Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

ANC PAC
104 N. Belmont St.
Suite 200B
Glendale, CA 91206

Press Release

ANC-PAC Endorses U.S. Senator John Ensign

Republican Senator Has Strong Ties To Rapidly Expanding
Armenian American Community in Nevada

October 5, 2006

Las Vegas, NV – The nation’s largest Armenian American grassroots
political action committee issued an endorsement for U.S. Senator John
Ensign this week. The Armenian National Committee – Political Action
Committee (ANC-PAC) urges all Armenian Americans in Nevada to vote
for Senator Ensign when they head to the polls on November 7, 2006.

"John Ensign is a Congressional leader on Armenian issues who has
earned the respect and votes of the ANC-PAC’s supporters in Las Vegas,
Henderson, Reno and throughout the state," remarked Ara Shirinian who
serves as Co-Chairman of the Nevada ANC. "We are proud of the solid
track record of support the Senator has built over the years in our
community and proud to have the ANC-PAC endorsing him."

Fellow Nevada ANC Co-Chairman, Dr. Armen Hovanessian, added that,
"Our community respects Senator Ensign for introducing a bill to
recognize the Armenian Genocide in November of 2005 and for keeping
an open channel of communication with our community. While this
legislation was not adopted this year, we know Senator Ensign will
keep fighting until the Congress goes on record acknowledging the
crime against humanity committed against the Armenian people in 1915."

On September 29th of this year, Senator Ensign took to the Senate
floor to share with his colleagues his concerns over the "unacceptable"
recall of U.S. Ambassador John Evans, who, according to media reports,
was dismissed from office for properly recognizing the Armenian
Genocide.

Upon his introduction last year of the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
Senator Ensign remarked, "It is as important as ever that American
foreign policy reflect our nationís recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. It is my hope that by acknowledging such atrocities we
might help avoid them in the future. I applaud the Armenian people
for their courage and persistence in bringing this horrible chapter
in history to light." The Ensign resolution calls upon the President
"to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects
appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related
to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the
United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide." In the 109th
Congress, 34 Senators co-sponsored S.Res. 320.

On July 21, 2006, supporters of the ANC-PAC gathered in Las Vegas to
honor Senator Ensign and raise funds for his reelection campaign.

The event drew a broad cross section of community members, illustrating
the broad appeal the Senator has among all Armenian Americans living
in Nevada. At the event, ANC-PAC official Ara Bedrosian presented
Senator Ensign with the Nevada ANCA Freedom Award in recognition of
his leadership in advancing the cause of human rights and genocide
recognition.

Senator Ensign is presently the Vice Chairman of the Republican
Steering Committee, the group that shapes the party’s legislative
agenda. He is expected to take over the leadership of the National
Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee later this year, replacing
Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) in that prestigious and powerful post.

The ANC-PAC is a non-partisan federally registered political action
committee established to support campaign committees for Members of
Congress who share the values of the Armenian American community.

The ANC-PAC is at the forefront of efforts to ensure that the voice
of the Armenian American community is clearly heard in our nation’s
capital. The ANC-PAC continues a century old tradition of Armenian
Americans engagement on the public policy issues facing national
political leaders, both in the U.S. Congress and the White House.

If you receive this email as "Junk" or "Spam", please make sure to
add our email as a "Safe" or "Trusted" contact.

–Boundary_(ID_T7EQoLahYhbpW8oqpE4Vfw)–

ARMENIA VS FINLAND

AsianHandicap.com, UK
Oct 5 2006

Finland will play with Armenia on away match in Euro 2008 Qualifying.

At the 1st match when they played with Poland they’ve got three
points with win 1-3 on away match, and at 2nd match they play draw
1-1 with Portugal. Finland shown that they will be qualify to Euro
2008. In other side, Armenia that will be host on that match have a
bad performance. They defeated by Belgium on home match with 1-0 score.

I think this match will be dominated by away team, Finland. They
look like hunger for winning and really wanna passed qualify as soon
as possibble. This match will be own by Finland. They will get full
point here. At least they can stuck Armenia with 2-0 goals.

MATCH DATE 2006-10-08

LEAGUE Euro 2008 Qualifying

MATCH Armenia v Finland

HOME 2,08

A/HC 3/4:0

AWAY 1.83

PICK AWAY

SERGEY LAVROV: RUSSIA IS INTERESTED IN THE SOLUTION OF NK CONFLICT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 5 2006

"There is no need to involve the UN in the solution of the conflicts in
CIS countries. I find it meaningless," Sergey Lavrov, Russia Foreign
Minister in the press conference. Lavrov noted that Russia plays a
decisive role in the solution of the conflicts, APA correspondent to
PACE reports.

"Conflict parties came to an agreement on the solution of the problem
by the mediation of Russia and other countries. Russia is interested
in the solution of Nagorno Garabagh conflicts soon as possible. OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs make efforts to solve the conflict. They have
concrete methods for the solution of uncoordinated problems. But
everything depends not on mediators but conflict parties.

"PA OSCE CANNOT SUBMIT THE NK PROBLEM BECAUSE OF FEARS ARMENIAN LOBBY"

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
Oct 5 2006

According to Eldar Ibrahimov, a chairman of MM Commission,
Nagorno-Garabagh cannot get a status higher autonomy "In connection
with settlement of Nagorno-Garabagh problem Joran Lenmarker held
a number of meetings. His activity in this field will serve for
his election as the chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
OSCE. First of all, he is very influential," informed Eldar Ibrahimov,
a member of Azerbaijani delegation to the PA OSCE and chairman of
MM Commission.

"I want to inform you that we’ve repeatedly demanded an extensive
discussion of the Nagorno-Garabagh conflict at the PA OSCR with
participation of Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group. But our
all efforts failed. It means that PA OSCE is not able to urge the
co-chairmen to the process. Personally I was always against it,
considering that if the OSCE Minsk Group failed to settle the
problem, the rapporteur also could not do it. In spite of that PA
OSCE Chairman decided this issue, singing a specific decree. Anyway
available facts prove my case. In addition, as it is known,
international organizations’ members initially, upheld neutrality
that change in the favor of Armenians after their visit to Yerevan
and Nagorno-Garabagh. I can say with confidence that this organization
fears to submit the Nagorno-Garabagh problem to the agenda because of
Armenian lobby. That’s why Joran Lenmarker does not desire to submit
the issue to the agenda," he said.

In addition, Armenian senior officials explain all their
actions that Azerbaijan supposedly agreed to hold a referendum in
Nagorno-Garabagh. As E. Ibrahimov informs, Azerbaijan won’t do it,
as Nagorno-Garabagh is an integrated part of Azerbaijan. During all
negotiations which held at international level this region is regarded
as an integrated part of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the majority
of countries recognize territorial integrity of our State.

At one of the important arrangements Joran Lenmarker stated that the
Nagorno-Garabagh cannot get higher status than autonomy.

Sometimes it concerns efficient activity of Azerbaijani community. E.
Ibrahimov stated about his discontent with such opinion: "Equally
with the head of the community Nizami Bahmanov, I took part in many
arrangements. I know what position he holds. The point is not weakness
of Azerbaijani community but extremely efficient activity of Armenian
community. The reason of such efficient activity is that Armenia and
supporting forces that established a terror regime led by Gukasian
in this state, present their work done in the occupied Azerbaijani
territory and at international level as a merit of Gukasian’s regime."

–Boundary_(ID_rlTkmV7Uu/Mwt3CQzVZn Dw)–

ROMANIAN LEADER RULES OUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
Irina Hovannisian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 5 2006

Romania will not join France and other Western states in officially
accepting the massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide,
Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Tuesday.

He explained that his country does not want to risk spoiling its
relations with Turkey, which strongly denies that the 1915-1918 mass
killings and deportations constituted a genocide.

Basescu made the comments at a meeting with Yerevan State University
students on the second day of his official visit to Armenia. Asked
by a student whether he is ready to follow French President Jacques
Chirac’s example and urge Ankara to recognize the genocide, he said,
"We will not do anything affecting our neutrality in our relations
with all the countries of the Black Sea region."

Visiting Yerevan last week, Chirac indicated that genocide recognition
should be a precondition for Turkey’s membership in the European
Union. "Each country grows by acknowledging its dramas and errors of
the past," he said.

Basescu claimed, however, that it is Armenia that complicates its
integration into European structures by raising the genocide issue on
the international stage. "Keep history on the history books and in the
memory of the peoples, and rebuild the future," he said. "If history
constantly stands in the way of the future as a bone of contention,
you won’t achieve success in European integration."

Basescu argued that Romania laid to rest its historical disputes with
neighbors for the sake of membership in NATO and the EU. "Romania
is one of the countries which at any moment can have disputes with
neighbors regarding the border, history and so on. So is Armenia and
so is Turkey," he said.

The Armenian genocide has been officially recognized by the governments
and parliaments of about two dozen nations, including France, Italy,
Canada and Russia.

TURKEY CRITICIZES CHIRAC FOR CALL TO ACKNOWLEDGE KILLINGS OF ARMENIANS AS GENOCIDE

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Oct 3 2006

ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Tuesday said it was out of the question to
accept a call by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey
over the weekend to acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians in
the early 20th century as genocide.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Chirac’s
remarks during a visit to Armenia on Saturday were "met with deep
grief."

Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey and have pushed for recognition around the world of
the killings as genocide.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara
is facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.

"Should Turkey recognize the genocide of Armenia to join the European
Union?" Chirac asked, echoing a question posed by a reporter at a
joint news conference with Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

"Honestly, I believe so. Each country grows by acknowledging its
dramas and errors of the past."

Chirac’s comments went further than in the past, using the word
genocide directly for the first time. In 2004, Chirac said Turkey
should recognize the killings and make "an effort at memory" to join
the EU. France’s parliament has officially recognized the killings
as genocide.

"It is not possible to accept the definition of ‘genocide’ by the
French president regarding the incidents of 1915 that took place under
the conditions of World War I, and which were interpreted by many
international expert historians very differently than the Armenian
claims," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement stressed that Armenia still had not responded to a call
by Turkey to jointly investigate the incidents. It said Chirac’s
remarks caused a "justified reaction," from the Turkish public,
since they gave the impression that Armenian allegations were among
conditions that Turkey had to meet to join the EU.

The Turkish statement also pointed out that Chirac had a very different
approach regarding similar accusations against France in the past.

"Last year, when his country’s practices during the time of colonialism
were brought to the international agenda, President Chirac had said
that ‘historical incidents should be left to historians,’" the Turkish
statement recalled.

Chirac has personally supported Turkey’s entry into the 25-nation EU,
though many French have grave misgivings, fearing an influx of cheap
labor and questioning Turkey’s human rights record.

Meanwhile, Olli Rehn, the EU’s commissioner in charge of enlargement,
said in Ankara Tuesday that recognition of the genocide was not a
condition for membership. He said however that Turkey had to "tackle
this kind of historic and sensitive issue."

"Only finding the truth … can bring reconciliation between the
countries," he said, adding that he welcomed Turkey’s proposal for
historians to investigate the incidents.

___

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this
report.

ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Tuesday said it was out of the question to
accept a call by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey
over the weekend to acknowledge the mass killings of Armenians in
the early 20th century as genocide.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Chirac’s
remarks during a visit to Armenia on Saturday were "met with deep
grief."

Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey and have pushed for recognition around the world of
the killings as genocide.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara
is facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.

"Should Turkey recognize the genocide of Armenia to join the European
Union?" Chirac asked, echoing a question posed by a reporter at a
joint news conference with Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

"Honestly, I believe so. Each country grows by acknowledging its
dramas and errors of the past."

Chirac’s comments went further than in the past, using the word
genocide directly for the first time. In 2004, Chirac said Turkey
should recognize the killings and make "an effort at memory" to join
the EU. France’s parliament has officially recognized the killings
as genocide.

"It is not possible to accept the definition of ‘genocide’ by the
French president regarding the incidents of 1915 that took place under
the conditions of World War I, and which were interpreted by many
international expert historians very differently than the Armenian
claims," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

The statement stressed that Armenia still had not responded to a call
by Turkey to jointly investigate the incidents. It said Chirac’s
remarks caused a "justified reaction," from the Turkish public,
since they gave the impression that Armenian allegations were among
conditions that Turkey had to meet to join the EU.

The Turkish statement also pointed out that Chirac had a very different
approach regarding similar accusations against France in the past.

"Last year, when his country’s practices during the time of colonialism
were brought to the international agenda, President Chirac had said
that ‘historical incidents should be left to historians,’" the Turkish
statement recalled.

Chirac has personally supported Turkey’s entry into the 25-nation EU,
though many French have grave misgivings, fearing an influx of cheap
labor and questioning Turkey’s human rights record.

Meanwhile, Olli Rehn, the EU’s commissioner in charge of enlargement,
said in Ankara Tuesday that recognition of the genocide was not a
condition for membership. He said however that Turkey had to "tackle
this kind of historic and sensitive issue."

"Only finding the truth … can bring reconciliation between the
countries," he said, adding that he welcomed Turkey’s proposal for
historians to investigate the incidents.

OSCE MG DOES NOT IMAGINE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT BY FORCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2006 18:06 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Co-chairs of the OSCE MG, within which settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict proceeds arrived in the region with
a principal to intensify the negotiations, the mediators stated at
a news conference in Baku October 2 after talks with President Ilham
Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

"The principal aim of the visit to the region is to restore direct
dialogue between parties to conflict," US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza
said. He noted the pause in the talks during the summer and current
activation.

Russian Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov also said resumption of direct
contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan is necessary. "Talks
in Azerbaijan are over, then we will leave for Yerevan, then we
can report the time and venue of the meeting between Armenian and
Azeri FMs. Following that we can speak of a meeting between the two
Presidents," he underscored.

In the words of French mediator Bernard Fassier the differences in the
positions of the parties are hard to overcome. "Coming meetings will
be aimed at resolving differences. Neither Russia, nor France imagine
a settlement of the conflict by force," Fassier said, reports Day.az.

TURKEY EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER NETHERLANDS’ APPROACH ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

People’s Daily Online, China
Sept 28 2006

A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman on Thursday expressed concerns
over Netherlands’ approach on a "so-called Armenian genocide" in early
20th century, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

"We are deeply worried about the one-sided approach of our ally
Netherlands’ political parties on so-called Armenian genocide as
this puts a limit on the freedom of expression," Namik Tan was quoted
as saying.

Tan’s comment came after three Turkish-origin candidates were
removed from their party lists in the Netherlands for the Nov. 22
early parliamentary elections because they refused to acknowledge
the Armenian genocide.

Ruling out the possibility that his country would accept allegations
on Armenian genocide as historical reality, Tan stressed that Turkey
had opened all its archives, including military ones, so that the
incidents of 1915 can be studied from a scientific perspective.

Tan also recalled that the Turkish government had proposed the Armenian
side to establish a joint history commission over the issue.

Turkey, a country seeking European Union (EU) membership, has always
refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia on the basis
that Armenia claims up to 1.5 million Armenians died as a result of
systematic genocide during the Turkish Ottoman period between 1915
and 1923.

Some European Parliament (EP) members characterized the removal of the
three Turkish candidates as a violation of the freedom of expression,
Turkish Zaman daily newspaper reported.

On Wednesday, the EP approved a report on Turkey’s progress towards
accession to the EU, in which the lawmakers dropped their demand that
Turkey must acknowledge the Armenian genocide before it can join the
bloc and called on Turkey to speed up its reform process.

EXCLUSIVE: TALKING TO TEHERAN’S JEWS
By Seth Wikas

Jerusalem Post
Sept 28 2006

On my first Friday evening here, my friends took me to the large
synagogue in Yosefabad, in the center of the city, a neighborhood
that is home to a large Jewish population. I found the sanctuary
packed. Inside the main gate there were ads for Hebrew lessons and
family activities sponsored by the Jewish Association.

There was an Iranian policeman on guard outside, but with the exception
of the signs in Farsi, the Hebrew-Farsi prayer books and the style of
the women’s hair coverings, this could have been an Orthodox synagogue
in America.

Excepting Israel, Iran boasts the Middle East’s largest Jewish
community. The capital contains around 10,000 Jews as well as Jewish
schools that serve 2,000 students. Teheran also has a Jewish retirement
home with 50 residents, and its Jewish Association owns a number of
buildings, including a large library used by Jews and non-Jews alike.

Why are the Jews still here? Answers differed across the generations.

For many older people like my host Fayzlallah Saketkhoo, the vice
president of Teheran’s Jewish Association, Iran is simply their home.

As the owner of a successful carpet and souvenir shop, Saketkhoo has
provided well for his three children, and devotes a good deal of time
to Jewish Association activities. At his home on Friday night after
services, where he showed me his collection of Kabbala books and a
large tapestry of Moses splitting the sea, he told me about how he
had traveled around the world only to learn that nothing was better
than home.

Asked about the future of the Iranian Jewish community, he replied:
"Did you see how many children were there tonight?"

He was right. It was hard to concentrate on praying in the synagogue,
where at least 300 people had come, because of all the children
running up and down the aisles and chattering outside.

But there is a difference between children and young adults. Peyman,
Saketkhoo’s 27-year-old son, was fond of saying, "Everyone in Iran
has a problem," meaning that everyone – Jewish and non-Jewish –
wants to leave.

It’s not just the political situation, he said, but the fact that
with the rise of Ahmadinejad, the economic situation has worsened
and poverty has deepened. For college graduates, it is hard to find
jobs in their field; Peyman is an architect by training but works in
his father’s shop. As he and other young Iranians attest, both the
political and the economic situation are getting harder to bear.

On the issue of Jewish/non-Jewish relations, Iranians of different
ages, Jewish and Muslim, pointed to a unifying national idea.

Iranian culture dates back nearly 2,500 years, to the days of Cyrus the
Great and Darius, founders of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty mentioned
in the Bible. Throughout Iran, citizens of all religions are proud
of their national history, and of the various pre-Islamic leaders
and dynasties. Many parents even name their children Darius or Cyrus.

This pre-Islamic culture, even in the Islamic Republic of Iran,
is still respected and unifies Iranians of different backgrounds.

Most indicative of this tacit acceptance of religious diversity is a
huge picture on the side of a building in north Teheran. Like many
pictures in the capital, it commemorates Iranian soldiers who fell
during the 1980-8 Iran-Iraq war. But this one is different. It is
dedicated to the minorities who served their country, and depicts
five Iranians of various religions and ethnicities. Four represent
Assyrian and Armenian ethnicities and members of the Christian and
Zoroastrian communities. Right in the center is an Iranian Jew,
with his name spelled in Farsi and Hebrew.

I found great tolerance when I told people I was Jewish. Israel,
however, was a different matter…

(Seth Wikas’s full report from Iran will appear in the Yom Kippur
supplement published with Sunday’s Jerusalem Post.)

Agence France Presse
29 septembre 2006 vendredi

Arrivée de Jacques Chirac en Arménie pour une visite d’Etat de deux jours

Le président français Jacques Chirac est arrivé vendredi soir à
Erevan, en Arménie, pour une visite d’Etat de deux jours, la première
d’un chef d’Etat français.

M. Chirac, en provenance de Bucarest où il avait participé au Sommet
de la Francophonie, a été accueilli vers 19H45 (14H45 GMT) à
l’aéroport de Erevan par son homologue arménien Robert Kotcharian.

Les délégations de ministres des deux pays ont échangé des poignées
de main et Jacques Chirac a tapoté l’épaule de M. Kotcharian.

Les hymnes des deux pays ont été joués devant une garde d’honneur
puis les délégations ont rapidement pris place dans des voitures et
quitté l’aéroport.

En descendant la passerelle de l’avion, M. Chirac s’est tourné vers
la gauche et a tendu la main en direction du mont Ararat situé en
Turquie et bien visible par temps clair. Une fois descendu il a
répété le même geste puis une troisième fois avec le président
Kotcharian. Bien que situé en Turquie voisine, le mont Ararat a une
haute valeur symbolique pour les Arméniens.

Le président français, accompagné par son épouse Bernadette, devait
avoir vendredi soir un dîner d’Etat au palais présidentiel avec le
couple présidentiel arménien.

Samedi matin, il doit se recueillir au mémorial de Tsitsernakaberd,
érigé à la mémoire des victimes du génocide arménien.

La France, qui compte 400.000 citoyens d’origine arménienne, a
reconnu l’existence de ce génocide par la loi du 29 janvier 2001.

Le chef de l’Etat français, qui est accompagné d’une importante
délégation, doit également assister samedi soir à un concert
exceptionnel du chanteur d’origine arménienne Charles Aznavour, avant
de regagner la France dimanche.