Author: Nahapetian Samvel

MURDER SUSPECT ELECTED MAYOR

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| 12:48:53 | 10-10-2005 | Politics |

October 9 in the town of Nor Hachin the elections of the local
governing bodies were held. There were two candidates for the post
of the mayor – the present mayor Armen Qeshishyan who is charged with
murder, and Babken Margaryan.

The present mayor Armen Qeshishyan has been re-elected with a
difference of 320 votes. By preliminary data 4437 of the 8553 electors
have participated in the elections. 2160 of them voted for Qeshishyan,
and 1840 – for Margaryan.

Armen Qeshishyan rang up his relatives and the members of the electoral
headquarters from the prison and congratulated them.

We also learned from the Central Electoral Committee that there were
no violations during the whole electoral process.

By the way, there is information according to which the residents of
Nor Hachin have been assured that in case of having many votes the
present mayor will be “saved”.

The Age, Australia
Oct 10 2005

Year of great boxing promise now rings hollow
By Stathi Paxinos
October 10, 2005

AUSTRALIAN flyweight Hussein Hussein’s fate against Jorge Arce for
the World Boxing Council interim world title yesterday reflected the
way of Australian boxing this year.

There had been great anticipation surrounding the fight because their
first encounter in March was regarded as one of the fights of the
year. But, by near the end of the second round and after two
knock-downs, Hussein’s corner man, Jeff Fenech, had seen enough and
threw in the towel.

It was another blow to the promise that Australian boxing had shown
at the start of the year when the fight fraternity proclaimed that
half a dozen Australian fighters could hold world titles this year.
Such predictions now appear a touch optimistic as 2005 has, instead,
produced a succession of shattered dreams with Danny Green, Anthony
Mundine, Paul Briggs and Tommy Browne all losing shots at major world
titles.

Junior-lightweight Robbie Peden won the International Boxing
Federation belt in spectacular fashion only to lose it last month
against one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world – Marco
Antonio Barrera.

The unthinkable also occurred when junior-welterweight
king Kostya Tszyu quit on his stool after being hammered for 11
rounds by English challenger Ricky Hatton. That leaves Australia with
one champion of a recognised belt – Armenian-born Vic Darchinyan, who
has twice defended the IBF flyweight title he won last December.
Australian light-heavyweight Paul Murdoch will be fighting for the
World Boxing Association title in December but is the outsider
against multiple world champion Fabrice Tiozzo.

So, a year that started with such promise for local boxing is heading
towards a sobering finale, although the prospect of the long-awaited
match-up between Green and Mundine early next year has provided a
much-needed attraction.

And it is also fitting that Sam Soliman will take a step towards
finally earning that elusive middleweight world title shot.

The Soliman camp confirmed at the weekend that the 31-year-old IBF
No. 1 contender had signed a deal to take on his WBC and WBA
equivalent Ronald “Winky” Wright with the winner earning the
mandatory challenger position against the victor of the rematch
between world champion Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins.

Soliman is regarded as an awkward fighter who has posed too big a
risk for comparatively small financial rewards to big-name fighters.
Soliman earned a mandatory challenge for Hopkins’ IBF belt earlier
this year but Hopkins, who ruled the middleweight division for a
decade, was granted an exception by the sanctioning body and was
allowed to accept a big-dollar challenge from Sydney Olympian Taylor.
Hopkins subsequently lost his WBA, WBC, IBF and World Boxing
Organisation belts to Taylor and the pair are set for a rematch in
early December.

Soliman’s fight against Wright, a former junior-middleweight world
champion, will be held on December 11 in Connecticut in the US –
which will make it a huge weekend for Australian boxing.

It has also been set down for the joint Green and Mundine card in
Perth, which will act as a warm-up for the pair’s fight next year.
Victories by all three Australians would set up another exciting year
for local boxing.

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 9 2005

Turkey’s Priority To Be Democracy & Human Rights, Flautre

ANKARA – Turkey’s priority will be democracy and human rights after
its full membership negotiations with the EU are launched, Helene
Flautre, the Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Human Rights
Sub-Commission, said on Friday.
Holding a press conference before flying to eastern city of Van,
Flautre said that efforts should be exerted to implement recent legal
reforms in Turkey.

-TORTURE, KURDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS-

Flautre stated that Turkey’s ”zero tolerance to torture” policy was
a ”perfect decision”, and said that paving the way for inspection
of independent boards could help full implementation of this policy
in prisons and police stations.

Underlining importance of legal changes regarding the safeguard of
social and cultural rights of the Kurds, Flautre said, ”but, it may
be considered a little weird to urge people to attend special and
paid courses to learn their own mother tongues. In fact, Kurdish
should be taught at public schools.”

Flautre said that gender equality was also an important part of the
EU acquis, while listed associations law, foundations law, and union
rights as areas in which Turkey should make more progress.

-SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ALLEGATIONS-

French parliamentarian Flautre said that the EU had recently
discussed ”whether Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian genocide
(allegations) was an obligatory precondition for its EU membership”,
not ”whether Armenian genocide was carried out”.

”The European Parliament said ‘yes’ to it (to consider recognition
of the Armenian genocide as a precondition for Turkey’s EU
membership) in the vote held last week. However, political groups and
individuals think differently about this matter. And, I personally
think that it should not be a precondition,” indicated Flautre.

”Everything that happens in Turkey becomes is an internal policy
matter in the EU. We should discuss in Europe what kind of a society
Turkey is and its possible contributions to the EU. Because, my
country, France has made an unbelievable decision that can let it
obstruct Turkey’s EU accession by a referendum. And, as a person who
knows this, I want Turkey to be discussed in Europe, with all its
dimensions,” said Flautre.

On the other hand, another member of the sub-committee Richard Howitt
said that they wanted to see Turkey in the EU, and added, ”this
(Turkey’s negotiations with the EU) will be a long run.”

-EP HUMAN RIGHTS SUB-COMMITTEE’S MEETING WITH IHD-

Earlier meeting Human Rights Association (IHD) officials, Flautre
told that Turkey would be monitored more in fields of human rights
and democracy after the start of the negotiation process with the EU.

”Before the start of the accession talks between Turkey and EU, the
EU was looking for fulfillment of the requirements by Turkey at a
sufficient level, but now Turkey should fulfill everything fully,
there is a more strict and serious agenda now,” Flautre said. She
noted that everybody whom she met was in consensus about the progress
recorded by Turkey in human rights.

The Peninsula, Qatar
Oct 8 2005

Turkey sentences journalist for comments
Web posted at: 10/8/2005 2:28:24

ISTANBUL: A Turkish court gave an Armenian-Turkish journalist a
six-month suspended prison sentence on Friday for `insulting Turkish
identity’ in an article he wrote, the journalist said.

The issue of freedom of speech has dogged every stage of Turkey’s
efforts to join the European Union. While the EU agreed this week to
start entry talks with Turkey, such court cases are likely to hinder
Ankara’s progress toward full membership.

The Istanbul court found Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the
bilingual Turkish and Armenian weekly Agos newspaper, guilty of
`insulting and weakening Turkish identity through the media’ in an
article he wrote last year.

`Whether the sentence was for one day or six years, it doesn’t
matter. The important thing, and what saddens me, is that I was
sentenced. I did not commit this crime,’ Dink said.

NICOLAI: E.U. GIVES AN IMMENSELY POWERFUL SIGNAL TO MUSLIMS IN EUROPE AND MUSLIM WORLD BY STARTING ACCESSION TALKS WITH TURKEY

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 6 2005

WASHINGTON D.C. – “European Union (EU) gave an immensely powerful
signal particularly to Muslims in Europe and the Muslim world in
general, by launching accession talks with Turkey,” Dutch Minister
for European Affairs Atzo Nicolai said on Thursday.

Making a keynote speech at Johns Hopkins University in the USA, Nicolai
said, “a strong signal has been given that different cultures and
religions can exist together.” He added that this was the “political
fact” behind the start of negotiations with Turkey.

Asked why the EU made things difficult for Turkey, Nicolai said,
“the EU, it should be remembered, is not NATO. The EU is a
far-reaching contract between societies, not only an agreement
between governments. If it wants to be a member, Turkey has to
change. But that process will also change the EU, its member states
and their citizens. By the time when the accession will be near,
Turkey’s population of 85-90 million will be greater than that of
any other country in Europe. At the same time, Turkey will still be
an agricultural country with many underdeveloped regions.”

Nicolai said Turkey’s membership to the EU would be an advantage from
the point of views of fight against terrorism and avoiding a clash
of civilizations.

“We should well explain the EU people why we want Turkey within the
EU, as the support of people is very important. It is not only the
economic concerns that should be overcome. We have to live and work
together with a different religion and culture,” he emphasized.

“We want to be fair to our citizens, but we also want to be fair to
Turkey,” Nicolai said.

-CYPRUS AND ARMENIAN PROBLEMS-

Nicolai indicated that Cyprus was one of the most difficult issues the
EU has to deal with. “Nothing is black and white in this problem”,
he noted. Nicolai also defended that Turkey has to normalize its
relations with the Greek Cypriot Administration to become a EU member.

When a participant mentioned the so-called Armenian genocide
allegations, Nicolai said this was a very sensitive issue for both
parties. Nicolai recalled that acknowledgement of what had happened
in the past was not a precondition in EU membership process.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE REPRESENTATIVE OF HIS HOLINESS
ARAM I VISITS ETHIOPIA

Bishop Nareg Alemezian, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate of Cilicia
joined the delegation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in their
official visit to the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia on September 24-28. The
delegation of seven was headed by WCC General Secretary Rev Dr Samuel Kobia.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church belongs to the family of Oriental Orthodox
Churches, which also includes the Armenian Apostolic Church with both its
Catholicosates.

During the past few years the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Church, His
Holiness Abouna Paolos has visited Antelias twice and consulted with His
Holiness on issues related to the Ethiopian community of Lebanon. Thanks to
His Holiness’ efforts, the community will soon have its own church in
Lebanon.

The members of the delegation attended the Holy Mass held in the Adis Ababa
Church on September 25. Bishop Alemezian, however, visited the Armenian
community of Ethiopia during this time.

The bishop attended the Holy Mass held in the St. Kevork Church in Adis
Ababa and delivered a lecture entitled “Jesus, let your Holy Cross be our
shelter.” He met with the pastor of the community, Rev Muron Sarkisian and
the faithful.

Bishop Nareg met with the Patriarch alone on Sunday evening, conveying him
the greetings of His Holiness Aram I and discussing cooperation between the
Armenian and Ethiopian Churches as well as issues related to the Oriental
Orthodox Churches.

The delegation visited the headquarters of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church,
a WCC member, the next day, as well as its theological university, where
Bishop Nareg delivered a lecture.

Taking into consideration the fact that in the Ethiopian community
Christians comprise a majority, while Muslims constitute a minority, the
Bishop outlined the importance of Christian-Muslim dialogue in light of the
rich Middle-Eastern and particularly the Lebanese experience.

The delegation attended the ceremony of the feast of Holy Cross, one of the
biggest feasts of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The ceremony was held in
the central square of the Adis Ababa, where one million people gathered.

Patriarch Paolos invited Bishop Nareg to participate in the mass and light
with him the traditional cross-shaped fire.

On September 27 the delegation visited a boarding school which functions on
the patronage of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The guests attended an
official dinner party organized by Patriarch Paoulos that evening.

The delegation held a meeting with the religious and lay senior officials of
the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the headquarters of United Nations on
September 28. Rev Dr Samuel Kobia and Bishop Nareg delivered the main
lectures of the day.

Bishop Nareg spoke about the “participation of Orthodox Churches in the
ecumenical movement and their contribution to WCC.” Both lecturers spoke
about His Holiness Aram I’s decisive role in the ecumenical movement as an
example of active participation of the Orthodox Church.

The same evening the guests visited the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Ato
Meles Zenaoui. Discussions revolved around church-government relations and
WCC’s projects in Africa.

Bishop Nareg returned to Antelias on September 29.

##
View pictures here:

*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

DELEGATION OF NKR NGOs VISITS ISTANBUL

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2005

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 3. ARMINFO. A delegation of NKR NGOs, which
has recently participated in the pilot project of the Consortium
in Istanbul under the aegis of International Alert international
organization, convened at the Resource Center of NGOs in Stepanakert.

Head of the delegation Irina Grigoryan told ARMINFO’s special
correspondent to Stepanakert that the project had been implemented for
already 6 months. Under the project, resource centers were established
in Yerevan, Baku and Stepanakert. The meeting in Istanbul gathered the
Boards of the Resource Centers to inform them of the work carried out,
to determine the strategy for the coming 9 months and the future 2
years. Irina Grigoryan says the work in Istanbul was in the following
directions: lobbying, influence of the public, equal representation
of the population of the conflicting parties in the project.

She says representatives of Nagorny Karabakh were lobbying peace and
peacemaking. However, Head of NKR delegation left the meeting hall
after a member of the Azerbaijani delegation proposed qualifying
the NKR delegation as ‘representatives of the Armenian community of
Nagorny Karabakh’ and to attract the ‘Azerbaijani community’ to the
project. Head of the NKR delegation returned to the meeting only when
the proposal was rejected. Irina Grigoryan says Head of the Public
Organization for Refugees of Nagorny Karabakh is preparing a project
on organization of psychological rehabilitation courses for refugees
and other measures on their public integration. Lobby interviews in
Istanbul touched upon the Karabakh conflict as well.

PUBLIC MOOD IN AZERBAIJAN POINTS TO A NEW WAR
By Taleh Ziyadov

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
Oct 4 2005

On September 26-27, OSCE Minsk co-chairs Bernard Fassier (France),
Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), and Steven Mann (the United States) met in
Vienna to discuss further steps in the Karabakh peace process.

Before the meeting, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov,
declared, “The peace process has not yet exhausted itself,” but he
also added “there is a need for a parallel increase in the military
expenditures of Azerbaijan.”

Meanwhile, Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chair, expressed his concern
about the fact that both Azerbaijan and Armenia have increased their
military budgets and said, “Bellicose statements and calls for using
military force in solving the Karabakh problem do not contribute to
a resolution of the conflict.”

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov reacted to Merzlyakov’s
speech on Monday, September 26. “The increase in [Azerbaijan’s]
military budget is normal and it is in the country’s national
interest,” he declared. “This is Azerbaijan’s internal affair [and]
the [military] budget will be raised as much as needed.”

Azerbaijan has doubled its military budget to $300 million in 2005
and is expected to double again in 2006, as new oil and gas export
profits arrive.

Referring to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s
possible involvement in the peace process, Merzlyakov commented,
“PACE may contribute to mobilizing public opinion in the two countries
to achieve the compromise needed for conflict resolution.”

However, Merzlyakov’s desire to boost public support for potential
agreement may be too little, too late.

For years, the OSCE Minsk co-chairs disregarded the potential domestic
reaction in Azerbaijan and Armenia to an agreement reached without
public input. A recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG)
titled, “Nagorno-Karabakh: Viewing the Conflict from the Ground,”
outlines the potentially ominous outcomes of this neglect.

“Whatever progress is occurring around the negotiations table,
on the ground a resumption of war still seems all too possible,”
reads one of the conclusions in the report. “We are tired of ten
years of peaceful negotiations that lead us nowhere [and] brought
us nothing,” says one Azerbaijani refugee, voicing his frustration
about unfulfilled promises.

The ICG team reports that some 13% of all Azerbaijanis surveyed
“unconditionally supported a military solution, while 53.3%s
supported such a solution if peaceful means failed. However, 84.2% of
[internally displaced persons (IDPs)] respondents called for the use
of force.” According to the report, “The majority of the public [in
Azerbaijan] demands unconditional return of all occupied territories
including Nagorno-Karabakh and places little hope in a negotiated
settlement and peaceful outcome.”

The survey illustrates that it is not only the Azerbaijani government
calling for a military solution in case the negotiations fail, but
also a large portion of the general public and IDPs in Azerbaijan
believe that the military option may be the only available alternative
to change the current status quo.

As a result of the war, some 800,000 Azerbaijanis became refugees and
IDPs; most are from the districts surrounding Karabakh. Armenia still
occupies these districts as a buffer zone. The ICG report argues that
before any of these districts could be returned, Azerbaijan should give
“strong military and political security guarantees.”

Ironically, a component of hard security — a buffer zone used against
a possible offensive — directly affects the very livelihood of
the IDPs, who in turn have an indirect affect on their government’s
position in the negotiations, by making it even more hardline. In
other words, by continuous occupation of the districts surrounding
Karabakh, Armenia increases the potential for the use of force on
Azerbaijan’s side.

Speaking at the Ministry of Defense on September 16, Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliev declared, “Azerbaijan is a country in a state of
war. Our lands are under occupation. The country has pursued a peaceful
policy for many years. But the conflict has not been resolved. Then
what should Azerbaijan resort to? That is why the reinforcement of
our military potential is quite natural.”

Furthermore, “Increasing our country’s military budget is our sovereign
right and this should not trouble anyone. This is our internal affair
and we will pursue this path as long as we deem it necessary. I have
set the task: our military budget should reach the entire budget of
Armenia, or even exceed it,” Aliev concluded.

Yet, the ICG report suggests that there is still a window of
opportunity. “Moderate civil society actors and average Azeris and
Armenians could play a key role in ‘developing a new language of
dialogue’… to help deconstruct the inherited history of myth and
symbol that fuels confrontation’.” Although “IDP populations [are]
the greatest victims of the war,” says the report, they are also the
ones that are “the most open to coexistence.”

“The majority of Nagorno-Karabakh population, current and former,
remembers common life before the war. The memories of the past, while
including tremendous pain, also encompass warm memories of shared
life in a multiethnic Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, ‘where life
was good’.”

Nonetheless, as Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to increase their
military expenditures and public opinion in Azerbaijan, especially
among IDPs, turns against the OSCE-sponsored mediation process, no
one can rule out the possibility of a new war between the two states
in the near future.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE OFFICIAL ARRIVES IN YEREVAN

Armenpress

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS: Giovanni Stazi, the president of the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe,
has arrived today in Armenia for a three day visit.

Upon his arrival he was scheduled to meet with Armenian territorial
minister Hovik Abrahamian, prime minister Andranik Margarian,
Yerevan mayor Yervand Zakharian and parliament chairman Arthur
Baghdasarian. Tomorrow he will be received by president Kocharian
and foreign minister Vartan Oskanian.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS CONDUCTS HOLY MASS IN TORONTO,
VISITS THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF CAMBRIDGE

His Holiness Aram I conducted a Holy Mass in the St. Asdvadzadzine Church in
Toronto on October 2. Prelate of Canada, Archbishop Khajag Hagopian and
Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of United States, Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, conducted the Holy Mass with His Holiness.

The church was full with believers who had come to attend the mass. Special
screens were placed outside the church so people could follow the mass.

His Holiness delivered a sermon during which he elaborated on Jesus Christ’s
‘ message “your faith shall rescue you.” He called upon Armenians to
strengthen their Christian faith.

“During the bloody stages of our history, Christ became our savior. We
enriched our lives with Christ’s faith. That faith will rescue us, cure our
diseases, show the right path to those who are lost; it will grant our
nation spiritual, intellectual and physical well-being. A faithful nation is
not afraid of life’s evils. This has been our nation’s source of everlasting
resurrection,” said His Holiness.

After the Holy Mass His Holiness visited Cambridge, where he was welcomed by
Rev Gomidas Panossian of the St. Neshan Church, representatives of the
National Assembly, members of the board of trustees and a crowd of faithful.

After the blessing of salt and bread, His Holiness placed a wrath on the
Martyr’s Monument.

Prelate Khajag Hagopian welcomed His Holiness in Cambridge, pointing out
that despite the region’s distance, the Pontiff had insisted on including
Cambridge in his Pontifical visit to Canada. His Holiness highly praised the
organized work carried out by the small community.

The Armenian community of Cambridge organized an official dinner party in
honor of His Holiness the same night. 300 people attended the event.

Mr. Boghos Fernezlian, chairman of the church’s board of trustees, welcomed
His Holiness and expressed gratitude to him. Rev Gomidas spoke about the
example of service that can be seen in the 10th anniversary of His Holiness’
enthronement.

He also spoke about the mission of the Antelias Seminary, announcing that
the small Armenian community in Cambridge will contribute with an amount of
12,000 dollars in the donation made by the Prelacy of Canada to the
Seminary.

Greg Bezbezian presented His Holiness with a rare copy of the currency used
by King Hetoum and Queen Zabel.

His Holiness Aram I stressed that even far away communities have an
important role to play in the Armenian nation’s and church’s collective
lives.

“You are not on the margins of our life; you are on its main page. A
community is not measured by its size, but by its activeness. And you are
that active community which built this center years ago, constructed this
church, brought up a community and today lives its Armenian identity through
its national and ecclesiastical values,” said His Holiness.

Praising the respect and faith shown in the Antelias Seminary, His Holiness
reminded that success in life is not only dependant on material riches, but
on sacrifice and dedication.

Mrs. Garine Yakoubian performed songs from Gomidas on the violin. The
evening was concluded with “Cilicia” and “I Veh Partsants.” The attendants
kissed His Holiness’ right hand and received his blessings.

##
View pictures here:

*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the dioceses of
the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.