Author: Tambiyan Samvel

[Congressional Record: April 28, 2004 (House)]
[Page H2451-H2452]
The Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr28ap04-141]
NOW IS THE TIME–WE MUST RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to remind the world that the
24th of April marked the 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a
systematic and deliberate campaign of genocide of the Ottoman Empire.
Also, it marked yet another year with the U.S. formally recognizing the
atrocities that occurred. Considering how well documented the genocide
is in the U.S. archives and through an overwhelming body of first-hand,
governmental, and diplomatic evidence this is nothing less than a
disgrace. I also rise to reaffirm my support for the adoption of the
Genocide Resolution H. Res. 193. The purpose of this legislation is
prevent future genocides by stressing the importance of remembering and
learning the lessons of past crimes against humanity, including the
Armenian Genocide, Holocaust, and the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides
in hopes of preventing future atrocities. In addition, this resolution
strengthen America’s commitment to the universal values of the Genocide
Convention and asks the United States to commemorate the 15th
anniversary of the Genocide Convention. Support for this legislation is
widespread with a diverse coalition of over 100 ethnic, religious,
civil, and human rights organizations calling for its passage.
As Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, it was an honor
to be instrumental in preparing the report which gained unanimous
approval at the committee level. The report described the Armenian
Genocide in the following terms: “Beginning in 1915, the Islamic
Turkish state of the Ottoman Empire sought to end the collective
existence of the Christian Armenian population. From 1915 through 1918,
during World War I, the Ottoman Empire subjected the Armenian people to
deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and
starvation. The atrocities were renewed between 1920 and 1923. It is
estimated that one and a half million Armenians were killed out of over
two million Armenians who had lived in the Ottoman Empire. It should be
noted that these activities ceased with the institution of the new
Republic of Turkey in October, 1923.” This past March, I signed onto a
bipartisan letter to Speaker Hastert asking to bring H. Res. 193 to
vote but we have not yet been given the opportunity to vote on this
important legislation. Today, also marks the day of the Armenian
Genocide Observance on Capital Hill and I join over 110 House and
Senate Members who have agreed to co-host this observance.
The Armenian Genocide is fully documented in U.S. history. In a July
24, 1915 cable, American Consul Davis noted that, “I do not believe
there has ever been a massacre in the history of the world so general
and thorough as that which is now being perpetrated in this region or
that a more fiendish, diabolical scheme has ever been conceived by the
mind of man. What the order is officially and nominally to exile the
Armenians from these Vilayets may mislead the outside world for a time,
but the measure is nothing but a massacre of the most atrocious nature.
It would be that even if all the people had allowed to perish on the
road. As a greater part of them,
[[Page H2452]]
however, have been actually murdered and as there is no doubt that this
was done by order of the Government, there can be no pretense that the
measure is anything else but a general massacre.”
Now more than ever as the world is gripped by unrest and terrorism,
the memory of the Genocide underscores our responsibility to help
convey our cherished tradition of respect for fundamental human rights
and opposition to mass slaughter. We owe it to the victims of the
Genocide to acknowledge what happened and to teach our students and
children about their suffering, so that we can fulfill our obligation
to ensure that genocide will never happen again. Our future generation
should be able to say, “I learned, I acknowledge, and I will work to
prevent it from happening again.”

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
May 1 2004
Preservation order lifeline for Melkonian
By Jean Christou
THE government has slapped a preservation order on the Melkonian
Educational Institute (MEI) in Nicosia, giving the school, slated to
close next year, a temporary reprieve.
The preservation order, issued by the Town Planning Department, states
that `no alteration or construction be executed on the buildings,
group of buildings and areas … considered of special architectural /
historical / social importance’ and clearly marked in the relevant
government land surveys plans, an announcement from the MEI’s alumni
said.
`However, there are still no assurances about the school’s
continuation beyond June 2005, after which a good number of Armenian
students living in Cyprus would be left deprived of a
national-language school, while the boarding students are under threat
of being sent home,’ the announcement said.
The central board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), in
New York said last month that the 78-year-old school would close in
June 2005, but the alumni says that the Melkonian brothers’ will does
not confer to the AGBU the right to `denature or destroy these
Armenian structures’.
The loss-making Melkonian is sitting on a £40 million plot in the
capital’s commercial district and reports are rife that it was up for
grabs by developers.
The AGBU said in November that the school was not for sale, but then
changed tack and announced the closure. The alumni are convinced the
foundation’s only aim is to `take the money and run’.
The preservation order covers the twin buildings of the school, which
was erected as an orphanage by the Melkonian brothers in 1926, the old
residence of the founders, the wooded area on the main Limassol road,
the boarding house and the teachers’ apartments.
`In effect, the school is now out of bounds for any developer or any
other school contemplating to take over the Melkonian grounds to
develop their own campus, as the preservation order forbids any
development or construction work beyond the present state of the
buildings.
The Town Planning Department in is decision took into account the fact
that the Melkonian buildings were characteristic or unique examples of
urban architecture of Nicosia.
`The preservation of the architectural or historical heritage, the
above examples of which are part of, regarding the important factor
for the successful evolution and development of the town planning
infrastructure of Nicosia,’ the order said.

Council of Europe resolution backfired on Armenian opposition, minister says
Noyan Tapan news agency
3 May 04
YEREVAN
The resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
[PACE] on the domestic political situation in Armenia crushed the
opposition’s major arguments, it boomeranged against the opposition,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has said in an interview
with Armenian Public TV. He noted that “the resolution cut the ground
from under the feet of our opposition”.
Thus, the resolution, as well as the report that it was based on, gave
answers to the opposition’s major arguments that the president was
elected illegally, the election results were falsified and that
therefore, a referendum of confidence had to be conducted.
[Passage omitted: quotes from the resolution]
The minister said that the PACE said unambiguously that the
presidential election results, despite violations during the
elections, had been ratified by the international community and could
not be altered under pressure.
[Passage omitted: more quotes from the resolution]
At the same time, the minister said: “When the opposition’s actions
are illegal and unconstitutional, the authorities have no other choice
but to counter them, for their duty is to establish constitutional
order.”
In Oskanyan’s opinion, “the opposition has taken the wrong path” and
“this path leads to nowhere”. He said that the country’s authority is
very high, “it has reached the highest point”, the process of
Armenia’s integration into Europe, investment programmes, reforms and
strengthening democracy are rated highly. The foreign minister
expressed his anxiety over the fact that the opposition believed that
“the worse, the better” and stressed that this behaviour of the
opposition posed a great threat to the country at international
organizations. Oskanyan said that many problems have to be resolved,
including those related to the deepening of democracy and serious
challenges – both concerning the settlement of the Karabakh problem
and the continuation of the economic development. It takes a
constructive opposition to resolve them, Oskanyan said.

ArmenPress
April 26 2004
MARTIN BERBERYAN WINS EUROPE CHAMPION TITLE
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: Free-style wrestler Martin
Berberyan from Yerevan (55 kg weight category) has snatched Europe
champion title beating in the final Russia’s Vadim Batayev in Ankara.
Another Armenian wrestler, Jirayr Hovhanesian, 66 kg, was the
fourth and three other wrestlers of Armenia had each one win in the
first round but lost battles in the second one.

ArmenPress
April 26 2004
ARMAVIA FLIES MORE PASSENGERS
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s leading commercial
carrier, Armavia, said today it had flown 63,700 passengers in the
first quarter of this year with passenger turnover making 112,600,000
km, while cargo turnover was 600,000 km. Almost 86 percent of air
carriage was to CIS countries.
Armavia launched new, summer flight schedule from March 28 to run
until October 28. New regular flights will start operating with more
flights to Moscow and Novosibirsk, which will allow Armavia
passengers to reach any destination in Russia through Armavia’s
partner Sibir carrier.
The number of regular flights will increase against last year by
15 percent with overall 70 flights a week. Also flights will be
operated from the second-largest Armenian town of Gyumri airport to
destinations in southern Russia.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
April 21, 2004, Wednesday
German foreign minister presses Azerbaijan on human rights
Baku
The oil-rich Caucasus republic of Azerbaijan should clean up its
record on human rights and speed economic reforms to help its
relations with the European Union, German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer said in Baku Wednesday.
Germany and the E.U., meanwhile, will redouble efforts to help
resolve the simmering conflict around the ethnic Armenian enclave of
Nagorny-Karabakh, Fischer said after talks with his Azeri counterpart
Elmar Mammadiarov.
The union places great importance on achieving stability in the
Caucasus and was working on new policy suggestions to help calm the
tense relations between countries in the region, he said.
The minister welcomed the move by President Ilham Aliyev to amnesty
numerous political prisoners in Azerbaijan after his election last
October.
But the measure must now be extended to cover all political
detainees, he stressed.
Azerbaijan, a Moslem former Soviet republic, has benefited from its
huge oil reserves in recent years but has been destabilized by the
conflict with Christian Armenia over the Nagorny-Karabakh region.
A shaky ceasefire has held since 1994, but both sides front a heavy
military presence against each other amid the continuing dispute. dpa
dh na sc

Minister warns of Azerbaijan’s “wrong perception” of Armenian events
Arminfo
19 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The domestic situation in Armenia has no influence over its foreign
policy, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said at a press
conference today.
The international community perceives realistically and understands
well the situation in Armenia, Oskanyan said. There is no pressure
from the international community. Oskanyan expressed concern about the
possibility of Azerbaijan’s wrong perception of the domestic situation
in Armenia.
The goals set forth by the opposition are wrong and run counter to
both the constitution and the Armenian legislation, he said. The
opposition must formulate its objectives in keeping with the
law. No-one has the right to call for a change of government by force.
Oskanyan expressed the hope that the opposition rally scheduled for 21
April will be peaceful and the demonstrators will not take any
anti-constitutional steps.

Russian company buys Armenian chemical giant
Mediamax news agency
16 Apr 04

YEREVAN
The [Russian] International Volgaburmash Holding company has become
the new owner of the Nairit closed-type joint-stock company, one of
the giants of the Armenian chemical industry that specializes in the
production of synthetic rubber.
The agreement on the purchase of 100 per cent of the enterprise’s
shares was signed between Volgaburmash and Haykap Bank at the Armenian
Central Bank today, Mediamax reports.
Addressing a briefing after the signing of the agreement, Volgaburmash
representative Mikhail Zavertyaev said that the restoration of
Nairit’s positions on the Russian market of synthetic rubber would
become the priority task for the holding. Due to commercial
confidentiality, Zavertyaev refused to disclose the cost of the deal
on the purchase of Nairit’s shares. He said that Volgaburmash had
drafted a project of reconstruction of the enterprise aimed at
resuming the production of butadiene at Nairit. The project is
estimated at 5m dollars. According to Mikhail Zavertyaev, since 2003
Volgaburmash Holding has invested 3.5m dollars in Nairit.
[Passage omitted: minor details]

US envoy urges dialogue between Armenian authorities, opposition
Mediamax news agency
14 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The United States is interested in reducing tension in domestic
political life in Armenia, US ambassador John Ordway said today.
The US diplomat said he was in favour of dialogue between the Armenian
authorities and opposition, “which will make it possible for the
government to concentrate on conducting political and economic reforms
and achieving stability in the region”, Mediamax reports.
“We think that the release of the detained opposition activists will
ease the tension. Therefore, we call on all interested sides to use
only political means and to prevent any use of violence,” John Ordway
said.

A1 Plus | 13:39:32 | 13-04-2004 | Politics |
ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES’ BLOODY FEAST
Republic party members including former defense minister Vagharshak
Harutyunyan were taken in police custody in a raid on the party headquarter
made Monday night.
Similar raids were launched by the police on National Unity and Democratic
Party. The parties’ offices were examined and activists arrested. National
Unity leader Artazshes Geghamyan was beaten.
Wife and son of member of Armenian Academy Raphael Ghazaryan were among
those badly injured in the attack.