Author: Torosian Aram

FRANCE FOR QUICK SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Democratic Azerbaijan
Aug. 8, 2006

It was stated at the meeting of defense minister of Azerbaijan,
colonel-general Safar Abiyev and ambassador of France to the country
Amaudric Bernard du Chaffaut and military attache of France Mark Babiu,
who completes his mission, 7 August.

The military attache reported on the works done during his mission,
expressed gratitude for conditions and help he was rendered. He said
he believes in successful continuation of military cooperation between
France and Azerbaijan.

Defense minister Abiyev noted importance of France for Azerbaijan.

The country is one of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to solve
the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict. ‘We believe’,
he said, ‘that the state of France would make its contribution to
fair settlement of the problem. But unfortunately, the activity of
the Minsk Group gives no result’.

‘Azerbaijan will never reconcile with occupancy of its lands, the
Minister underlined. ‘We expect results of the 12-years long peace
talks. If the talks will fail, we shall release our lands, certainly’.

Mr. Abiyev informed on creation of the state of Armenia on the South
Caucasus and the history of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

The State of France and its president Jacques Chirak is for quick
resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Ambassador Amaudric Bernard du Chaffaut said. ‘President Ilham
Aliyev has twice met with the French President this year. This fact
is evidence to that’.

The defense minister of Azerbaijan expressed readiness for cooperation
with France in military sphere.

IN AZERBAIJAN TALKS ON PARTICIPANTS OF STATUS REFERENDUM AND PROBABLE SHIFTING OF CO-CHAIRS

AZG Armenian Daily #148, 08/08/2006

Neighbors

"For a successful continuation of democratic process of Karabakh issue
it is necessary that the Azerbaijanis return to Nagorno Karabakh,"
commenting on probability of Azerbaijani population in status
referendum Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mamediarov said. According
to Azerbaijani news agencies, Mamediarov said that "the Azerbaijanis
that were displaced from their native land also belong to the people
of Karabakh and it is necessary that they return there."

Curiously enough the Azeri FM speaks of the status referendum not
from the position of negation but from a participant’s position.

Special representative of Azerbaijani president on Karabakh issue,
deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov, was quoted by Mediamax agency
as saying that it is not excluded that the OSCE Minsk Group’s Russian
and French co-chairs will also be replaced following the shifting of
the American one.

AS OF JULY 30, 1827 FROM 13434 ENTRANTS TAKEN ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS RECEIVE
UNSATISFACTORY MARKS

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. "Entrance exams of institutions
of higher education are going on in a calm atmosphere, no strange
insident has been fixed by now, the number of appeals what makes about
10%, is acceptable and moderate." Levon Mkrtchian, the RA Minister
of Education and Science, the Chairman of the Republican Entrance
Commission mentioned about it in the interview to the Noyan Tapan
correspondent. According to the Minister, examination commissions
keep the same standards and principles of estimation, so "no flights
of the average mark" are noticed. L.Mkrtchian mentioned that there
are few cases of making use of ciphers as well (only one-two cases
were fixed). According to data of the Republican Entrance Commission,
as of July 30, 13434 entrants took entrance exams at institutions of
higher education of Armenia, 3532 of who got 18-20 points, and 1827
got unsatisfactory points. Most of all 18-20 points were fixed on
the following subjects: the written "Armenian Language" 1502 and
the written "English Language" 1021. No 20 points were fixed for
"Biology," "The French Language" and "The Russian Language" oral exams,
"The History of Armenian People," "The General History," "Geography,"
"Creative Competition" and "Chemistry" exams. Most of unsatisfactory
marks were fixed for exams on the following subjects: "Mathematics":
535, and "The History of Armenian People": 208.

TURKISH AUTHORITIES MAKE CHARGES AGAINST WRITER ELIF SHAFAK

Panorama.am’ 14:43 31/07/06

The Turkish authorities made charges against writer Elif Shafak,
who is also professor of Arizona University (USA). Ms. Shafak is
charged for insulting the dignity of Turkish nation, United Press
International reports.

The criminal prosecution, facing her the prospect of three years
of imprisonment, is launched against Shafak for writing a piece of
literary art. Arizona Republic reports that the story touches upon
the subject of 1915 Genocide, killing 1.5 million Armenians.

This is the first time ever Turkey prefers a charge under this article
for a work of art, the newspaper writes. /Panorama.am/

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish EU Membership Probability Very High, Turkish Expert Believes
29.07.2006 14:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The probability of Turkey’s membership at the EU is
very high, Turkish expert Gultekin Burcu told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter in Yerevan. In her words, firstly economic reforms are
necessary. «However, these should be in line with human rights and
freedom of expression reforms, reconsideration of some articles of the
Criminal Code. I am an optimist however and I believe that Turkey is
on a right way,» she noted.

At that she underscored that economy underlies everything. «If
countries of the region understand that trading is more profitable
than fighting, solution of conflicts may become a bit closer. I do not
say that development of economic ties is a panacea for all problems,
but these are necessary,» Gultekin Burcu stressed.

PRESS RELEASE

Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

July 28, 2006
____________________

FAR’S MATHEVOSIAN SCHOLARS UNITE TO GIVE BACK
Volunteerism Alive in Armenia’s Youth

Young Armenians, who are pursuing their higher education in Yerevan’s top
universities thanks to the generosity of New York benefactor Ms. Anoosh
Mathevosian, are giving back.

These outstanding students from disadvantaged families received scholarships
that will cover the tuition costs for the full five-year term of their
curriculum through the Fund for Armenian Relief’s (FAR’s) Mathevosian
Scholarship Program.

They formed the Anoosh Mathevosian Friends Union to organize their efforts
to network within the Mathevosian Scholar family and plan volunteer
activities to help others in Armenia who are less fortunate than them.

As recipients of goodwill, they understand the impact of giving. Thanks to
Ms. Mathevosian, they have renewed hope for the future and believe in the
kindness and integrity of people.

On the gray morning of April 23, 2006, the day before the 91st Commemoration
of the Armenian Genocide, 32 members of the Friend Union set out from
Yerevan on a bus to volunteer their time and energies at another FAR
project, the Old Age Home located in Vanadzor. By the time they arrived in
the Lori Province, the sun was shining and everyone was ready to begin.

After a warm welcome from nearly 60 elderly who live at the Home, the
Mathevosian Scholars spent the day cleaning, gardening and performing
various repair works. During their breaks, they bonded with the seniors,
who shared stories of their youth in Yerevan, and organized backgammon and
chess tournaments that lasted well into the evening.

Second-year Yerevan State University student Artyom Levonyan, a journalism
major, spoke fondly of Grandma Siranoosh. `She was a well-known doctor and
her husband was a Minister. After he passed away, life changed for Grandma
Siranoosh. Her children didn’t want to care for her, took her to the
Vanadzor Old Age Home and left her,’ he said.

`The people living at the Home are not unhappy,’ he continued. `They are
well taken care of. But their eyes are constantly looking out to the
horizon in search of their children. For one day, we fulfilled the role of
their children.’

For each of the young Armenians, it was difficult to leave the seniors at
the Old Age Home with whom they established new friendships. Before the
Mathevosian Scholars returned to Yerevan, they promised to return.

The trip to Vanadzor was the Anoosh Mathevosian Friends Union’s first act of
volunteerism. The scholars were energized by the experience and have been
thinking of not only a second visit to the Home but also to other FAR
projects.

Volunteerism is alive in Armenia’s youth. FAR is helping foster the
environment to create such opportunities for its own beneficiaries to give
back to the Homeland.

ABOUT FAR

Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
millions of people through more than 220 relief and development programs in
Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.

FAR, one of the preeminent relief and development organization operating
there, is dedicated to realizing the dream of a free, democratic,
prosperous, and culturally rich Armenia. It works towards a brighter future
by partnering with donors to make life a little better for our people. By
offering hope and more promising prospects in Armenia, Karabagh, and
Javakhk, FAR binds the Diaspora and the Armenian family together around the
globe.

For more information about FAR, to organize a visit to FAR projects, or to
send donations, contact the Fund for Armenian Relief at 630 Second Avenue,
New York, NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849; web
; e-mail [email protected]

— 07/28/06

E-mail photos available upon request.

PHOTO CAPTION1:  Traveling from Yerevan to Vanadzor, 32 Mathevosian Scholars
volunteered at FAR’s Old Age Home, cleaning, gardening and performing
various repair works.

PHOTO CAPTION2:  From disadvantaged families, these university students want
to give back to others in Armenia less fortunate than them because they
understand the impact of giving thanks to the FAR Mathevosian Scholarship
Program.

PHOTO CAPTION3:  During their breaks, the Mathevosian Scholars bonded with
the seniors, who shared stories of their youth and asked about Yerevan
today.

PHOTO CAPTION4: They also organized backgammon and chess tournaments that
lasted well into the evening.

They’re safe and sound

THE 69 Fairfield residents who were stranded in Beirut have been
returned safe and sound, to the delight of their family and friends.

The Hamazkaine Sevan dance group members landed in Sydney on Thursday
night and Bossley Park resident Tatiana Arabian, whose daughter Rose,
16, and son Sion, 15, were with the group, said they received a warm
welcome home.

"Someone said ‘Tatiana, just look behind you’," she said. "I did and
they were all just standing there looking at us.

"Then everyone was running, and everyone was hugging, and everyone
was crying and kissing.

"It’s like, when you want something so bad, when you finally get it
you don’t know if it’s real or not."

The group had been in Lebanon on the last stop of a tour, which
included Armenia and Syria, when Israel launched its offensive against
Hezbollah militants in retaliation for the kidnapping of two Israeli
soldiers.

They were evacuated from the war-torn city to Jordan by bus, then
flown home to Sydney.

"My son is sleeping on the couch and I was watching him from the door
and my husband asked what I was doing," Ms Arabian said.

"I said, look at him, he’s here, just look.

"The phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

"Even people I don’t know very well are calling to wish us well.

"It’s amazing because at the end you feel like we’re all human and
we’re all thinking about each other and we’re all taking care of
each other."

For her part, Rose said she was relieved to be back in Australia.

"We could hear the bombs, but we were fairly safe most of the time,"
she said.

"The day we left though, we were sitting in the bus waiting to go
and one fell so close that a piece of debris fell next to us.

"That was really frightening, just waiting to leave and wanting to
be home and safe."

Rose said flying into Sydney was a special experience.

"That was the best feeling," she said.

"Seeing the city and the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

"To be back in our own country, our own city was great.

"We’re the lucky ones, we were just visiting.

"It’s the people who live there that are having the hardest time."

TV satellite dishes seized in crackdown by Tehran

Gulf Times, Qatar
July 27, 2006

Published: Thursday, 27 July, 2006, 01:08 PM Doha Time

TEHRAN: Iranian police have renewed a crackdown on television satellite
dishes, banned for beaming Western "decadent" images into the Islamic
Republic.

A police spokesman said yesterday hundreds of dishes had been removed
from homes in the capital Tehran and other cities this week as part
of a campaign against "social vice".

"We have a law against the use of satellite dishes. Police are
duty-bound to implement it," said the spokesman, who asked not to
be named.

Iran outlawed satellite dishes in the mid-1990s as part of efforts to
curb the inroads of Western culture. But the ban was largely ignored
under former president Mohamed Khatami who tried to increase social
freedoms after he was elected in 1997.

But after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the presidency last year
with the backing of conservative clerics and Basij religious militias,
hardliners have pressed for renewed restrictions, warning of a threat
to Iran’s Islamic values.

"Police came to our building and collected all the dishes. But they
were very friendly," said Reza Sharifi, a 45-year-old teacher, who
lives in wealthy northern Tehran.

A judiciary official told the official Irna news agency that the
crackdown was a nationwide plan.

Authorities also blame opposition television channels, mainly based
in the US, for inciting protests against the Islamic Republic.

l Iran has banned the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code after
protests from the country’s Christian clergy, the culture ministry
said yesterday, but the Persian translation is already in its eighth
edition.

Iranian publishing thresholds have relaxed considerably in recent
years and Tehran booksellers have noted an increased appetite for
new age and spiritual titles.

"Based on the request of three Christian clerics, yesterday we decided
to ban its republication," said an official at the Ministry of Culture
and Islamic Guidance who declined to be named.

Most of Iran’s Christians belong to the Armenian church and number some
100,000. Although a small minority in a country of 69mn Muslims, the
Armenians have two seats reserved for them in the 290-seat parliament.

The tiny Assyrian Christian community also has its own parliamentarian.

Many Christians have condemned Dan Brown’s page-turner, saying the
plot is offensive.

The Da Vinci Code has sold more than 40mn copies worldwide and has
been turned into a Hollywood film starring Tom Hanks. Although the
film has not had a box office release in Iran, the pirated DVD is
widely available.

Copies of the book were still on sale in Iran and will not be taken
off bookshelves, but a ninth edition will not be printed, the official
said. -Reuters

Azad-Hye, 27 July 2006, Dubai: Since 12 July 2006 the Middle East
crisis entered a new and very violent stage, especially with the
direct confrontation between the Israeli Army and the Lebanese
resistance forces (Hezbollah). Analysts now predict that the fighting
will continue longer than expected, probably 2-3 months.

Being poart of the local population, the Armenians in the Middle East
have always suffered from the ongoing political turmoils, even though
they have tried to maintain impartial position in the unfolding
quarrels.

Karen Grigorian, the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Armenia in
Damascus (Syria) provided us with additional information about how the
Armenians are dealing with the latest crisis in Lebanon.

According to Grigorian, some 1200 Armenian citizens were in Lebanon
when the fighting exploded, majority of them spouses of Lebanese-
Armenians and tradsmen, including also a limited number of tourists
and visitors.

Soon after the first days of the devastated bombings of Lebanon, the
two Armenian Embassies (Beirut and Damascus) and the Armenian General
Consulate in Aleppo (second city of Syria with large Armenian
pupulation) coordinated their efforts and managed, up to this point,
to evacuate 300 citizens in a highly efficient way.

Caravan of buses headed from Beirut to the town of Arida on the Syrian
border, from where the Armenian Embassy in Damascus arranged the
border crossing formalities and the transfer of the citizens to Aleppo
airport, where additional flights were arranged to take the nationals
into Yerevan. Several of the flights, origianlly scheduled to Beirut,
were diverted to Aleppo in order to serve the increasing number of
travelers. Limited number of evacuees preferred to stay in neighboring
Syria and Jordan, in anticiaption for peaceful unfolding of events.

Grigorian has himself suprevised the transfer process to Aleppo
Airport, by travelling to the Syrian border 4-5 times during the last
two weeks.

As far as the Armenian community in Lebanon is concerned, Grigorian
explains that the Embassy’s effort has been limited to facilitating
the easy transfer to Syria of those who expressed desire to join the
other evacuees. Eventually some 350 Armenians (mainly from Lebanon,
with few Armenians from other communities who were at that time in
Beirut) used the services of the Armenian authorities. In this
context, Grigorian wishes to stress that the Embassy is not involved
in creating a wave of immigration to Armenia. It is not clear how many
of those transferred to Armenia will finally settle down there.

Photo and text at:
734sza67

ARMENIA WILL RESPOND TO LEBANON’S CALL

Lragir.am
26 July 06

The press service of the government informs that the prime minister
instructed to hold a consultation on July 26 to discuss rendering
humanitarian aid to Lebanon. The consultation was conducted by Hovik
Abrahamyan, the minister of territorial management. It was mentioned
that Lebanon asked the countries of the world to provide aid, food,
medicine, tents, fire extinguishers and financial donations. During
the discussion, considering the existing possibilities, it was decided
to provide medicine, equipment and tents. After having the approval of
the prime minister, an instruction was given to the Ministry of Finance
and Economy to work out a draft decision, which will be discussed in
the meeting of the government on July 27. It was mentioned that after
the adoption of the decision the aid will be sent by a plane to Aleppo.