Author: Nalbandian Albert

Los Angeles Daily News
25 Oct. 2004

Preventing banquet brawls

City considering ways to increase security

By Naush Boghossian
Staff Writer

GLENDALE — The City Council on Tuesday is expected to considerways to
regulate local banquet halls in an effort to stem an increasing number
of violent incidents that drain police resources, officials said.
City officials plan on creating new guidelines for the facilities —
that could include beefed-up security and better communication with
police — to reduce the number of complaints about security and noise,
especially since most of the halls are located near residential
neighborhoods.

The concern is that the combination of hundreds of people at the same
place and alcohol can become a formula for mayhem.

“I want to hear how city staff and banquet hall operators want to
resolve some of the issues we have to grapple with, and I am hoping
to come up with some new solutions to some of the recent events,”
said Mayor Bob Yousefian.

Representatives of 10 Glendale banquet halls met with city and police
officials Wednesday to discuss their concerns and ways to address
the problems.

Since July, police have responded to more than 11 brawls in which
unruly crowds of 150 to 500 people had to be brought under control. The
incidents have required more than 50 man-hours, more than 100 officers
and have resulted in more than a dozen arrests for disorderly conduct,
disturbing the peace, assault and assault on police officers.

Ideas tossed around at the meeting included training security guards
more thoroughly, having adequate security and establishing better
means of communication between hall operators and the Glendale Police
Department, said Jeff Lambert, a consultant hired by the city to help
address the issue of banquet halls.

The question was also raised about whether there are ways to recover
the costs of city resources expended for calls to banquet halls.

“We’re not going to solve the problem Tuesday, but we want to define
it and get direction from the council on where we want to go,”
Lambert said.

One problem that has caused confusion for hall owners and has made
it difficult to regulate banquet halls is the lack of rules designed
specifically for the facilities, officials said.

Under current city codes, banquet halls are generally treated
like restaurants, and city officials are hoping to create distinct
requirements for each.

“For us, it’s important to identify the distinctions between
restaurants and banquet halls,” said Hassan Haghani, assistant director
of planning. “We want to see if there are different impacts and if
there should be a different set of regulations from a restaurant. Now
they’re operating as the same, and the distinctions are blurry in
the code.”

The city scrambled to create some guidelines to prevent people from
opening restaurants with the intent of ultimately changing them into
banquet halls, but those have essentially failed, Yousefian said.

For example, banquet halls cannot be located within 200 feet of a
residence and restaurants may only use 30 percent of their space as
banquet halls.

“I think those zoning laws are definitely not working, they
are very difficult to enforce, and they sit on the edge of being
unconstitutional,” he said. “And the 200-feet rule is not realistic.
Let’s deal with the real issues — noise and traffic.”

Currently, there are 17 banquet halls in Glendale that accommodate
large gatherings, including wedding receptions and parties, generally
thrown by its Armenian, Latino and Asian communities.

Some of the problems could be caused by organizations with large
facilities but no expertise in managing the gatherings that have
been trying to capitalize on the high demand by renting out to large
parties.

Vrej Sarkissian, chief executive officer of the two Anoush Banquet
Hall facilities in Glendale, said the key is having experienced hall
operators who take their business seriously.

Operating since 1990, Anoush is one of the city’s busiest and most
successful facilities, hosting at least three events per week, but
calls to police have been rare.

They employ armed security guards, have closed-circuit televisions
and screen those to whom they rent the hall to ensure the safety of
customers and neighbors.

“Our place and other reputable facilities have a tight rein on
their operations, but when you have banquet halls where the owner
and managers are not there during the events, it’s places like that
that give everybody a bad name,” said the 30-year-old graduate of
the University of Southern California and Loyola Law School.

“Anytime you have liquor involved, there’s bound to be issues, but
there are ways to mitigate those situations and the more successful
banquet halls have found ways to do that. The key is not to close
banquet halls down, but to have a system in place to minimize those
responses.”

Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 [email protected]
YOU GO

The joint study session of the Glendale City Council, the Planning
Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustments will take place 10
a.m. Tuesday in Room 105 of the Municipal Services Building, 633
E. Broadway.

Turkish Press
25 Oct. 2004

The U.S. Elections And Turkey
BYEGM: 10/25/2004
BY YASEMIN CONGAR

MILLIYET- My personal views coincide with Turkey’s official preference,
a high-level Turkish bureaucrat told me during a recent chat. His words
implied that both he and Ankara want US President George W. Bush to win
the elections. Ankara of course cannot adopt an ‘official’ stance on
this issue. However, the observations of a high-level official familiar
with both countries are noteworthy.

I don’t think his stance coincides with the Turkish public’s
preferences. In fact, the majority of the world seems to favor Democrat
Senator John Kerry winning, along with our people. I don’t believe it
is mistaken to argue that there is a strong anti-Bush feeling behind
this wish, rather than a pro-Kerry stance. But how can we explain why
Ankara is close to the Bush administration while the Turkish nation
wants him to get his walking papers? I believe that there are three
main reasons: First of all, Ankara fears that a Kerry administration
might support the idea of partitioning Iraq. In addition, Kerry is
likely to back the Armenian lobbies, advocating that Turkey be punished
over the so-called Armenian genocide. Finally, bureaucrats see ties
between Ankara and Washington improving over Bush’s term, despite a
number of problems of late.

Personally, I do believe that a Kerry administration would see through
significant economic and social changes domestically and give
Washington a chance to repair its image internationally. However, no
matter who is elected, the next president will face a host of problems
concerning Iraq and terrorism. Both candidates have underlined that the
US mission in Iraq must be completed, clearly expressing that American
troops leaving the country immediately is a non-starter. However, Kerry
wants to transform the Iraqi issue into an international one by
organizing an international summit to discuss it as the world’s common
problem.

As a matter of fact, there are no major differences of opinion between
Bush and Kerry on the issues of Iraq’s territorial integrity. We know
that neither Bush nor Kerry favor the establishment of a Kurdish state
in the region. However, I know that some people from both US Republican
and Democratic circles believe that Iraq’s territorial integrity cannot
be protected and so a Kurdish state will be formed sooner or later.

Kerry and Bush have agreed that any possible Iraqi scenario should be
realized under conditions which would ease Turkey’s concerns on the
issue. Both Republicans and Democrats believe that Turkey cannot be
allowed to hold unilateral military operations in northern Iraq no
matter what happens there.

In brief, I believe that Washington will adopt a similar stance in the
future no matter who wins. Both candidates are expected to favor a
Turkey establishing close relations with the Baghdad administration or
any other possible federal formation in the north.

We’ll discuss other points later.

KURDS VS. ARMENIANS?

Dear founders of Kurdistan.org,

Azg/am
26 Oct 04

As an Armenian and a human being I am deeply offended with Kurdistan’s
map on your web site ().

Most part of your desired Kurdistan, according to that map, is Western
Armenia with the Armenian cities of Van, Kars, Mush, Karin, Urfa,
Tigranakert, etc.

As you mention in your web site, Kurds do not deny that they have
supported Turks during the Armenian Genocide (1914-1923) to exterminate
the Armenian Race in the Ottoman Empire. But the verbal recognition
of the Armenian Genocide is not enough. It is not a secret that the
main reason of the Armenian Genocide was the Turkization of Western
Armenia and the solution for that was the planned extermination of
the Armenian nation. Unfortunately, many Kurds supported the Turkish
government to make that plan real. And some Kurds, like you, still
continue the support, even though it might be done unwillingly.

Armenian Genocide still continues, because Genocide, by the way, is
not only the physical extermination of a nation, but also an attempt
to destroy all the cultural traces of that nation. That entity is
called cultural genocide, a flagrant vandalism that is now applied
in Turkey toward the Armenian Culture.

Less than dozen churches out of 2,000 Armenian Religious Monuments have
survived in Turkey. Remaining Armenian Churches are being destroyed
in Turkey and, Kurds, willingly or unwillingly, are supporting the
Turkish government in its attempt to prove that Armenians have not
lived in Western Armenia. For instance, in the last years Kurdish
villagers have used the stones of the Armenian Monastery St. Karapet
in Mush, Western Armenia, to build homes and other buildings.

Founders and authors of Kurdistan.org also support the Cultural
Vandalism against the Armenian Civilization, which is a chapter of
the Armenian Genocide.

By including Western Armenia in the map of Kurdistan, ladies and
gentlemen, you

1. Support the Cultural Genocide toward the Armenian Civilization
by the Turkish Government, thus denying and actually continuing the
Armenian Genocide,

2. Decrease the trust and dignity that the Armenian nation has
toward you,

3. Decrease the possibility of ever having a state in the history of
the human race,

4. Decrease the support of the Europe-Parliament and other structures,
who have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, to your national
struggle,

5. Decrease the charisma of the mankind toward your struggle, as a
result of not respecting and recognizing the historical and legal
rights of other nations.

Armenians, and I myself, do support the Kurdish nation in their
struggle to stop the barbarian acts against the Kurds in Turkey. But
Kurds will not be respected or supported by Armenians anymore,
if Kurds continue their support to the Turkish Government in the
attempt of exterminating all the traces of the Armenian Civilization
in modern-day Turkey.

Even if truth can be denied, it will win some day, sooner or later…

Simon Maghakyan, [email protected]

Armenian leader urges Georgian counterpart to open railway via Abkhazia

Mediamax news agency
22 Oct 04

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili discussed in Tbilisi today a whole range of problems
concerning the resumption of the railway communication in the South
Caucasus. A special correspondent of Mediamax agency reports from
Tbilisi that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan told this at today’s
press conference after his meeting with Saakashvili and negotiations
of the Armenian and Georgian delegations.

“We have certain ideas, however, they are somehow ‘raw’, and it is
premature to go into details. I can only say that it is about all the
railways in the South Caucasus, and it cannot be ruled out that those
ideas could acquire definite shapes,” Robert Kocharyan said.

As for the resumption of the railway communication between Armenia and
Russia via Abkhazia, Robert Kocharyan said he sensed the delicacy of
this issue for the Georgian leadership. “At the same time, bearing in
mind that the railway from Russia to Abkhazia is operating, the lack
of a through line benefits neither Armenia nor Georgia,” the Armenian
president said and expressed his hope that Georgia will approach the
issue with a greater deal of pragmatism.

In March this year, Georgian President Saakashvili said in Yerevan
that he would discuss with the Turkish leadership prospects of
restoring the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway link. Asked by our special
correspondent today about the outcome of his discussions, Saakashvili
said that “Georgia does not welcome any restrictions and is in favour
of having more transport communications in the region”.

The Georgian president said that the Turkish leadership is fully
determined to integrate into the European Union, and this can play a
role in ironing out the existing problems. Saakashvili said that
Georgia will in future defend Armenia’s interests, including in the
transport sphere, both at the bilateral level and at international
forums.

Interfax
Oct 20 2004

Georgia concerned with checkpoint closure on Russian border

Tbilisi. (Interfax-AVN) – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili
discussed the situation near the Verkhny Lars checkpoint on the
Georgian- Russian border at a meeting with law-enforcement chiefs on
Tuesday.

“Georgia is concerned with the closing of the border, and we demand
explanations from the Russian party,” Secretary of the National
Security Council Gela Bezhuashvili told reporters.

Georgia seeks ways out of the situation, because vehicles with
cargoes and passengers have amassed again on both sides of the
border, Bezhuashvili said.

Russia’s decisions to restrict traffic through Verkhny Lars and then
to close down the checkpoint were made in early September due to the
hostage-taking drama in the North Ossetian town of Beslan.

The border has been opened only four times since then. The latest
opening occurred on October 11, when all the people and vehicles that
had amassed on both sides of the border were allowed to go through.
“A total of over 500 vehicles and over 650 people were cleared and
allowed to cross the Russian-Georgian border,” Lieutenant Colonel
Sergei Livantsov, chief of the North Caucasus regional border guard
directorate’s press service, told Interfax-AVN. Most of the border
crossers were citizens of Armenia, who wanted to leave Russia.

A1 Plus | 13:57:37 | 18-10-2004 | Social |

YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY TURNS ITS ATTENTION TO DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS

After Yerevan municipality’s routine session on Monday, Ashot Sargssyan,
the chief of the municipality public utilities unite, told journalists
several dilapidated buildings being in precarious state would be repaired
by the end of this year.

Urban Planning Ministry’s figures show there are 90 buildings in Armenian
capital that are badly in need to be repaired.

Several bridges are also planned to be repaired as soon as possible,
Sargssyan said.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Oct 16 2004

LIST OF FOREIGN COMPANIES COOPERATING WITH NAGORNY KARABAKH PREPARED
[October 15, 2004, 23:36:17]

The list of the foreign companies, which cooperate with the occupied
Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan has been prepared, pres service
of the foreign minister told AzerTAj.

The list is headed by Daewoo-Unitel Uzbek-Korean mobile joint
enterprise that has been registered in Uzbekistan. It cooperates with
the “Karabakhtelecom” company in the frame of international roaming and
SMS service. To this end, embassy of Azerbaijan to Uzbekistan could
take the relevant information, symbols and text from the advertising
materials that presented Nagorny Karabakh as an independent state.

Ukraine’s “Kievstar”, Italy’s Gruppo Telecom Mobile SPA also cooperate
there in the field of roaming and SMS service.

Another Italia-based Vodefon Omnitel N.V. Italian-British joint mobile
company, the French Pernod Richard Company, World Postal Union are
also in the list. The Pernod Richard Company also cooperates with the
“Karabakh Gold” Company in the field of grapes export. The Pernod
Ricrad is the owner of Yerevan brandy factory.

After completion of the list, MFA of Azerbaijan will undertake certain
measures in accordance with the international laws.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

October 13, 2004
___________________

PARISH LEADERS LISTEN, TALK ABOUT NEED FOR STEWARDSHIP

By Jake Goshert

This fall, as part of its “Year of Stewardship”, the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) has been holding regional
one-day conferences where parish leaders can discuss aspects of the
term “stewardship.”

The two sessions held so far — September 25, 2004, hosted by the St.
Gregory the Enlightener Church of White Plains, NY, and October 2 at
the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI — were resounding
successes for the 100 or so leaders who attended.

There will be a regional meeting on October 16 at the St. Gregory the
Illuminator Church in Chicago, IL. Sessions at the St. Mary Church
of Washington, D.C., and in Florida will be scheduled later this year.

“The regional meeting was very beneficial. It provided each of the
parishes an opportunity to exchange ideas on stewardship campaigns
and to learn what approaches are being used and which of those has
been successful,” said Jeri Humphries, parish council chair of the
St. Mark Church of Springfield, MA. “The major challenge seems to be to
re-educate our parishioners on the principle of ‘stewardship,’ to help
them understand the difference between stewardship and membership.”

“We should emphasize that stewardship needs to encompass all three
components — time and talent and treasure — and the major emphasis
need not be on treasure initially,” Humphries added. “Once you engage
parishioners in giving their time and talent, there will be a greater
connection with the church that will, in the end, lead to parishioners
giving their treasure to support and perpetuate their church.”

Invited to the sessions are parish council chairs, Diocesan delegates,
and clergy. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern
Diocese, attends every session, as do Diocesan Council members and
Diocesan staff.

“We want to encourage our local leaders to speak of stewardship
as any and all substantive support of our church. It is not just
writing a check; stewardship is creating a sense of community among
the parishioners,” the Primate said. “We also want to show how the
Diocese can help parishes, and how the parishes can help each other
in building stewardship plans.”

The meeting agenda includes discussions on the history of stewardship
in the Bible and in the Armenian Church tradition; on building a
parish stewardship program that encourages giving of time and talent
as well as financial support; and on ideas for creating a year-round
effort at building support for the church.

“The concept of stewardship is very good. It’s very important.
It sends a message we’re concerned about your church, both in the
present and the future,” said Fr. Diran Bohajian of the St. Leon
Church of Fair Lawn, NJ. “To me, stewardship says we’re actively
working to strengthen the church spiritually, not just financially.
And we’re welcoming people’s donations of all kinds. Some give time,
others have skills or money. When you put them together, that is what
makes our Christian community come alive.”

Participants in each session crafted “action plans” detailing ways
parishes could help themselves, ways parishes can help each other,
and support needed from the Diocese. Follow-up steps will be collected
from all the sessions to create a plan of action for building stronger
local communities of faith.

The day-long sessions also include a discussion of proposed Diocesan
by-law changes and an open forum for local leaders to discuss any
issue with the Primate and Diocesan Council members.

— 10/13/04

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in
the News and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Participants at the regional stewardship workshop
on September 25, 2004, at the St. Gregory the Enlightener Church of
White Plains, NY, talk about “stewardship.”

PHOTO CAPTION (2): This fall’s regional stewardship workshops, such
as this one on October 2, 2004, at the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church
of Providence, RI, feature discussions on stewardship, proposed
Diocesan by-laws changes, and an open forum with the Primate and
Diocesan Council members.

# # #

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

October 12, 2004
___________________

LEGATE BRINGS HABITAT LEADER TO ARMENIA

Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), recently led a leader in the
Habitat for Humanity organization on a special tour of the Republic of
Armenia.

>>From August 12 to 22, 2004, Bishop Aykazian toured important sites in
Armenia with Ken Bensen, president of Habitat for Humanity of Michigan,
and his wife, Sandy, who is also involved in the housing organization.

“The purpose was to go and see the activities of Habitat in Armenia and
to see how we can work more closely between Habitat and the Armenian
Church,” Bishop Aykazian said.

In the past two years, Habitat’s international arm has helped build 82
houses in Armenia. Along with touring some of those sites, Bishop
Aykazian also took the Bensens to areas where future projects would be
beneficial.

During the trip to Armenia, the Bensens had an audience with His
Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
They invited him to travel to Michigan this summer to work on a Habitat
project alongside former-President Carter.

“The Catholicos thinks it is a good organization,” Bishop Aykazian said.
“They have been doing a good job and he’s looking forward to Habitat
volunteers helping build even better homes in Armenia.”

Each year, volunteers from around the globe work through Habitat for
Humanity’s international organization to build homes in a number of
countries. Many parishes have organized trips to Armenia for
parishioners to volunteer through Habitat for Humanity.

“That’s our social responsibility, to help our people in Armenia who
need our help,” Bishop Aykazian said. “I encourage every parish to take
groups to Armenia. And non-Armenians should go as well. By working
alongside fellow Armenians, by getting involved, you can better
understand Armenian culture and the Armenian people.”

One of the most recent groups to go work on Habitat for Humanity
projects in Armenia was a group of 17 Armenians, made up of parishioners
from St. Leon Church in Fair Lawn, NJ, and the St. Mesrob Church in
Racine, WI, and their friends. They were in Armenia from July 17 to 30,
2004. You can read about their trip by going to their website:

— 10/12/04

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): From left, Ken and Sandy Bensen, president of
Habitat for Humanity in Michigan and his wife; His Holiness Karekin II,
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; Bishop Vicken
Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of the Eastern Diocese; and
Ashot Yeghiazaryan, executive director of Habitat Armenia.

PHOTO CAPTION (2): Bishop Aykazian visits the type of home Habitat for
Humanity is working to replace in Armenia.

PHOTO CAPTION (3): Bishop Aykazian meets with a group of volunteers
working in Armenia through Habitat for Humanity.

# # #

Azeri picket against Armenian presence at upcoming NATO seminar foiled

ANS TV, Baku
12 Oct 04

[Presenter Leyla Hasanova] The United People’s Front of Azerbaijan
Party has protested against Armenian MPs’ presence at the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly’s Rose-Roth seminar [on 26-28 November]. The
party tried to stage a picket outside the Azerbaijani parliament.

[Correspondent, over video of police dispersing pickets] The United
People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party started protest actions against the
presence of Armenian MP at NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly Rose-Roth
seminar in November. The pickets first visited the Martyrs’ Avenue
[near the parliament]. Then they tried to picket the Azerbaijani
parliament. But the policemen, who gathered outside parliament
beforehand, blocked their way in the Martyrs’ Avenue. [Video showed
pickets chanting “Death to Armenians”]

The police confiscated placards and the party’s flag and took five
pickets to the Sabayil district police department [in Baku]. Our
attempt to find out about the fate of those detained in the police
department failed. There wasn’t anyone to let us in though.

[Passage omitted: mayor’s office banned the party’s all planned
pickets]