Author: Mamian George

ANGLICAN CHURCH HEAD VISITS ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan and Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 25 2007

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, head of the worldwide
communion of Anglican Churches, ended on Tuesday a four-day visit
to Armenia which he said will strengthen their cordial ties with the
Armenian Apostolic Church.

Williams was greeted by Catholicos Of All Armenians Garegin II at
the Armenian Church headquarters in Echmiadzin on Saturday.

"During your visit we will have an opportunity to jointly pray for and
reflect on cooperation, love and unity of the Christian Churches and
further strengthen the existing friendly links between the Armenian
and Anglican Churches," Garegin said, according his press office.

The two clergymen spent the next three days visiting churches and other
religious institutions in Echmiadzin, Yerevan and other parts of the
country. They also attended on Monday an official reception organized
by the British embassy in Armenian in connection with the 81st birthday
anniversary of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. The diplomatic event
was held at Garegin’s official residence in Echmiadzin.

Williams, accompanied by Garegin, was received by President Robert
Kocharian before leaving Yerevan the next day. Kocharian’s office
quoted the Anglican leader as praising the "centuries-old history of
friendly relations" between the two churches. "He and the Catholicos
of All Armenians reaffirmed their readiness to continue and reinforce
them," it said.

Williams’s itinerary in Armenia also included a visit to a prison near
the town of Abovian where he familiarized himself with the plight of
its more than 150 inmates, all of them women and juveniles.

"My impression is that conditions are improving," he told reporters
there. "There is still some way to go. But I have seen conditions in
other countries that are worse than these."

Williams and Garegin took a particular interest in a 7-year-old girl
who was born in the prison just months after her pregnant mother was
jailed for murder. The 27-year-old woman told them that her main wish
is to be able to raise her daughter in freedom.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Ahmadinejad: new sanctions against Iran will not stop
country from developing its nuclear program
22.09.2007 13:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ New sanctions against Iran will not stop the country
from developing its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
said Saturday.

Ahmadinejad comments come as discussions continue by the United
States, Russia, China and the European troika – France, Germany and
the UK – over a third round of UN Security Council’s sanctions against
Iran for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

"Those who think, that by using such decayed methods as psychological
warfare and economic sanctions, they can stop the Iranian nation’s
progress are mistaken," he said at an annual military parade to
commemorate the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

He also called on the U.S. and allies to withdraw troops from Iraq.

The UN Security Council has twice passed resolutions on imposing
sanctions on Iran over its continued failure to suspend its uranium
enrichment program.

The US representative to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad said a draft
resolution providing for a more severe set of sanctions will be
introduced within several weeks, RIA Novosti reports.

Heritage party rep: Raffi Hovannisian real claimant for post of President

ArmInfo
2007-09-20 16:00:00

‘Given the high rating of our leader, I can say that Raffi Hovannisian
is a real claimant for post of Armenian President,’ parliamentarian
from Heritage opposition party Armen Martirosyan said during debates
at Hayatsk Club, Thursday.

He said the party will convene an extraordinary congress in late
October or early November to make a final decision on nomination of
its leader for President. As regards the consolidation of opposition
forces, he said that the country’s problems are so global and
important that political forces having different ideology may jointly
search for the ways to settle them. ‘Heritage party has already
managed to unite pro-governmental and some opposition media that level
harsh criticism at us. So, we have already got consolidating
experience,’ A. Martirosyan said.

Messenger.ge, Georgia

Friday, September 21 , 2007, #180 (1447)

IMF satisfied with Armenia’s economic development

By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

IMF analysts concluded after a five-day visit to Armenia that positive
economic results, combining high economic growth with low inflation
and gradual tax increase, will continue throughout 2008 and beyond.

The success of the Armenian economy was put down to a good business
climate for foreign investments, the news agency Regnum writes.

Much of the development there is driven by remittances and foreign
cash infusions, which are pushing up inflation and the value of the
national currency, the team found, though not drastically so.

In a meeting with Lorenzo Perez, deputy director of the IMF Middle
East and Central Asia Department, Armenian President Robert Kocharian
thanked the IMF for supporting its economic reform process.

`The only correct way for the country to develop is by effective
reforms and we are totally ready to continue this way,’ Kocharian
said.

Perez commented that the main problem Armenia faced was moving on to
the next stage of development.

ANCA ALERTS CONGRESS TO GROWING ANTI-ARMENIAN SENTIMENT IN TURKEY

armradio.am
19.09.2007 10:39

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), this week, alerted
Members of Congress to the growing wave of anti-Armenian sentiment
orchestrated by the Turkish government as part of its drive to block
legislation before the US House and Senate recognizing the Armenian
Genocide.

The dramatic increase in pressure against the Armenian community
coincides with Turkey’s growing frustration over its inability –
either directly or through its highly paid lobbyists – to arrest
the growing bipartisan momentum toward the adoption of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 / S.Res.106).

With the number of House cosponsors clearing the 50% mark and the
recent reversal of the Anti-Defamation Leagues longstanding refusal
to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government has
resorted to a series of increasingly strident – even desperate –
measures. Amid these efforts by Ankara comes a visit to Washington,
DC, this week, by His Beatitude Patriarch Mesrob II, Patriarch of
the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, who ï~^- as a matter of
Turkish law and under the intense pressure applied against Turkey’s
remaining Armenian Christians – has been constrained from speaking
openly about the Armenian Genocide. The Patriarch has recently been
subjected to a number of high profile death threats, including, this
July, a plot to assassinate both him and Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Bartholomew I by a criminal organization of retired officers, known
as the Union of National Forces.

The Patriarch, who – in a sharp departure from traditional Armenian
religious practice – will apparently not be visiting with local
Armenian Churches or the city’s faithful, is scheduled to speak at
a series of public policy engagements on Capitol Hill, Georgetown
University, and elsewhere in the nation’s capital. Among these are
an Iftar dinner on Capitol Hill hosted by the Rumi Forum, a Turkish
American organization with a stated mission to "foster interfaith
and intercultural dialogue." A second, titled, "The Impasse Between
Armenians and Turks Must Be Broken," will be at Georgetown University,
again sponsored by the Rumi Forum, along with Georgetown’s Woodstock
Theological Center.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead author of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
commented on the growing pressure on Turkey’s remaining Armenians,
noting that, "In order to perpetuate its campaign of denial,
Turkey seeks to intimidate all Armenians worldwide, but especially
the Armenians in Turkey who must live with daily threats. It is a
criminal offense to merely speak about the Armenian Genocide, let alone
advocate for the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution before the
Congress. The editor of the last Armenian-language newspaper in Turkey,
Hrant Dink, was assassinated for writing about the genocide this year,
and a popular video now being circulated in Turkey celebrates his
killers and threatens Armenians."

"It should come as no surprise then that the Bishop of the Armenian
community in Turkey, who states that he is under daily threat, cannot
speak about the genocide or support any efforts to recognize the
genocide including those efforts in our country. To do so would be
to place a target on his head and threaten his community even further.

What is a disturbing surprise, however, is the exploitation of
the vulnerable Armenian community in Turkey by opponents of the
resolution."

The ANCA, in a letter circulated yesterday to Congressional offices,
explained that, "Patriarch Mutafyan – like the leaders of all religious
minorities in Turkey – lives in constant fear of acts of discrimination
and retribution by a Turkish government that actively persecutes those
who speak freely on human rights and other ‘sensitive’ issues. As
a virtual hostage, the Patriarch – whose life has been threatened
on many occasions – will, as has in the past, be forced to follow
the Turkish government’s line. It is truly shameful that Turkey has
resorted to using naked coercion – cynically taking advantage of the
concern of Patriarch Mesrob for the safety of his flock – in a last
ditch bid to block the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution."

A highly popular online Turkish video, posted on the video sharing
service YouTube last week, praising the assassination of Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, illustrates the type of dangerous
and hate-filled environment that Patriarch Mutafyan will return to
after his orchestrated visit to the United States.

The video, which was originally taken down from YouTube but which
has resurfaced in a number of different forms and has been viewed by
hundreds of thousands in Turkey, depicts images of the Dink’s killing
with a lyric refrain, "If a person betrays the country, he is finished
off." It goes on to show "patriotic" photos of confessed assassin
Ogan Samast glorified in front of the Turkish flag. Video lyrics
also include the chilling warning: "The only good Armenian or Kurd
is a dead Armenian or Kurd." Similar video of Turkish police proudly
posing with Samast shortly following his January incarceration for
the murder was leaked to Turkish press and made headlines worldwide.

–Boundary_(ID_8O4f1os90f3vw2vrwAJ6Tg) —

SONG PRAISING HRANT DINK MURDERERS CREATES CONTROVERSY

armradio.am
18.09.2007 10:49

A video prepared for a song, the lyrics of which praised Ogun Samast.,
the teenager who murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
and Yasin Hayal, one of the inciters behind the assassination was
posted on the hugely popular video-sharing Web site YouTube, creating
controversy in Turkey, as many branded it as ultra-nationalist hate
propaganda, the Turkish Daily News reports.

The video quickly received a high number of user hits. Thousands of
people sent the link to each other, especially on Friday, as the issue
marked the agenda in many e-mail groups. Finally, the amateur video
made it to the headlines of mass circulation newspapers yesterday.

While the song mentioned the names in different contexts, in the
video the photograph of murderer Ogun and inciter Yasin are seen. In
the lyrics, meanwhile, there is a direct threat to those who "support
Armenians," saying "they will be taken care of."

As these words are heard, the now infamous photograph of Dink,
right after he was gunned down, lying on the ground and covered with
newspaper pages, is seen.

The video not only praises those involved in Dink’s assassination but
also shows photographs of author Orhan Pamuk, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, musician, author and columnist Zï~_¼lfï~_¼ Livaneli,
folk music singer Selda Bagcan, and former president Ahmet Necdet
Sezer, labeling all as "betrayers."

The lyrics of the song named "Do Not Make Plans" was written by an
ultra nationalist poet, Ozan Arif and is sung by Ismail Tï~_¼rï~_¼t,
a well-known singer. But ultra nationalists unrelated to the two
supposedly prepared the video. There are nearly 10 different versions
of the video being broadcast on Youtube, but the version that created
reactions around Turkey was removed yesterday.

–Boundary_(ID_8UCIFSV+c7vhcMZ297ACKQ) —

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE CONSIDERS KARABAKH "OCCUPIED"

A1+
[03:37 pm] 18 September, 2007

"The Armenian (Apostolic) Church, which has formal legal status as
the national church, enjoys some privileges not available to other
religious groups", says the US Department of State’s International
Religious Freedom Report. According to the report, "the law places
some restrictions on the religious freedom of adherents of minority
religious groups, and there were some restrictions in practice. In
general, societal attitudes toward some minority religious groups
were ambivalent, and there were reports of societal discrimination
directed against members of these groups.

During the reporting period, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh-day
Adventists reported that low-level government officials denied
them the use of public space for religious gatherings. However, the
Jehovah’s Witnesses noted that, in general, they were free to assemble
without harassment by police or other government entities. Jehovah’s
Witnesses reported that judges sentenced them to longer prison terms
for evasion of alternative military service than in the past, although
the sentences were still within the range allowed by law".

The report says that "a customs issue pertaining to the Jehovah’s
Witnesses ability to obtain shipments of religious literature was
not resolved at the end of the reporting period On March 29, 2007,
customs officials in Yerevan reevaluated a shipment of religious
periodicals received by the Jehovah’s Witnesses at a significantly
higher rate than the group expected, making it financially difficult
for them to arrange clearance of the shipment. Customs officials
maintained that the reevaluation complied with the customs code".

By the way at the end the report says: "The U.S. Government
discusses religious freedom issues with the Government as part of its
overall policy to promote human rights. During these discussions,
the U.S. Government emphasized to authorities that continued
eligibility for the $235 million (approximately 79 billion AMD)
Millennium Challenge Compact remained contingent upon the Government’s
performance in meeting good governance indicators, which include
standards of respect for religious freedom".

ABOUT KARABAKH IN THE UNIT ON AZERBAIJAN

The US State Department reflects on Karabakh in the unit referring
to Azerbaijan. Here it was mentioned that the Armenian Apoistolic
Church has a special status in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"In 1990s during the war with Armenia all ethnic Azerbaijanis
have fled, mainly Muslims, from Nagorno-Karabakh and occupied 7
territories and are unable to return", says the report . The US
Department of State uses "occupied" noting that "the occupied region
of Nagorno-Karabakh–a predominantly ethnic Armenian area over which
the Government of Azerbaijan had no control–officials reportedly
released jailed Baptist conscientious objector Gagik Mirzoyan and
transferred him to a military unit to complete the remainder of his
military service. Also in the occupied region of Nagorno-Karabakh,
Jehovah’s Witness and conscientious objector Areg Hovhanesyan remained
in jail after being sentenced in 2005 to 4 years in prison for evading
military service, a sentence he did not appeal".

The Armenian Weekly On-Line
80 Bigelow Avenue
Watertown MA 02472 USA
(617) 926-3974
[email protected]
menianweekly.com

The Armenian Weekly; Volume 73, No. 36; Sept. 8, 2007

News:

1. Bedford VPC Demands Explanation from ADL
By Khatchig Mouradian

2. Needham to Send Letter to ADL

3. Armenian and Jewish Communities Demonstrate Solidarity on Beacon Hill
By Andy Turpin

4. AYF Olympics Brings Communities Together

***

1. Bedford VPC Demands Explanation from ADL
By Khatchig Mouradian

BEDFORD, Mass. (A.W.)-On Sept. 4 at 7:30 a.m., the Bedford Violence
Prevention Coalition (VPC) held its monthly meeting at the First Church of
Christ Congregational with members of the Bedford Armenian community and
activists from neighboring towns. The committee discussed the ADL’s
ambiguous position on the Armenian genocide and decided to officially demand
an explanation from the ADL. The committee agreed that it would then proceed
accordingly, yet maintained that severing its ties with the ADL was still
very much on the table.

During the meeting, members of the committee were briefed on the recent
developments in the controversy surrounding the ADL. Armenian activists were
then given the floor to speak.

Armenian Activists

Bedford resident Stephen Dulgarian spoke about the ADL’s opposition to the
Armenian Genocide Resolution in the U.S. Congress and expressed his hope
that Bedford would follow in the footsteps of Watertown, Newton and
Newburyport by sending a strong message to the ADL. "We ask this committee
to send a letter to the ADL demanding the unambiguous recognition for the
Armenian genocide and support for the Genocide Resolution," he said.

"I just lost a great uncle who was a survivor of the Armenian genocide,"
said Bedford resident Mike Bahtiarian. He went on to criticize the ADL’s
position on the genocide, underlining how its use of expressions like
"tantamount to genocide" were deliberately unclear. Not supporting genocide
recognition, he said, is "like not recognizing [the Holocaust during] World
War II."

"We would like to see this No Place for Hate committee continue its work
independently of the ADL," said activist Berge Jololian. "The ADL has lost
its moral authority to lecture us on human rights. Denying any genocide is
an act of hate and this community should have zero tolerance to it." He
noted that statement after statement, the ADL’s "hypocrisy is multiplying."
He rejected the ADL’s talk of a joint Turkish-Armenian commission to look
into the history of 1915. "It is like saying that Elie Wiesel and David
Irving should sit and discuss the history of the Holocaust. It’s
outrageous!" he exclaimed.

Talking about ADL national director Abraham Foxman, Jololian said, "ADL has
not apologized to the Armenian community or addressed any Armenian, however,
Foxman offered an apology to the Turkish government for ADL’s statement
recognizing the Armenian genocide." Jololian was referring to a letter
Foxman sent to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in which he said, "I feel
deeply sorry over discussions that erupted after the Anti-Defamation League
(ADL) changed its stance on the incidents of 1915.

Petitto Devaney

Watertown councilor-at-large Marilyn Petitto Devaney spoke about the
proclamation she introduced at the Watertown Town Council meeting. "I look
at the proclamation as an act of lighting a candle instead of cursing the
darkness," she said. Pettito Devaney recounted how the ADL had asked the
Watertown Town Council for 90 days before making a decision about severing
ties with the No Place for Hate program. "I wouldn’t even give them 90
seconds," she said. Underlining that the Armenian genocide is not merely an
Armenian issue, Petitto Devaney called on Bedford to sever its ties with the
NPFH.

Police Chief

Police chief James Hicks said that long before coming to Bedford, he had
worked with the ADL on several programs. "This summer has been quite
eye-opening," he said. "I feel embarrassed."

"If the facts are facts, the ADL should state the facts clearly and back its
statement with words and actions," Hicks noted. "I have some serious
reservations with the ADL. They need to explain their position," he added.

Hicks and other members of the VPC noted that their committee was
functioning years before its association with the NPFH and that good work
can be done with-and if need be without-that association.

"We have some serious concerns and I would like to have the ADL here before
taking action," Hicks said. "But I have to say," he added, "the present
state of affairs jeopardizes NPFH’s position."
———————————- ———————-

2. Needham to Send Letter to ADL

NEEDHAM, Mass. (A.W.)-On Sept. 5, the Needham Human Rights Commission held
its regular meeting, which was attended by dozens of Needham residents,
Armenian activists, vice-president of the Watertown Town Council Mark
Sedaris, Watertown councilor-at-large Marilyn Petitto Devaney and Holocaust
scholar Jack Nusan Porter.

The Human Rights Commission decided to send a strongly worded letter to ADL
Regional and National, demanding not only the unambiguous recognition of the
Armenian genocide but support for the genocide resolution in Congress.
—————————————- ————————————

3. Armenian and Jewish Communities Demonstrate Solidarity on Beacon Hill
By Andy Turpin

BOSTON, Mass. (A.W.)-On Aug. 30, State Representative Rachel Kaprielian
(Watertown) and Boston City Councilor Michael P. Ross (District 8) hosted a
demonstration of the strengthening solidarity between the Jewish and
Armenian-American communities to underscore the importance of officially
recognizing the Armenian genocide.

The event featured Kaprielian and Ross, as well as Rabbi Ronne Friedman of
Temple Israel Boston; Rev. Gregory V. Haroutunian of the First Armenian
Church of Belmont; Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter, president of the
American Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors of Greater Boston;
Armenian Genocide survivor Asdghig Alemian, 97, of Weymouth; and Nancy
Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of
Greater Boston.

Kaprielian prefaced her remarks by emphasizing in the broader scope, "We are
all here to say that we need to stop what is going on in Darfur."

Councilor Ross stated, "I’m a City Councilor in Boston and I’m a son of a
Holocaust survivor." He put in context the pragmatism of Armenian and Jewish
amity by saying, "It makes sense that we came together as community. Not
just because we’re both small and active communities of Jews and Armenians,
but also because we’re people. We respect our cultures and support each
other, when we need to and when we don’t need to. We need to support each
other and back each other up."

Rabbi Friedman spoke about the genocide and Holocaust in historical memory
and present-day politics, and quoting Maya Angelou, said, "History, despite
its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not
be lived again."

Rev. Haroutunian thanked the Jewish community for its recent efforts in the
No Place for Hate controversy, which saw the dismissal of Andrew Tarsy, the
New England regional director of the Anti-Defamation League who spoke in
favor of genocide recognition. "It has brought great light to the heart of
God," Haroutunian said. "We commend Andrew Tarsy for his actions. So many
people in the Jewish community demanded truth, not spin. After all, to deny
the truth, even in innuendo, is dangerous. I commend the Jewish-American
community in Boston. You stood for something, simply because it is right. We
thank God for your community and we really do pray that others will follow
your example."

Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter spoke of his experiences with genocide,
recalling, "I was a slave. I spent five years in a concentration camp." He
praised the gathered crowd for their attendance, and said, "I’m very happy
this event took place, but I’m also very disappointed the entire Jewish and
Armenian communities did not show up. Let’s hope from this small gathering
that more will blossom. Let’s join hands and work together so that it will
never ever happen again."

Armenian genocide survivor Asdghig Alemian remembered, "I was five years old
at the time the Turks took me. My mother starved to death on the [death]
march. They called it Der Zor. They were told to take three days of food and
that they would be taken back home. It never happened."

"We must see acknowledge-ment by our government while there are still
Armenian genocide survivors still alive," Kaprielian said.

Nancy Kaufman said that it is the moral responsibility of Massachusetts
citizens to ensure that the state divests from Sudan and investigates that
taxes do not finance the ongoing genocide in Darfur.

She said of the Armenian genocide and its legacy, "The genocide represents
the failure of the international community to prevent the worst crime in the
world-the destruction of an entire people."

Ross concluded amicably, saying to the Armenians present, "In the Jewish
community, we say you are all mishpucha [family]."
———————————- ———

4. AYF Olympics Brings Communities Together

SECAUCUS, N.J. (A.W.) – From Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, the AYF New Jersey Arsen
Chapter hosted the 2007 AYF-YOARF Olympic competitions and festivities.

The Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Hotel provided
accommodations for the guests and athletes that attended.

Events began the evening of the 30th with guests and AYF members invited to
go on a New York City Skyline Cruise.

The following day, AYF-YOARF golf competitions were held at the Emerson Golf
Club in Emerson, followed by tennis and swimming competitions held at
Overpeck Park and the Palisades Park swim club in Palisades Park.

In the evening, the Crowne Plaza Hotel hosted the AYF-YOARF "Alumni Dance,"
featuring John Berberian, Hachig Kazarian, Ara Dinkjian, Jason Naroian and
Michael Gostanian, directly chased by the AYF-YOARF "Welcoming Dance" at the
Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel, featuring the Harout Pamboukjian Ensemble.

On Sept. 1, activities were primarily focused on the softball competition at
Overpeck Park. On Sun., Sept. 2, Armenian Church services were held in the
Sheraton before the majority of spectators and athletes headed to Overpeck
Park for the culmination of the Opening Ceremonies and the track and field
events that ran throughout the course of the day.

The results of the day’s competitions and the weekend’s cumulative scores
for each AYF chapter were announced that night at the evening’s AYF-YOARF
Olympic Grand Ball at the Sheraton, during which Onnik Dinkjian, John
Berberian, Hachig Kazarian, Ara Dinkjian, Bruce Gigarjian and Jim Kzirian
provided the musical entertainment.

The 2007 AYF-YOARF Olympics concluded Labor Day, Sept. 3, with a picnic on
the grounds of the Sheraton, featuring the Mike Gostanian Ensemble band in
accompaniment for music.

Below are the results. Full details will be provided in the Sept. 22 issue
of the Weekly.

74th AYF Olympic Standings
Philadelphia – 272
Providence – 137.5
Detroit – 59
New Jersey – 45
Granite City – 28
New York – 26
North Andover – 11.5
Montebello (Calif.) – 8
Greater Boston – 5
Racine – 3
Chicago – 2
Washington – 2

High Scorers (Men)
Daniel Kaiserian (Philadelphia) – 15 points
Emmanuel Mkrtchian (Philadelphia) – 15 points

High Scorers (Women)
Lynne Tutunjian (Providence) – 15 points
Michelle Hagopian (Granite City) – 15 points
Samantha Essian (Detroit) – 15 points
Taleen Yeremian (Philadelphia) – 15 points
Sevan Makhoulian (Detroit) – 15 points

Pentathlon Winners
Karine Birazian (New Jersey)
Garo Hovnanian (Philadelphia)

Ernest Nahigian Sportsmanship Award
Armen Saryan (Racine)
Vartan Mardirosian (Greater Boston)

Most Improved Chapter
New York Hyortiks

Corey Tosoian Memorial Alumni Golf Award
Jeff Hagopian (Granite City)

Next Year’s Host
Detroit

Devaney fastens on to genocide debate

Seeks to turn up the pressure on national ADL

By Christina Pazzanese, Globe Correspondent | September 16, 2007

The controversy surrounding the Anti-Defamation League’s stance on the
Armenian genocide and the effort in some communities to drop their
affiliation with the league’s No Place for Hate program has many
proponents but one curious leader: embattled governor’s councilor and
Watertown Town Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney.

Devaney, who is scheduled to go on trial in December in connection
with an alleged assault on a store clerk involving a curling iron,
successfully brought forward a resolution last month calling for the
Watertown Town Council to sever ties with the No Place for Hate
program. The move was to protest the ADL’s refusal to acknowledge that
the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 was genocide.

Since then, Devaney has spoken before human rights groups in several
communities, including Needham, Bedford, and Belmont, to urge they
join Watertown’s fight.

As a governor’s councilor, said Devaney, a Democrat, she has twice
approached the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which cosponsors
No Place for Hate with the ADL, to ask its executive director, Geoff
Beckwith, to withdraw participation.

The municipal association’s board voted last Tuesday to issue a
statement calling on the ADL to fully recognize the genocide and to
support the resolution before Congress. The board agreed to continue
to assess the association’s relationship with the program, based on
future actions of the ADL and, in particular, the results of a Nov. 1
meeting of the ADL national board, said Beckwith.

And on Sept. 27, Devaney plans to host a public forum at Watertown
Middle School. She has invited representatives from the nearly 60
Massachusetts communities still involved in the program to hear why
Watertown severed ties with the league. She said she hopes the meeting
will prompt other communities to withdraw in solidarity and persuade
the league to support the resolution now before Congress to formally
recognize the genocide. "I lit one little candle. Think of how bright
we would be if we had 59 candles," she said.

So far the involvement of several local politicians, including
Devaney, has been viewed by the Armenian community as mostly positive.
Some say they welcome the attention that Devaney and others have
helped bring to the genocide cause, particularly when it wasn’t clear
if they would get much political mileage out of it.

Alin Gregorian, editor of the Armenian Mirror-Spectator, an
English-language Armenian newspaper, credits a July 6 letter to a
Watertown newspaper by Newton resident David Boyajian for being the
initial "catalyst" of the movement. "Marilyn Devaney sort of picked up
the gauntlet he had thrown down," said Gregorian. "I think certainly
[she] spoke up before all the chips had fallen."

Gregorian added Devaney was warmly received last week at the paper’s
75th anniversary dinner in Newton.

But not everyone sees Devaney’s front-and-center role as purely altruistic.

"Politicians came late to the table and now they’re grandstanding,"
said John DiMascio, a freelance columnist active in the Watertown
political scene. DiMascio has been sharply critical of state
Representative Rachel Kaprielian, a Watertown Democrat, who has spoken
out on the issue and co-organized a State House rally late last month.

Though he wouldn’t comment specifically on Devaney or her efforts,
DiMascio said he feels it’s time to let Armenian lobbying groups
determine the next steps and lead the way. "This isn’t something any
individual politician should be trying to spearhead," he said.

Activist Sevag Arzoumanian said Devaney’s outspoken presence at local
human rights meetings was seen by some as "intimidating" or "political
opportunism." Arzoumanian runs the No Place for Denial.com blog, which
chronicles the controversy, and sits on the executive committee of the
Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts.

Devaney bristled at suggestions she is trying to deflect attention
from her legal troubles or to bolster her reelection bid to the
Watertown Town Council in November. She said she got onboard this
summer after learning of the league’s view on the genocide from
Boyajian’s letter and Armenian-American constituents.

"It has nothing to do with anything," Devaney said of the timing of
her involvement. "This is not political; this is humanitarian."

Devaney faces felony assault and battery charges in connection with an
alleged April 13 altercation involving a Waltham beauty supply store
clerk. Devaney is accused of hitting the clerk with a shopping bag
containing a curling iron after being told the store would not accept
her personal check without a driver’s license. Devaney has pleaded not
guilty to the charges. Her trial is slated to begin Dec. 13.

Needham’s Board of Selectmen already has an idea of how it will decide
the issue and is not looking for guidance about this issue from
Devaney or other political leaders, said Selectman Jack Cogswell. The
board – which has the final say in whether the town stays in the No
Place For Hate program or not – will likely vote on the matter in the
next few weeks, he said. Earlier this month, the town’s human rights
committee sent a letter to the ADL’s national office and is now
waiting for a response before taking action.

Cogswell said the board does feel a sense of urgency to act soon, and
indicated that selectmen may pull out of the program no matter what
happens between the human rights committee and the ADL. "I’m not sure
the board is really ready to wait" for the committee to complete its
process, he said.

(c) Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Source: icles/2007/09/16/devaney_fastens_on_to_genocide_de bate/

CORRECTION GAZ DE FRANCE WANTS PART IN NABUCCO GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

Forbes, NY
[email protected]
AFX News Limited
09.14.07, 12:36 PM ET

BUDAPEST (Thomson Financial) – Gaz de France wants to join the 5
bln eur EU-backed Nabucco gas pipeline project, which aims to secure
Europe’s gas supply by bringing Central Asian gas to European markets,
managing director Jean-Marie Dauger said.

The project plans to link Turkey’s borders with Iran and Georgia
to Baumgarten in Austria with a 3,300 km pipe aimed at reducing EU
reliance on Russian gas, which accounts for about 40 pct of supply.

It is slated to start construction in 2009 with completion seen
in 2012.

In April, Turkey was reported to have suspended talks with GDF in a
spat over a French bill outlawing denial of the massacre of Armenians
during Ottoman rule.

Turkey later denied suspending talks with GDF.