Author: Nahapetian Samvel

THOSE KILLED IN MARCH 1 EVENTS COMMEMORATED IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.03.2008 13:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yesterday, hundreds of Yerevan residents commemorated
those killed in March 1 and 2 disorders. The demonstrators marched
toward the square adjacent to the French Embassy where 8 people were
killed and 200 injured.

They were holding portraits of the killed and arrested, candle and
flowers tied with black ribbons.

The police allowed only 5 people to approach the monument to Alexander
Myasnikyan and lay flowers in memory of the victims.

No clashes between the action participants and policemen were fixed.

A similar action is expected today, on March 22, IA Regnum reports

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: YEREVAN EVENTS HAD AN IMPACT BUT THIS IMPACT IS NOT IRREVERSIBLE

Noyan Tapan
March 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia’s economic growth made over 10%
by the results of the first two months of 2008 but the March 1 events
will probably have an impact on the economic growth indices of the
coming months, the Armenian president Robert Kocharian said at the
March 20 press conference. "I have no doubts that there has been an
impact but I do not think that this impact will be irreversible," he
remarked. According to him, people need to be sure that there is and
will be stability in the country, that the economic policy will not
undergo sharp changes and and the rules of the game in the economic
field will be stable, which is the best guarantee of the investment
policy and investment attractiveness.

Armenian president reminded that after the act of terrorism committed
on October 27, 1999, Armenia finished the first six months with a
zero economic growth, however, thanks to the solutions found by means
of some definite decisions, the economic growth made over 6% by the
results of the second half of that year. "I am convinced that if there
are no new provocations and if the state takes consistent steps, the
impact of this factor will be continuing for 1-2 months, after which
we will make up for the losses and finish the year with quite serious
indices. If we succeed, then our pensioners can anticipate a greater
growth of pensions and our social programs will be implemented. The
procrastination in this situation would directly hit every citizen,
especially those from the vulnerable groups. The sooner everything
settles down, the more all our citizens will benefit," R. Kocharian
said.

GRIGORY KARASIN: ANY STEP OUTSIDE MINSK GROUP FORMAT HARMS NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS

Noyan Tapan
March 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Russia is concerned with the events
that happened in early March on the contact-line of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. "Fortunately, they had a limited nature and were
suspended from both sides," Grigory Karasin, the RF Deputy Foreign
Minister, said in his March 20 interview to Armenian journalists. "We
wish the South Caucasus to be a zone of stability," he stated.

In his words, the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement is advancing,
and it is very important that in difference to other conflicts, the
Armenian and Azeri leaders carry on negotiations, in which the world
community, in particular, the OSCE Minsk Group, takes an active part.

The Russian diplomat said that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs voted
against the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly lately,
and continue asserting that any step outside the Minsk Group format
harms the negotiations process.

Touching upon the previous day’s statement of the Armenian Foreign
Minister about Azerbaijan’s efforts to disorganize the Minsk Group,
G. Karasin said that Russia has certain information about it. However,
the Russian side considers that the current negotiations format meets
the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the entire
world community on the whole.

He expressed the hope that the forthcoming meeting of the two
countries’ Presidents in Bucharest will be productive. "I am sure
that both sides have a potential for it," G. Karasin said.

RUSSIAN OFFICIAL VOICES SUPPORT FOR YEREVAN

Radio Liberty
March 20 2008
Czech Republic

A senior Russian diplomat commended and voiced support for Armenia’s
embattled leadership on Thursday as he wrapped up a two-day visit to
Yerevan that focused on the post-election unrest in the country.

"Riots, chaos in the streets is a very dangerous thing for any country,
and I believe that the events of March 1-2 showed the citizens of
Armenia just how dangerous that path can be. It does not solve any
problems and instead brings about instability, uncertainty about the
future," Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said, referring to
the last opposition demonstration in Yerevan marred by deadly clashes
between security forces and protesters.

"In my view, the government of new Armenian statehood has passed this
dangerous phase, this dangerous test and is now stepping on to a very
certain path of political reforms and dialogue," he told journalists.

The political situation in Armenia, Russia’s main regional ally,
in the wake of last month’s disputed presidential election topped
the agenda of Karasin’s talks on Wednesday with departing President
Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister and President-elect Serzh
Sarkisian. Russia has closely followed the post-election developments
in the country, with President Vladimir Putin discussing it in a
March 10 phone call with Sarkisian. While calling for a dialogue
between the Armenian government and the opposition, Putin reaffirmed
the Kremlin’s recognition of Sarkisian’s victory in the election and
invited the latter to visit Moscow.

Sarkisian’s office said on Thursday that the Armenian premier will
fly to Moscow on March 24. It said he will meet Putin and Russia’s
President-elect Dmitry Medvedev to discuss "a broad range of issues
of mutual interest."

According to Karasin, Sarkisian and Kocharian now "understand and
control" the domestic political situation. "They have certain plans
for the future, plans for bringing the constructive opposition into
the legal field and starting dialogue," he said. "I hope that this
tendency will prevail and Armenian society will again acquire stability
and predictability. Russia is ready and interested in assisting in
that by all means."

It was not clear if by "constructive opposition" Karasin meant former
President Levon Ter-Petrosian and his opposition allies. Unlike
Western envoys who have visited Yerevan since March 1, the Russian
diplomat declined to meet Ter-Petrosian.

"The information which the president, the prime minister and
the foreign minister gave us was absolutely sufficient," Karasin
explained. "Having said that, we definitely have information about
what they in the opposition camp think. We have an embassy here, we
have friends in all spheres of Armenian political and public life. So
rest assured that we possess information of various caliber."

39 HOUSE MEMBERS URGE INCREASED AID TO ARMENIA AND KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.03.2008 15:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Thirty-nine House members cosigned a letter this week
initiated by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) urging the leaders of the U.S.

House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee to support
provisions in the FY09 foreign aid bill that advance U.S. interests
and American values in Armenia and the surrounding region, the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Armenian Caucus led effort urges cutting all military aid to Azerbaijan
and encourages steps toward U.S. diplomatic ties with Nagorno Karabakh.

"We want to thank Congressmen Knollenberg and Pallone and all those
who joined with the Armenian Caucus in this initiative to promote a
balanced and constructive path toward peace and development in the
Caucasus region," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

"Armenian Americans look forward to working hard to help enact the
foreign aid priorities outlined in this letter, including, notably,
the bipartisan effort to put an end to the artificial diplomatic
isolation that the Azerbaijani government has sought to impose upon
Nagorno Karabakh by trying to block nearly all U.S. contacts and
communication with the people and democratically elected leaders of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic."

BULGARIAN CAPITAL’S MUNICIPAL COUNCIL TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Bulgarian News Agency
March 20 2008
Bulgaria

Sofia, 20 March: Sofia will become the fourth Bulgarian city to
officially recognize the 1915-22 Armenian Genocide. These were the
words of Sofia Municipal Council’s Committee for European Affairs
and Public Relations Irina Yordanova, who talked to BTA on Thursday
[20 March].

The capital is expected to follow in the footsteps of Plovdiv, Bourgas
[Burgas], and Stara Zagora in stating its belief that the Ottoman
Empire undertook such a campaign in the last years before its demise.

A declaration was submitted to the Committee bearing 35 municipal
councillors’ signatures, who want to see 24 April declared as a day
of remembrance for those who died in the Armenian Genocide.

The Committee unanimously approved the text of the declaration, which
is supported by eight Sofia-based Armenian organizations as well as
by the signatures of twenty-four intellectuals and businessmen of
Armenian descent.

AS OF MARCH 17, 12 CITIZENS, WHO SUFFERED FROM MARCH 1 EVENTS, ARE IN ARMENIA’S MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. As of March 17, 12 people, who suffered
during the March 1 events in Yerevan, receive medical treatment in all
medical institutions of the RA Ministry of Health system. Two out of
them are servicemen, two policemen. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was
informed by the RA Ministry of Health, 4 people continue receiving
medical treatment in St Gregory the Illuminator medical center, 1 of
them is a serviceman, 2 policemen, 1 an ordinary citizen. 1 person is
in medical center N 2, 1 in hospital N 3, 3 at the Erebuni medical
center. 2 people are in the Armenia medical center, 1 of them is in
the reanimation, 1 in facial-jaw department.

One servicemen has remained in L. Mikayelian Surgery Institute,
who is in the reanimation department.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT TO APPROVE AMENDMENTS TO THE LAW "ON REALIZATION OF GATHERINGS, RALLIES, PROCESSIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS"

Mediamax
March 17, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Today the Armenian parliament will consider in
the first and the second reading amendments to the law "On realization
of gatherings, rallies, processions and demonstrations".

Mediamax reports that a special session of the parliament will
be called today at 18:30 on the initiative of the MPs of Armenian
National Assembly.

Mostly Fiction BOOK REVIEWS
"Draining the Sea" by Micheline Aharonian Marcom
Reviewed by Poornima Apte MAR 13, 2008

One of the greatest writers of the Beat Generation graces the pages of
Micheline Aharonian Marcom’s latest novel Draining the Sea. At the end
of the book is a quote by author Jack Kerouac: `I never felt sadder in
my life. LA is the loneliest and most brutal of American cities.’

This statement is fully verified by the novel’s unnamed protagonist
who lives in Los Angeles eking out a meager existence by picking up
and disposing of road kill (mostly dogs). The dogs could be viewed as
metaphors for the many casualties of war that he has personally come
across. One dead woman in particular haunts him relentlessly – a
Guatemalan woman called Marta. The reader gathers that the narrator
was somehow complicit in her murder during the Guatemalan civil war
which raged for decades between 1962 and 1996. Marta was an indigenous
Guatemalan – a member of the Ixil Mayan group in the country.

In her earlier award-winning work, Marcom has written about the
Armenian genocide and here too, she hints at the narrator’s Armenian
heritage. There isn’t much of a story to follow in Draining the Sea
and for many readers that might be frustrating. In perhaps another nod
to Kerouac, instead, Marcom follows a `stream of consciousness’ style
of prose in which the narrator constantly describes his memories of
Marta and also speaks about the larger horrors of war. The prose while
arresting, is comprised almost entirely of phrases which can make the
reading quite difficult at times.

Marcom is fiercely critical of America’s complicit involvement in
Guatemala’s civil war. She is also relentless in her criticism of all
things American, especially American consumerism – a factor she
implies contributes to its attendant loneliness. `Things are certain,
the rules have been cast, the weather makes no difference to the
American, we condition air and alter what we abhor,’ she writes. `We
buy products, diets, fats, to feel good, and cremes and machines for:
driving digging seeing, and we don’t walk the streets of this city and
buy machines for walking; magazines to learn how to do it: making
love; buying guns; safe-keeping our properties and ourselves (alarms
steel bars locks and thick glass).’ At the same time she also paints a
very romantic picture of the victims and their cultures. While nobody
will dispute the nuggets of truth in these portrayals, the writing can
come across as overly simplistic.

In interviews, Marcom has pointed out Americans’ apathy toward
history. `There is a certain damage done by not remembering, by
willfully forgetting the past, which, as Americans, I think we do a
lot of,’ she has said, `there is a certain historical amnesia in
America which is pervasive.’ Her efforts at erasing at least some of
this damage through Draining the Sea is quite commendable. Marcom’s
powerful prose and the parallels she draws between genocide all across
the world – be it the Armenian genocide or the Guatemalan civil war –
are shocking and will hopefully, have readers sit up and take
notice. Marcom has admitted that while literature might not be able to
redeem suffering, it can at least `make something beautiful out of
something awful and atrocious.’ That, Draining the Sea, certainly
does. It successfully leaves what Marcom has called, `a kind of
authentic record.’

m.htm

OSKANIAN TO MEET OSCE MG IN VIENNA MARCH 14

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2008 14:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On March 14, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian will depart Vienna to meet with OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs.

On the same day he will depart for Belgium to attend Brussels Forum
2008 and deliver a speech during ‘Does the Path to Europe extend to
the Caucasus?’ discussion.

The Armenian Minister is scheduled to meet with his Georgian
counterpart David Bakradze. He will also hold a number of bilateral
meetings, the RA MFA press office reports.

Brussels Forum is an annual high-level meeting of the most influential
American and European political, corporate, and intellectual leaders
to address pressing challenges currently facing both sides of the
Atlantic. Participants include heads of state, senior officials from
the European Union institutions and the member states, U.S. Cabinet
officials, Congressional representatives, Parliamentarians, academics,
and media.