Author: Toneyan Mark

Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
Sunday Times, Australia
Advertiser, Australia
The Mercury, Australia
Aug 31 2004
On this day
31 aug 04
1990 – About 250 militant Armenian nationalists give up their weapons
after the republic’s parliament declares a state of emergency.
1290 – Jews are exiled from England by proclamation of King Edward I.
1422 – King Henry V of England dies of dysentery in France and is
succeeded by his nine-month-old son, Henry VI.
1688 – Death in London of John Bunyan, English author of The
Pilgrim’s Progress.
1704 – Forces of Russia’s Tsar Peter the Great take Narva in Russia.
1823 – French forces storm the Trocadero and enter Cadiz in Spain.
1846 – Committee is established in Sydney to organise appeal for
Irish famine.
1871 – Basutoland is united with Cape Colony, South Africa.
1876 – Turkey’s Sultan Murad V is deposed on plea of insanity and is
succeeded by Abdul Hamid II.
1887 – US inventor Thomas A Edison receives a patent for his
Kinetoscope, a device which produces moving pictures.
1888 – Body of Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols, first victim of murderer
“Jack the Ripper”, is found in London.
1900 – British forces under Frederick Roberts occupy Johannesburg.
1907 – Anglo-Russian Convention is signed in St Petersburg, settling
differences between the two over Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet.
1918 – Bolshevik troops attack British embassy in Petrograd, Russia.
1920 – First ever news program is broadcast by the radio station 8MK
in Detroit, Michigan.
1922 – Czech-Serb-Croat Alliance is signed at Marienbad.
1923 – Italy occupies Corfu in Greece.
1939 – Attempts by French Premier Daladier and British Prime Minister
Chamberlain to negotiate with Adolf Hitler of Germany fail.
1942 – German General Irwin Rommel renews offensive against British
at Alam Halfa in North Africa in World War II but is driven back to
original lines.
1950 – Contingent of 80 men from First Battalion, Royal Australian
Regiment, leaves for the Korean War.
1957 – Malaya becomes an independent member of the British
Commonwealth.
1962 – Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent nation within the
British Commonwealth.
1967 – Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Malaysia are
re-established, following Indonesia’s opposition to the formation of
the Malaya federation.
1968 – West Indian Garfield Sobers becomes the first cricketer to
score six sixes off one over in first-class cricket, in England.
1969 – Rocky Marciano, former world heavyweight boxing champion, is
killed in an air crash in Iowa.
1973 – Death of John Ford, US film director.
1977 – Ian Smith wins the Rhodesian general election with 80 per cent
of the overwhelmingly white electorate’s vote.
1980 – Polish labour leaders sign agreements with Communist
government, establishing for first time in a Soviet-bloc nation the
rights to strike and to establish free trade unions.
1983 – Murdered opposition leader Benigno Aquino is buried in Manila,
with over a million mourners being addressed by his widow Cory.
1986 – Soviet passenger ship Admiral Nakhimov collides with a
merchant vessel in the Black Sea, causing both vessels to sink; 448
die.
1986 – Moscow’s secret police hold US correspondent Nicholas Daniloff
on spying allegations.
1987 – Government and opposition officials in South Korea agree on
revising Constitution to clear way for direct presidential elections
and other reforms.
1989 – Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips separate
after 16 years of marriage.
1990 – East and West Germany sign a treaty to harmonise their legal
and political systems after merging on October 3.
1990 – About 250 militant Armenian nationalists give up their weapons
after the republic’s parliament declares a state of emergency.
1991 – Uzbekistan and Kirgyzstan become ninth and tenth Soviet
republics to declare independence.
1992 – Palestinian Arabs dismiss Israel’s self-rule proposals as
unacceptable and say peace negotiations are at an impasse.
1994 – IRA declares an open-ended ceasefire in its 24-year campaign
against British rule of Northern Ireland.
1995 – Bomb-laden car explodes in a crowded square outside Algeria’s
national police headquarters, killing 10 and injuring 15.
1996 – Iraq captures Irbil in northern Iraq, a key city inside the
Kurdish “safe haven” protected by US-led forces, in Saddam Hussein’s
largest military action since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.
1997 – Princess Diana and her millionaire companion Dodi Al Fayed are
killed in a Paris car crash.
1998 – North Korea launches a new, more powerful long-range ballistic
missile that crosses over Japan’s main island and crashes into the
Pacific Ocean.
1999 – Opposition lawmakers in Venezuela pledge to defy a decision by
supporters of President Hugo Chavez to shut down the legislature,
worsening the country’s constitutional crisis.
2000 – The United States decides to boycott several meetings in Japan
dealing with science and the environment in a protest of the
expansion of Japanese whaling.
2001 – Delegates from more than 160 countries attend the weeklong
United Nations-sponsored World Conference Against Racism in Durban,
South Africa.
2002 – A Russian Mi-24 assault helicopter is shot down by a missile
in Chechnya. Both of the gunship’s pilots are killed. Chechen rebels
claim responsibility.
2002 – Lionel Hampton, one of America’s jazz legends, dies. He was
94.
2003 – Kenya lifts a ban on the Mau Mau movement, which spearheaded
an uprising against British colonialists in the 1950s.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 27, 2004 Friday 1:00 PM Eastern Time
EU should assist Armenia-Turkey normalization – foreign minister
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
The European Union should play a role in the normalization of
relations between Armenia and Turkey, Armenian Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanyan said at a joint briefing with Danish counterpart Per
Stig Moller on Friday. Armenia is a leg of Moller’s South Caucasian
tour.
EU member countries, including Denmark, can also make a contribution
to better relations between Armenia and Turkey, Oskanyan said. If
Turkey has equal relations with all countries of the South Caucasus,
it will play a special role in the region because it is the only NATO
country bordering on Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and the only
regional state, which enjoys the official status of candidate to the
EU, he said.

PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN RELIEF MISSION
BOX 571
WINNETKA IL 60093
contact: Gary Peter Rejebian
TEL: 312-726-4600 x313
FAX: 312-726-9570
[email protected]
If it can be built, will they come?
Article & photos by Kim Karpeles
Piles of playground material stacked neatly outside a medical clinic
in Vanadzor, Armenia awaited a group of 10 volunteers–five men and
five women–who recently travelled across 10 time zones to reconstruct
the equipment. Two questions hung over the group from the United
States: Can the playground be finished in the allotted 3½ days? And
when it is built, will anyone come?
The playground adventure had its start several months beforehand when
the Northbrook, IL Park District announced it would be replacing an
aging playground in the downtown area. Residents of Northbrook and
others affiliated with the Armenian Relief Mission (ARM), headed by
Steve and Rozik Kashian of Winnetka IL, banded together to secure the
donation of the equipment graciously donated to ARM, and in September
2003 disassembled it for shipment. Each piece was meticulously labeled
and the structures photographed to assist in reconstruction. In early
November, three shipping containers, donated by United Armenian Fund,
were loaded and sent to the ARM clinic in Vanadzor.
Construction co-foremen Meredith TeGrotenhuis and Laurie Nelson
immediately plunged in and oversaw the organization of materials and
determined placement for the main structure, swing set and train which
the group hoped to finish. It didn’t take long before a small crowd
of curious children and adults had gathered along the fence
surrounding the play area – a sight that was to become very
familiar. What were these Americans doing? What were they going to
build? Meredith and Laurie shared a notebook of CAD designs and
photographs of the playground in Northbrook with the onlookers. Though
few of the Armenians understood English, they quickly understood the
plans and their eyes shone with excitement. Unseasonably wet and cold
weather faced the construction crew for the next three days as the
playground took shape, section by section. Clad in winter clothing
donated to the clinic, the crew kept working despite rain and hail and
the frustration that the arrival of one box of key construction tools
was delayed until the project was completed.
Four Armenian men worked primarily on the swing set construction, but
also assisted the crew when many hands and strong arms were needed to
place flooring sections and raise beams. Working side by side required
everyone to improve their sign language skills and to learn a few key
words of Armenian or English. The “thumbs up” sign was exported to
Armenian while the US team mastered shnorhagalem (thank you).
Opening day for the playground dawned bright and clear. The team went
door-to-door throughout the neighborhood inviting families to join the
4:00pm festivities with welcoming speeches planned and music provided
by local church singers. Before the gates opened, children and their
parents and grandparents lined the fence standing three and four deep.
Excitement and anticipation filled the air as hundreds of kids awaited
their chance to swing and climb and slide.
The crowd surged forward and more than 400 children converged at once
filling every conceivable square inch of playground equipment. For
hours, children went down the slide, two or three at a time. They
stood patiently in line for a chance to swing or took a seat in the
train and enjoyed the thrill of the first playground for their town of
75,000. And the construction team held their breath and prayed that
every bolt would hold!
With the sun setting behind distant mountains and the playground still
filled with joyous children, the volunteers gave thanks to God that
the answer to both questions was a resounding: “HARGAV! OF COURSE!”
The Armenian Relief Mission, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit
organization, was started by Dr Steve Kashian, a Chicago-area
physician,and his wife Rozik to provide medical and humanitarian aid
to Armenia “one person at a time.” Since 1991, the organization has
opened a pharmacy and built and run a new medical clinic facility in
Vanadzor, helped an Armenian man develop one of the largest sausage
businesses in the country, visited numerous orphanages to bring school
supplies and good cheer to Armenian children, and even helped the
residents of an apartment building renovate their common areas. ARM
is currently working on starting a residential home for young women
who have been `aged out’ of state orphanages to prevent them from
ending up on the street. If you would like more information about ARM
activities please email: [email protected] or write to: Armenian
Relief Mission, box 571 Winnetka IL 60093

AVAILABILITY OF GREAT RESOURCES OF PORTABLE ENERGY-CARRIERS FOUND OUT
IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, August 25 (Noyan Tapan). The Institute of Geophisics and
Engineering Seismology carried out geophisical researches in the
Jermaghbiur region of the Syunik region by the order of the
“Armenergo” company. RA Minister of Energy Armen Movsisian told
journalists on August 25 that the purpose of these researches was to
specify the availability of portable energy-carriers in the young
volcanic zone. It was found out that there are such resourcse here,
and according to the Minister of Energy, their number is quite
great. Armen Movsisian said that it is expected that a concrete
program on the exploitation of these resources will be elaborated till
the end of next year. It should be mentioned that it is expected that
the first geothermal laboratory will be constructed in Armenia, which
will be of great importance for the increase of the energetic security
of the country.

Athens 2004 Olympics Official Website
Aug 25 2004
Men’s +105kg : REZA ZADEH (IRI) wins gold
ATHENS, 25 August – Hossein REZA ZADEH (IRI) demoralised his
opponents with an awesome display of power to win Iran’s first gold
medal in Athens.

The 26-year-old won by 17.5kg in the super heavyweight +105kg
category after setting new World and Olympic records in the Clean and
Jerk with 263.5kg

REZA ZADEH lifted 472.5 in total to be the first Iranian athlete to
win two Olympic gold medals.

Latvia’s Viktors SCERBATIHS gave a solid display and was placed
second with 455kg, giving his country its first medal in
Weightlifting at the Olympic tournament

The 22-year-old Velichko CHOLAKOV (BUL) won the bronze medal with
447.5kg while Ukrainian Gennadiy KRASILNIKOV was placed fourth with
440kg lifted while competing in Group B earlier in the day.

German veteran Ronny WELLER, competing in a record fifth Olympic
Games, retired with a shoulder injury after his second attempt in
snatch. The injury robbed him of the chance of being the first
weightlifter to win five consecutive Olympic medals.

Armenia’s hopes of an Olympic medal in weightlifting vanished when
Ashot DANIELYAN failed to finish after missing his three snatch
attempts at 200kg.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Deutsche Welle
25 Aout 2004
Le président azerbaidjanais à Berlin…

– A l’issue d’un entretien avec le président azerbaïdjanais Ilham
Aliev à Berlin, le chancelier allemand Gerhard Schroeder a salué les
réformes réalisées en Azerbaïdjan. Le chancelier a salué les efforts
du pays pour améliorer la sécurité juridique et l’Etat de droit.
Gerhard Schroeder a appelé les investisseurs allemands à “renoncer à
leur réserve” dans la région. L’Allemagne soutient par ailleurs une
solution politique de la crise dans l’enclave du Nagorny Karabakh et
entend poursuivre ses efforts en ce sens au sein de l’OSCE,
l’Organisation pour la coopération et la sécurité en Europe …Le
président azerbaïdjanais effectue à Berlin sa première visite depuis
son élection contestée en octobre dernier…

Agency WPS
The Russian Oil and Gas Report (Russia)
August 23, 2004, Monday
ITERA QUITS THE CIS AND FOCUSES ON DEEP GAS PROCESSING
Over the first seven months of 2004, gas supplies of ITERA to the CIS
decreased by more than 80%. ITERA does not plan to restore the gas
export contracts. Instead, the company started searching for
financing for its new projects of deep hydrocarbon processing.
Between 2003 and 2004, Gazprom took from ITERA and regained the
markets of Ukraine, Moldova and Baltic republics. In 2003, Gazprom
started gas supplies to Armenia and in 2004 to Azerbaijan. In the
last six months, Gazprom actually ousted independent gas suppliers
from the market.
In 2004, ITERA reduces the gas sales target figure from 28.7 billion
cubic meters to 19.1 billion cubic meters. The PR service of ITERA
reports that there is no decrease of gas production. The company
sells all gas produced in Russia in the Sverdlovsk Region. Press
secretary of ITERA Yevgeny Ostapov comments, “Because the gas
supplies markets shrunk from 90 billion cubic meters in 1990 to 33
billion cubic meters in 2003 and would decrease further in 2004,
management of the company soberly estimates the situation and seeks
the ways for further development.” ITERA is going to focus on gas
processing and production of raw materials for mineral fertilizers
and chemical industry. The company is studying opportunities for gas
processing in the Krasnodar Territory and Astrakhan Region and is
negotiating on financing of new projects. ITERA also plans to build a
power station in Moldova. In late August, the Board of Directors of
ITERA will meet to approve the new corporate strategy.
Source: Kommersant, 21/08/04

REPRESENTATIVES OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION
MEMBER-STATES HOLD CONSULTATIONS IN MOSCOW
YEREVAN, AUGUST 21. ARMINFO. Consultations of CSTO member-states on
foreign policy and security issues were held at CSTO Secretariat in
Moscow on August 20.
The press-service of the CSTO Secretariat told ARMINFO that
consultations were attended by representatives of foreign political
departments and embassies of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia,
Russia and Tajikistan, as well as by plenipotentiary representatives
of CSTO member-states. The consultations were held by Deputy Secretary
General of CSTO Toktasin Buzubayev. The parties exchanged opinions on
the main points of the agenda of the 59th session of UN General
Assembly, discussed the attitude of the CSTO member-states to the
Initiative of Combatting dissemination of mass weapons and elaboration
of a common position of CSTO member-states on the main directions of
OSCE’s activity. The consultation-participants pointed out the central
role of the UN and the UN Security Council as the major mechanism of
peace-keeping and international security, as well as the urgency of
regular verification of the positions on the key issues related to the
interests and security of the CSTO member-states.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

San Diego Union Tribune, CA
Aug 20 2004
Mexico detains 8 from Armenia, Iran, Iraq

By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 20, 2004
Mexican authorities detained eight people from Armenia, Iran and Iraq
at a Mexicali hotel yesterday after exchanging information with the
FBI, Mexican police said.

The six men and two women, one of whom is eight months pregnant, were
found about 11 a.m. by members of the State Preventive Police at the
hotel, in the city’s center.
The continuing threat of a terrorist attack has raised concerns that
terrorists could try to enter the United States from Mexico.
Mexican immigration officials are interviewing the detainees and
examining their documents to determine whether they are in the
country legally. U.S. authorities are interested in learning if any
have ties to groups intent on harming the United States.
Based on initial interviews, most of those being held appear to have
come from Armenia after fleeing religious persecution in Iran and
Iraq, said Alfredo Arenas Moreno, the international liaison for the
State Preventive Police.
The group appears to have flown from Moscow to Mexico City and then
to have made its way north to Mexicali.
Baja California has historically been a conduit for Middle
Easterners, particularly Iraqi Catholics, or Chaldeans, some of whom
try to seek asylum in the United States. It wasn’t clear if any of
the detainees are Chaldean.
One of the detainees appeared to be a smuggler, and another was
overseeing the group’s transportation from Armenia to Mexicali,
according to the State Preventive Police.
Four apparently are legal residents of the United States, and Mexican
authorities were preparing to arrange interviews for the FBI.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 18, 2004 Wednesday
Russia, CIS propose to UN to institute world remembrance day
By Vladimir Kikilo
UNITED NATIONS
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have put forward a proposal
to the U.N. General Assembly to announce May 8 and 9 Remembrance and
Reconciliation Days.
The proposal to put this issue as additional item on the agenda of
the forthcoming 59th session of the U.N. General Assembly is included
in the letter sent to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan by the
countries. Permanent representatives of these states at the United
Nations signed the letter.
“In 2005 the world will celebrate the 60th anniversary of victory
over fascism,” it is said in an explanatory note to the letter, in
particular.
“The great victory in the World War II was achieved by joint efforts
of peoples of many countries. It gave a powerful impetus to the
international community cohesion, which resulted in the establishment
of the United Nations Organisation. Through the suffering and death
of millions of people the nations of the world came to realise that
there is no alternative to the system of collective security that
took shape in the U.N. Charter for maintaining international peace,”
the message says.
“The peoples of our countries have shouldered the main burden of the
war, so we are convinced like no other that there are no such goals
that would justify unleashing of wars,” it is stressed in the
document.
“U.N. member states should jointly exert every effort with a view to
putting an end to the current armed conflicts using political
methods, preventing the emergence of such conflicts in the future and
promoting the maintenance of a stable and solid peace,” the document
says.
“It is in the common interests of humanity to further strengthen the
role and effectiveness of the United Nations Organisation as the
central element of the collective security system in the fulfilment
of the high task proclaimed in its Charter – to relieve the coming
generations from the scourge of war,” the letter reads.
The authors of the letter proposed to the U.N. General Assembly to
adopt a resolution that would announce May 8 and 9 the days of
remembrance and reconciliation, as well as to hold a special solemn
session of the Assembly in order to adopt a declaration aimed at the
unification of humankind in the name of peace and progress and
prevention of new world wars.