Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

EX-AUTHORITIES ARE NOT FOR THE CHANGE OF CONSTITUTION

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| 15:02:36 | 15-06-2005 | Politics |

“The authorities will try to forge 100 thousand votes”, said Hovhannes
Hovhannisyan, leader of the Armenian Liberal Progressive Party in
connection with the coming constitutional referendum. According to
him, the number of electors – 2 million 400 thousand – was fixed with
that purpose.

During today’s seminar titled “The Necessity of Constitutional Reforms”
Mr. Hovhannisyan claimed that the authorities will not come to an
agreement with the Venice Commission experts and “will try to adopt
the reforms with a strong hand”. “Our authorities tend to trick the
International structures and reproduce themselves. This is their aim”,
concluded Hovhannes Hovhannisyan.

Before that he tries to understand what the opposition must do
if “Kocharyan theoretically accepts the conditions of the Venice
Commission”. “I think the opposition must make a decision”, concluded
the reporter.

The next speaker was Vahagn Khachatryan, the ex-advisor of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. He said that the violation of the Constitution is a
common thing for Robert Kocharyan, and the only thing to understand is
that what happens to the violator. “There is not a single law about
those who violate the Constitution, and we do not have any variant
of calling Robert Kocharyan to take the responsibility for what he
has done”, said Mr. Khachatryan.

The latter does not understand why the opposition tries to use the
legislative language speaking to the authorities. According to him,
not the Constitution must be reformed, but the authorities must be
dethroned as soon as possible. “The Constitution gives us the right,
simply we are too weak. There are many variant – riots, meetings,
etc”, said the ex-advisor.

According to the member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Administration David Shahnazaryan, Robert Kocharyan reforms the
Constitution for himself, and he sees himself as his successor. “He
thinks he will be forever sitting in that place, but forever he will
be sitting in a completely different place”, foresaw the ex-head of
the RA National Security.

KARABAKH SIDE HAS NO SPECIAL EXPECTATIONS FROM ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTERS IN PARIS

YEREVAN, June 15. /ARKA/. Karabakhi side has no special expectations
from the meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers
scheduled for June 17 in Paris, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s Foreign
Minister Arman Melikyan told Armenian Second TV Channel. In his
words, this is quite natural, as the negotiation process is still
under way now. “It is necessary to keep watch on the meeting to see
what results it will produce, though this in not the very time for
special expectations”, Melikyan said.In his words, Karabakh side
needs no confirmation of its stance on the conflict settlement,
because it was reiterated many times. M.V. -0–

Calmy -Rey spricht Armenier-Frage an

Ankara – Unterschiedliche Auffassungen in der Frage des Genozides an
Armeniern, aber Einigkeit in der Notwendigkeit einer historischen Aufarbeitung:
Dies
ist das Ergebnis des Treffens von Bundesrätin Calmy-Rey mit dem turkischen
Aussenminister Gul.

An einer gemeinsamen Medienkonferenz in Ankara sagte Abdullah Gul, er habe
Micheline Calmy-Rey den Standpunkt der Turkei in der Armenier-Frage und die
historische Entwicklung des Problems ausfuhrlich erläutert. Die Haltungen der
Schweiz und der Turkei sind verschieden, stellte Gul fest. Der Entscheid des
Waadtländer Grossen Rates im Jahr 2003, den Genozid an den Armeniern
anzuerkennen,
sei unangemessen gewesen. Grund fur das Missverständnis sei nach seiner
Meinung die Darstellung der Ereignisse durch die im Ausland lebenden Armenier,
fugte
Gul hinzu.

Calmy-Rey wurdigte Engagement

Die Armenier-Frage hatte nach dem Entscheid des Waadtländer Parlaments zu
diplomatischen Verstimmungen zwischen der Schweiz und der Turkei gefuhrt Eine .
Reise der Aussenministerin an den Bosporus wurde in der Folge annulliert. Ein
weiteres Thema des Treffens der Schweizer Bundesrätin mit Gul waren die
Menschenrechte.

Micheline Calmy-Rey sprach Tacheles. / Foto: David Adair ex-press.ch

Calmy-Rey wurdigte dabei die erfolgten Reformen und Anstrengungen. Zu den
Anfang März in Istanbul gewaltsam unterdruckten Kundgebungen sagte die
EDA-Vorsteherin, sie hoffe, dass der politische Wille auch im Alltag seine
Umsetzung
finde.

Wirtschaftliche Beziehungen verbessern

Die wirtschaftlichen Beziehungen kamen ebenfalls zur Sprache. Diese konnten
noch verbessert werden, sagte Calmy-Rey. In diesem Zusammenhang erwähnte sie
die Moglichkeit eines Abkommens zur Vermeidung von Doppelbesteuerung.
Aussenministerin Micheline Calmy-Rey hatte ihren dreitägigen Besuch in der
Turkei in
Ankara mit einem Hoflichkeitsbesuch bei Staatspräsident Ahmet Necdet Sezer
begonnen und anschliessend einen Kranz beim Mausoleum von Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
dem
Grunder der modernen und laizistischen Turkei, niedergelegt. Am Mittwoch
besucht die Aussenministerin Diyarbakir, eine kurdische Stadt im Sudosten der
Turkei, bevor sie in die Wirtschaftsmetropole Istanbul weiterreist.

–Boundary_(ID_mFfsqWE4rpHsrd1iwi11kA)–

AZG Armenian Daily #109, 15/06/2005

Exhibition

‘OUR PIECES GO HAND IN HAND AND BUILD A BRIDGE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND NEW YORK’

“New York Meets Armenia” exhibition opened at “Academy” Gallery on June 13.
Vasken Galachian, painter from New York, and Gevorg Ghasabian, artist from
Yerevan, represented their pieces in a joint exhibition.

These two artists that are also friends hope that the exhibition will help
the Armenian art-lovers to get familiarized with their pieces. The artists
aim to represent the same exhibition in New York, too. Thus, the
deliberately chose such a title for the exhibition, meaning that they are
building a bridge between Armenia and New York.

Sculpture Gevorg Ghasabian represented 12 sculptures made of tuff at the
exhibition. “When I saw tuff I greatly admired it. It’s no ordinary stone.
It bears the warmth of the earth inside,” Ghasabian said. He is sure that
tuff can be used not only in construction but also in contemporary art.

While Vasken Galachian represented about 15 pieces in the exhibition. The
artist practices Transcendental Meditation; he studies Sufism, Daoism,
Buddhism and Esoteric Christianity. He is also well aware of Gurdiev’s and
Uspensky’s theories. The pieces of Galachian reflect his researches of the
human mind, of the human psychology and the feelings. “Vasken’s feelings are
deeply reflected on his canvases,” Ghasabian said about his friend.
Galachian said that he creates his pieces in not less than six months.

By Gohar Gevorgian

WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN ARMS FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA WILL NOT CHANGE REGIONAL BALANCE OF POWER

Pan Armenian News
14.06.2005 08:04

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that
the planned withdrawal of part of Russian arms from Georgia to Armenia
will not change the balance of power in Transcaucasia. “No change of
balance of power is foreseen,” Russian FM said Tuesday when answering
questions of journalists in Saint Petersburg. Mr. Lavrov reminded that
the Russian party has informed Azerbaijan that the planned withdrawal
of Russian arms to Armenia will not result in change of the balance
of power in the region, Interfax reported.

Fact: Armenians were intentionally deported
By Jos Weitenberg

de Volkskrant (Dutch newspaper)
Forum
June 14, 2005

The article by Justin McCarthy on the Armenian genocide is in need
of a reaction. McCarthy belongs to the few non-Turkish scholars who
deny the existence of the Armenian genocide. His arguments have been
the same for years. He shows no inclination to seriously consider
the refutal of his fellow colleagues.

Two points stand out in his article. Firstly, the proposition that
Armenians and Turks were equal opponents in a situation of war. This
is a false depiction of the case.

The Armenians were victims of intentional deportation. The able-bodied
men were summoned under weapons and killed. The deportations were aimed
at unarmed women and children. The deportations were organized and
systematically aimed at specific communities (Armenians and Syrians)
and ended in the deserts of present Syria. That food was distributed
by the Ottoman army, as the article claims, is refuted by countless
eyewitness reports.

It is true that Armenians incidentally rebelled, that there were
armed nationalistic revolutionaries and that crimes against the
Turkish population were committed. To call this rebellion “war”
is chutzpah. The discussion should at least be kept accurate.

Secondly, it is evident that McCarthy regrets the silence of the
Turkish government on the events and declares this “out of fear
that the Turkish population will seek revenge’. But on who? Since
1915 scarcely any Armenians live in Turkey, evidence in itself of a
successful genocide. The few who dared to return after the war were
indeed still (vengefully?) killed.

That the present Turkish population is unfamiliar with the ethnic
cleansings – of Armenian, Syrians, Greeks and Kurds – that went hand
in hand with the foundation of modern Turkey in the second and third
decades of the twentieth century, is certainly regrettable. Turkey’s
wish to access the EU finally offers an opportunity to come to terms
with these kind of facts.

McCarthy’s article distorts and denies the facts and is not a useful
addition to reconciliation.

Jos Weitenberg

The author is professor of Armenian Studies at Leiden University.

Orange County Register, CA
June 13 2005

Pride of place
Armenians celebrate heritage and raise money at first Orange County
festival.

By JUSTINO ÁGUILA
The Orange County Register

LAGUNA HILLS – Maria Kloby and her family walked into the first
Armenian Festival of Orange County and couldn’t wait to sample foods,
check out the booths, and watch folk dancers in colorful and
traditional costumes.

More than 2,000 people gathered to do the same thing Saturday and
Sunday at the Laguna Hills Community Center, celebrating Armenian
culture and raising money for Armenian orphans.

“I’m Filipino, and we’ve been to many festivals,” said Kloby, a
Laguna Hills resident who attended with her husband, Michael, and
son, Benjamin. “We were curious about the Armenian culture.”

The festival had two main objectives, according to Tom Kalajian, an
organizer. First, organizers created it to help unify the local
Armenian community, which organizers said now numbers about 25,000
Orange County residents. The other mission was raising money for the
thousands of children scattered throughout Armenia in about 2,000
orphanages.

“Those children are the future,” said Kalajian, a Lake Forest
businessman. “This is the first time all of the Orange County
organizations have unified for a festival.”

The idea to launch a festival came after Laguna Hills merchants Garo
Mardirossian and Paul Aslanian thought the Laguna Hills Community
Center would be a good place for a festival.

Organizers wanted all 19 Orange County Armenian-based organizations,
most of them nonprofit, to support one another as they raised money
for orphans and celebrated their roots at the same time.

Each table at the event included cards with Armenian facts such as,
“Armenians built churches in a gothic style of architecture a century
before it first appeared in Europe.” Another card indicated that
there are between 8 million and 10 million Armenians in the world.

Event organizers hope that guests learned more about Armenian history
and culture and possibly corrected misinformation. Armenians, for
example, are not Middle Eastern. The sweet dessert baklava is an
Armenian creation, not a Greek one.

“It was the right time for this festival to happen in Orange County,”
said Virginia Rhoads, president of the local chapter of the Armenian
Relief Society-Karni. “The Armenian population has grown in Orange
County, and I think that’s another reason the festival was needed.”

There are similar events throughout the country, including Los
Angeles.

Aslanian spent much of the weekend making sure that festival guests
enjoyed their time as music and dancing spilled out into the grassy
area of the park.

“We’re already getting calls from people for next year,” Aslanian
said. “Even people in Los Angeles want to participate. I think that
shows that this festival was overdue, and I think it’s going to get
bigger.”

–Boundary_(ID_l63KpzoPfmHdsq3N8RYUyQ)–

6.5 KM TRENCH IS DUG AT ARMENIAN SECTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE

YEREVAN, JUNE 10. ARMINFO. 6.5 km trench has been dug at the first
section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline from Meghri to Kajaran since the
beginning of this year, Director General of “ArmRosgasprom” CJSC
Karen Karapetyan stated journalists at today’s seminar dedicated to
issues of gas market development in Armenia.

In his words, the works at 41 km Armenian section will be completed
in time and Iranian gas will come in Armenia from January 1, 2007.
This project costs $140-170 mln, he informed. As regards the
possibility to widen the gas pipeline to transit, this project costs
$400 mln: it is unreal at present because of absence of financing
sources.

Karapetyan regards skeptically to financial participation of Georgia
in this project interested earlier in construction of transit line of
Iranian gas in Armenia’s and Georgia’s territory to Europe.

To note, 41 km Meghri-Kajaran section is constructed by $30 mln
Iranian credit. Construction works should be completed by Jan 1,
2007. In the beginning Iran should supply in Armenia 1.1 bln cubic
meter of gas annually, and 2.3 bln cubic meter annually since 2019.
The agreement will last 20 years. -r-

Pan Armenian News

VOLUME OF DUTCH INVESTMENT IN ARMENIAN ECONOMY TO INCREASE

11.06.2005 03:19

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An agreement over encouraging investments and mutual
security is signed by Armenia and the Netherlands, Armenian Minister of
Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan stated at a press conference in
Yerevan. The agreement was signed by Vardan Khachatryan and Dutch Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Gerrit Zalm. The latter noted that
there is development of the Armenian economy available. In his words much
has changed after his first visit to Armenia in 1995. As noted by Mr. Zalm,
Armenia and the Netherlands have common interests within the cooperation
with the IMF and the WB and within that period of time close relations were
established. In his words, the agreement will promote growth of investment
in Armenian economy. The document provides for protection of the holdings of
the investors. It also determines the obligation of each of the parties to
secure a fair and equal regime for investments of the other party. The order
of resolution of disputes between the investor and the other party over the
investment made is also established.

The Gazette (Montreal)
June 8, 2005 Wednesday
Final Edition

PQ should reach out – Duceppe: New Quebecers must be embraced, he
says

by ELIZABETH THOMPSON, The Gazette

The Parti Quebecois should do more to reach out to new Quebecers and
other members of cultural communities, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles
Duceppe said yesterday.

While Duceppe insists he has not yet decided to seek the

PQ leadership left vacant Saturday by Bernard Landry’s abrupt
resignation, yesterday he staked out his first policy position.

Responding to questions by reporters, Duceppe said the next PQ leader
will have to reach out to Quebecers of various ethnic backgrounds.

“We can all do better,” Duceppe replied when asked whether the PQ
could do more to reach out to new Quebecers. “We can all do better
and the Liberal party and the ADQ as well. It is a question that is
beyond political parties. It touches political parties and it touches
all of our institutions.”

For example, Duceppe said both Quebec and Canada have to address the
“unacceptable” unemployment rate in the black community.

“I think it is part of the challenge of every modern society where
there are people who have come from elsewhere. … It is part of the
Quebec to be built.”

Under Duceppe, the Bloc has invested a lot of time and effort in
recent years in trying to garner support for the party among new
Quebecers and cultural communities – a steadily growing percentage of
Quebec’s population and a group that in the past often gravitated to
federalist parties.

For example, Bloc MPs and candidates have taken up the cause of the
Chinese community seeking redress for the head tax imposed on Chinese
immigrants decades ago, introduced motions in Parliament condemning
the Armenian genocide and helped domestic workers from the
Philippines address problems with their working conditions.

In his speeches, Duceppe has reached out to “Quebecers from
immigration,” making it clear they are included in his definition of
a Quebecer.

Those efforts began to bear fruit in the last election with the Bloc
posting strong showings in a number of Montreal ridings that had been
considered safe for the Liberals and succeeding in electing
candidates from visible minorities such as Cameroon-born actor Maka
Kotto.

With another federal election looming, the Bloc has been reaching out
even more and targetting highly multicultural Montreal area ridings.
It has launched a campaign entitled “Quebecers without exception,”
and at the party’s general council meeting May 28, Duceppe called on
his troops to get more Bloc MPs from cultural communities elected.

As he weighs his options, Duceppe faces a difficult choice.

If he runs, there is no guarantee he will win. Among Quebecers, he
outpolls his nearest rival, Pauline Marois by nearly two to one. But
Marois has deeper roots in the PQ and has had time to build a
campaign machine among the party members who will choose the next
leader.

If he stays, however, Duceppe will be weakened. Liberals already have
said that after years of criticizing the Liberal government, Duceppe
now has the chance to show whether he can form a government himself.
If he remains with the Bloc, his opponents will say he doesn’t have
the “guts” to run a government.

Yesterday, however, Duceppe dismissed the comments.

“When you are eager for an adversary to go, it is usually because
you’re afraid of the adversary.”

Duceppe said he is talking with a lot of people in a bid to make a
decision including Lucien Bouchard, a founder of the Bloc who made
the jump to Quebec City to become premier and leader of the PQ.

“When I said I was going to consult people, it is normal for me to
talk to people,” he joked. “I’m not going to consult myself.”

Duceppe admitted he has also talked with some PQ MNAs.

Today, Duceppe will discuss his future with his caucus – a step he
has said is key to making a decision.