireland supported the UN resolution. "World storage of
depleted uranium weapons is estimated at 1.3 million tons, while far
less then one microgram of the material in the body can be fatal to
humans," she told fellow MEPs. Italian MEP Stefano Zappalà
(EPP-ED) underlined that uranium "pollutes water, soil and
agricultural crops".

REF.: 20080520STO29282

ws/public/story_page/008-29294-140-05-21-901-20080 520STO29282-2008-19-05-2008/default_en.htm

ARMEN AYVAZYAN TO DELIVER LECTURE ON ARMENIAN IDENTITY IN GLENDALE

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 22, 2008

GLENDALE, MAY 22, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. A lecture and a
public discussion on " The Cornerstones of Armenian Identity or
Who Is An Armenian " by Armen Ayvazyan, the director of " Ararat "
Center for Strategic Research in Yerevan will be held in the Glendale
Central Library on June 1.

"The Cornerstones of Armenian Identity or Who Is An Armenian ", a
newly 29-page publication in Armenian, English and Russian will be
presented to the public on the same day.

KARABAKH FOLLOWS IN KOSOVO’S STEPS
by Ivan Preobrazhensky, Aleksei Bausin

DEFENSE and SECURITY
May 21, 2008 Wednesday
Russia

Bringing in 500,000 Armenians, Karabakh authorities intend to get
international recognition

WILL NAGORNO-KARABAKH ARRANGE ITS OWN TALKS WITH AZERBAIJAN?; Official
Stepanakert maintains that it itself should negotiate peace settlement
with Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh President Bako Saakjan is convinced that
Nagorno-Karabakh should participate in the pace settlement talks with
Azerbaijan. "Independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the principal
warring side. It has the priorities analogous to those of another
countries," Saakjan said. All negotiations have been conducted by
Armenia these last 14 years. Nagorno-Karabakh only participated in
the truce signing in 1994.

Gegam Bagdasarjan, the only oppositionist deputy on the Karabakh
parliament, suspects that the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities might
have been upset by rumors that Armenia was ready to give part of the
Karabakh territories to Azerbaijan to settle the matter.

Not even Armenia has established diplomatic relations with
Stepanakert. Azerbaijani settlements in Karabakh are in ruins,
Armenian thrive with help from diasporas abroad.

The army comprises approximately one sixth of the population. Economic
revival is undeniable. "Stability will culminate in a doctrine of
maximum density of the population," Karabakh Prime Minister Araik
Arutyunjan said. According to official estimates, the population of
Nagorno-Karabakh stands at under 150,000 men, density of population
amounting to one tenth of the Armenian. The government is out to
stabilize the population at 500,000. Population inflow is double
the outflow. The birth rate is about 14 births per 1,000 people. A
denser population may help with the problem of recognition "as it
did in Kosovo" (to quote Arutyunjan).

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandjan believes that status of
Nagorno-Karabakh should be determined at a referendum. "Moscow stands
for a compromise reached with help from foreign intermediaries,"
Leonid Slutsky of the International Committee of the Duma said.

INFORMATION ABOUT TRANSFER OF NORASHEN ARMENIAN CHURCH TO GOC IS CANARD OF RUSSIAN MEDIA, BAKU SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.05.2008 17:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The information about transfer of Norashen Armenian
church under the jurisdiction f the Georgian Orthodox Church is a
"provocation of Russian media," Azeri political scientist Rasim
Musabekov.

"It was supposed that ‘indignant’ Armenians will prefer pro-Russian
candidates to Saakashvili’s team during the parliamentary elections,"
he said.

"The current Armenia-Georgia relations can be described as ‘better
a bad peace than a good quarrel’, because Georgia experiences
problems in normalizing relations with neighbors and opposition
with Armenia will result in a new wave of Javakhetians’ autonomy
claims. On the other hand, Armenia’s only outlet to the sea lies
through Georgia. Complete isolation would be a calamity for it. So,
despite Kremlin’s instigations, Armenia will not strain relations
with official Tbilisi," Musabekov concluded, 1news.az reports.

Last week the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
expressed indignation at the encroachment on Saint Norashen Church
and its surroundings instigated by Father Tariel Sikinchelashvili of
the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Saint Norashen Church was built in the middle of 15th century. In
1930-ies along with other places of worship, it was closed and used
as a book depository.

After restoration of state independence, the Georgian government did
not return the Church to its legal historical owner.

During the recent several days a brigade of workers has been building
an iron fence with depiction of religious elements typical for the
Georgian Orthodox Church. The

Armenian Diocese views the act as violation of the agreement to find
a civilized solution to the problem of belonging of Saint Norashen
and four other churches in Tbilisi.

Meanwhile, Father Tariel informed that in the near future he plans
to start "reconstruction works" within the church for holding divine
services by Georgian clergy.

The AAC Georgian Diocese called the Patriarchy of the Georgian Orthodox
Church to take action to prevent infringement of constitutional
rights and to observe the agreement, violation of which can bring to
irreparable injury.

PRESS RELEASE ~ May 20, 2008
ARMENIAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION
104 N. Belmont St. Suite 206- Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Lerna Kayserian (818) 243-9264

LA MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, PROMINENT State Legislators and
Congressman to Join Celebration of Armenian Independence and Culture
in Little Armenia, Hollywood, CA

The Armenian Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce the
participation of California State Assemblymembers Paul Krekorian
(D-Glendale) and Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) as co-sponsors of the
Third Annual Armenian Independence Day Festival in Little Armenia. The
Annual Festival will take place on Sunday, June 1, 2008 from 11:00
a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Hollywood Boulevard, between the streets of
Vermont and Alexandria.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Congressman Brad Sherman, and
Assemblymembers Paul Krekorian and Kevin de Leon will also attend the
festivities. Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, who is
also cosponsor of the Festival, will also be in attendance.

`We thank our elected officials for their support of this special
event and their continued support of the Armenian American community,’
said Festival Committee member Ara Krikorian.

The large scale block party will feature a variety of cultural
displays, musical and dance performances, ethnic food, and
vendors. The festival will also have a kid’s zone, which includes a
petting zoo, pony rides, and various games and rides. Among the
various entertainers that will perform at the festival are Harout
Pamboukjian, Sako, Sahag Sisslian, Ara Shahbazian, Gagik Badalyan,
Harout Jekelian, the Knar Band, Armenian dance groups, and a
traditional dhol-zourna band.

The Annual Armenian Festival in Little Armenia is the largest of its’
kind and is organized by the Armenian Independence Day Festival
Committee, under the auspices of the Armenian Cultural Foundation. The
festival marks Armenia’s first independence on May 28, 1918, which
came after 600 years of Ottoman Turkish oppression. The Republic
established on this date set the foundation for today’s independent
Republic of Armenia, which was one of the first former Soviet
Republics to declare independence on September 21, 1991.

Those who wish to obtain more information about the festival are
encouraged to call (818) 243-9264 or visit

ARARAT YEREVAN IN LEAD OF TOURNAMENT TABLE OF ARMENIAN FOOTBALL STAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 6 STAGES

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The games of the sixth stage of the
Star National Football Championship of Armenia took place on May
17. The following results were registered: Mika – Ulis 1:0, Gandzasar
Ararat 2:3, and Cilicia – Pyunik 0:3. The Shirak – Banants game was
postponed. Ararat Yerevan is in the lead of the tournament table
with 18 points. The games of the next seventh stage are scheduled
for May 30.

DOVE-SHAPED SCULPTURE IN MEMORY OF HRANT DINK

armradio.am
20.05.2008 15:48

A well-known Turkish sculptor has said he will design a dove-shaped
sculpture in memory of slain Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
the Turkish Daily News reported.

The sculpture will be 120 centimeters tall and 120 centimeters
wide. It will be placed inside a bulletproof glass case. There are
several options for where to place the sculpture, but Aksoy plans to
erect it on the sidewalk where Dink was shot.

"People passing by will see the place where he died and face their
conscience. Because the biggest conviction is people’s conscience,"
said Aksoy.

Aksoy was inspired by Dink’s last article "Guvercinin Tedirginligi"
(The uneasiness of a pigeon) and decided to make a dove-shaped
sculpture. He once visited the Dink family’s atelier and saw a dove
sculpture, which affected him greatly.

After some procedural requirements are completed, the project,
which has also been approved by the Å~^iÅ~_li Municipality, will be
undertaken, said Aksoy.

The editor-in-chief of daily Agos, Etyen Mahcupyan, emphasized
that Aksoy’s project is an important one. Mahcupyan said Å~^iÅ~_li
Municipality has confirmed the project and added that the idea of
placing the dove-shaped sculpture on the sidewalk came from the
municipality.

–Boundary_(ID_ViLbEPigebM27y0p dmm2AQ)–

IVANCHUK BEATS ARONIAN AGAIN

A1+
[04:46 pm] 13 May, 2008

Levon Aronian is beaten in "M-Tel Masters" Chess Tournament 2008,
Sofia. In Round 5 Aronian played against the Ukrainian Gross Master
Vassily Ivanchuk.

Before it Aronian had met Ivanchuk 13 times, 7 times losing to him,
twice winning and 4 times ending the game in a draw. The statistics
promised a difficult match to Aronian. Already in the 44th move he
yielded to GM Ivanchuk.

With 5 points Ivanchuk leads the tournament list, followed by Topalov
(3.5 points). Aronian is the 5th with 1.5 points.

WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?
By Kay Azadabeen

Kurdish Aspect
ml
May 14 2008
CO

According to a humorist, one of our relatively respectable senators
had been portrayed to be confused about the Iraqis while needing
a nap. Although tired, he was awake enough not to confuse Shiites
and Sunnis with the Kurds. A main advantage for the Kurds during the
Iraq war has been to be known as they are, non-sectarian, religiously
neutral, and ethnically distinct.

The uninformed senator responded to the question if the Kurds confuse
him the way Shiite and Sunnis do. He simply responded "who the hell
are the Kurds?" For a few minutes I was disappointed in his statement
and than realized he is not to blame but the Kurds themselves. I
think he deserves to hear from the Kurds who the hell they are.

Many Kurds have been in hell for too long. The senator might have
intended to ask the Kurds of which hell, instead of who the hell are
the Kurds. As an experienced politician he must know there are two
Arab hells, a Turkish ,and Persian one for the Kurds. In these hells
many Kurds have been prisoners of war, a traumatic experience that
the senator is familiar with.

In the Iraqi hell over 180000 Kurds were killed by the Ba’ath
regime. In the Syrian hell many Kurds still have no citizenship and are
treated brutally by one of the member states of the so called "axis of
evil". In the Persian hell, a main center of the so called "religious
fascism", many Kurds have been bombed, hanged, and assassinated. In the
Turkish hell, the Kurds have gone through similar cultural and ethnic
genocide as Armenians went through. Despite denial of their rights to
be equal with their neighbors, the majority of the Kurds have lived
in peace with their Turkish, Arab, and Persian neighbors. However,
a minority of them have responded to force with force, something that
the senator must be familiar with.

In all of the four hellish states the determined Kurds, who do not
accept anything less than self determination and the freedom of
learning their own language at public schools, have been labeled as
separatist by the states that have separated and divided them between
themselves. The leaders of these hells treat the Kurds the way Russian
leaders treated other nations before the collapse of the Soviet empire,
or the way the British Kings treated their colonies in America before
1776, something that the senator must be familiar with.

Despite their betrayal by some American corporations many Kurds
still trust the American people as they share their dreams. They have
recognized that without the approval of the liberated Americans, the
captive nations of the world have a much harder time to be liberated
in this era. They are watching American leaders carefully and support
those who support them, whether it is a traumatized, experienced, and
forceful prisoner of war, a caring mother, spouse, and free woman,
or an energetic, intelligent, and progressive black man. If any of
them don’t take the Kurdish dream for liberty and justice seriously,
the Kurds would respond to them who the hell are you.

NEWTON’S DAVID BOYAJIAN RECOGNIZED FOR ROLE IN COUNTERING GENOCIDE DENIAL

Watertown TAB & Press
867421906/Newton-s-David-Boyajian-recognized-for-r ole-in-countering-genocide-denial
May 13 2008
MA

WATERTOWN – The Governor’s Council issued a resolution at the
Massachusetts State House on April 30 honoring Newton resident David
Boyajian for his role in the campaign against the Anti-Defamation
League’s denial of the Armenian Genocide and for questioning the
appropriateness of towns’ affiliation with the ADL’s No Place for
Hate anti-bias program.

The resolution was introduced by Marilyn Petitto Devaney, a Governor’s
Council member and Watertown Town Councilor.

The resolution cited Boyajian’s leadership in "successful efforts to
have communities sever ties with the ADL’s No Place for Hate and to
end the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s sponsorship" of the
program. The resolution further described the ADL’s opposition to
Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide as "depriving the
Armenians of their history."

The ADL has yet to unambiguously acknowledge the genocide and has
opposed recognition of it by the U.S. Congress.

Boyajian, Armenian-Americans and human rights advocates have argued
that No Place for Hate’s human rights mission is incompatible with
the stance of the ADL on the widely recognized genocide committed
against Armenians by Turkey from 1915 to 1923.

Boyajian’s letter in the Watertown TAB on July 6, 2007, and his
subsequent activism sparked the issue, which soon became international
news.

In acceptance remarks, Boyajian thanked the Armenian National
Committee of America for its efforts in the campaign and praised
"the human rights commissioners, elected officials and citizens" in
the towns that dropped No Place for Hate. Boyajian urged people to
"strive for consistency, not selectivity, in recognizing genocide
and human rights violations."

He also thanked the people "even in other countries, of all ethnic,
religious and political backgrounds" who supported the campaign to
censure the ADL.

Boyajian singled out "Jewish Americans who have stood for principle"
by criticizing the ADL "when they could have remained silent."

He concluded by saying, "If you think you see injustice, speak
up. Individuals and organizations will hear you, and sometimes the
world may wind up being a better place because of it."

About 50 people attended the proceedings, many of them
Armenian-Americans. A group of Wellesley High School political science
students on a field trip to the State House also attended. Wellesley
is affiliated with No Place for Hate.

Watertown decertified its No Place for Hate on Aug. 11, 2007. In the
months following, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Lexington, Medford,
Needham, Newburyport, Newton, Northampton, Peabody, Somerville and
Westwood followed suit.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association, the umbrella organization for
the state’s cities and towns, voted April 8 to cease its sponsorship
of all No Place for Hate programs. The program still exists, however,
in more than 40 Massachusetts municipalities and in several states,
including California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The ADL established No Place for Hate in 1999 in Massachusetts towns
and owns the federal trademark for the program’s name.

On April 22, the Watertown Town Council issued a proclamation sponsored
by Council President Clyde Younger also honoring Boyajian for his
journalism and activism regarding genocide denial.

In a recent article in TAB newspapers, Boyajian called on Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts to stop funding No Place for Hate and
to drop its designation as a No Place for Hate company.