Author: Toneyan Mark

CALM URGED AMID ARMENIA ELECTION CLASHES

CNN International
March 2 2008

(CNN) — Armenian opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian appealed to
his followers to go home Sunday to avoid the kind of violent clashes
between police and protesters that left nine people dead over the
weekend.

Opposition supporters wave an Armenian flag during a protest rally
in Yerevan on Saturday.

Ter-Petrosian vowed he would continue to protest the election results
peacefully through legal means.

Aides drove through the capital city of Yerevan playing the appeal over
loudspeakers and by Sunday, few demonstrators remained on the streets.

Chaos in the former Soviet republic could affect the stability of the
region, which plays an important role in producing and supplying oil
and gas to the West. Armenia, population 3 million, lies a east of
Turkey, south of Georgia and north of Iran.

"We will avoid any public meeting and marches, and we will concentrate
on the constitutional court where we are expecting the case to be heard
and discussed (Tuesday)," opposition spokesman Arman Musinyan told CNN
Sunday. Watch a report on clashes between police and the opposition "

The clashes Saturday over alleged election fraud killed at least
nine people and injured 17 police officers, a government official
told CNN Sunday.

Among the dead was one police officer and eight civilians, the official
said. Sixteen officers were hospitalized with bullet wounds.

A 17th officer was in critical condition.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared a state of emergency
Saturday night that he hoped would bring order to Yerevan. The state
of emergency could last until March 20, officials said. Watch Ghazarian
discuss the situation in Armenia "

The clashes began when authorities used force to clear Freedom Square
of thousands of demonstrators who had camped there for the past 10
days, according to a U.S. Embassy official.

The embassy official estimated that the demonstrations in Freedom
Square grew to as many as 60,000 Armenians at times over the last
10 days.

"This government tried to do everything to stop our people from
peacefully protesting," Musinyan said. "For nine days, no car was
burned, no window was broken, nothing. They just saw that people
will not go for any provocation. That’s why they tried to forcefully
disperse them."

Armenian police said they moved in Saturday morning because they had
information some demonstrators were armed with weapons and explosives.

The protests began soon after the Feb. 19 presidential election, when
Ter-Petrosian lost to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, the handpicked
successor of the outgoing president.

The opposition party immediately accused the government of vote fraud
and demanded that the results be voided.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
monitored the election and concluded that it was mostly in line with
international standards, although it did include some criticism in
its report.

AT LEAST EIGHT KILLED IN ARMENIAN POST-ELECTION UNREST

Radio Liberty
March 2 2008
Czech Republic

At least eight people were killed and hundreds of others injured
in the violent standoff between security forces and thousands of
opposition protesters in Yerevan that ended early Sunday following
a state of emergency declared by President Robert Kocharian.

The Armenian police reported the death toll, citing information
received from the Ministry of Health. A police statement issued early
in the morning did not identify any of the victims, suggesting that
all of them were protesters.

Five of them were identified by Armenia’s Office of the
Prosecutor-General later in the day.

The law-enforcement agency said it is investigating the circumstances
of their deaths. It added that 33 police officers and interior
troops were hospitalized from the scene of the opposition protest
with various injuries. Health Minister Harutiun Kushkian put the
total number of people treated in hospitals on Saturday at 230.

The standoff ended at around 4 a.m. local time after the top
opposition leader, Levon Ter-Petrosian, urged his supporters to go
home, citing the state of emergency imposed by Kocharian. "I do not
want any victims and clashes between police and innocent people. That
is why I am asking you to leave," Ter-Petrosian said in a message read
out to more than 2,000 people that barricaded themselves outside the
Yerevan mayor’s office.

According to Reuters news agency, most of the crowd headed away from
the square but a group of around 60 people refused to go home and set
fire to abandoned police vehicles. Some of them accused the former
Armenian president of being a traitor. Gunshots in downtown Yerevan
could be heard after that.

"We will continue our political struggle for democracy and rule of
law," Ter-Petrosian’s election campaign office said in a separate
statement. An official there said riot police did not attack the
dispersing crowd or arrest any of the former president’s associates
who organized the rally on Saturday.

The police statement did not report any high-profile arrests. But it
said law-enforcement authorities are taking measures to identify and
arrest organizers and participants of the "mass riots."

The rally began spontaneously at Saturday noon after Ter-Petrosian
was placed under de facto house arrest following the break-up of his
supporters’ non-stop sit-in Yerevan’s Liberty Square. Thousands of
people had been keeping overnight vigils there in protest against
the official results of the February 19 presidential election that
gave victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian. Ter-Petrosian, who
was Sarkisian’s main challenger, rejects those results as fraudulent.

The opposition leader appealed to his supporters in the early hours of
the morning as Armenian army units backed by light tanks and armored
personnel vehicles moved into the city center to help riot police
disperse his supporters who occupied a major street junction outside
the Yerevan municipality and the French Embassy in Armenia.

The troops took positions near the area shortly after Kocharian
declared emergency rule late Saturday. He pointed to violent clashes
that broke out between the protesters and riot police on one of
several streets leading to the site of the protest at approximately
9:10 p.m. local time

"They are using weapons and we are obliged to ensure the security
of our citizens," Kocharian told a late-night news conference. He
claimed that opposition supporters provoked the violence by firing
gunshots and wounding eight police officers.

An RFE/RL correspondent at the scene did not see any demonstrators
carrying weapons and reported that security forces fired tracer bullets
in the air for more than 40 minutes in an apparent bid to scare away
more than 10,000 people barricaded there at that time. One eyewitness
said he saw two protesters shot dead on the spot.

Buoyed by their leaders, the demonstrators responded to the clatter
of automatic gunfire with "Levon! Levon!" and "Victory! Victory!"

chants. "Everyone must stay where they are," Nikol Pashinian, one of
the opposition leaders, told them. "Don’t move."

"Dear people, they are simply trying to spread panic," said another
speaker, Miasnik Malkhasian. "So please don’t panic."

As Pashinian and Malkhasian spoke, riot police charged towards the
crowd but were repelled and forced to flee the scene by groups of
men wielding metal bars and sticks and throwing stones. Several
police vehicles were set on fire in the process. Some of the angry
protesters went on to loot a nearby food supermarket and burned down
cars parked nearby.

Opposition leaders who organized the rally disavowed and condemned
these actions, blaming them on government "provocateurs." "We have
nothing to do with that," said Pashinian. "The authorities themselves
are destabilizing the situation."

In a separate address to the nation, Kocharian said the violence
was the main reason why he decided to declare the 20-day state of
emergency. The extraordinary move means that all rallies and other
public gatherings will be banned in Yerevan until March 20. It also
places serious restrictions on press freedom, with local media outlets
allowed to report only official news communiques.

There were conflicting reports about the number of opposition
activists and other protesters arrested since Saturday morning. The
Prosecutor-General’s Office said 55 people were detained during the
unrest, while police claimed to have arrested more than 40 participants
of the looting overnight.

But according to Human Rights Watch, the number of detainees may have
exceeded 100 during the break-up of the Liberty Square sit-in alone.

The New York-based watchdog condemned the Armenian authorities the
use of "excessive force" against peaceful demonstrators.

"The Armenian government should refrain from using violence and
make clear that it won’t tolerate excessive use of force by police,"
Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch,
said in a statement. "A political crisis doesn’t give the government
carte blanche in how it responds to demonstrators."

Stepan Demirchian, a top opposition leader and Ter-Petrosian ally,
the former president would have averted bloodshed had the authorities
allowed him to leave his house and address the protesters. "Things
would not have ended like that if Levon Ter-Petrosian had been allowed
to join his people," he said. "The people would have calmed down."

The authorities claimed on Saturday that Ter-Petrosian was never placed
under house arrest, a measure which is not allowed by Armenian law.

MIKHAIL SAAKASHVILI CONVEYS HIS SUPPORT TO PEOPLE OF ARMENIA AND ITS AUTHORITIES

ARMENPRESS
March 2, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian had a
telephone conversation with his Georgian counterpart, Mikhail
Saakashvili today.

Viktor Soghomonian, a spokesman for Kocharian, said Mikhail Saakashvili
made inquires about the situation in Armenia regarding yesterday’s
clashes between security forces and opposition demonstrators in
Yerevan.

"The president of Georgia has conveyed his support to the people of
Armenia and its authorities,’ Soghomonian said.

Library Journal Reviews
March 1, 2008

The Hakawati

by Andrea Kempf
REVIEWS; Fiction; Pg. 73

Alameddine, Rabih. The Hakawati. Knopf. Apr. 2008. c.544p. ISBN
978-0-307-26679-8 . $25.95. F

Alameddine (Koolaids; The Perv ) assumes the role of a hakawati , a
Middle Eastern storyteller, in a tour de force that interweaves at
least five separate narratives into an exquisite tapestry in the
denouement. He spins the story of Osama al-Kharrat, a Lebanese
American returning to Beirut to sit at his dying father’s bedside;
the al-Kharrat family’s rise to prominence, from its beginnings in a
Lebanese Druze village and a Turkish Armenian village; the Mameluk
warrior Baybars, known for his victory over the Mongols; the mythic
Fatima, who became the consort of the jinni Afrit-Jehanam; and, above
all, the disintegration of a tolerant, civilized Lebanon into a
battleground for competing religions, ethnicities, and ideologies.
Each narrative is further enhanced by smaller stories about raising
pigeons and playing traditional melodies as well as tales drawn from
the Koran, the Bible, The Arabian Nights , Ovid, Shakespeare, and
every person who ever spoke to the author. This magical novel is epic
in proportion and will enchant readers everywhere. Recommended for
all libraries.-Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib.,
Overland Park, KS

Armenia police clash with protesters, at least one dead

Reuters, UK
March 1 2008

YEREVAN (Reuters) – At least one person died and many others were
injured on Saturday evening after Armenian police fired tracer
bullets to break up opposition protests in the capital, an opposition
demonstrator said.

"He was killed by a tracer bullet which must have ricocheted as
police were shooting in the air to disperse an opposition rally being
held nearby," the opposition activist told Reuters on condition of
anonymity. "We know of many wounded people."

"The opposition is still controlling the square near the mayor’s
office," he added. He said there are Italian, French and Russian
embassies nearby. "The man who was killed died near the Russian
legation."

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov in Moscow, writing by Michael Stott in
Moscow; editing by Keith Weir)

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

"RELIGIOUSLY MOTIVATED POLITICS AND
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED RELIGION
MAY GENERATE FUNDAMENTALISM"

SAID HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

In a key-note address delivered to a Christian-Muslim conference (28
February-2 March) in Beirut, Lebanon, His Holiness Aram I raised critical
issues pertaining to Christian-Muslim dialogue.

Organized by the Arab Group for Muslim-Christian Dialogue more than two
hundreds scholars, theologians, community leaders from different countries
took part in the conference.

His Holiness Catholicos Aram I begun his speech by making two affirmations:
first, religion has become a key player in Modern societies; second,
dialogue between religions has become indispensable in multi-religious
societies.

Moving from this general affirmation to Christian-Muslim dialogue, Aram I
reminded that the following facts need to be taken into consideration:

1) Islam and Christianity with their teachings, values and traditions touch
the daily life of people. Religion is part of their daily life.

2) Islam and Christianity, as monotheistic religions, share common roots and
traditions.

3) For centuries these religions have lived together; this living together
has developed affinities in many spheres of their life.

4) Dialogue is an existential reality. We are involved in dialogue of life.

Addressing more specifically the theme of the conference, "Mutual Respect"
His Holiness Aram I developed the following points as basic requirements to
reach a quality of life sustained by mutual respect.-

1) Mutual respect implies accepting the presence of the "other". It means
rejecting ignorance and arrogance, self-centeredness and self-sufficiency.

2) Mutual respect requires mutual knowledge, which generates mutual
understanding and respect.

3) Mutual respect calls for accepting our differences. Although Christianity
and Islam have commonalties, they fundamentally differ in their theological
teaching, moral and social values. We must not try to compromise them; such
an attempt endangers the integrity and identity of religions; we must accept
and respect our differences.

4) Accepting our differences leads us to have a clearer self-understanding
and inclusive understanding through interaction.

5) Religion is a strong identity-marker. Religious identity is stronger than
ethnic or cultural identity; it builds walls and causes mistrust. Only an
open and frank dialogue can overcome mistrust. Mutual trust is crucial for
living together.

6) We must move from mere coexistence to living together. Living together
must be sustained by shared values and common participation. A community
based on political consensus is precarious. It must be founded on common and
basic values and objectives.

His Holiness then identified four specific areas which need deeper
discussion in a Christian-Muslim dialogue: these are:

1) How can we broaden common objectives and develop a common vision?

2) Religion and politics is a critical area. Religiously motivated politics
may generate fundamentalism and isolation. On the other hand, religion
cannot be apolitical. The interaction between the two must be clarified
preserving distinctiveness of each.

3) Due to growing globalization and secularism the decay of moral values is
a fact. Two religions can work together to address this issue.

4) What are the implications of co-citizenship? How can we develop a system
of governance based on equal rights and full participation?

His Holiness concluded his address with the following words.- "We need each
other to face common problems, address common questions and combat common
evils. We must not only talk but also listen to each other. We must not talk
about and against each other, we must talk with each other. Christianity and
Islam are called to develop a vision of community where hate is transformed
into respect, intolerance into acceptance, and isolation into integration.
They are called to build communities where diversities are preserved and
common values are deepened, where working together on issues of common
concern is a participatory process".

##
View the photos here:
c/Photos/Photos200.htm
http://www.armenianorthodox church.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos201.htm
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

SOUMGAIT EVENTS BECAME LOGIC MANIFESTATION OF AZERBAIJAN’S ANTI-ARMENIAN POLICY

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Feb 29 2008

YEREVAN, 29.02.08. DE FACTO. The Soumgait events became logic
manifestation of Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policy, a political
scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazarian told a PanARMENIAN.Net
correspondent. "However, even in this case what happened in Soumgait
actually cannot be perceived as actions of normal, even embittered
by state propaganda, people. Taking into consideration the mass
character of the crimes’ participants and silent approval of the
rest of Azerbaijan’s population the following conclusion can be made:
the Azerbaijani nation is ill, seriously ill", the Armenian political
scientist stated.

At the same time Levon Melik-Shahnazarian reminded that in early
November of 1988 a group of young patriots headed by Igor Mouradian
(a founder of the Karabakh committee) had appealed to the members of
the Karabakh committee to submit draft resolution recognizing the
Soumgait events as Genocide to the session of Armenian SSR Supreme
Soviet. "However, the committee headed by Levon Ter-Petrossian was
busy with more important problems – "Armenia should be democratized",
the political scientist underscored.

OSCE CHAIRMAN: PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF NAGORNO KARABAKH IN THE TALKS IS NOT TODAY’S WORK

Azeri Press Agency
Feb 28 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku.Lachin Sultanova-APA. "My visit to Azerbaijan was productive,"
Ilkka Kanerva, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister said
a press conference on the outcomes of the visit, APA reports.

He stated that he visited Azerbaijan in the framework of his tour
to South Caucasus and will visit Central Asian countries in several
weeks. The aim of his visit was to promote the principles and activity
of OSCE. Mr. Kanerva noted that the three countries expressed their
commitment to European values and principles.

"We want pluralist democracy in the region," he said. He sated
that he carried out discussions with Azerbaijani leadership on the
development of bilateral relations. He noted that Nagorno Karabakh
conflict was one of the priorities of the visit and he expressed
his confidence that the conflict will be solved in the framework
of international legal norms. He stated that other aim of his visit
was to continue democratic reforms and estimated it as a main issue
of European integration. He noted that his meeting with opposition
representatives was productive. He stressed that Nagorno Karabakh
conflict can be solved peacefully.

"The conflict parties should understand it," he said. He stated
that I do not agree substitution of MG with UN and stressed that
participation of Armenian Community of Nagorno Karabakh in the talks
is not today’s work. He estimated Azerbaijan’s commitments before
OSCE and stressed that Azerbaijan is able to modernize the society
and develop into Europe.

"The two commitments mean that, Azerbaijan will follow recommendations
on elections. There is a great need to follow recommendations on
integration into Europe and European values.

Azerbaijan demonstrated its will on this field," he said.

OPPOSITION ACTIVIST HELD FOR CIVIL UNREST – POLICE

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
February 26, 2008
Russia

Armenian police have detained Suren Sureniants, a member of the
political council of the Republic opposition party.

Sureniants was detained on Liberty square "for organizing and holding
of a public action in violation of the established order," Armenian
Police said.

The opposition activist violated the law on assemblies, rallies and
marches. He organized a march, "headed it and made various appeal to
the crowd," the police said.

A criminal case on charges of civil unrest was opened into the
incident.

ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN CALLS ON POLITICIANS TO BEGIN A DIALOGUE

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
February 27, 2008
Russia

Armenian ombudsman Armen Arutyunian has called Armenian citizens and
politicians to listen to each other and to find a way to dialogue,
tolerance and cooperation.

"Appeals to tolerance and the readiness for a dialogue were clearly
articulated in the speech of Serzh Sargsyan, who won the presidential
election, at a rally yesterday," Arutyunian told a news conference
in Yerevan on Wednesday.

There is only one way out from the current situation, "the path of
cooperation," he said.

Rights and freedoms of all members of society should be to equally
guaranteed and protected, the ombudsman said.