Author: Tamamian Anna

CBA APPROVES SKETCHES FOR 12 SILVER COMMEMORATIVE COINS TO BE MINTED UNDER "ZODIACAL SIGNS" PROGRAM

ARKA News Agency
Sept 4 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, September 4. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
approved the sketches and technical standards for 12 silver
commemorative coins within the program of commemorative coins to be
issued in 2008-2009.

The respective decision was made at today’s sitting of CBA’s Council
presided over by the Chairman of CBA’s Council Tigran Sargsian. The
coins are to be minted within the international program "Zodiacal
Signs".

At its sitting, CBA’s Council also amended the program for minting
commemorative coins in 2006-2007 and the similar program for
2008-2009.

"WAR" IS USUALLY BETWEEN CONCEPTS NOT INDIVIDUALS
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Sept 3 2007
Armenia

RPA vice-chair MP of the National Assembly Razmik Zohrabyan is the
interlocutor of "Hayots Ashkharh" daily.

"Mr. Zohrabyan why did the opposition press speculate especially your
name, "notifying" that you have been punished for visiting ex-President
during the summer holidays?"

"As you know I used to cooperate with Armenian Pan National
Movement. In 1996 I joined "Hanrapetutyun" union and supported Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s candidacy. Andranik Margaryan as a multi-faceted
political figure, after 1998, used to keep his previous contacts
including with Levon Ter-Petrosyan, which is not a secret.

Now, that Andranik Margaryan is not with us, and I’m considered
one of his closest friends and most trustworthy companions, some
pro-opposition Mass Media are trying to speculate this circumstance
saying that after Margaryan Razmik Zohrabyan is maintaining relations
with the first President.

Once I have already refuted and I would like to record over again,
that it is not true and it can’t be, because after 1996 I haven’t met
Levon Ter-Petrosyan. To tell you the truth I don’t have any desire
to meet him.

As for the speculations circulated in the press and in the political
domain, saying that once Levon Ter-Petrosyan returns most of the old
members of the Republican Party will join him are simply baseless. I
will say why.

In 1998 we left "Hanrapetutyun" union not because we wanted to come
over to the side of the "strong", as some people represent it, but
because after a period of time we were disapproved of the activity
of "Hanrapetutyun" union. Whereas the principal disagreement was in
Karabakh issue.

As you know Levon Ter-Petrosyan supported the so-called
phase-regulation of the issue and came out with his well-known
announcement, trying to convince the society that there is no other
alternative and we must accept that version. This meant to withdraw
the forces from the liberated territories and only then to start
negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding the regulation of Karabakh
issue. It was an intolerable approach for us.

At that time Levon Ter-Petrosyan suffered a fiasco together with
Armenian Pan National Movement and the society refused this concept
of ceding the territories without any pre-conditions.

Ter-Petrosyan had to resign and the political powers that supported
the concept of package regulation came to power. Republican Party
was one of them.

At present we are of the same opinion: that the issue must be settled
by package version, that is to say we must know what we give and what
we take. All the issues must be included in the final package: linked
with the exchange or return of the territories of security zones,
refugees, and the political status. This was dictated by the time;
the demand of the society and it is still in force.

Consequently it is baseless to speak about Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s
return, especially to say that re-arrangements will take place in RPA.

" Do you think it is high time to recognize Karabakh’s independence,
as the leader of "Heritage" proposes?"

"Armenia has de facto recognized Karabakh’s independence but de jure
doesn’t announce it. Moreover international community has also de
facto recognized Karabakh’s independence. We should simply wait for
a proper time, to formulate it legally, based on the norms of the
international law. And Azerbaijan is also well conscious of it.

In such circumstances to recognize NKR de jure means to use the last
bullet. Whereas there are many ways to settle this issue without
opposing to the international opinion. We could also submit that
proposal, but we prefer to keep it for a rainy day. If we see that
all the means to settle the issue through negotiation and political
path are exhausted, any time we can appear with an announcement and
recognize Karabakh’s independence.

But we shouldn’t also overlook the fact that the only alternative to
the political regulation of the issue is war.

CONSTRUCTION OF NORTH AVENUE AND ADJACENT BUILDINGS WILL BE COMPLETED ON NOVEMBER 1, YERVAND ZAKHARIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Sep 3, 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. This year’s construction work of
Yerevan’s North Avenue and adjacent buildings will be completed on
November 1, the mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharian told reporters
during his regular working visit to North Avenue on September 1. He
said that on the whole he is satisfied with the speed and quality of
construction, which are supervised 24 hours a day.

According to the mayor, taking into account the large amount of work
and shortage of time, working consultations will be held every week. A
three-shift work schedule has been organized. A total of 600 builders
have been involved in the construction work.

To recap, construction of North Avenue’s 500-meter-long residential
section from Lalayants Street to Pushkin and Abovian Streets (with 15
structures adjacent to the street) is at the final stage. Improvement
work is currently being done in the Pushkin-Lalayants section.

CATHOLICOS’S FATHERLY BLESSING

Panorama.am
20:51 01/09/2007

A congratulatory message by Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II,
was announced on the occasion of Knowledge and Pupil day. "Today,
in salutary words, and happy hearts, the doors of education are again
opened. A new educational year is starting, with new visions, hopes,
and dreams. Our prayer is that this year will be successful, and one
of much enthusiasm and effort.

With the light of education and knowledge, we will create a new life
and progress for our country and people. With an education filled
with our national spirit and values, our young generation will ensure
our existence in the future. Dear children, the journey of education
is difficult, but blessed are its gifts. The happy and creative path
you take will lead you to bright horizons.

I wish you success for the 2007-2008 school year. Let the heavenly
love and grace of Jesus Christ be with you always; Amen," concluded
the Catholicos’s congratulatory message.

AZERBAIJAN RUINS PACE MISSIONARY VISIT

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Aug 31 2007
Armenia

As we know PACE missionary visit to the region, headed by the member of
British Parliament O’Hara has been canceled. This is how NKR permanent
representative in Armenia Karlen Avetisyan commented on this situation.

"First of all I must underscore that solicitude towards cultural
heritage and historical monuments has always been part of NKR state
policy. No matter what culture it concerns. The evidence to what has
been said is the reconstruction of the mosque in Shushy.

That is why both NKR and RA authorities approved the idea of PACE
missionary visit to the region. NKR authorities also hoped that
during the monitoring the delegation would give assessments to the
vandalism committed in NKR regions and other zones that used to be
Armenian populated.

In our view, being well conscious of the real situation that is to say
the fact that the annihilation of historical monuments and cultural
heritage of Old Jugha will be observed as devastating by PACE mission,
Azerbaijan ruined the visit."

COMMISSION ON PRISONERS, HOSTAGES AND MISSING PERSONS HOLDS A SESSION AT MD

Panorama.am
14:41 28/08/2007

The Commission on Prisoners, Hostages and Missing Persons held a
session at the Ministry of Defense (MD) of Armenia today presided by
Defense Minister and Chairman of the Commission Michael Harutunyan.

Report was made by First Deputy of the Armenian Police,
General-Leutenant Ararat Mahtesyan who is also the deputy
chairman of the commission, MD Press Secretary Seiran Shahsuvaryan
informs. Following the report, the commission discussed the current
pace and possible development of cooperation with the corresponding
commission of Azerbaijan. Minister Harutunyan made assignments to
respective committee members at the end of the session.

The Gauntlet, CA
Aug 25 2007

Incantation Drops Off Armenia Rock Festival

Due to a lack of professionalism by the promoter involved with the
production of the Armenia festival INCANTATION and FUNERUS will NOT
be preforming on Saturday August 25.

John McEntee explains, "The bottom line is the promoter never paid
for our airfare for the show. We tried everything we cold but we had
no choice but to cancel. We are really pissed that the promoter has
used our name to promote the show then not do what was needed to get
us over there to actually play."

Nelson Syphorium Records, who booked INCANTATION on the festival,
reply, " We regret this unpleasant news for all the fans of
INCANTATION and FUNERUS. We expect some day to be able to have them
return to our country,with the best treatment like the they deserve."

The American Jewish World
VOICES OF MINNESOTA’S JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDED JUNE 12, 1912

VOLUME 95 NO. 48 AUGUST 24, 2007 10 ELUL, 5767

***************************
Editorial

ADL and genocide denial

According to Catholic Church doctrine, the pope is infallible when
proclaiming on matters of faith or morals. In Judaism, of course,
there’s no pope, no infallible authority. We have Abe Foxman, national
director of the ADL.
No stranger to controversy, Foxman now finds himself in the midst of
a major contretemps over the ADL’s opposition to a congressional
resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. The firing of Andrew H.
Tarsy, the ADL’s New England regional director, who broke ranks with the
national leadership on the Armenian genocide issue, has stoked the
controversy.
In a nutshell, groups like the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA), along with numerous scholars, have been lobbying for the
U.S. to officially recognize the dispossession and mass murder of 1.5
million Armenians by the Turkish government during World War I as an act
of genocide-the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey has
persistently denied the historical fact of the Armenian genocide, even
employing U.S. public relations firms to promulgate its viewpoint.
As support grows in Congress for passage of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, putting the U.S. on record as recognizing this crime against
humanity, geopolitical considerations are contending with historical
truth. Specifically, the U.S. and Israel do not want to offend Turkey, a
strategic ally, by branding it as a perpetrator of genocide. This is the
argument that the ADL is propounding-and it was finally too much for
Andrew Tarsy to swallow.
"I have been in conflict over this issue for several weeks," Tarsy
told the Boston Globe newspaper last week. "I regret at this point any
characterization of the genocide that I made publicly other than to call
it a genocide. I think that kind of candor about history is absolutely
fundamental."
After Tarsy publicly called the ADL’s position "morally
indefensible," he was fired. His termination has sparked "an immediate
backlash against prominent local Jewish leaders" against Foxman and the
ADL’s national leadership, according to the Boston Globe. (The ADL and
the Jewish Community Relations Council used to share a local office and
Jewish communal defense duties; the ADL’s nearest regional office now is
in Chicago.)
This week, the ADL is taking out advertisements in New England
newspapers, including Boston’s Jewish Advocate, to explain their
position. While noting that the ADL "has acknowledged and never denied
the massacres of hundreds of thousands of Armenians-and by some accounts
more than one million-at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1918,"
the statement calls the congressional resolution "counterproductive to
the goal of having Turkey itself come to grips with the past."
Further, the ADL statement conveys "the concerns of the Jewish
community in Turkey," which is worried about the "impact of
Congressional action on them." The ADL also mentions the fact,
previously noted, that "Turkey is a key strategic ally and friend of the
United States and a staunch friend of Israel, and that in the struggle
between Islamic extremists and moderate Islam, Turkey is the most
critical country in the world."
The U.S., Israel and Foxman’s ADL deny or finesse historical truth
in the case of the Armenian genocide for various geopolitical reasons.
At the same time, those who deny the reality of the Shoah are held in
contempt by Jews and all decent-minded people; indeed, a number of
European nations prosecute the crime of Holocaust denial.
Most Jews, informed of the facts, will want to have no part in
denying the Armenian genocide. Jews should dissent from the ADL in this
matter, as did Andrew Tarsy. We didn’t vote for Foxman or any of the
national ADL leaders; they don’t speak for us on this issue.

American Jewish World
Minnesota Jewish Media LLC
4509 Minnetonka Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN 55416
(952) 259-5280
[email protected]
Publisher and Editor: Mordecai Specktor

ARMENIA MAY NOT HAVE US AMBASSADOR FOR SOME MORE TIME

Panorama.am
17:00 23/08/2007

Until the issue of the Armenian genocide is resolved or the adoption
of Resolution 106 finishes, it is possible that there will be no
U.S. ambassador to Armenia for some more time, Shaharist Melkumyan,
member of the Armenian Cause Office, shared her opinion with reporters
today.

"USA understands that this process will still go on since it has
raised a lot of noise. They have not decided yet who to send as an
ambassador and future developments are unforeseen," she said.

"Our disposition on this issue is very clear – an anti-Armenian
ambassador who rejects the genocide or is prone to do so must not be
in Armenia," office member said.

Armenian National Committee of West San Fernando Valley

P.O. Box 17673

Encino, CA, 91416

Phone: 818 636 2952

Web:

PRESS RELEASE
: Thursday, August 23, 2007

Contact: Nishan Bostanian

E-mail: [email protected]

West San Fernando Valley ANC Meets with Republican Congressman McKeon

Santa Clarita, CA – On Thursday, August 16th the Chairman of the West San
Fernando Valley ANC (WSFV ANC) Nishan Bostanian and ANC member Vahe
Melkonian met with Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-25). The
Congressman, who was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in
1992, has consistently supported the concerns of his constituents in
California’s 25th Congressional District. The WSFV ANC expressed its
appreciation to the Congressman for effectively advocating for his Armenian
American constituents in the halls of Congress. The Congressman is
currently the Ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee
and also serves on the Armed Services Committee.

"Congressman McKeon has always been a strong friend of the Armenian American
community," stated Bostanian. "He has shown overwhelming support for
important human rights issues, and we look forward to continuing our efforts
with the Congressman as we move forward," he added.

Congressman McKeon has been a strong supporter of the Armenian American
community. He was one of the first cosponsors to sign on as a

supporter of H. Res. 106 after it was introduced on January 30, 2007.

The WSFV ANC is planning various community events to raise awareness of the
Armenian Genocide. With 227 cosponsors of H. Res. 106 (the Armenian
Genocide Resolution), the community is eager to become more involved in this
issue to help ensure its passage. Potential events included a panel with
academics and experts to discuss the Armenian Genocide and the cultural and
political implications of its recognition.

Over his twelve years in office, Congressman McKeon has proven to be a vocal
advocate for preserving Social Security, cutting the national debt,
providing tax cuts for America’s working families and strengthening the
military. First elected to represent the 25th Congressional District of
California in 1992, Rep. McKeon has earned a reputation as a leader in the
national education reform movement. Because of this, McKeon was elected by
his colleagues to serve as Chairman of the House Committee on Education and
the Workforce in 2006 to replace Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) who was required
by House rules to resign his committee assignment upon becoming House
Majority Leader.

In the wake of the November, 2006 mid-term elections, Congressman McKeon is
now the Senior Republican Member on the House Education and Labor Committee,
(formerly the Education and the Workforce Committee.) He also serves on the
House Armed Services Committee.

Born Sept. 9, 1938, in Tujunga, California, Congressman McKeon grew up in
the Tujunga area and graduated from Verdugo Hills High School in 1956. After
serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, he attended Brigham Young University. After several terms, McKeon
embarked on a temporary "hiatus" from his studies. During this hiatus, he
married his wife, Patricia, began raising his family and started his career
as a businessman in the Santa Clarita Valley. McKeon was soon involved in
his community through such organizations as the Boy Scouts, Little League,
the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Board and the Chamber of Commerce,
among others. He subsequently returned to school and completed his bachelor’s
degree in 1985.

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the
Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated
organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.