Author: Nalbandian Eduard

SPECIAL BODYGUARD ALLOTTED FOR ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN IN AZERBAIJAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 3 2007

"As Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization is an international
organization, Armenian parliamentarian participates in the event
according to its statute," parliamentarian, vice-president of Black
Economic Cooperation Organization (BSECO) Parliamentary Assembly Asef
Hajiyev said, APA reports.

He said that the parliamentarians of seven member states out of
12 participate in the meeting of BSECO PA commission on cultural,
educational and social issues. Stepan Safaryan represents Armenian
parliament at the meeting. BSECO PA secretariat sent an invitation
to Armenian parliament.

Safaryan is the member of Armenian parliament’s standing commission
of foreign affairs and represents Heritage faction in the parliament.

Safaryan entered the meeting hall with the special bodyguard allotted
for him.

The bodyguard was with him during the meeting.

TURKISH PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CHANGES TO CONTROVERSIAL LAW ON INSULTING TURKISH IDENTITY

AP
PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria
Oct 3 2007

STRASBOURG, France (AP) – Turkish President Abdullah Gul called
Wednesday for changes to a law that makes it a crime to insult Turkish
identity _ legislation the European Union wants the country to scrap.

Nobel Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk and slain ethnic Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink are among those prosecuted under the
controversial law. But Turkey, though aspiring to join the EU, so
far has resisted pressure to strike it from its legal code.

"We know there are problems with regard to Article 301. There’s still
room for improvement and there are changes to be enacted in the period
ahead," Gul told reporters at the Council of Europe. "I support the
idea of Article 301 to change.

Gul has said the law damages Turkey’s image by portraying it as a
country where intellectuals are jailed for speaking their opinion.

On Wednesday, he lamented an "unfair perception" that people were
imprisoned because of the law, insisting that Turkey ensures freedom
of speech.

"No one is going to prison for expressing their view freely," he said
in a question-and-answer session with parliamentarians from the human
rights watchdog’s 47 member states.

Gul gave no timeframe for changes to the law but said the government is
committed to improving its rights record _ an issue that has stymied
Turkey’s bid to join the 27-nation EU.

Gul, formerly Turkey’s foreign minister, said his country is more
tolerant and democratic today than five years ago, when the country
launched widespread social and judicial reforms.

"All forms of discrimination are banned. Legal and constitutional
guarantees on the right to association and assembly are reinforced.

Cultural and religious rights have been upgraded," Gul told the Council
of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly during his first visit to western
Europe since becoming president in August.

His election came after months of controversy over the prime minister’s
decision to nominate Gul, from the Islamic-rooted AK Party, to a post
traditionally held by a secularist.

Turkey’s EU membership talks began in 2005, but human rights, a
dispute over divided Cyprus and other issues have slowed the bid.

Also during his visit, Gul warned against any territorial division of
Iraq. A U.S. Senate proposal calls for a limited centralized Iraqi
government with most of the power distributed among the country’s
ethnically divided regions.

"One should not fall into the illusion that the current problems can
be overcome by the partition of Iraq," he said. "This would be the
worst scenario for the people of Iraq and the whole region.

He also warned that Turkey would carry out a cross-border offensive
into neighboring northern Iraq to eliminate Kurdish rebels’ bases
there. Rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, has fought
a decades-long insurgency for more autonomy in Turkey.

"The terrorist organization PKK continues to use the north of Iraq as a
safe haven and perpetrate violent acts across the boundary," Gul said.

HOUSE DEBATES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

PRESS TV, Iran
Oct 3 2007

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Congress is expected to debate a measure to declare the alleged World
War I- era killing of Armenians by the Othman Empire as genocide.

If the resolution is approved by the relevant committee, it would be
up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to decide whether to bring it to
the House floor for a vote. While Pelosi has previously expressed
support for recognizing the killings as genocide, it is not clear
whether she would bring the resolution to a vote.

Though the largely symbolic measure would have no binding effect on
US foreign policy, it could nonetheless damage an already strained
relationship with Turkey.

The dispute involves the alleged deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Armenian
advocates, contend the Armenians died in an organized genocide. But
the Turks say the Armenians were victims of widespread chaos and
governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old empire collapsed in the
years before Turkey was born in 1923.

Turkey argues that the US House of Representatives is the wrong
institution to arbitrate a sensitive historical dispute. It has
proposed that an international commission of experts examine Armenian
and Turkish archives.

Turkey’s ambassador to Washington, Nabi Sensoy has also reiterated
that Turkey’s government may have to respond should the resolution
pass, saying that "We are not in the business of threatening, but
nobody is going to win if this is passed."

BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT NOT TO DISCUSS "GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS"

demaz.org, Azerbaijan
Oct 3 2007

Bulgarian parliament doesn’t intend to discuss the issue "On genocide
of Armenians" as majority of members of one of respectable parties
of Bulgarian parliament "Rights and Freedoms Movement" are of Turkish
origin.

Ambassador of Armenia to Bulgaria, Sergey Manasyan, informed
journalists October 2. Accordingly to him membership of Bulgaria to
the European Union will simplify the process of inclusion of the issue
"On genocide of Armenians" in agenda of Bulgarian parliament.

"Probability of discussion of the issue in question at the parliament
of present convocation is little enough as majority of members
of respective parties of Bulgarian parliament "Rights and Freedoms
Movement" are of Turkish origin. Moreover, party is a part of coalition
government of Bulgaria", he explained.

Resolution proposed by radical party "Ataka" was not included in
the agenda of Bulgarian parliament. April 25, head of the Bulgarian
National Assembly (Parliament) Georgi Pirinski, proposed to start
ordinary meeting with silence minute as tribute to the so-called
victims of "genocide of Armenians" in Ottoman Turkey in the beginning
of the last century. Deputy, Boyko Vatev, representing deputy group
of Bulgarian People’s Union presented declaration recognizing and
condemning "genocide of Armenians" and insisted adoption of the
document by the Parliament.

In turn head of Bulgarian party, Union of Democratic Forces, Luben
Dilov, also called Bulgarian parliament to recognize "genocide of
Armenians".

In his statement Dilov stressed that many countries recognized and
condemned the so-called "genocide of Armenians" thus expressing their
negative attitude to killing and deportation of Armenians. "It is for
shame that up to date resolution hasn’t been included in the agenda
of the parliament of Bulgaria", declared he.

SERJ TANKIAN CONFIRMS DUBLIN DATE

hotpress.com , Ireland
Oct 1 2007

System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian is set for a solo show in
Dublin this November.

He’ll be appearing in the Ambassador on November 9.

The outspoken Armenian-American singer will be showcasing material
from his new solo album Elect The Dead, which was written, recorded
and produced in the his home studio in Los Angeles. It features a
guest appearances from opera soprano Ani Maldjian as well as guitarist
Brian Mantia, who’s worked in the past with Primus, Tom Waits and Guns
‘N’ Roses.

System Of A Down announced an extended hiatus in August of 2006. Over
the past decade, their five studio albums have sold over 16 million
copies worldwide.

Tickets for Tankian’s Ambassador show will go on sale October 3 from
Ticketmaster and usual outlets nationwide.

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT FOR UNDERGROUND SERVICE LINES ON GETAR RIVER NOT EXAMINED BY ECOLOGICAL EXPERTS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2007

YEREVAN, September 28. /ARKA/. "The projects of constructing
underground passages, new residential houses and development of the
Getar River have not undergone an ecological expert examination. We
are examining the project and will report the results later,"
Harutyunyan said.

The Minister pointed out that the master plan envisages the restoration
of green plantations in the district. "The master plan was approved
a year ago, and the work is being carried in conformity with it. Our
position is that the tasks set by the master plan be consistently
accomplished," Harutyunyan said.

The Getar River flows through the center of Yerevan. Under a
large-scale construction program, a special tunnel is being built
for the stream canal.

Environmentalists are strongly against this, as the stream contributes
to mass verdurization, creates corridors for "ventilation", of the
city thus ensuring the existence of a natural ecosystem.

The Yerevan Municipality plans a number of large-scale programs,
particularly the construction of ground and underground facilities
at the crossroads of Vardanyan and Khanjyan streets, Nalbandyan,
Isahakyan, Manukyan streets and at Myasnikyan Avenue, in front of
the Yerevan Zoo.

The underground passages are being constructed under the master plan
of Yerevan approved by the Ra Government in 2005. The program is to
be implemented until 2020.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER INDIGNANT AT LETTER BY FORMER SECRETARIES OF STATE TO US SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PELOSI ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 106

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2007

ArmInfo. Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan is indignant at
the letter by Former Secretaries of State to US Speaker of the House
Pelosi on House Resolution 106. Below is the statement by Vardan
Oskanyan, the Foreign ministry press-service reports.

It is quite unfortunate that eight experienced diplomats would buy
into Turkish manipulation. There is much to disagree with in that
letter, especially about the purported dangers of such a resolution.

I will only address the insincere claim that such a resolution would
"damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey."

I regret to say that there is no process in place to promote
normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Expressing
concern about damaging a process that doesn’t exist is disingenuous.

Armenia has always been ready to have normal relations with its
neighbor. Yet, every initiative that would lead toward normalization
has been rejected by Turkey. Instead, it continues to place
pre-conditions. Turkey makes offers that are simply invitations for
open-ended talk, without serious commitment to arriving at minimal,
ordinary relations between neighbors. Even their call for a historical
commission to discuss painful, historic events is not serious, given
their prohibitive penal consequences for open speech and discussion
and the adversarial environment Turkey has created by maintaining
closed borders with Armenia. – I have already written to Speaker
Pelosi to express our deep concerns and to dismiss as unfounded any
implication that a resolution that addresses matters of human rights
and genocide could damage anyone’s bilateral relations.>

On September 25 U.S former secretaries of state appealed to Speaker of
the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on not putting the Armenian
genocide resolution to a vote, APA’s US bureau reports.

Madeleine K. Albright, James A. Baker III, Warren Christopher,
Lawrence S. Eagleburger, Alexander M. Haig, Henry A. Kissinger,
Colin L. Powell and George P. Shultz who are playing important role
in domestic and foreign policy of U.S. at present demanded it.

Formers stated that Res. 106 would harm their foreign policy objectives
to promote reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, also strain
their relations with Turkey, and endanger US national security
interests in the region, including the safety of their troops in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

PRIZE FOR ARMENIAN JOURNALISTS HONORS REPORTING ON DISABILITIES

International Journalist’s Network
For more information:
Sept 27 2007

Armenian journalists are invited to enter the Sunflower Competition,
which highlights the country’s best reporting on disability issues.

Deadline: November 23.

The NGOs Bridge of Hope and Mission East are organizing the contest.

Television, radio, and print journalists can submit works published
from November 20, 2006, to November 20, 2007. Winners will be announced
December 3. An overall grand prize will go to the best work of all
entries. Winners in each category-TV, radio or print-will also be
individually recognized.

GETTING TO KNOW ONE OF UNLV’S CUSTODIAL AND MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL MEMBERS
By Katherine Fernelius, Copy Editor

UNLV The Rebel Yell, NV
Sept 25 2007

The UNLV campus and buildings usually just seem to work. Doors are
unlocked, the grounds are clean and the things that are needed somehow
are just there. But those things don’t just happen. There are people
working, behind the scenes in most cases, who make things a little
easier for students, professors and the administrative staff.

These people are the UNLV maintenance and custodial personnel.

All buildings have custodial staff who keep the campus clean, and most
buildings have at least one maintenance person who comes in, unlocks
all the doors, makes sure that the technology needed is available
and ensures that everything in the building is running smoothly.

Haike Goomroyan is a maintenance worker who works in the Alta Ham
Fine Arts building.

"You know what a concierge does in a hotel? Well I’m the concierge
of the music department," Goomroyan said.

His job is a blend of many trades. He is the maintenance man and
security. He is in charge locking and unlocking the building and is
required to know HFA’s and Beam Music Center’s event schedules.

He also takes care of the performers-making sure they are comfortable
and have everything they need-and is the students’ biggest supporter.

"This job would not be a good job if I didn’t like people, but I have
had the opportunity to work with great people," Goomroyan said.

"Everyone from the staff, to the students, to the artists who come
in to play in our hall, has made this job very rewarding."

Goomroyan began his career at UNLV in 1983. Originally from the then
Soviet-controlled Armenia, Goomroyan moved to Las Vegas 24 years ago
and started studying at UNLV. He was a percussion player majoring in
music performance.

The music department was looking for student workers to take care of
the practice rooms and HFA in general, and three years after he had
begun his studies, Goomroyan and a few others were hired.

However, there were not many students workers who were reliable and
trustworthy. Kenneth Hanlon, director of the music department at that
time, was disappointed with many of the other student employees and
decided to keep just one. That one was Goomroyan.

The music department was rather small when Goomroyan started, and
he was just a part-time employee with few responsibilities. But,
in the spring of 1988 he went on a five-and-a-half-month long tour
to Japan with a small brass band.

When he returned in the fall of 1988, the Strip was upside-down. A
strike was in progress and Goomroyan was nervous that he would not
be able to find consistent work as a musician on the Strip.

"It was a real decisive moment for me. I had to decide what I wanted
to do, and since I already had a job here, I decided I would just
stick with it," Goomroyan said.

Goomroyan’s job, however, is not the same today as it was in 1988.

When he started working in HFA, he had many responsibilities but
nothing compared to the workload he currently has.

"Four or five years ago when Beam opened, that was it," Goomroyan
said. "My workload tripled and I belonged to the music department
from then on."

Goomroyan went from having a student, part-time job to a full-time
career. His hard work is definitely noticed and appreciated by both
the faculty and students.

"Without Haike, this place would come to a grinding halt," Hanlon,
a professor in the music department, said.

Although Goomroyan has much work, he loves his job. He loves working
for the music department and working with the students and staff.

"It is very rewarding watching the students go from the time they
get here to their senior recitals," Goomroyan said. "Five years
down the road when a student is playing in Carnegie Hall, I can say,
‘Hey I took care of that kid.’"

The students and staff place great trust in Goomroyan and consider
him part of the music family.

"Heike is wonder-man and is very supportive of everything we do,"
Christina Williams, a choir major, said. "He is part of the family
around here. HFA would not be the same without him."

REGULAR MEETING OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES HELD IN MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN

Editor: Eghian Robert
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2007

ETCHMIADZIN, SEPTEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The regular meeting of the
Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches is being held in
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin between September 23 to 28 at the
invitation of Patriarch Garegin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians.

Archbishop T. Vigen Aykazian, the Chairman of the National Committee of
the U. S. Churches and the responsible for the interchurch relations of
the U.S. Eastern Armenian diocese, represents the Armenian Apostolic
Church in the structure of the Executive Committee of the World
Council of Churches.

Receiving Dr. Samuel Kobia, the Secretary General of the World Council
of Churches, who has arrived in Armenia at his invitation, Garegin
II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, expressed satisfaction with the
convocation of the regular meeting of the Executive Committee of the
World Council of Churches. "We are happy that the Mother See of Holy
Etcmiadzin has its contribution to the main strivings of the World
Council of Churches, which are the brotherhood of churches and the
cooperation between them. We are happy that our church is greatly
envolved in the World Council of Churches, that is, in different
structures and bodies of the latter, and takes an active part in that
work," His Holiness said. Referring to the mission of churches in
the 21th century, Patriarch Garegin II mentioned that the churches
can overcome the challenges set in front of the humanity only due to
joint efforts.

Dr. Kobia in his turn thanked His Holiness for the hospitality and
said: "This is not just a visit for us, but a pilgrimage, as Armenia
and the Armenian people play a very peculiar role for us and the
World Council of Churches.

The Secretary General of the World Council of Churches also thanked
His Holiness for the important contribution the Armenian Apostolic
Church makes for the World Council of Churches, in particular, and
the ecumenical movement, in general.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Information
Service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Secretary General
of the World Council of Churches visited the monasteries of Saint
Hripsime and Saint Gayane accompanied by the monks of the Mother See
of Holy Etchmiadzin on the same day.