Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

Panorama.am

17:05 30/09/06

PRESIDENT CHIRAC CALLS TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS

`I believe Turkey must think carefully and better recognize the
Armenian genocide if she has plans to join a union that keeps to
values connected with human rights,’ President Jacques Chirac told a
joint press conference with Robert Kocharyan.

Speaking about the law to be put in front of French parliament soon
which proposes punishment for denying genocide, President Chirac said,
` As you know we are a rule of law state and in a rule of law state,
according to French law, those who disseminate hatred or racism are
punished.’

President Chirac called Turkey to recognize genocide. He said Germany
did not lose its glory and trust towards her when she recognized the
Genocide of Jews. On the contrary, `I believe that a country goes up
to new heights when it admits the flaws of the past,’ President Chirac
said. /Panorama.am/

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST CRITICIZES CURRENT LEVEL OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN
RELATIONS

Today Armenian-Russian coopeartion often goes down from the level of
inter-state relations to the level of inter-clan ties between groups
of corrupt officials, says the leader of the opposition New Times
party Aram Karapetyan.

As a result, instead of creating JVs, especially in spheres where
Armenia is not self-sufficient, the sides sign agreements like Assets
Against Debts. Karapetyan strongly objects to the transfer of
Armenia’s property to other countries. It would be quite a different
story if Russia decided to set up, say, a JV to develop aircraft
construction in Armenia – a sphere our country has nothing to do
with.

Karapetyan says that the Assets Against Debts agreement was signed as
a result of pressure. This is an American approach – when a country
gains foothold in a region by obtaining its property. That’s exactly
what Russia is doing in Armenia. The participants in the
anti-criminal movement are going to investigate into the
circumstances of the singing of the Assets Against Debts agreement.

Karapetyan’s opponent RPA member Hamlet Haroutyunyan says that there
is hardly any politician in Armenia who will agree to grant our
strategic spheres to other countries. There was no pressure during
the singing of the Assets Against Debts agreement. As regards the
concessions to Russia, this is done for ensuring Armenia’s national
security.

To remind, Armenia has given Russia 5 companies against its $100 mln
debt to that country: Hrazdan thermal power plant, research
institutes of mathematical sciences, material study amd automatized
control systems and Mars plant.

ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Torrey Swan

DATE: September 29, 2006
Tel: 416-250-9807

Zoryan’s Speech on Turkish-Armenian Relations

Yerevan, Armenia-On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Republic of
Armenia, the third Armenia-Diaspora Conference was held in Yerevan from
September 18th to 20th. Opening statements were made by President Robert
Kocharian, His Holiness Karekin II, His Holiness Aram I, President Arkady
Ghoukassian, and by representatives of many prominent Armenian
organizations. The Zoryan Institute was invited to address the Plenary
Session of the conference. During the conference, there were five themes
concentrated on: Rural Poverty Eradication Program; Nation, State and
Identity in the 21st Century; The Mechanics of Diaspora-Homeland Relations:
A Two-Way Street; Repatriation and Territory of Common Identity; and A Look
at Diaspora 2020. Zoryan’s remarks linked these topics by focusing on the
Armenian-Turkish relationship. The full transcript of Zoryan’s President, K.
M. Greg Sarkissian, is reproduced below.

Shared Knowledge of History as a Catalyst for Dialogue

Mr. President, Vehapar Hayrer, and distinguished guests.

While we are gathered here to discuss issues related to the Rural Poverty
Eradication Program, particularly in border villages, we have to think also
about relations with neighbors on the other side of the border.

Today, many Turks and Armenians continue to see each other only as an
unchanging and monolithic enemy, as opposed to their current reality.
Genocide recognition continues to be one of the major stumbling blocks in
Armenian-Turkish relations, which, we believe, should be established without
any preconditions and with a view towards our future, in relation to the
other side of the border.

Since the Justice and Development Party came to power in Turkey in 2002, it
has followed an aggressive policy towards membership in the European Union.
This meant that Turkey had to introduce numerous changes to its constitution
and legal system to bring it in line with EU norms.

Through this initiative, the new government opened the door to free speech
on long held taboos, such as linguistic and cultural rights for the Kurds,
the rights of non-Turks and non-Muslims, and the need for Turkish society to
deal with and debate its suppressed history, including, as an unwanted
by-product, the Armenian Genocide.

These had long been perceived as a threat to the military-bureaucratic elite
that constitutes the "Deep State."

This has also caused significant tension among the various elements of the
Turkish state, government and civil society. I am sure everyone here is
familiar with the indictments of writers Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak,
journalist Hrant Dink, and scholar Murat Belge, to name just a few, on the
charge of "insulting Turkishness." In May 2005, Justice Minister Cemil Çiçek
accused the organizers of the Istanbul Conference on Ottoman Armenians of
stabbing the Turkish nation in the back and called them traitors, while the
Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gül, announced that he had no problem with the
expression of critical opinion and even would be willing to participate in
the conference. For their part, the conference organizers declared that "It
is high time Turkey’s own academics and intellectuals collectively raise
voices that differ from the official stance" on the killings of Armenians.

Some feel that trying to force Turkey to recognize the Genocide by external
political pressure has radicalized those who are against freedom of speech.
Others believe that without external pressure, Turkey would never deal with
the Armenian Genocide. Neither option has improved relations between Armenia
and Turkey.

It is clear that there is a fervent debate in Turkey today about greater
democracy and freedom of expression. There are strong voices that want to
reclaim history as a legacy that needs to be recognized and are pressing the
government to abolish all obstacles to this process.

There is a clear need and strong desire within Turkey at this time for
authoritative information on its suppressed history.

We at the Zoryan Institute see a unique opportunity at this particular
juncture, to help provide information for this debate within Turkey. One of
the best ways to do this is through systematic scholarly research and the
publication of incontestable information in Turkish.

Zoryan, in collaboration with university research centres, such as the
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota, is
part of a large project called "Creating a Common Body of Knowledge," which
is the brainchild of highly respected Turkish scholar, Professor Taner
Akçam.

The objective is to provide knowledge that will be shared by Turkish and
Armenian civil societies and western scholarship. The project aims to
identify, collect, analyze, transliterate, translate, edit and publish,
authoritative, universally recognized original archival documents on the
history of the events surrounding 1915, in both Turkish and English. This
material must be distributed widely in Turkey.

The work is difficult, requiring advanced knowledge of the Gothic German and
Ottoman-Arabic scripts, the special diplomatic languages used, and the
history and politics of the period. This long-term project will take many
years to complete and will require enormous human and financial resources.
Despite the difficulty, this work must be done, as denial and distortion of
history are a major stumbling block to dialogue, and therefore peace,
security and progress in the region. Without dealing with this history,
prejudice and hatred will be perpetuated and will have unforeseen
consequences for generations to come.

The more such documents are made available to Turkish society, the more it
will be empowered with knowledge to question narratives imposed by the
state. Restoring accurate historical memory will benefit not only Turkish,
but also Armenian society. Both will be emancipated from the straightjacket
of the past. Such a Common Body of Knowledge will lead to an understanding
of each other, act as a catalyst for dialogue, and serve as a precursor to
the normalization of relations between the two societies.

This work can only be achieved through the systematic and continued efforts
of dedicated professionals, with staff and independent scholars and
appropriate financial resources. This is such a large undertaking, in terms
not only of resources, but also impact, that it must be supported by all
Armenians, including the Armenian Government.

Towards this end, we propose that the Diaspora support the Zoryan Institute
in the creation of an international Turkish Studies Centre in Armenia in
collaboration with major universities here, in Turkey and elsewhere. New
scholars, with the necessary expertise, would make a real contribution to
the creation of this very important Common Body of Knowledge.

History is a stumbling block for peace and stability in the region. True
peace can be achieved only if the nations in the region can talk to each
other openly about their past. Therefore, we see education through the
Common Body of Knowledge as one of the best ways to alleviate the tension
between Turks and Armenians, because it provides a basis of shared knowledge
that can counter generations of hostility and lead to mutual understanding
and dialogue. In the meantime, we should continue our efforts to normalize
relations with Turkey with a positive outlook towards our future, without
compromising our past, our memory and our history.

Thank you

STREETS OF YEREVAN WILL BE CLOSED AGAIN

A1+
[03:31 pm] 29 September, 2006

In connection with the arrival of French President Jacques Chirac
several streets in Yerevan will be closed for security reasons.

September 29

05:00 – 11:00 p.m. – Baghramyan, Isakov, Mashtots, and Azatutyan
avenues, and Koryun, Heratsi, Armenakyan and Saralanji streets.

September 30

07:00 – 12:00 a.m. – Baghramyan and Mashtots avenues, and Sayat-Nova,
Moskovyan and Abovyan streets.

03:00 – 11:00 p.m. – Abovyan, Nalbandyan, Amiryan and Vazgen Sargsyan
streets, and Tigran Mets avenue.

October 01

08:00 – 10:00 – Azatutyan, Isakov and Mashtots avenues, and Saralanji,
Armenakyan, Heratsi and Koryun streets.

The RA Police asks the citizens to refrain from driving in the above
mentioned street.

CIS EMERGENCY SITUATION COUNCIL WILL NOT DISCUSS FIRES IN KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.09.2006 16:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 20th session of CIS Interstate Council on Natural
and Man-Caused Emergency Situations opened in Yerevan September
26. During the 3-day meeting representatives of rescue services of
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Russia,
Tajikistan and Ukraine will consider the draft Inter-State Program
on Joint Scientific Research on CIS member states’ organizations
to prevent and eliminate emergency situations up to 2010. During the
session its participants will also consider draft documents on creation
of an international center for training specialists for rescue diving
services of the CIS, interaction of the CIS Corps of Forces and rescue
medical services of CIS countries. In the words of Director of the
Department of the international activities of the Russian Ministry
of Emergency Situations Yuri Brazhnikov within the framework of the
session the issue on command and staff exercises of the CIS Corps of
Forces for coping with emergency situations will also be discussed.

Brazhnikov also noted that the agenda does not include making efforts
or providing assistance to eliminate fires in territories controlled
by Nagorno Karabakh.

He also stressed that CIS forces can provide assistance within their
powers, "however it does not mean they should move to eliminate
outcomes of the fires, as the issue is considered from the political
point of view." "If there are serious requests according to the order
established, of course Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and many other
countries will take measures for the fires to be put off," he assures,
reports IA Regnum.

BEHIND NEW CHIPMUNKS DVDS THERE’S A TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY
By Louis R. Carlozo – Tribune staff reporter

Chicago Tribune,IL
Sept 26 2006

The true-life, rags-to-riches, 100 percent Hollywood story of Ross
Bagdasarian begins in 1958, with the modestly successful songwriter
skipping a grocery run for his young family to plunk down his last
$200 on Tape-O-Matic’s "Voice of Music" reel-to-reel recorder. This
two-track machine is so ordinary that you might find one at a garage
sale today, mistake it for a retro piece of luggage and buy it for
10 bucks.

But with it, Bagdasarian — a former farm laborer known by his showbiz
moniker David Seville — made magic, and entertainment history. Using
the variable speed feature on the recorder, he created a squeaky-voiced
gremlin who starred in the novelty hit "The Witch Doctor," which sold
1.5 million copies in two months.

Then came what is still the oddest — and most enduring — Christmas
novelty tune in all pop music. "My brother, who was about 4 at
the time, kept asking if it was Christmastime yet," recalls Ross
Bagdasarian Jr. "It was the summer of 1958, and my dad loved the idea
of a kid who can’t wait and keeps asking, and keeps asking. That became
the basis of `The Chipmunk Song’" (actually "Christmas Don’t Be Late").

The smash made "Me, I want a hula hoop!" a modern catch-phrase and
sold more than 4 million copies in seven weeks. It also introduced
us to the Chipmunks — Alvin, Simon and Theodore — stars of "Alvin
and the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason" (Paramount Home Video, $14.99)
and "A Chipmunk Christmas" (Paramount Home Video, $19.98). The latter
title bows this week.

In his Santa Barbara office, Bagdasarian Jr. still has his dad’s
Tape-O-Matic machine, long since retired. But its spirit remains:
Chipmunk voices are still produced on tape, not computers. And the
son now voices Alvin, Simon and the David Seville character; his wife,
Janice Karman, is Theodore and writes the scripts.

"When we started, we had all sorts of auditions," recalls Ross Jr.,
a lawyer by training. "I grew up with Charlie Brown, and it always
bothered me when they had to change people and I could hear the
difference in the voices. As we were auditioning people, I was in
the recording booth listening and Janice was giving direction, and
I said, `Oh, my God, that’s Theodore.’ She said, `That was me.’ I
said, `I don’t care, that’s perfect, you’re Theodore.’ And she said,
`I won’t do it unless you’re Alvin and Simon.’"

Unlike so many properties absorbed by big studios and assigned to
hired-gun actors, Chipmunks production remains the family affair it
has always been. But that career path was not set in stone for the
younger Bagdasarian.

That all changed after his dad — a jovial Armenian who talked
his way into bit movie parts, such as the obsessed piano player in
Alfred Hitchcock’s "Rear Window" — died of a heart attack in 1972,
days shy of his 53rd birthday.

"He was just so filled with zest and good humor that you were sure
he was going to live to be 102," his son says. "I was 22 at the
time and — God — talk about your world just changing. At that age,
I really wanted to do my own thing. It was only when he passed away
so suddenly, that as a way of really having him in my life I would go
to his office and play all the old Chipmunks songs. I just thought it
would be a shame for the characters to die prematurely with him. And
I very naively thought, `I’ve got to keep those guys going!’" Not
that TV execs agreed; everywhere he went, Ross Jr. was shown the door.

Then came another freak break: the 1980 novelty album "Chipmunk Punk,"
spurred by a Chipmunks tune that didn’t exist. A Philadelphia deejay
had played Blondie’s "Heart of Glass" at double speed, causing callers
to jam the station switchboard asking where they could buy "that
new Chipmunks song." Word reached Bagdasarian Jr., who rushed out
"Chipmunk Punk" — though the artists covered, including Billy Joel,
were not exactly punkers.

The album sold a million copies instantly. After the 1981 country
disc "Urban Chipmunk," the Chipmunks were re-animated: "A Chipmunk
Christmas" celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and features a
pre-"Simpsons" Nancy Cartwright as one of its stars.

"It was a phenomenally fun time to see the second incarnation of the
Chipmunks be just as successful, if not more successful, than the
first time," says Ross Jr., who hopes to resurrect his dad’s old TV
shows — many of which have never been released, even on VHS. "For a
really small independent business like us, it’s like trying to sell
a really good cup of coffee when there are 8 billion Starbucks right
around you."

SERGE SMESOV TO BE APPOINTED NEXT FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 26 2006

Serge Smesov, Deputy Director of the Continental Europe Department
of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be appointed the
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia.

Previously he worked as French ambassador to Kazakhstan, ArmInfo
learned from well-informed diplomatic sources. It should be noted
that the new Ambassador will be appointed after French Ambassador
Henri Cuni’s tenure in office comes to an end.

UK-ARMENIA COOPERATION STRENGTHENED WITHIN PAST 3.5 YEARS

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.09.2006 13:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Secretary of the National Security Council at the
President of Armenia, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan received UK
Military Attache to Armenia, lieutenant colonel Christopher Nunn,
who finished his tenure, and his successor lieutenant colonel Nicolas
Ridout. Temporary Charge d’Affaires of UK in Armenia, Vice-Ambassador
Richard Haide was present at the meeting. As Spokesperson for the
Armenian MOD, colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net,
S. Sargsyan thanked Christopher Nunn and wished the newly appointed
Attache success. The parties confirmed that within past 3.5
years military cooperation between the two countries increased and
strengthened. The new Attache assures that within his stay in Armenia
he will raise the level of the UK-Armenia defense cooperation.

DISCUSSION ON MEDIA SELF-REGULATION HELD IN YEREVAN

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 25 2006

Media accountability, best practices regarding self-regulation
mechanisms, particularly for public broadcasters were discussed at
a meeting that took place in Yerevan over the weekend.

It brought together journalists and managers of the Public TV and Radio
Company of Armenia (PTRC) and other Armenian media, representatives
of international and non-governmental organizations.

They discussed the possibility of introducing an internal
ombudsperson’s institution for the public broadcaster, professional
ethics and the need to develop a professional Code of Conduct in
the PTRC.

"Journalistic ethics and self-regulation plays a significant role
in the development of a professional, independent and accountable
media," said Blanka Hancilova, Democratization Programme Officer at
the OSCE Office in Yerevan. "We hope that this meeting helped to
identify mechanisms for institutionalizing media self-regulation,
which will enhance compliance with professional ethics."

Boris Navasardian, President of the Yerevan Press Club, added: "Media
self-regulation in Armenia will not only raise accountability of the
different news outlets, but will also strengthen their independence."

The two-day event, "Introduction of self-regulatory mechanisms in
Armenian media," was organized by the OSCE Office, the Yerevan Press
Club, PTRC, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization’s Office in Moscow.

Jeffrey Dvorkin, the first ombudsman of the US National Public Radio
and executive director of the Committee of Concerned Journalists,
and Ian Mayes, president of the international Organization of News
Ombudsmen and the Guardian newspaper ombudsman shared their experience.

TELECOM FIRMS BATTLE OVER TERRITORY IN NEIGHBOR STATES
By Maria Levitov – Staff Writer

St Petersburg Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

MOSCOW – Telecoms firms are vying with each other for market share in
neighboring countries as the domestic mobile market reaches saturation
point.No. 2 mobile operator VimpelCom plans to cover the entire
Commonwealth of Independent States within two years, while market
leader MobileTeleSystems is considering a bid for Bosnia-Herzegovina’s
telecoms company, Telekom Srpske. MegaFon, the top-three firm with
the smallest geographical reach, is also considering expansion.

The need to outbid foreign mobile giants is a big hurdle for
acquisitions abroad, but the country’s top mobile firms must find
new markets to grow, analysts said.

"I think that within two years, all the CIS countries will be
involved," VimpelCom CEO Alexander Izosimov said Friday at an investor
conference organized by UBS.

VimpelCom and MTS have already expanded into less-developed mobile
markets, as mobile-service penetration reached 100 percent in Russia
last month, according to AC&M consultancy’s latest estimates.

Through subsidiaries, VimpelCom is present in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Georgia, while MTS has is in Ukraine,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.

"Future competition will require us to be bigger," MTS CEO Leonid
Melamed told the conference.

The rate of profit growth in Russia is slowing for each of the
three largest mobile operators, according to research firm J’Son
and Partners.

MegaFon, which operates in Russia and Tajikistan, has "no set targets
for acquisition," but is eyeing Armenia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and
other countries for expansion, the company’s acting CFO, Raymond Ho,
said on the sidelines of Friday’s conference.

MTS, VimpelCom and MegaFon all have spare cash for acquisitions,
but finding attractive CIS assets is increasingly difficult, said
Yelena Bazhenova, telecoms analyst at MDM Bank.