Author: Maghakian Mike

SUAT KINIKLIOGLU: HILLARY CLINTON HAS A KEY TO SET UP DRAFT LAW ON SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FOR DISCUSSIONS AT THE CONGRESS

APA
Feb 9 2009
Azerbaijan

"Turkey is against of Russian weapon supply to Armenia"

Istanbul. Mayis Alizadeh-APA. Suat Kiniklioglu, Deputy Chairman of the
ruling Justice & Development (AK) Party for Foreign Affairs returned
from Washington. He held several meetings regarding "Armenian issue"
in Washington. Kinikliogli spoke about all these issues while giving
an interview to APA Turkey bureau exclusively.

– Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan made regular statements on
normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations and "Armenia issue". How
are you engaged in this issue in Washington?

The issue is on the agenda. Draft law on so-called Armenian genocide
can be raised for discussions at the Congress any time. We try to
prevent it. The delegation from Turkish Parliament will leave for
Washington to provide objective information about the issue. We try
to decrease impact of Armenian Diaspora on Armenia coordinating with
Azerbaijan on Turkey-Armenia relations. Armenian Diaspora is concerned
about the issue. In fact, we want to kill two birds with one stone. We
want to debar Armenian Diaspora from the process and want to assist
our fraternal Azerbaijan to solve Nagorno Karabakh conflict justly.

– Do you suppose that Obama administration will support the draft
law on so-called Armenian genocide to be debated at the Congress?

-Obama administration is addressing mostly the economic issues now,
but it doesn’t mean that the issue of so-called "Armenian genocide"
will not be brought to the agenda tomorrow or another day. More things
will depend on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. If Mrs. Clinton
opposes a draft resolution, the Armenian lobby will face with more
difficulties to bring a new resolution to the Congress. I can say
that Hillary Clinton has a key to this issue.

– After the Russian invasion of Georgia the Turkish Prime Minister
proposed the "Caucasian Stability and Cooperation Platform". What is
the future of this platform? Can Turkey work together with Russia?

-Turkey has special relations with Russia. Our relationship is
gradually developing. The main problem for Russia is Georgia. If
these two countries resolve problems between them, there will be a
good condition for the strengthening of the "Platform".

– There are facts about the Russia’s arm shipment to Armenia. Earlier
Russia sold $1.1 billion arms to Armenia and last year $800 million
arm deal was reached between Russia and Armenia. Is the confidence
in the future of the "Caucasian Stability and Cooperation Platform"
reduced under this condition?

-Russia looks at all arm deals from the commercial point of
view. Moscow is actively carrying on arm trade with many countries from
China to Iran, but its arm shipment to Armenia is hacking the peace
in the region. We are against the Russia’s arm shipment to Armenia,
because these arms are preventing, first of all, the fair solution
to the Nagorno Karabakh problem. We advocate for the liberation of
Azerbaijani lands from the occupation and solution to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

NEW ALLIANCE’S STRENGTH
Pyotr Inozemtsev

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 9, 2009 Monday
Russia

STRATEGIC RESPONSE COLLECTIVE FORCES MAY EVOLVE INTO A MIGHTY
MILITARY-POLITICAL ALLIANCE; Countries represented in the Strategic
Response Collective Forces constitute a nucleus of the erstwhile
Soviet Union.

New structure known as the Strategic Response Collective Forces may
become a powerful military-political alliance. Its members (Russia,
Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, and Uzbekistan)
are essentially a nucleus of the erstwhile Soviet Union. Without
Ukraine, unfortunately, but its chronic problems and permanent
political and economic crises probably make this absence an asset
rather than liability.

Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus are the largest countries
of the new alliance in terms of population (respectively 141, 27, 15,
and 10 million). Do they have anything else in common? They do. First
and foremost, all these countries enjoy strong regimes and political
stability. Russia and Kazakhstan stand on firm economic positions,
owing it to their power resources. Even at $40 per barrel, oil remains
the so called black gold. And gas is gas, always a strategic commodity.

Economic potentials of Russia and Kazakhstan make them locomotive
forces of the new alliance. In other words, they are strong enough
to assist allies and bring them closer to their own level of economic
development. Allies in their turn may and should contribute in other
matters.

Armenia with its population standing at 3 million appears to be a
weak link in the chain. It lacks borders with allies. It is separated
from Russia by Georgia which is definitely unfriendly. It does not
really matter. What matters is that Armenia is a strategic bulwark of
the Strategic Response Collective forces in the southern part of the
Caucasus. Also importantly, Armenian diasporas in the United States,
France, and other countries of the West wield a lot of clout.

One might consider Kyrgyzstan (5 million) and Tajikistan (7 million)
the worst problematic countries of the Central Asian region. Their
GDP per capita is nothing to write home about. Their armies are weak,
societies split.

All the same, the period of revolutions and civil wars is
over. Self-preservation instinct calls for consolidation.

The United States and NATO remain interested in Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan only as long as their so called counter-terrorism
operation in Afghanistan continues. They will pull out sooner or
later and promptly forget all about Bishkek and Dushanbe as distant
and unimportant provinces.

Moscow and Almaty will never develop this view of Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan, so that the new military-political alliance really stands
a chance to become a force to be reckoned with.

REDUCTIONS IN CASINOS

A1+
[03:54 pm] 09 February, 2009

Starting from February 1 casino owners have to pay 125 thousand drams
for a game machine but the state budget doesn’t benefit from it. Casino
owners say if once they had about 20 playing machines and paid 75 00
drams for each, today the number of machines has reduced because of
the recent tax boost, hence the budget entries remain the same.

"The only "plus" is that more and more people are made redundant,"
said a casino owner. He says he used to have 20 playing machines and
kept six employees-three dealers and three security officers. Today
he has cut down the staff and keeps only one dealer.

The tax policy is simply unprofitable. They make us sell everything
and invest money overseas," said the casino owner.

"I worked in a casino in the outskirts of Yerevan. I got a salary
of 150000-180 000 drams and kept two families at a time. I was
sacked though it was the owner’s fault. After the tax amendments the
casino owner sold the playing machines and I was made redundant,"
says Karen. He tried to find a job in other casinos but wherever he
went he was told the same thing: "We can hardly keep our employees."

It is due to mention that casino goers have become fewer these
days. "We had clients who visited our casino every day. But recently
we haven’t seen them. On the whole, few people visit casinos. This
is probably resulted by the financial crisis," said a casino employee.

The Age, Australia
Feb 7 2009

Darchinyan ready for horse, pony and lollipops

LOS ANGELES- Mexican boxer Jorge Arce loves to put on a pre-fight show
for his fans.

It includes donning a cowboy hat, putting a lollipop in his mouth and
riding through the crowd to the ring on a horse.

Arce’s opponent in Sunday’s (AEDT) world-title fight south of Los
Angeles, Australia’s Vic Darchinyan, thinks Arce’s horse is bull.

Darchinyan also has a message for Arce if he arrives in the ring
inside Anaheim’s 17,000 seat Honda Centre sucking a lollipop.

"Arce better enjoy the lollipop," the no-nonsense Darchinyan said.

"He won’t be able to suck a lollipop for months because of the damage
I will do to his face."

A lot of bad blood has been spilt the past four years between Arce and
Darchinyan.

For the majority of that period Arce, of the city of Los Mochis,
Mexico’s agricultural heartland, was the king of the flyweights and
repeatedly dismissed Darchinyan’s attempts to fight.

Arce is as well known for his trash-talking as what he is for beating
up rivals, including knocking out Australia’s Hussein Hussein twice in
2005, the last a second round technical knockout in Las Vegas.

When Darchinyan would publicly call Arce out, the Mexican would
dismiss him and say the Australian needed to "earn" the privilege.

Last November Darchinyan apparently did that by destroying another
Mexican, Cristian Mijares, with a devastating and history-making ninth
round knockout in Los Angeles.

The win made Darchinyan the first to unify the super flyweight
division.

With the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and
International Boxing Federation belts wrapped around Darchinyan’s
waist as bait, Arce finally agreed it was time to take on the
Armenian-born Darchinyan.

"I have waited so long for this opportunity," Darchinyan, reflecting
at his Los Angeles hotel, said.

"I can’t wait to demolish him."

Arce has been surprisingly quiet in the lead-up to the bout, although
he infuriated the Darchinyan camp last month when he was a late
withdrawal from a press conference in LA.

Darchinyan left his training camp in Las Vegas and drove five hours to
LA to be at the press conference only to discover Arce remained back
in a mountain training camp outside Mexico City.

Darchinyan had to turn around and drive back to Vegas, robbing him a
full day of training.

Darchinyan responded by releasing video footage on the internet of him
sparring a female boxer.

"Arce fights like a woman so that’s why I did that," Darchinyan
laughed.

"To prepare I fought a woman."

Arce appears to have conceded Darchinyan will not be a pushover.

Along with his mountain training camp, Arce has announced he will not
be entering the ring on a horse, although the hat and lollipop will
likely remain.

"Sometimes fights are not interesting so I have to do something to
entertain them," Arce, explaining why he puts on the pre-fight show,
said.

"But this fight speaks for itself and I don’t have to do anything.

"The extra isn’t needed."

Darchinyan, 33, does not care.

"He’s dumb," the Sydney fighter said.

"I’m going to make him look dumb and stupid."

The 29-year-old Arce has won 51 of his 56 professional fights, with 39
of his victories knockouts.

Darchinyan has a 31 win (25 KO) one loss, one draw record and enters
the fight the short-priced favourite with bookmakers.

The fight is scheduled to begin 1pm AEDT on Sunday.

AAP

FRG AMBASSADOR AT THE NA STANDING COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, EDUCATION, CULTURE, YOUTH AND SPORT

National Assembly of RA
Feb 6 2009
Armenia

On February 6 Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Science,
Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Mr Armen Ashotyan received the
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic
of Germany (FRG) to the Republic of Armenia Mrs Andrea Viktorin.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation Mrs Andrea Viktorin said
that they planned to hold Days of German Culture in Caucasus three
countries in the coming spring, the affirmation of the programme
budget had been received.

Within the framework of the Days of Culture to be held in Armenia
musical events are planned, in which German musicians will take part,
exhibitions will be organized in Yerevan, as well as in the marzes
of the republic. In the mid-May a forum of Germanists will be held
in Yerevan, which, in the Ambassador’s words, will expand the higher
educational and inter-school cooperation. Mrs Viktorin also said
that it was expected to deepen the inter-school cooperation, and for
that purpose inter-school cooperation was envisaged to establish
in Sardarapat. Within the framework of the initiative the expert
invited from Germany will assist in educating more deeply the German
language, as well as the schoolchildren will get an opportunity to
study in Germany.

Within the framework of numerous other programmes the 60th anniversary
of adopting the Constitution of Germany, 60th anniversary of the
formation of Federal Republic of Germany is envisaged, etc.

Expressing gratitude for the initiatives and invitation to participate
in the events Committee Chairman Mr Armen Ashotyan ensured that
the committee would support the implementation of the programmes
within its power, would assist in deepening the cooperation within
the framework of the committee’s activity in future.

LEORA CHAI WORKING ON NEW FILM
By Megan Sprague

Statesville Record & Landmark
feb/05/leora-chai-working-new-film/entertainment/
Feb 5 2009

Leora Chai’s name might sound familiar to Mooresville residents who
enjoyed her locally filmed NASCAR movie. Now, the local director and
producer said she’s taking it to the next level with an investigation
into the World War I "Freedom Fighters of Nili."

"Coming from a bi-continental family and having lived in Israel,
I wanted to look deeper into that history and the stories I’ve been
told since age nine," Chai explained. "It just feels like the right
time to delve into that."

The Freedom Fighters of Nili were a spy group in Israel started by
the Aaronsohn family, mainly brother and sister team Aaron and Sarah.

Chai’s Web site offers the following plot summary:

"When World War I broke out in 1914, Aaron and his friends had enough
of the brutal Turkish oppression and decided to act. Aaron and his good
friend, Avshalom Feinberg, organized a spy group, which became to be
known as Nili. Their mission was to aid the British by supplying them
with intelligence, to aid in their attack on Jerusalem in Dec. 1917."

"Aaron was a genius," Chai said. "He studied in Europe, was highly
intelligent, discovered wild wheat and worked with the British and
the United States to discuss dry farming issues (before forming the
"Freedom Fighters"). He also knew more about the landscape of Israel
better than almost anyone at the time. His work, I think, is often
overshadowed by his sister."

She said that Aaron could have brought the entire family to the
U.S. for a prestigious position at Berkley, but chose not to.

"The family had a deep pride and passion for Israel and wanted it to
become its own nation," Chai said.

Instead, Aaron returned with the funds to start an Agricultural
Experimentation Station in Atlit, just 12 miles north of Zichron
Ya’akov, where the family originated and formed the "Freedom Fighters."

Aaron soon reached out to London for help after his return, as the
Turks harshly ruled his homeland, and told the British of the Nili
and their works.

"The British didn’t believe him at first, but the more he spoke and
the fact that he knew the area so well, they started to believe he
was legitimate," Chai said. "They took him to Egypt to help gather
intelligence, where he secretly met with ships on moonless nights about
every two weeks and used sheets and smoke signals to tell the ship
it was OK to approach and speak. They would also exchange chocolate,
soap, sugar and money."

Sarah Aaronsohn was married and living in Constantinople, but she
joined her brother after she returned during World War I. Upon
return, she started to get involved and also supply the British
with intelligence. On her train ride home, she "witnessed genocidal
atrocities done to the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire," furthering
her passion for the cause.

"At the end of 1916, Aaron traveled to London to make contact with the
British. Sarah was left in charge to run the Agricultural Station as
well as organize intelligence," said Chai’s Web site. "She led Nili
as the field and headquarters leader."

Sarah did visit Aaron in Egypt for a time, but missed being at
home and working closely with Nili agents. In October of 1917 after
Sarah’s return, a tactical move gone wrong jeopardized the safety of
the Nili members.

"The British decided to go back to using messenger pigeons, and one
of them got loose and was discovered by a local police officer,"
Chai said. "The officer opened the scroll and freaked out, because
obviously it was a message written in code, indicating spies. It was
deciphered and there was definitive proof that spying was going on,
despite rumors going on for months that could not be confirmed."

Chai said that Jews at that time severely looked down upon any sort
of spy activity and several of Sarah’s neighbors went to her and
asked her to stop "that nonsense."

"Shortly after the note was discovered, they rounded up many of the
agents, including Sarah, who had stayed at her home, waiting for
the police to arrive. She had that ‘come and get me’ attitude," she
said. "They tortured her for several days, pulling out her fingernails,
her hair and beating her. She never told about any of the activities
the Nili had done, and the police decided to transport her to Nazareth,
possibly to hang her."

Sarah never made it. She requested to be allowed to go home and clean
up for the journey, and being a woman worked in her favor, according
to Chai.

"She went home and into the bathroom, wrote her last letter, and as
the guards stood outside her home, waiting for her, she shot herself
in the mouth," she said. "Sarah died four days later, but her work
lived on. She and Aaron’s works, as well as the rest of the ‘Freedom
Fighters’ assisted General Allenby in his invasion on December 12,
1917."

Aaron survived the war, but was tragically killed shortly afterward
in a mysterious plane crash.

"This part of history is so important and a lot of children learn
about it in Israel, but I think this is the first documentary ever
made about this, at least in English," Chai said excitedly. "I hope
I can distribute it to communities and schools eventually, because
it’s such a fascinating and epic story."

Most of the documentary will be filmed in Israel, with a few shoots
in Britain and possibly Egypt.

"There is a museum in Israel dedicated to the Nili ‘Freedom Fighters’
that has an archive not on display that is phenomenal, with diaries
and pictures that I will use," Chai said. "I’ve also located the
great nephew of the Aaronsohns who has agreed to be interviewed and
several other historians that will contribute."

Currently, Chai is raising money for the project and plans to get
started as soon as the money comes through.

2ND E-AUCTION OF PROPERTY OF "BJNI" MINERAL WATER FACTORY STARTS IN ARMENIA

ARKA
Feb 5, 2009

YEREVAN, February 5. /ARKA/. The second forced electronic auction
of the property and property rights of "Bjni" mineral water factory
started in Armenia at 13:00, said Ruben Grdzelyan, Press Secretary
of Bailiff Service, Armenian Ministry of Justice.

He reminded that during the previous auction days (from January 23 to
February 2) no single bid was received. The preliminary price set by
the Bailiff Service for the property of the factory, including rights
for trademarks, was 4,934,943,264.3 Drams at the first auction. The
amount to be recovered from Bjni factory is almost 4.356bln Drams.

Under the country’s law about public sale, if no bids are received
the new auction is to be announced on the third working day after
the final day of the previous one and the starting lot price is to
be reduced by 10% there.

The starting price of the second auction is over 4.441bln Drams. The
auction is to last 10 days – till February 16, Grdzelyan said.

"Bjni" mineral water factory belongs to SIL concern owned by Sukiasyan
family. The stockholder of Bjni member of Armenian Parliament
Khachatur Sukiasyan is currently wanted by the police. The operations
of the factory were suspended in autumn 2008. The property of the
factory was seized by the Bailiff Service and put on an online
auction.($1=305.36Drams).

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CLARIFIES HIS INTERVIEW WITH TURKISH DAILY

ArmInfo
2009-02-04 10:39:00

ArmInfo. Sydney University Professor Armen Kakavyan clarifies to
ArmInfo his interview with Turkish Radikal Daily, which Turkish and
Azerbaijani media presented as ‘an action of apologies by Armenian
intellectuals to Turkey.

He says ‘I refer to media reports about an Armenian counter-apology
allegedly being prepared in response to an online petition launched
by Turkish intellectuals (see ) in
December 2008.

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the situation.

Together with some friends, I recently drafted a response to the
abovementioned Turkish apology with the intention of circulating it by
email for input and advice. This statement is a humanistic response
to the humanistic gesture by a group of Turkish intellectuals and
signatories. As stated in my interview with Radikal, the response is
nothing more than a draft for circulation and discussion. There is
a possibility that it could later be presented as a counter-petition
if there is enough interest.’

He emphasizes: ‘the response is a personal initiative of mine, with
the input of some friends, and there is as yet no "group of Armenian
intellectuals" behind the response. There is as yet no decision about
producing a counter-apology or about the nature of any potential
counter-apology, due to concerns about "relative trivialisation"
and the possibility of such a counter-apology being manipulated or
misunderstood in the current environment’.

‘On Saturday 31st January, the Turkish Daily Radikal found out about
the draft response and I accepted their invitation for an interview’,
he says.

As regards his interview, A. Kakavyan says his answers were not
distorted.

However, the introduction by the editor and a big photo of Armenian
revolutionaries as well as highlighting of his own apology created
wrong impression.

‘I am grateful that my responses to the journalist’s questions were
mostly produced word-for-word. However, the Editor’s Introduction
framed the article primarily in terms of an Armenian apology. It
did so by including a large photo of Armenian revolutionaries and
related caption; and highlighting my personal apology for human rights
violations committed by Armenians.

In addition, there seemed to be some confusion between my personal
apology and the draft response being prepared. However, the two were
in fact not connected. I would therefore like to provide some points
of clarification regarding the "apology" aspect of the interview:

1. I did offer a personal renunciation of, and apology for, crimes
committed by Armenians against innocent Turks. To me, this apology
reflects basic human morality. I stand by that apology, which stems
from my ethical beliefs and rejection of all forms of violence against
innocent civilians, as per international law.

2. However, I CLEARLY stated in my interview that any crimes committed
by Armenians "cannot compare to the attempted annihilation of an
entire nation : and one does not negate or trivialize the other."

3. I did not mention the specific era of the victims, i.e. "Ottoman"
versus "Turkish".

4. For the record, let me state categorically that I distinguish
between, on the one hand, legitimate and heroic acts of resistance
and self-defence by Armenian revolutionaries from the 1890s through
to the end of the Genocide, and, on the other hand, wanton acts of
terrorist violence against civilians (recognised by international law
as crimes against humanity). It is the latter for which I apologised.

5. The purpose of my apology was to illustrate my following point:
"If I were the Turkish state, I would see an apology as an excellent
way of restoring the dignity lost through decades of denial."

6. My personal apology had no relation to the draft response to the
Turkish apology that is currently being circulated for discussion.

7. I did not apologise on behalf of anyone except myself, as no one
could possibly offer an apology on behalf of someone else.

‘Finally, and importantly, near the end of my interview with Radikal, I
wrote: "So, any Armenian response to the apology should be similar." In
saying this, I was referring to the fact that the Turkish apology did
not attempt to "address the question of definitions and political
explanations etc". I did not mean that it should match the Turkish
apology with an Armenian one.

In conclusion, the main purpose of my interview with Radikal was to
acknowledge the Turkish apology, to emphasise that this apology is
only a start, and to remind the Turkish reader that what is really
needed is an apology by the Turkish state, followed by corrective
action. I believe this point would not have been lost on the honest
and thorough reader’, the professor says.

He also highlights that PanArmenian.Net rightly reported: ""During an
online discussion, Sydney University (sic.) professor Armen Gakavian
expressed an opinion which was later ascribed to the entire Armenian
community," Mr. Manoyan said."

However, the PanArmenian.net article unfortunately reproduced some of
Radikal’s errors, namely, regarding the nature of my personal apology,
which I have already addressed. It also repeated Radikal’s assertion
that Prof.

Denis Papazian was involved in the initiative, which is not
correct. Prof.

Papazian has at no stage been involved in this initiative and has never
expressed his support for it. I did not mention Prof. Papazian in my
interview, and I believe information about his alleged involvement
was taken from an inaccurate statement, made in good faith, in an
earlier edition of Radikal.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN: 2009 WILL BE A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR FOR ARMENIA

NOYAN TAPAN

Feb 4, 2009
YEREVAN

"2009 will be a very difficult year for Armenia because the global
crisis is qualitatively changing the situation, with most serious
problems arising in tax collection. We must implement our tax
collection programs, making reforms in this environment in parallel,
" the prime minister Tigran Sargsyan stated during the presentation
of annual reports by several ministries at the RA government on
February 4.

In his words, it is easier to make reforms under conditions of
high economic growth indices. "However, this background is negative
today, and we will encounter more serious problems in 2009. All the
ministries and departments must assist the RA State Revenue Committee
in this issue," T. Sargsyan underlined, adding that that fact that the
problems and shortcomings of the sector have been exactly formulated
by the Committee is quite reassuring.

He said that this year much attention should be paid to dialog with
the society. All changes being made should be presented in detail
to the public as very often, difficulties arise in this connection
"only because people are not provided correct information". According
to the prime minister, when the goals and mechanisms of the reforms
were explained during meetings with small and medium businessmen,
they expressed a willingness to assist.

MODERNIZATION OF EMERGENCY SERVICE PRIORITY OF ARMENIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH

ARKA
Feb 3, 2009

YEREVAN, February 3. /ARKA/. The modernization of the emergency service
of Armenia is a priority of the RA Ministry of Health for this year,
Minister of Health Harutyun Kushkyan reported at the Government’s
sitting.

According to him, the emergency service needs serious modernization
because no reforms have been carried out in the system for many years.

"We plan full-scale modernization of the system this year – repair
of ambulances, renovation of emergency stations, technical equipment
and employment of highly-skilled medical staff," Kushkyan said.

He pointed out that relevant draft proposals will be submitted to
the Government in the 1st quarter of this year.

Among the shortcomings the Minister included financial problems and
the quality and availability of medical services.

"We have serious problems in the sanitation service and need
legislative reforms. I hope that the numerous problems pigeonhole
for many years will be resolved within the next one or two years,"
the Minister said.

Kushkyan pointed out that all the reforms are expected to be
implemented in the context of developing the health system in Armenia’s
regions, which is far behind the health system in Yerevan. The relevant
laws are expected to be amended as well.

"We plan a cancer control program in cooperation with our French20
partners, which is to be implemented at the Institute of Physics,"
Kushkyan said.