Author: Maghakian Mike

ANCA WELCOMES REJECTION BY OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF DIVISIVE
NAGORNO KARABAGH RESOLUTION

WASHINGTON, JULY 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Parliamentary
Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE PA), meeting on July 2 in Washington, DC, voted overwhelmingly
to defeat a controversial measure on Nagorno Karabagh authored by
Azerbaijani Parliamentarian Sattar Safarov, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America. The vote took place during a meeting of
the OSCE PA’s Heads of Delegation, as part of the opening session of
the four-day meeting for members of Parliament from the 55 member
states of the OSCE. The Safarov resolution, which was widely viewed as
a biased and divisive measure, received only token support, with
nearly all the Heads of Delegation voting, by a show of hands, to keep
the measure off of the OSCE PA agenda. The OSCE PA proceedings are
being presided over by Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL), the first
U.S. legislator to ever serve in this capacity. Other members of
Congress participating in the Assembly include:
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), who is heading the U.S. delegation,
Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), and Representatives Christopher
H. Smith (R-NJ), Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD),
Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Mike
McIntyre (D-NC), Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA), Mike Pence (R-IN), and
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The Armenian delegation is
being headed by Vahan Hovhannisian, the Deputy Speaker of Armenia’s
Parliament. Other members of the delegation are Artashes Geghamyan, MP
and Samvel Nikoyan, MP. The ANCA worked closely with the Armenian
delegation and the Armenian Embassy in Washington, DC, as well as with
Armenian National Committee affiliates in Canada and throughout
Europe, in sharing with OSCE PA members the dangers of the Safarov
resolution. “We would like to thank Congressman Hastings for his
leadership in the Assembly’s proceedings, and to express our
appreciation to all those who voted against the Safarov resolution for
their responsible stewardship of the OSCE’s efforts to facilitate a
negotiated settlement to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict,” said Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. The defeat of the Safarov
resolution set the stage for the standard consideration by the
Assembly of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. This discussion is being
led by Swedish Member of Parliament Goran Lennmarker, who has served
since June of 2002 as the OSCE PA special representative on this
issue. In preparation for the OSCE PA meeting, Lennmarker presented a
report, entitled “A Golden Opportunity: Some Ideas on Nagorno Karabakh
Conflict,” to the Heads of Delegations to the OSCE PA. In this report,
Lennmarker stressed that there is now a golden opportunity, through
the OSCE Minsk Peace-process, for a peaceful solution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, based on a “win-win” concept where both Armenia and
Azerbaijan come out better. In his remarks, Lennmarker noted that “the
conflict is not frozen,” adding that “there is no alternative to a
peaceful solution – in fact there is an urgent need to solve the
conflict in order to end the personal, economic, and social suffering
on both sides of this conflict.” He proposed basing a solution on
experiences from Europe, where democracy and integration are
fundamental components in securing a lasting peace, and added that
strong European and international institutions stand ready to support
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIA AND IRAN ACTIVELY DEVELOP COOPERATION

05.07.2005 04:27

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Gegham Gharibjanyan met
with Hormozgan Iranian Province Governor Ebrahim Derazmisu, reported the
Press Service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry. In the course of the meeting
the parties discussed matters of establishment of economic cooperation
between the Iranian province and Ararat region of Armenia. The Iranian
Governor presented the potential of his province and noted the commercial
and economic infrastructure, fish industry, tourism, metallurgical works and
petroleum refinery are rather developed. The parties agreed beforehand on
cooperation in commercial ties, tourism, export of fruit and fish products.
At the completion of the meeting the parties signed Memorandum on Mutual
Understanding. It should be noted that the delegation headed by the Iranian
Governor has come to Armenia on the invitation of Ararat region Governor
Alik Sargsyan. At the end of the visit the Armenian and Iranian parties will
sign a Memorandum on Cooperation.

The Santa Fe New Mexican (New Mexico)
June 29, 2005 Wednesday

PECOS HIGH SCHOOL: PECOS TEACHER TO SPEND THREE WEEKS IN ARMENIA

by SHANNON SHAW

Pecos High School English teacher Mary Beth Britton is one of 15
teachers chosen to participate in a three-week cultural exchange
program in Armenia as part of Project Harmony, an online discussion
course that pairs students with youths from other countries.

“I think it will be very interesting to see how people in another
country live,” Britton said. “I think a person can learn so much
about themselves when they’re put in such an alien situation.”

Last year was the first year that Britton and her students
participated in Project Harmony with students from Armenia, which
borders both Turkey and Iran. Students chatted with each other online
about the problems in their countries, their different cultures and
also discussed literature and poetry, Britton said.

“In the spring, my June class participated in an online discussion on
social justice and children’s rights,” Britton said. “We prepped for
their live discussions by reading work on the issues.”

As part of Project Harmony, teachers often visit the country with
which they communicated during the school year. Teachers stay with
host families — teachers they will work with again during the
upcoming year — and discuss lesson plans and concepts for their
students.

Britton leaves the United States on July 8. From New York City, she
will arrive in the Armenian capitol of Yerevan, where she will go
through an extensive orientation.

One component of Project Harmony “is not only to have the teachers
and students working together but to involve the community,” Britton
said. “We’re trying to come up with plans to involve community
members.”

One plan is to have students from both groups — in Pecos and Armenia
— write about evironmental issues in their communities and to have
the students ask community members how to improve these situations,
Britton said.

“The trip to Armenia will be beneficial to the students,” Britton
said. “I want whatever I come back with to involve every class in
Project Harmony.”

Britton returns to Pecos on July 26, and she will begin planning
lesson for the next school year shortly thereafter.

Kazinform, Kazakhstan
July 1 2005

Washington to welcome jubilee session of OSCE PA

ASTANA. July 1. KAZINFORM. 14 session of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly has started its work in Washington. Parliamentary delegation
of Kazakhstan is led by chair of the Senate committee for
international affairs, defense and security Zhabaikhan Abdildin.

The current session is considered to be the jubilee one for Helsinki
act on cooperation and security in Europe has been signed 30 years
ago.

The agenda comprises consideration of OSCE actual issues, including
gender equality, regulation of situation in Nagorny Karabakh,
Abkhazia, and human traffic.

One of the key points is an elevation of efficiency of the
organization in future on the ground of recommendations of the OSCE
Council of honorable persons where enters the chair of the Kazakhstan
Senate committee for social and cultural development Kuanysh
Sultanov.

More than 300 parliamentarians of 55 OSCE member states, European
countries, US and Canada are taking part in it.

June 25, 2005
Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division
PO Box 655
Menlo Park, CA 94026
Contact Anahid Yeremian
(650)926-4444
[email protected]

Cosmic Ray Division – New Accomplishments, New
International Impact
By Anahid Yeremian

The Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of the Alikhanian
Physics Institute won the All Armenia e-Content
Contest in 2005 in the e-science category. The
competition, dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of
the creation of the Armenian Alphabet, was
appropriately named the
Mashtots-1600 contest. Winners of this contest will
represent Armenia at the World Summit on Information
Society’s (WSIS) competition in Tunis in November,
2005. Because the CRD won the 2003 world competition
held in Geneva, the second place winner of the All
Armenia contest in the e-science category in 2005 will
represent Armenia in Tunis this year. As the winner
from the previous WSIS contest, CRD’s head, Prof.
Ashot Chilingarian, will likely serve as a judge at
the Tunis competition. We wish success to all the
Armenian entries to the world contest in Tunis this
year.

CRD has made a number of internationally significant
contributions in the recent months. In May the Science
Education for New Civic Engagements and
responsibilities (SENCER) conference, organized by the
National Science Foundation (NSF) of the United
States, was held at CRD’s Nor Amberd research station
on Mt. Aragats. SENCER, a flagship program of the NSF,
aims to advance important national educational goals
by helping
students understand the scientific process and the
importance of civic responsibility. Prof.
Chilingarian, one of four key speakers, spoke about
“Space Weather and Solar Physics – Basic Science
Influencing Everyday Life”. Prof. Karen Kashmanian
Oates, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs
of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology,
was the conference chair. About 30 participants from
the Georgian State University, Georgian Medical
University, Alikhanyan Physics Institute, Yerevan
State University, Yerevan
Technical University, as well as the chairman of
Armenia’s National Foundation for Science and Advanced
Technologies (NFSAT), Dr. Harut Karapetyan, were
attendees. The next meeting will be in San Jose,
California, in August. Four Armenian scientists will
join an international group of colleagues involved in
science education reform in order to continue the work
started at Nor Amberd. Armenia’s participation is
funded through a SENCER-Armenia grant sponsored by the
International Center for Science and Technology at the
National Science Foundation.

In June, Prof. Chilingarian represented Armenia in two
key regional forums, propelling Armenia’s visibility
for its contribution to the Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) and Space Weather
Forecasting in the world. At the World Summit
Contributory Conference on ICT & Creativity in Vienna,
Prof. Chilingarian pressed the importance of the ICT
on forecasting and alerting on natural disasters and
the need for a focused effort in this direction, in
particular citing his efforts in the field of Space
Weather forecasting and alerts. This question will be
discussed in more detail at the Solar Extreme Events
-05 workshop at CRD’s Nor Amberd research station in
September. Participants from the US (Naval Research
Laboratory, Stanford U., U. of Delaware), Europe,
Japan, and Russia will discuss and draw a conclusion
which could be presented to the World Summit on
Information Society 05 in Tunis as the Armenian
Declaration. The Vienna Declaration focused on
e-learning and multimedia.

In Bulgaria, At the Balkan and Black Sea regional
planning meeting for the International Heliophysical
Year in 2007, Prof. Chilingarian represented Armenia
as a leading actor in the region for Space Weather
forecasting. With its two high altitude research
stations, Nor Amberd at 6,500 ft. and Aragats at
10,500 ft., CRD is a world Leader for ground based
space weather research. Space weather is the effect
of the Solar activity on terrestrial systems, and thus
is a very hot topic of consideration for the year
dedicated to Heliophysical research. The workshop in
Bulgaria included representatives from Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece,
Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and others countries of the
region. Armenia is clearly the leader on ground based
space weather monitoring in the region. Relying on the
expertise of the CRD, setting up a regional network of
solar monitoring stations in other countries for 24
hours of alert service, was highlighted in the
workshop. The new monitors under development at the
CRD can be installed in new locations in Croatia and
Bulgaria, and initial
discussion along these lines show great promise.

The Diaspora’s support of the CRD continues to play a
key role in this success story. It is truly amazing
how CRD, on a funding level of less than 2 US
professors’ salaries, can accomplishes such great
feats on the internationally arena. Its staff of 80
scientists, technicians, and support personnel, and
its 18 young University students and graduates are
truly a treasure for Armenia. The support of the
Diaspora, together with the talent and dedication of
CRD’s staff, has been crucial in allowing the CRD to
continue making important scientific advances and
making Armenia an international leader in the
competitive science of Space Weather Forecasting. For
more information about the CRD please visit

Turkey not to open border with Armenia – US analyst tells Azeri TV

ANS TV, Baku
30 Jun 05

Turkey is unlikely to open its border with Armenia soon, an
American analyst has told Azerbaijani commercial ANS TV. Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Azerbaijan on 30 June
following his meetings in Washington and used the Baku visit to inform
the Azerbaijani leadership of Ankara’s and Washington’s wishes, the
director of the Turkey Programme of the Washington-based Centre for
Strategic and International Studies, Bulent Alirza, told ANS.

In an interview with the “Point of View” programme on ANS TV, Alirza
said that Turkey is unlikely to open its border with Armenia soon
because that would spoil relations with Azerbaijan and because
Armenia has no intention of giving up the idea of promoting the
alleged Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

He also welcomed the remarks of the Azerbaijani president that Baku
will soon start direct flights to North Cyprus and establish business
links with Turkish Cypriots. “From each Turkish or Muslim country
that he visits, Erdogan asks for support on the Cyprus issue. What
President Ilham Aliyev said in this regard definitely made Erdogan
happy,” Bulent Alirza said.

University Press , FL (Florida Atlantic University)
June 30 2005

Review of the Genocide Conference at FAU
By Jason Parsley
Published: Thursday, June 30, 2005

Death. Extermination. Mass murder. These are the topics that were
discussed at the sixth biennial conference of the International
Association of Genocide Scholars, hosted this year by FAU in Boca
Raton, which met from June 4-7.

The association was founded in 1994 by four dissatisfied scholars,
who felt that not enough attention was being paid to the continuing
threat of genocide at the major academic conferences. IAGS is a
nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that seeks further research
on the causes, consequences and prevention of genocide.

When asked to define genocide, Frank Chalk, the former president of
IAGS and a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada,
went into a long speech about the legal definitions of the word as
defined by the United Nations. Dr. Alan Berger, a professor at FAU
and a member of IAGS, defined it very simply as the, “systematic
killing of a group of people who have committed no crimes.”

The conference consisted of keynote speakers, panel discussions and
video presentations.

One of the highlights of the conference was the viewing of the
Sundance Film Festival’s award winning, Shake Hands With the Devil:
The Journey of Romeo Dallaire. This documentary tells the story of
Romeo Dallaire, a Canadian Lt. General, who commanded the UN peace
keeping forces during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This film was as
much about his personal struggle as it was about the genocide itself.

During the film Dallaire told the story of where the name of the
documentary came from. He said he had shaken the hands of the future
leaders of the genocide and noted how they were unnaturally cold and
“their eyes were not human.”

After the film Major Brent Beardsley an officer that served with
Dallaire spoke to the audience about the film and some of his
experiences in Rwanda. At the end of the genocide he said it was a,
“big cemetery, everything was dead. I didn’t even hear any birds sing.”

Rupert Bazambanza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, took a different
approach in trying to educate the youth and prevent such an atrocity
from occurring again. He wrote and designed, Smile Through the Tears:
The Story of the Rwandan Genocide – a comic book detailing the events
of the massacre. The story is based upon Rose Rwanga, who lost her
husband and children during the genocide.

The last keynote speaker of the conference was Juan Mendez, who is
the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide to the Secretary
General of the United Nations. His position was created in 2004 and
some of his responsibilities are to: collect existing information on
massive human rights violations, act as an early-warning mechanism
and to make recommendations on actions to prevent and halt genocide.

“Preventing genocide is a principle of international law so fundamental
we cannot ignore it,” Mendez said.

One of this year’s themes was the 90 year anniversary of the Armenian
genocide. Even after 90 years, however, this massacre is still
causing controversy.

Mendez spoke briefly about the Armenian genocide but he referred to
it as an “event.” This caused a stir from the crowd and one of the
audience members objected to that reference stating that, that term is,
“used by deniers.” The audience then erupted in applause.

Mendez responded that since the UN has not officially recognized the
genocide, he was not allowed to call it that. However, he strongly
implied that he personally believed it should be recognized and he
noted that his home country of Argentina had officially recognized it.

The Armenian genocide took place in present day Turkey between
1915-1918, but 90 years later the Turkish government continues to deny
that it ever took place. Because of the relationship between Turkey and
the US, the US has also refused to officially recognize the genocide.

Dr. Alan Berger, a professor at FAU, believes that, “a denial of
genocide is a continuation of genocide.”

When asked if the U.S. had ever committed genocide, Berger believes
that the treatment of the Native Americans borders on genocide and,
“it was certainly a cultural genocide.”

Berger says that students can make a difference in the prevention of
genocide by: educating themselves by reading books and taking courses,
writing their politicians, writing letters to the editor, and making
contact with people from countries where the conditions for genocide
are ripe or where it is already occurring. “You have an awesome
responsibility to move the world away from a catastrophe,” Berger said.

The Daily News, Lebanon
June 30 2005

Byblos International Festival presents world-class music for all
tastes
Ancient Phoenician town to be transformed in late July, August by
top-notch jazz, pop and classical sounds

By Ramsay Short
Daily Star staff
Thursday, June 30, 2005

BEIRUT: It hasn’t been easy for Naji Baz and his Buzz Productions
company to put together the Byblos International Festival in the
northern Lebanese town of Jbeil this year. First his preferred dates
to hold the festival in the cooler month of June had to be dropped in
favor of late July due to Lebanon’s four-week long elections, thus
bringing him into direct competition with the Beiteddine and Baalbek
Festivals making it more difficult to put bums on seats.

Second, he has had to face – like all the other festivals – questions
of ensuring his acts’ safety after the spate of bombings which began
with the Valentine’s Day killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri and
the weeks of political uncertainty that have ensued. Persuading some
acts that Lebanon was a safe place has not been easy.

Third, Baz dealt with the most painful situation for any promoter and
that was the confirmation of the Scottish punk-rock band Franz
Ferdinand for the festival and then, as word spread, the announcement
of their cancellation due ostensibly to recording commitments.

Finally, on the day of the Byblos Festival Program announcement last
Tuesday, the Lebanese politician George Hawi was brutally murdered in
a car bomb and though no one would ever give more importance to a
musical event over the assassination of a respected man, the press
conference was cancelled. The same had happened on the day of the
Beiteddine Festival’s program announcement when the outspoken
journalist Samir Kassir was similarly killed.

And so rather than the excitement normally generated by the
announcement of the summer festivals’ line-ups, in 2005 the programs
have gone off with a mere pop.

Despite all of this, Baz and his team have come up with a festival of
world music that, though not on par with last year’s hugely
successful edition featuring reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, pop-rocker
Bryan Ferry and glam-rockers Placebo, is still a celebration of music
that is rarely witnessed in Lebanon.

“It has been a nightmare but I am confident we have put together now
a tight line-up that is worthy of the Byblos Festival brand,” Baz
told The Daily Star.

For the two nights of July 22 and 23 a Lebanese audience will have
the opportunity to witness the popular rock of Roger Hodgson, the
lead singer and guitarist of 1970s and 80s band Supertramp. They will
have the chance to listen to the brilliant abstract jazz of pianist
Brad Mehldau and his trio, (July 24), as well as the Cuban sounds of
Omara Portuondo – one of the few remaining living stars and only
female one, of the now legendary Buena Vista Social Club (July 29).

Add to that the 20-string Armenian Serenade Chamber Orchestra with a
deep and haunting classical program (July 31), and the oriental jazz
of the stunning Azerbaijani pianist and singer Aziza Mustafa Zadeh
(August 4) followed by a Rahbani family musical based on Gibran
Khalil Gibran’s famous book “The Prophet” (August 17-20).

Baz is also putting on, as he does every year, a show of the Arab
Star Academy kids though this is not strictly part of the Byblos
Festival on July 15.

Perhaps the best thing, though, about Byblos is the setting. All the
performances take place in the heart of the ancient town’s old
quarter with the backdrop of the fantastic Crusader Citadel magically
lit against the night sky. The whole experience of Byblos, like
Beiteddine and Baalbek, is one of elegant beauty and singular moments
with the buzz of the modern-day souk surrounding the festival and
fine foods available at the restaurants in the old port and town
center. Go for a weekend, stay the night and enjoy the city’s beaches
during the day. A great advantage of Byblos is that it is just
half-an-hour’s drive from Beirut, a much shorter journey than those
to Baalbek and Beiteddine.

In the end, however, it is for the music that you will go and though
the caliber of performers this year is second to none in their
fields, the lack of a superior name may well affect sales. The
program is also not one that will attract the younger generation that
Byblos has so actively pursued in recent years. That plan was dented
by Franz Ferdinand’s cancellation, although Baz and the band’s agent
at Helter Skelter in London insisted they would come in 2006 fresh
off the release of their new album later this year.

The highlights of Byblos 2005 though, without question are Mehldau
and Portuondo. The former is an American jazz piano virtuoso who can
fill venues as prestigious as London’s Wigmore Hall and with his trio
is reminiscent of a quietly reflective Ahmad Jamal. Mehldau makes no
concessions to the audience, rarely communicates with them and simply
plays brilliant original music. There are no electronics, fusion or
smooth-jazz singers, just powerful composition and long
improvisations. On the Byblos stage it is likely to be an immensely
satisfying performance.

The septuagenarian Omara Portuondo will be very different and perhaps
more accessible to an unquestioning audience – a diva of great
presence, she will perform with 12 Cuban musicians and transform
Byblos into Havana for a night of traditional Latin sounds. In the
1940s and 1950s hers was the velvet voice of the jazz/bossa
nova-inspired genre known as filin. Today Portuondo’s show is a
translucent one made up of 5 decades of Afro-Cuban artistry seasoned
with strings, woodwinds, guitars, and background vocals, all about
love.

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, though less well-known, has been performing for
many years and has played to audiences around the world. Her father
was the leader of the Azerbaijan Jazz movement until he died in 1979
and she has continued his legacy playing a brand of world jazz on her
piano, scatting like Ella Fitzgerald and incorporating the
traditional Azerbaijan form of Mugam into her jazz. A highly
improvisational style, Mugam refers to a modal system of music of
which there exist over 70 types, all defined by their specific
pattern of intervals, range, as well as direction of melodic movement
and rhythm. This will be a fascinating show.

For lovers of classical music the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
presenting the Serenade Chamber Orchestra from Yerevan will be an
elegant evening of pure string pleasure, while Oussama, Mansour and
Marwan Rahbani’s latest musical play telling the story of Gibran’s
“The Prophet” features the artwork of over 80 Lebanese artists.

The show that will pack the Byblos Festival, however, will be that of
Hodgson. Famed for his unique alto voice, Hodgson’s former band
Supertramp achieved global fame with the soft rock of songs like
“Dreamer” and “Breakfast in America,” and his many fans in Lebanon
are unlikely to let him leave the stage without at least three
encores.

For more information or tickets for the Byblos Festival go to
or contact the Virgin Megastore Ticketing
Office on +961 1 999666

Georgia: Azeri protesters block highway over missing mullah

Kavkasia-Press news agency
29 Jun 05

Tbilisi, 29 June: Ethnic Azerbaijani residents of the village of
Sadakhlo have closed off the main Georgia-Armenia highway since the
morning. Our regional correspondent reports that protesters from the
border village are demanding an investigation into disappearance of
(?Mullah Haji Sabragin Mamedogly Falangov) who was abducted from the
village several weeks ago.

The protesters told journalists that they suspected that the Mullah
was murdered. According to them, a few months ago the Mullah and
his supporters challenged the Sadakhlo police chief Gocha Shubitidze
over bribery and illegal arrests. So, they do not rule out that the
Mullah’s abduction could be linked to the incident.

OSCE PA SUMMER SESSION TO DISCUSS REPORT ON KARABAKH

Pan Armenian News
28.06.2005 03:36

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The summer session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
will be held in Washington for the first time. The participants of the
event will discuss the report on Nagorno Karabakh drawn up by Goran
Lenmarker. Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia Vahan
Hovhannisyan will leave for Washington to take part in the session. In
the Vice-Speaker’s opinion, the Lenmarker report is balanced, reported
the Yerkir newspaper.