Author: Maghakian Mike

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA TO PROVIDE 1 BILLION DRAM-CREDIT TO NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC

Noyan Tapan
Nov 8, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Under the RA Law on the Budgetary
System of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian government made a
decision to provide a budgetary credit of one billion drams (about
3.4 mln USD) from the 2007 state budget-envisaged governmental reserve
fund to the RA ministry of finance and economy. The decision was made
at the November 8 sitting of the government. NT was informed from
the RA Government Information and PR Department that the credit is
given with the aim of providing assistance to the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. It has a 0.01% annual interest rate and is to be repaid by
January 1, 2010.

ACCORDING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ORGANIZATIONS, YEREVAN CAN BECOME PLACE OF NATURAL DISASTER ON ACCOUNT OF COVERING CHANNEL OF GETAR

Noyan Tapan
Nov 8, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. As a result of the construction work
being implemented over the river Getar, crossing the central part
of Yerevan, the latter can become a place of natural disaster. The
channel of the river, which is growing narrower year after year, will
become much smaller as a result of the current construction work, and
the whole city may be flooded by heavy rains and thaws. This statement
was made by the representatives of the non-governmental organizations
involved in the environmental protection problems of Yerevan.

As a result of the conducted work, part of the channel of the Getar
will be covered by a concrete tube, on which a motor highway will
be built from Koriun up to Tumanian street. The city authorities
answered the warning calls of non-governmental organizations saying
that the construction of the Getar is necessary for the purpose
of facilitating the state of the city transport traffic and making
Khanjian street larger.

Roland Manukian, the Chief Specialist of the "Armhydroproject"
enterprise, stated that the construction being implemented over
the river Getar has not undergone an environmental protection and
urban development expert examination, there are no projects of the
construction and it is not known which organization has carried out
the order. In his opinion, making the channel of the Getar smaller
is full of dangerous consequences: yet in 1946 almost half of Yerevan
was destroyed as a result of heavy rains and floods.

The water even brought 120-ton stones into the city. After that
accident a temporary regulator with a stronghold and a special erection
was built in the Avan-Arinj part of the Getar, which would work during
heavy rains.

According to him, later that regulator was left without attention,
the stronghold was destroyed, and the special erection was filled
with garbage from rain-water. "In fact, that system is no longer
good for protecting the city in similar situations. If, God forbid,
the 1946 events are repeated, everything will be destroyed, the Chief
Specialist of the "Armhydroproject" enterprise is convinced.

Mr. Manukian has turned to the heads of different departments with this
problem, however, no one answered the question of who is the author of
the project. He was told in the Ministry of Environmental Protection
that the storage lake of Sevaberd will completely settle the problems
of the Getar, which, according to R. Manukian, is impossible, since
the storage lake of Sevaberd closes only one tributary of the Getar.

In the words of Karine Danielian, the Chairwoman of the Association
"For Stable Human Development", this construction being implemented
over the river will not solve the problem of the city traffic, on the
contrary, it will make worse the state of the city already standing
in front of an ecological disaster. "Yerevan is strangled in concrete,
asphalt, construction debris, cars becoming more and more day by day ,
as well as in exhaust gas." The newly built buildings are deprived
of green spaces and gardens. The river crossing the Oghakadzev
(ring-shaped) garden seems to be a small oasis and air-vent in
a desert. I am sure that soon it will not exist either," Karine
Danielian mentioned.

U-M RECEIVES $1.2 MILLION FOR RESEARCH IN ARMENIAN HISTORY
Posted by Dave Gershman

The Ann Arbor News
November 07, 2007 19:18PM

The University of Michigan received $1.2 million from the Manoogian
Simone Foundation to benefit research in Armenian history.

The donation to the Armenian Studies Program in the College of
Literature, Science and the Arts will provide funding for graduate
and post-doctoral fellowships, a visiting scholars program, annual
international conferences, graduate workshops, an expanded Summer
Language Institute and an outreach program.

Scholars in the United States and Armenia will be able to generate
new historical knowledge and change the way Armenian history and
culture is taught.

AYF MEMBERS ORGANIZE RALLY IN SUPPORT OF GENOCIDE RESOLUTION AND AMERICAN VALUES

armradio.am
07.11.2007 10:12

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR)
is reporting that the Armenian Youth Federation – Western Region
(AYF-WR) continues to take a strong leadership role in rallying
community support for the Armenian Genocide resolution (H.Res.106).

Last week, hundreds of AYF members held a successful rally in Little
Armenia to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide resolution pending
in Congress.

The rally was covered by the following television news shows: KCBS,
KCAL and KTTV Fox News. Among those speaking at the rally were State
Assemblymember Kevin DeLeon and Glendale Unified School Board member
Greg Krikorian. AYF members have also been volunteering to run numerous
phone banks that are reaching out to tens of thousands of Armenian
Americans in states across the Western United States in support of
H. Res. 106.

"Since 1933, the AYF has served to educate and motivate our community,"
stated AYF Central Executive Chairman Caspar Jivalagian. "Building
support for the Armenian Genocide resolution is critical to our shared
goal of raising awareness of one of the most horrific chapters in
human history. The AYF is also focused on defending American values,
like truth and justice, which are under assault by genocide denying
lobbyists being paid for by the Turkish Government," he added.

H. Res. 106, the Armenian Genocide resolution passed through the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HCFA) by a vote of 27-21 on
October 10, 2007.

Following the media frenzy stirred by the President and the State
Department’s opposition to the bill, the AYF-WR mobilized to assist
in efforts to raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide resolution.

"The AYF continues to play a strong role in our community," stated
ANCA-WR Executive Director Andrew Kzirian. "We look forward to
continuing and expanding our work with AYF members to raise awareness
of the Armenian Genocide resolution," he added.

ZOYA LAZARYAN IS DIRECTOR OF THE POLYCLINIC OF STEPANAKERT

KarabakhOpen
06-11-2007 17:29:19

Yesterday the NKR minister of health Armen Khachatryan introduced Zoya
Lazaryan, the new director, to the staff of the polyclinic and the
diagnostic center of Stepanakert. Zoya Lazaryan is the ex-minister
of health of NKR.

Panorama.am

14:13 03/11/2007

PRIME MINISTER TO TAKE PART IN EVENT DEDICATED TO START OF WORKS IN
TEGHUT

Today Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan has left for Lori region.
Government press services inform that the prime minister will take
part in the events dedicated to the operation of copper-molybdenum
mine in Teghut.

To recall, the mines were given to Armenia Copper Program Company for
a term of 25 years for operation by November 1 decision of the
government. The company took the responsibility to invest 200 million
dollars. Armenia Copper Program Company was established in 1997 by
Alaverdy mountain metallurgy factory base. It is part of Vallex
Group. The 80,74 percent of shares belongs to Lichkhtenshtain Vallex
F. N. Establishment and the remaining 19,26 percent is owned by
Armenia Copper Program company general director Valeri Mejlumyan.

Source: Panorama.am

Boston Globe, MA
Nov 3 2007

ADL officials say stance clear on genocide

Contend earlier remarks had been misinterpreted

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff | November 3, 2007

NEW YORK – The national Anti-Defamation League yesterday refused to
act on calls from within its own ranks to acknowledge unequivocally
the Armenian genocide, after its top officials insisted that earlier
remarks calling the World War I-era massacre "tantamount to genocide"
were misinterpreted.
Article Tools

"I was very clear," ADL head Abraham Foxman said in an interview last
night, referring to his remarks in August. "People with other agendas
tried to read into them."
In a statement issued last night, the National Commission of the
Anti-Defamation League said it had "decided to take no further action
on the issue of the Armenian genocide."
Before yesterday’s meeting, Massachusetts-based members of the ADL had
urged the national organization to support both a congressional
resolution calling the massacre genocide and a separate, similar
measure. Some critics from Massachusetts had contended that Foxman’s
earlier statement was carefully constructed to avoid a full
acknowledgement of the massacre.
But after hearing a lengthy debate, Massachusetts representatives
withdrew their resolution, saying they were satisfied with the
outcome.
James Rudolph, chairman of the ADL’s regional board for New England,
said the league’s national chairman, Glen Lewy, assured the group
"that earlier statements were always intended to be an unequivocal
acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide."
"I feel comfortable with it," Rudolph said of the decision.
Newton resident Lori Gans, also an ADL commissioner, said she was
pleased.
"We were hoping to get a clearer, restated position," she said after
the meeting. "We didn’t get a formal statement, but we got
clarity. Abe Foxman’s statement of Aug. 21 was in fact the unequivocal
statement we wanted it to be."
Armenian activists, however, disagreed.
Sharistan Melkonian, chief of the Armenian National Committee’s
Eastern Massachusetts office, said Foxman owes the Armenian community
an apology.
"It’s disappointing that they don’t come out with a strong statement
that would put an end to any concerns about its position once and for
all. it’s unfortunate and it’s disappointing," she said by phone after
the vote.
Since this summer’s controversy, seven Massachusetts communities have
severed or suspended relations with the ADL and dropped its No Place
for Hate Program.
Rudolph said yesterday that he would try to bring those communities
back into the program.
"I think the perception it was never intended to be unequivocal has
hurt us," he said. "We left today’s meeting recommitted to the mission
of the ADL."
Between 1915 and 1923, Ottoman Turks massacred as many as 1.5 million
Armenians in what the US ambassador at the time called "a campaign of
race extermination." Historians and other nations, as well as Nobel
Peace Prize recipient and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, have
described the massacre as genocide. But the Turkish government has
refused to accept the label; until August, neither did the ADL.
Leaders within the ADL, founded in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism, have
long expressed concern that acknowledging the genocide would put Jews
at risk in Turkey or damage Israel’s relations with Turkey, a Muslim
ally. The US government also relies on Turkey as an ally in the Iraq
war.
The controversy erupted in August after Watertown, which has a
sizeable Armenian-American community, decided to pull out of the No
Place For Hate Program to protest the ADL’s refusal to acknowledge the
genocide. Regional ADL members then challenged the national
organization’s stand. Andrew Tarsy, chapter director, spoke out
publicly, saying he disagreed with the national position.
Foxman fired Tarsy. Board members, Jewish leaders, and
Armenian-Americans rallied to support Tarsy, and Foxman reversed
course. Within days, he called the massacre "tantamount to genocide"
and rehired Tarsy.
Although he did not have a vote and is not a commissioner, Tarsy
attended yesterday’s conference. He did not return calls requesting
comment last night.
About 200 ADL commissioners met behind closed doors for more than
three hours at a Manhattan hotel to debate the matter during its
annual convention. About 50 commissioners spoke on the issue.
According to a letter obtained by the Globe yesterday, New York ADL
Commissioner Robert G. Sugarman asked other commissioners to sign a
letter stating they did not support either the House resolution or the
New England chapter’s efforts. Members were asked to sign a letter
that said they "strongly disagree" with the premise of both
resolutions.
"We cannot understand why the issue of ADL’s position on the
massacres, atrocities, and genocide perpetrated against Armenians
should be raised again at the National Commission meeting," the letter
said. "It is inconceivable that anyone could reasonably interpret the
statement in any way other than as an unambiguous and unequivocal
declaration."
The letter referred to the massacre as genocide twice, adding that the
ADL "did the right and moral thing by recognizing the Armenian
genocide in August."

ESPECIALLY FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

A1+
[07:36 pm] 02 November, 2007

The Republican Party (HHK) and the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK)
propose amendments to the RA Electoral Code regarding the upcoming
presidential election.

Many oppositionists disapprove of the proposed document and state it
will "have a short life."

Karen Karapetian (HHK), Hakob Hakobian (HHK), Ara Babloyan (HHK)
and Aram Safarian (BHK), the co-authors of the document, suggest that
party alliances and political initiatives should not name a president.

This implies that Levon Ter-Petrossian cannot run for presidency as
a united nominee and he should be nominated by a party.

"The amendments have political subcontext aimed at concrete
objectives," freelance deputy Victor Dallakian says.

According to Dallakian under the above amendments the state budget will
earmark election bribes to election commissions. Besides, "the Deputy
Chairman and Secretary of the Central Electoral Commission will get
additional monthly payment -over 20 per cent of a CIS member’s salary."

Victor Dallakian also dwelt on electoral rolls.

"People registered in other communities are listed on electoral
rolls. "This resembles a real jumble. It is a mere breach of law. An
artificial reserve is created which cannot be controlled during
the election."

Moreover, the HHK and BHK suggest increasing election deposits to 10
million drams (formerly it was 5 million).

The National Assembly will consider the bill November 5.

MARILYN DEVANEY IS BACK, UP IN H2OTOWN’S GRILL

Bostonist, MA
Nov 1 2007

Marilyn Devaney, city councilor of Watertown and the star of
"Curlergate," is running for re-election in the city. Lately,
she’s been in the headlines for campaigning strongly on behalf of
Watertown’s Armenian community to achieve recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. Had Devaney, the same woman who allegedly threw a curling
iron at a Sally’s Beauty Supply clerk turned over a new leaf?

Apparently not. H2otown ran a poll asking its readers if they would
vote for Devaney in the upcoming election. And Devaney had something
to say about it:

H2otown just received a call from At-Large Councillor Marilyn Petitto
Devaney. Councillor Devaney was under the impression that the poll
(seen at right) contained the word "indicted," — which it doesn’t —
and offered to have her lawyer call H2otown. How thoughtful!

Bostonist thinks that Devaney scanned the post and took "Undecided"
to mean "Indicted." Uh, oops. Anyway, head over to H2otown, show some
love, and vote in the poll if you live in Watertown. It’s not every
day one gets a phone call from Marilyn Devaney.

devaney.php

ARMENIAN MPS TO OBSERVE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN RUSSIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.11.2007 12:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Assembly Speaker, Tigran
Torosian, currently in Petersburg participating in the 29th plenary
session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, met with Boris Gryzlov,
the chairman of the Russian State Duma, to discuss interparliamentary
cooperation and other issues of mutual concern, the RA NA press
office reported.

Mr Gryzlov informed the Armenian Speaker that United Russia party
will participate in the forthcoming elections with number 10.

The campaign starts December 3 and the party led by President Putin
claims success in the elections.

Wishing the United Russia party every success, Mr Torosian voiced
assurance that cooperation in the international structures and
bilateral relations will develop dynamically after the elections and
stressed the importance of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly activities.

He said an Armenian parliamentary mission will observe the election
process.