Author: Torgomian Varazdat

Agence France Presse — English
June 25, 2005 Saturday 6:29 PM GMT
Petro-dollars funding big military build up in Azerbaijan: Aliyev
BAKU June 25
Azerbaijan is using revenue from record-high oil prices to fund a
massive increase in military spending, President Ilham Aliyev said
Saturday, warning that the army would be prepared to reconquer the
ethnic-Armenian separatist region of Nagorno Karabakh.
Azerbaijan will spend 300 million dollars (248 million euros) on its
armed forces in 2005, a 70 percent increase over last year, the Azeri
leader said at a ceremony in a military academy.
“The adversary must know that the Azerbaijani army can mobilize at
any moment and liberate the occupied territories,” Aliyev said.
“Spending on the country’s defense force will grow continuously.”
In May, Azerbaijan inaugurated a US-backed pipeline, which will
deliver oil from Caspian Sea oil fields to the Mediterranean and is
expected to generate as much as 160 billion dollars for the country
over the next 30 years.
Analysts say Baku may try to use the money to finance an attempt to
restore control over Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenian forces took control of the mountainous area and seven other
regions in a bitter war in the early 1990s, but Azerbaijan has
refused to give up its claim to the territory.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BEATEN ARFD PARLIAETNARY CANDDIATE GIVES DETAILS OF HIS BEATING
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 24. ARMINFO. The ARFD parliamentary candidate Pavel
Manukyan beaten June 21 in the office of NKR DM Seyran Ohanyan has
been brought from the Stepanakert military hospital to Yerevan.
Giving the details of his beating Manukyan says that June 21 afternoon
he went home and received a phone call from some unknown person. 15
minutes later a young man knocked at his door and told him that NKR
Deputy Defence Minister Samvel Karapetyan was waiting for him. He got
into a black VAZ-2108. Karapetyan and Vardan Balayan joined him at the
corner. Karapetyan asked Manukyan what he meant by saying that “the
Karabakh generals smell of clay.” Manukyan said that he meant what
really was. Then the generals asked him to specify who smelled of
clay. Manukyan called Balayan and Movses Hakopyan because they did not
care for the blood shed for Karabakh and were speaking of concessions.
Then Manukyan was taken to the headquarters of the Defence Army to the
office of NKR DM Seyran Ohanyan. Hakobyan was also there. When
Manukyan said that the power no longer belonged to the people
Karapetyan hit him in the jaw and then in the belly. He sent him to
the ground and began hitting him with legs yelling: “Tell Grisha to
give me the mill and the bakery and I will give my uniform and the
whole army!” Then Ohanyan rushed on Manukyan with swearings against
him and his party.
Ohanyan and Karapetyan beat Manukyan till he began bleeding. Then
Ohanyan ordered the others to take him out of the office saying “you
smell of shit and you are telling us something?” Seeing that Manukyan
was in a critical state Ohanyan instructed to take him to the
hospital, bring to senses and then to bring back for “further
beating.”
Manukyan asked for water. Balayan brought one but spit into the glass
before giving it to Manukyan.
“I am not going to forgive this. One can no longer forgive such
things,” says Manukyan.

A1plus
| 19:14:19 | 24-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |
VENICE COMMISSION WORK RECORDED SERIOUS PROGRESS
According to the agreements reached as a result of the meeting of the Venice
Commission working group and the Armenian delegation, up to June 7 the head
of the Armenian delegation to COE must represent to the Venice Commission
the draft Constitution which must reflect the content of the document
adopted as a result of today’s discussions.
`The document especially underlines that the final draft must preserve the
principle of checks and balances. Till July 25, 2005 the Venice Commission
must evaluate the renewed draft Constitution’, said expert of Constitutional
right Vardan Petrosyan who took part in the session. He also mentioned that
the Armenian authorities must take into account possible offers by the
Venice Commission.
The draft Constitution must be represented to the second reading of the NA
in August. The third reading must take place as soon as possible, and the
Referendum must be organized in November, 2005. `I think, today’s session of
the Venice Commission working group recorded serious progress, as the
document adopted as a result of today’s discussions outlines the principles
of solution of all the three main issues. Now the principles must be turned
into clear-cut articles’, said Mr. Pogosyan.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x137
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:
PRESS RELEASE
Friday, June 24, 2005
AGBU ARMEN QUÉBEC-ALEX MANOOGIAN SCHOOL CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY
New York, NY – Marking its 35th anniversary on June 19th, 2005, AGBU
Armen Québec-Alex Manoogian School held graduation ceremonies for over
120 kindergarten, sixth-grade elementary and eighth grade high school
students with special guests AGBU President Berge Setrakian, His
Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian and AGBU Central Board Vice
President, Founder and Chairman of the School Board Dr. Arshavir
Gundjian present.
Addressing a capacity crowd of 800 community members, proud parents,
friends and supporters, Dr. Gundjian recounted the history of the
School and its many scholastic achievements, honoring dedicated staff
members and teachers who have served the School for 25 years or
more. Setrakian then paid tribute to Dr. Gundjian, whose vision and
initiative in the early ’70s along with the support of the late Alex
Manoogian built what is today one of the largest Armenian schools in
North America. Manoogian underwrote the entire cost of the
construction of the School and the surrounding complex of buildings,
which houses the AGBU Community Center and the Tekeyan Cultural
Center.
School Principal Robert Kechayan proudly presented the graduating
classes with their diplomas praising the students for their many
achievements. Setrakian commended all graduating classes and with
special parting words to the eighth grade class, urged them to carry
on the values instilled in them by the School to preserve and promote
the Armenian identity and heritage, stressing the importance of giving
back to the community.
Prior to the graduation, Setrakian attended a reception hosted by AGBU
Montréal at the Alex Manoogian Community Center visiting with the
Chapter’s Committee, members and youth.
Founded in 1970 in Montréal, Canada, AGBU Armen Québec-Alex Manoogian
School offers instruction to over 500 students from kindergarten
through eighth grade. For more information on the AGBU Armen
Québec-Alex Manoogian School, please visit
For more information on AGBU and its Schools, please visit

Deutsche Welle, Germany
June 23 2005
Turkish Writer Picks up German Peace Prize

A literary ambassador for Turkey

Turkey’s best-selling novelist Orhan Pamuk has been awarded the
German Book Trade’s Peace Prize, reflecting a growing awareness that
many of the issues preoccupying Turkey these days have a profound
global resonance.
Just one week after demonstrations took place in Berlin against the
German parliament’s resolution in memory of the massacre of Armenians
by Turks in 1915, Germany has awarded one of its most prestigious
cultural prizes to Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, an outspoken critic of
his country’s inability to own up to its often harrowing history.
Born in 1952, Pamuk grew up among Turkey’s secular upper classes.
After spending several years in New York, he was given a mixed
reception when he returned to Istanbul, the city where he was born.
The country’s Islamic intellectuals accused him of exploiting
religious and historical themes to pander to Western tastes. Still,
however progressive and pro-European he may be, his support of
Turkey’s westward development is far from unconditional.
Admirers see his work as a rejection of a recent intellectual
tradition that aspires to be western by ignoring the past. “If you
try to repress memories, something always comes back,” Pamuk once
said in an interview with Time magazine. “I’m what comes back.”
A love-hate relationship
According to the selection board that chose Pamuk, in novels such as
“Snow” (2002), “he follows the historical traces of the West in the
East and of the East in the West in a way no other writer does.”
He enjoys both commercial success and critical acclaim in his home
country. His 1990 novel “Kara Kitap” is widely seen as one of the
most controversial and popular readings in Turkish literature.
But despite his phenomenal popularity, Turkey itself has a love-hate
relationship with Pamuk. Nationalist groups angry at his criticism of
Turkey’s treatment of its Kurdish minority want to see his books
removed from public libraries.
And while many welcome the attention he brings Turkey as its literary
ambassador, others envy his international stature. “There is a lot of
jealousy that Orhan Pamuk has been translated into so many
languages,” said one anonymous source in an interview in the
Tagesspiegel newspaper.
Yavus Baydar from the newspaper Sabah has described the award as
“very significant for freedom of speech in Turkey.” He knows what
he’s talking about. Earlier this year, he asked Pamuk to write an
article for Sabah about South Korea. After it was published, he was
bombarded with outraged readers’ mail, accusing him of having given a
voce to a “traitor.”
A relevant writer

The prize jury’s decision continues a tradition of honoring writers
whose works have a topical significance. In 2003, US essayist Susan
Sontag (photo) received the award for her reflections on the fragile
state of post 9/11 trans-Atlantic relations. A year later, the
selection of Hungarian novelist Peter Esterhazy came shortly after
the EU’s eastwards enlargement. In 2005, the choice of Pamuk serves
as a reminder of just how much Turkey and Turkish issues factor into
Germany’s political and cultural debate.
“My novel (“Snow”) is about the inner conflicts of modern Turks,” he
told Die Zeit in April. “It’s about the contradictions between Islam
and modernism and the desire to be integrated into Europe — and the
simultaneous fear.”
In 1998, Ankara wanted to present him with Turkey’s highest cultural
accolade, the title of state artist. He rejected the honor. “For
years I have been criticizing the state for putting authors in jail,
for only trying to solve the Kurdish problem by force, and for its
narrow-minded nationalism,” said Pamuk. “I don’t know why they tried
to give me the prize.”

This time, though, Pamuk will be accepting his award — at the
Frankfurt Book Fair in October.

7DAYS, United Arab Emirates
June 24 2005
Minnows hoping to paint the town Red
Written by 7DAYS | Friday, 24 June 2005
Champions League holders Liverpool will discover the first obstacle
between them and their trophy when the draw for the first qualifying
round is made today.
The Premiership side were handed a reprieve earlier this month, when
UEFA changed their own rules to allow the holders to defend their
trophy, despite the fact that Liverpool failed to qualify through the
league – finishing fifth.
The Reds, five-times European Cup winners, will need as detailed a
map of Europe as they can find with such continental luminaries as
Pyunik of Armenia, Kairat of Kazakhstan, Neftchi of Azerbaijan and
Rabotnicki of Macedonia lying in wait. They will be desperately
hoping to avoid an arduous trip to eastern Europe as they prepare for
their league campaign, and will be keeping their fingers crossed for
a tie much closer to home.
Glentoran, of Northern Ireland, are in the hat, but with the city of
Liverpool sitting on the cusp of Wales, the ludicrously named Total
Network Solutions will be an even more attractive proposition. The
town of Llansantffraid, just 100km from Liverpool, has a population
of little over 1,000 – more than 44,000 less than the capacity of
Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.
Llansantffraid only reached the League of Wales 12 years ago, but the
real catalyst in their history came when local computer firm, Total
Network Solutions, made the club an offer they couldn’t refuse and in
1997 TNS FC was born. Three years later, largely thanks to the
financial injection the sponsorship deal afforded them, TNS became
Welsh champions. Their subsequent venture into Europe was typical of
their form on the continent since.
They lost 6-2 on aggregate to Levadia Maardu, and have since suffered
6-0, 12-2, 7-0 and 4-1 aggregate defeats. Liverpool would probably
set a new Champions League scoring record if the pair were drawn
together, but the Welsh club are, all the same, dreaming of a
match-up with one of Europe’s most illustrious clubs.
`Clearly it would be a fantastic draw in terms of gate receipts and
the interest in the tie would be enormous,’ says TNS managing
director Mike Harris `If we took the game to the Millennium Stadium
(in Cardiff), we would get a bumper crowd. `It would be Liverpool’s
first game since winning the European trophy, so of course it would
be incredibly special.
`On the other hand, meeting the champions means it would be difficult
for us to proceed to the next stage, though I’m sure Liverpool would
prefer to meet us, than some of the other teams.’

SECOND MOBILE COMMUNICATION OPERATOR – VIVACELL TO ENTER ARMENIAN
MARKET ON JULY 1
YEREVAN, June 23. /ARKA/. Second mobile communication operator –
VivaCell (K-Telecom Company trademark) will enter Armenian market on
July 1, stated Hussein Rifai, member of “K-Telecom” Board at today’s
press conference in Yerevan.
He said that the company managed to create a network satisfying the
requirements of the market in record short period after receiving
mobile operator license in November 2004. He noted that the
cooperation with the Lebanese Comium company allowed achieve success,
despite numerous difficulties and obstacles the company faced.
According to him, the cooperation with various suppliers -Intracom,
AlcaTel, Axalto, Eskadenia was decisive factor for the start. “The
single measure of success will come later and will depend on all our
potential clients”, said Rifai. He noted that activities of VivaCell
will mean the start of a new period in the field of telecommunications
in Armenia. Competition in the market will not only mean mobile
communication tariff decrease, but also quality services. “Quality in
the network, quality in the customer care, quality in every single
aspect of our relation with the customer”, stated Rifai.
According to him, it is insufficient to only introduce the technology;
it needs to be adapted by using the local potential and foreign
experience.
VivaCell is the trademark of “K-Telecom” company, which was recognized
by the AR Government winner of mobile communication services tender on
Nov 4, 2004. K-Telecom is included in the Lebanese KT-Holding, which
belongs to the family of Pierre Fatush, the owner of the national
communication operator of Nagorno-Karabakh – “Karabakh-Telecom”.
Note, OTE, Greek Telecommunication Company obtained through an
international tender 90% of shares of ArmenTel Telecommunication
Company for USD 142.42 mln. Till the decision fop the Government of
Nov 4, 2004 “ArmenTel” was the monopolist in the mobile communication
market of Armenia. L.V. -0–

Kathimerini, Greece
June 23 2005
Greece’s ostpolitik
By Petros Papaconstantinou
Turkey’s EU membership aspirations appear to be a main casualty of
the crisis triggered by the French and Dutch rejection by referendum
of the European Constitution. Former Commission president Romano
Prodi, who could become Italy’s prime minister after a general
election next year, has said that `the conditions now are no longer
there for Turkey’s entry in the short or medium term.’
In Germany, Angela Merkel, leader of the main opposition
conservatives, is favored to win an early general election. She has
made opposition to full Turkish membership the main platform of her
Christian Democratic Union party. Even French President Jacques
Chirac, once a warm advocate of Ankara’s bid, is now stressing the
need to define Europe’s geographical limits. Finally, it was US
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick who urged Ankara `to look
beyond the EU to a global context.’
Athens must adapt to these shifting parameters. By lifting its
objection to Turkish EU prospects, Greece materialized an
`ostpolitik’ toward Turkey – much like the West did with the former
communist countries of Eastern Europe – while not becoming the
scapegoat for other European nations who did not want Turkey in the
EU.
Greece should be wary of being too keen on backing Turkey’s bid. In
fact, too much zeal could cost Athens key continental allies and
leave it only with the gratification of British Prime Minister Tony
Blair, from whom the government can expect little, be it on the
Cyprus issue or the community budget.
Political pragmatism may advise us against imitating the French and
German parliaments, which raised the Armenian genocide issue. Yet
Merkel also said it would be disastrous if Ankara did not recognize
Cyprus before the start of membership talks, and it’s hard to see why
these comments did not resonate in Athens.

AZG Armenian Daily #115, 23/06/2005
Diaspora
NEW EVIDENCE FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The France-based Haraj newspaper published the article entitled “The
Christians Left to the Beasts” that tells about the book by Jacques
Rotteroy. His book has the same title.
Jacques Rotteroy has thoroughly touched upon the period of 20th century when
the Armenian was committed in his book “The Christians Left to the Beasts.”
The author describes the events, representing the human and material loses
all the Christian communities of the Ottoman Empire suffered. In the
beginning, he represents the general situation, the eve of the exile,
grounding his story with statistics. The author of the article stated that
this evidence given by Jacques Rotteroy draws attention of the readers to
the tortures and the sufferings the Christian people underwent, making the
symbolic image of the events. The publishers of the book treated the
manuscript with great care, preserving the corrections and the remarks left
by the author on the margins.
The author of the article stated that the thorough description of the
unprecedented crime in the book by Jacques Rotteroy are sure to be the
positive side of it.
By Gohar Gevorgian

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/22/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Pavel Manukian Takes Beating at MKR Defense Ministry Headquarters 2) Barroso Urges 'Frank' Debate on Turkey's EU Entry Bid 3) Gul Warns Norway Genocide Museum to Consider Turkey's Feelings 4) Armenian and Russian Presidents Meet in Kremlin 5) IUSY Istanbul Meeting Adjourns 1) Pavel Manukian Takes Beating at MKR Defense Ministry Headquarters STEPANAKERT--The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) of Mountainous Karabagh Republic, in a press released issued on Wednesday, revealed that Pavel Manukian was taken to a military hospital in Stepanakert on June 20, after sustaining heavy injuries. After gaining consciousness, Manukian said that he was beaten during a visit to MKR's Defense Ministry. Manukian, who was a candidate on the ARF/Movement-88 ticket in last Sunday's parliamentary elections in Karabagh, said that Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian started the beating, along with Deputy Defense Minister Samuel Garabedian, before being joined by other senior military commanders present in the room. Manukian's military and political affiliates, along with friends and relatives, gathered at the hospital, where MKR President Arkady Ghukasian, also visiting the patient, promised a thorough investigation of the incident. The Central Committee of ARF Artsakh demanded the resignation of Karabagh's top military commanders who participated in the beating of Manukian. They also asked that President Robert Kocharian ensure an impartial inquiry into the matter. Late on Tuesday, ARF Artsakh representative Grisha Hairabedian and Movement-88 president Vitaly Balasanian held an urgent meeting with President Ghukasian who pledged to thoroughly investigate the violent incident and punish the guilty. The ARF release also states that they have appealed to the Armenian Ministry of Health to send a team of "independent medical experts" to would examine Manukian's condition and certify the cause of his injuries. Manukian's injuries are not life threatening, and he remains in stable condition. 2) Barroso Urges 'Frank' Debate on Turkey's EU Entry Bid BRUSSELS (Bloomberg/AP)--European Commission President Jose Barroso called for a "frank discussion" of Turkey's prospects of joining the European Union, saying opposition to Turkish membership helped defeat the EU constitution. Resistance to admitting an overwhelmingly Muslim country with a standard of living about a quarter of the EU average played a role in French and Dutch voters' rejection of the constitution, designed to strengthen the EU's global voice. "We should discuss seriously the signals that were sent by the electorate regarding Turkey," Barroso told a Brussels press conference on June 22. "We need to have a frank discussion on that matter." The commission will outline its strategy on June 29 for entry talks with Turkey, a decade-long process due to start Oct. 3. All 25 EU countries will have to approve the negotiating road map. Barroso said that "for the time being," the EU governments have not altered the bloc's commitment to Turkey. Polls in Germany suggest Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will be ousted in an election in September by Angela Merkel, who favors a "privileged partnership'' with Turkey that stops short of full membership. Turkey has a population of 70 million people, almost equal to the total of the 10 countries that joined the bloc last year. Romano Prodi, who as Barroso's predecessor championed Turkey's entry, has changed his mind about Turkish membership, according to an interview with the Gazzettino newspaper. "I now believe that there are no longer the conditions for Turkey to join the EU in the short or medium-term,'' Prodi told the daily newspaper. "We need to rethink things." French President Jacques Chirac on June 17 urged the EU to re-examine the planned enlargement, calling for a special summit on how the process can continue "without having the institutions capable of making the enlarged union function efficiently." Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Europe's politicians to fulfill its promises to Turkey. "The negotiations must start on Oct. 3," he told his deputies in a speech at the Ankara-based parliament. "We are implementing the steps that we promised. I believe that the EU will overcome the current problems that it's experiencing." The US and Britain have urged the EU to embrace Turkey to help democracy in the Middle East, which Turkey borders. Meanwhile, Olli Rehn, the EU commissioner overseeing the expansion plans, told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee "We need to pace ourselves after last year's big bang when the 10 new states joined the union." Concerns over further EU expansion were believed to be one of the reasons why French and Dutch voters rejected the EU constitution. Rehn made it clear that the EU hopefuls will not be able to join the Union before they have fully met the requirements for membership. For Turkey to begin accession talks in October, Rehn urged it to address the Armenian genocide issue. "Turkey has problems tackling the truth, which is always the basis for reconciliation," he said. He also stressed that Turkey must first enforce legislation aimed at significantly improving human rights in the country and sign a protocol extending its existing customs agreement with the EU to all new member states, including Cyprus. The European Commission warned Tuesday it would postpone EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania if they failed to introduce essential reforms, and said the European Union must 'pace itself' after 10 new members joined last year. "My message to (Romania and Bulgaria) is to fulfill the conditions of accession to the letter," said. "I hope that they will make it in time, but I would not hesitate to recommend a postponement of their membership." Romania and Bulgaria are scheduled to join Jan. 1, 2007, while Croatia's membership has been postponed because a fugitive former general wanted by the war crimes tribunal remains at large. 3) Gul Warns Norway Genocide Museum to Consider Turkey's Feelings ANKARA (Armenpress)--Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul "warned" Norwegian State Secretary Kim Traavik about the inclusion of an Armenian genocide exhibit in a museum to be inaugurated on August 30 in Oslo. The prime minister expressed that "the museum will deeply hurt the Turkish people." Turkish-based Milliyet newspaper wrote that in response to Gul, Traavik said the museum will be funded by a private foundation, rendering the government no right to interfere. Milliyet also reported that the museum will open on the initiative of a history professor at Bergen University. The museum, which will open on Turkey's Victory Day, will present exhibits on the Armenian genocide in 1915 and the Holocaust. 4) Armenian and Russian Presidents Meet in Kremlin MOSCOW (RFE/RL)--President Robert Kocharian met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday ahead of a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit where several former Soviet republics will focus on common defense and economic cooperation. They both expressed satisfaction at the current state of Russian-Armenian ties, with Putin saying that they have become "more active" of late. Kocharian agreed but noted that there are issues that still "need to be clarified" by the two governments. "I would like to single out issues related to the energy sector and investments," he said, hinting at Armenia's concerns about the slow implementation of a bilateral agreement that cleared Yerevan's $100 million debt to Moscow. Putin, for his part, praised Kocharian for taking part in the Moscow summit of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), a Russian-led grouping of five ex-Soviet states. Armenia has so far declined to join the EurAsEC, opting instead for an observer status. "The fact that you as a head of state take part in the EurAsEC's activities on the permanent basis is a positive signal," Putin told the Armenian leader. "Although Armenia has an observer status in the organization, I am confident that it will help develop interaction between all our countries." The EurAsEC countries and Armenia are also signatories to the Collective Security Treaty (CST), a Russian-led military pact. A separate CST summit will also take place in Moscow. Preparations for it were discussed on Wednesday by the defense ministers and top diplomats from the member states, where the Armenian delegation was led by Defense Minister Serge Sarksian. "I continue to believe that membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization is one of the integral parts of Armenia's national security," he said. "We have deepened our relations with NATO and the United States in recent years. And I am convinced that our relations with the CST organization in no way impede our cooperation with NATO and vice versa." 5) IUSY Istanbul Meeting Adjourns YEREVAN (YERKIR)--The International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) Black Sea Area Cooperation conference adjourned on June 18 in Istanbul, Turkey, the ARF Youth Office reported. Delegates from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Moldova, Serbia, Sweden etc. participated in the meeting titled, "We all are Minorities." The Armenian delegation consisted of Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) members.Karen Mnatsakanyan and Zinavor Meghryan (Armenia), Talline Tachdjian (France) and, Khatchik Mouradian (Lebanon). The AYF delegation members participated in the "Self-determination Right and Minorities" and "Minorities and Wars" commissions. In both commissions, the AYF delegates raised the Artsakh and Armenian genocide issues. The Artsakh issue spurred debates between the Armenian and Azeri delegates. At the closing of the conference, in a speech on behalf of the AYF delegation, one of the Armenian youth said, "In your speeches you stressed the fact that this conference was very well organized and you thanked the hosts for that. For the AYF delegation, the success of this conference has yet another dimension. Our organization is participating in an event in Turkey for the first time, 90 years after the Armenian genocide, which the Turkish government denies and falsifies to this day. We spoke freely and openly about the Armenian genocide and they were good listeners, I would like to thank our hosts for their openness to discussion. Currently, there is a movement in Turkey that calls for challenging the official government stance on the Armenian genocide. The time has come for Turkish youth not only to be tolerant when this issue is raised, but also to join forces with that movement and help Turkey face its history. Dialogue has started but the road to reconciliation starts at the crossroads of truth." After the speech, the delegates distributed booklets on the Armenian genocide and Turkish denial--causing the Turkish delegates to protest. The meeting was officially closed by IUSY General Secretary Enzo Amendola. AYF delegates returned to their countries on June 21. The delegates from Armenia will conduct a news conference on June 23 at 1 p.m., at the Congress hotel in Yerevan. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress