Author: Torosian Aram

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ap-cs-03-15-05 2204est

Immigrants nabbed at NY hotel, charged with plot to smuggle missiles

By Michael Weissenstein
Associated Press
03/15/2005

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors charged Tuesday that a 26-year-old
Armenian immigrant led a plot to sell military weapons to an FBI informant
posing as a middleman for terrorists.

Other law enforcement officials, however, cast doubt on the danger posed by
Artur Solomonyan and his associates, who allegedly claimed to be able to
deliver rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles
and other arms from the former Soviet Union.

“It’s unclear if they were ever able to deliver on their promise on bringing
weapons of war into the United States,” said one law enforcement official
familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “They were
earnest about trying to get them. They just never succeeded, and there was
no indication they would be able to succeed.”

U.S. Attorney David Kelley said in an interview Tuesday that Solomonyan, his
South African partner, Christiaan Dewet Spies, and their associates were
serious threats who demonstrated a clear ability and intent to sell military
weaponry to the FBI informant.

The informant, a South African living in Texas, told the defendants he had
ties to al-Qaida, officials said.

“No one’s saying they’re the biggest arms dealers, but they demonstrated an
ability to obtain military weaponry and destructive devices, and we followed
that investigative lead,” Kelley said. “We’ve taken some very bad people off
the street.”

At least 17 people were arrested in the Los Angeles area, Florida and New
York in connection with the case.

Solomonyan, Spies and seven other defendants were ordered held without bail
Tuesday for allegedly conspiring to transport destructive devices, among
other charges.

Solomonyan’s attorney, Louis Fasulo, said: “He’s planning a vigorous
defense.”

Spies’ attorney declined to comment as he left federal court in Manhattan.

The informant contacted federal investigators last year after Spies offered
to obtain explosives and machine guns from his contacts in Russian organized
crime, according to a criminal complaint.

The gang of Armenians, Georgians, Russians and Americans arranged the sale
of eight assault weapons during the investigation, the complaint said.

They also gave the informant access to a password-protected Web site with
pictures of military weaponry that included the anti-aircraft missiles,
rocket-propelled grenades, a mortar launcher and recoilless anti-tank guns,
the complaint alleges.

Investigators said Solomonyan was recorded on wiretaps talking with
associates in the United States and the former Soviet Union about obtaining
the military weapons.

Solomonyan claimed he could obtain enriched uranium that “could be used in
the subway system,” the complaint alleges. Kelley said he did not believe
Solomonyan could get uranium.

Solomonyan and Spies, 33, were arrested at a Manhattan hotel Monday night as
they met with the FBI informant, who had said he was bringing green cards so
the suspects, who are illegal aliens, could travel to obtain the weapons
overseas, officials said.

Solomonyan entered the United States six years ago on a cultural exchange
visa claiming he was a religious worker for the Church of Scientology,
according to law enforcement officials, also speaking on condition of
anonymity. He was living on the proceeds of Medicare fraud and other scams
as he carried out the weapons scheme, the officials said.

——

Associated Press Writers Pat Milton and Larry Neumeister contributed to this
report.

ap-cs-03-15-05 2204est

ArmenPress
March 15 2005

ARF YOUTH WING DEMANDS EU MEMBERS TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS: A youth organization, affiliated
with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) marched today
through central Yerevan streets to the European Union’s office in
Yerevan to demand that EU member countries recognize the 1915
Armenian genocide committed by the government of the Ottoman Empire.
A statement by the demonstrators says Turkey has no right to become
an EU member.
The protest march was organized to coincide with the 84-th
anniversary of a Berlin court verdict that acquitted an Armenian
student Soghomon Teilerian, who killed one of the perpetrators of the
genocide, Taliat Pasha.
The statement said Turkey could join the civilized family of
European nations only after acknowledging its responsibility for mass
massacres of Armenians.

San Francisco Chronicle

BAY AREA

Report: 112 languages spoken in diverse region

Tyche Hendricks, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, March 14, 2005

Most residents of the San Francisco metropolitan area won’t be surprised
that the region is one of the most linguistically diverse in the country,
yet a new report based on U.S. Census data tallies a dizzying 112 languages
spoken in homes here, making it the fifth most linguistically varied metro
area in the nation.

In addition to the most frequently used languages — English, Spanish,
Chinese, Tagalog and Vietnamese — there are thousands of Bay Area residents
who speak Persian, Portuguese and Punjabi, and hundreds more who feel most
at home with Swahili, Yiddish and Navajo.

Under census classifications, the San Francisco metropolitan area includes
the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo.
The San Jose metropolitan area — the counties of Santa Clara and San Benito
— has 103 languages represented, putting it at ninth out of 195 regions
around the country.

San Francisco’s diversity is eclipsed only by that in the metropolitan
regions of Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Chicago.

The report, derived from information in Census 2000, was produced by the
U.S. English Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group that seeks to make
English the official language in the United States.

“There’s always a lot of discussion that we’re an English and Spanish
country, but we wanted to show that we’re many more languages,” said Rob
Toonkel, a spokeswoman for the U.S. English Foundation. “It is a diverse
society from a language perspective and we have to make sure that everyone
can speak English, rather than separate people along linguistic lines.”

But many local experts in language acquisition say the emphasis of the U. S.
English Foundation — which is backing a bill in Congress, HR997, to make
English the country’s official language — is misguided.

“When they say ‘English first’ or ‘English only,’ it seems to put out the
argument that people are not learning English, but immigrants are learning
English more than ever,” said Debra Luna, an assistant professor of
education at San Francisco State University. “People are eager to learn
because they know it’s the doorway to better wages and a better standard of
living.”

Nonetheless “language is connected to identity, self-esteem, tradition and
family ties,” she said. “That’s why we as a (teacher) credentialing program
support language diversity and understanding that we’re living in a global
world.”

At the Institute for International Students at San Francisco City College,
two staff members say the region’s diversity only adds to its cultural
richness.

Thi Thi Ma, an English teacher with a master’s degree in applied linguistics
from UCLA, was born and raised in Vietnam, where she learned Vietnamese at
school and three Chinese dialects at home.

Michele Zimmerman, the institute’s activities director, was raised in
Germany by American parents. At her international school, she learned
German, English and French, then went on to add Italian and — after
marrying a man from Uruguay — Spanish.

“In Europe, there’s more emphasis on learning different languages,”
Zimmerman said. “I don’t see anything wrong with doing that here.”

Added Ma, “Being surrounded by languages really promotes cultural
awareness.”

Toonkel said her group is not against multilingualism but insists that
English must receive more emphasis or the U.S. risks losing its civic unity.
For starters, she said, government agencies should stop producing voter
registration forms and other materials in multiple languages.

“We want government to focus on a language policy that says our language is
English,” Toonkel said. “In an area that speaks 112 languages, unless you’re
going to provide information in 112 languages, you’re starting to leave
people out.”

And she applauded laws such as California’s Proposition 227, a ballot
measure passed in 1998 that requires schools to do away with bilingual
education and channel English learners into mainstream English-only
classrooms.

Ron Unz, the author of Prop. 227, said that English is becoming the world’s
unofficial language and argued that his measure has been more effective at
promoting English proficiency than Proposition 63, a 1986 ballot measure
called the California English Language Amendment, had been.

“For almost 20 years, English has been the official language of California,
but that didn’t have anything to do with the schools teaching English,” he
said. “Prior to 227, a good fraction of students in school were not really
being taught that much English.”

But Patricia Gándara, a UC Davis professor of education, said that in
abolishing bilingual education, Prop. 227 dismantled an important tool in
helping immigrant students catch up with their peers.

“I’m in total agreement that all children here must learn English,” she
said. “What the research community is interested in is how do we provide
them the best opportunity to speak English and the best opportunity to make
it through school.”

Society ought to view the primary languages immigrant children bring to
school as resources, rather than liabilities, Gándara said. She added that
the U.S. English Foundation’s emphasis on the multiplicity of languages in a
place like San Francisco ignores the fact that in many cases, just a couple
of foreign tongues are dominant.

“We have a great diversity of languages in this country and in this state,
however it remains a fact that about 85 percent of those kids speak one
language: Spanish,” she said.

That means that in a place where Spanish is dominant, teachers can use it
effectively in the classroom, she said, just as they can use Armenian
effectively in a community where that language is prevalent. She added that
educators have other strategies to draw on when there are multiple languages
in one classroom.

But Toonkel insisted that for immigrants to succeed in America, English must
be the primary tool of teaching and communication.

E-mail Tyche Hendricks at [email protected].

Russia MP: America reveal ‘true intentions’ for Caucasus

The Messenger, Georgia
March 11 2005

The Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports that the “United
States is keeping a close eye on the Caucasus.” Speaking at hearings
in the Senate Armed Forces Committee, American General James Jones,
the Supreme Allied Commander of the Unified Armed Forces (UAF) of
NATO in Europe, said that in terms of strategy, the top US military
leadership considers the Caucasus one of the most important regions
in the world. He also touched upon their interests, particularly, the
Caucasian air corridor which has become a critical lifeline between
the coalition armed forces in Afghanistan and our bases in Europe.
The paper writes that General Jones summarized yet another of
Washington’s priorities in this zone, Caspian oil. The general
expressed his wish that in order to increase their traditional lines
of communication, they are seeking access to new facilities and the
freedom to transit the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Near East, and
Africa to advance American national interests. The Caucasus, the he
said, is also a crucial “geographic point in the process of spreading
democracy and the market economy in the countries of Central and
Southeast Asia.”
The paper writes that U.S. plans for troops in the area until 2015.
“The European Command of the U.S. Armed Forces together with the
command of the American Special Forces is now working on a new plan
intended for the period until 2015 whereby the United States would
station its permanent and rotational special forces to new bases in
the southern part of Europe,” the paper states.
Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Russian Federation State
Duma Committee on International Affairs, believes that these
revelations by the general do not match up with the statements by
American politicians that the American military presence in the
Caucasus region is linked to opposing the international terrorist
threat. “The general let slip and thereby confirmed the true
intentions of the Americans in this region, which up to this point
were carefully hidden,” the MP tells the paper.

PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION OF BELARUS TO VISIT ARMENIA ON MARCH 17-19

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, NOYAN TAPAN. The delegation headed by Chairman
of the Belarusian parliament will pay an official visit to Armenia
on March 17-19. The delegation members will meet with the Armenian
parliamentarians and high-ranking officials of the country. The
visit results will be summarized at a press conference at the RA
National Assembly.

Turkey’s possible step into EU will lead to changes
By ANGELA SAGER, guest columnist

March 8, 2005
The Lariat ONLINE
;story=22995

As a key U.S. ally and the only Middle Eastern country that is a
member of NATO, Turkey plays an important role both strategically
and diplomatically in the world. Talks of Turkey’s entry into
the European Union, therefore, are important issues to not only
the countries involved, but also to the United States. As social,
economic and political concessions are made to reach the standards
the EU demands, the United States has an important role in reassuring
the best interests of both parties will be served with this alliance.

The compromise of both parties must be made in an equitable manner
so as to assure the mutual understanding and bipartisanship that will
insure a happy and long-lasting relationship.

Having been in the country Dec. 17 — when the EU approved to begin
talks about its entry next October – I had the opportunity to witness
a new found identity among the Turks. Their sense of nationality and
their place among its European neighbors and the world was discussed
and debated among both intellectuals, government officials, and
the average Turk. This air of open deliberation was one in which I
learned much about the diverse and educated opinions of most Turks —
as well as, the benefits and consequences that will be bestowed on
both Turkey and the EU.

The economic factors of the merger are both the biggest benefit,
as well as detriment to Turkey.

Since 2002, the economy has been growing fast, unemployment
has dropped, and corporate taxes are set to be dropped in order
to encourage foreign investment. Once more, Turkey’s exports of
agricultural goods helps to supplement many areas of Europe today,
notably Germany. By joining the EU, all European countries would be
open to a more free flow of the agricultural.

While the benefits are enticing, much of Europe is also concerned
with the large amount of foreign debt that Turkey possesses. Close
to economic collapse in 2002, it was a deal with the IMF that saved
the country. Furthermore, while Turkey’s large population could help
to supplement Europe’s military and workforce, a dramatic influx of
mostly undereducated, poor Turks could also put a strain on European
countries’ resources.

Several social issues also remain as barriers to Turkey’s accession
into the EU — religion being one of the largest. Though a secular
state, Turkey has a population that largely identifies itself as
Muslim. The cultural divergence of Turkey and the EU are what many
European countries feel can not be overcome.

The Dutch, in particular, have been outspoken in their fear of an
“Islamisation” of Europe if Turkey joined. Many Turks also speculate as
to whether the Europeans are willing to look at them on equal footing.

While a problem, the Turks are not unfamiliar with a multi-ethnic,
multi-religious existence. Turks have a long history of integrating
their identity with other nations and cultures. Former U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell recognized the importance of this unity when
he commented last December that, “A Turkey that is firmly anchored
in Europe and sharing European values will be a positive force for
prosperity and democracy.”

The government implications of the entrance of Turkey into the EU
also overlap many of these cultural concerns. Turkey’s military has
seen itself as the protectorate of secularism in the country since
the time of its founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

With this, multiple coups and constitutions have occurred to keep
the government from becoming fundamentally religious. This amount of
military control, however, is a concern for the European countries
and the stability of the Turkish government.

Finally, Turkey’s long and sorted human rights violations involving
their Armenian and Kurdish populations have been another source of
contention within the EU.

French President Jacques Chirac went as far as to threaten the halt of
negotiations until Turkey admits that the 1915 killing of Armenians
was a tragedy. Turkey has begun to work towards steps of improving
its record by outlawing the death penalty and other harsh civil penal
codes. However, many Turks see these past violations as a convenient
excuse for the European countries to reject their entry.

The decision on whether to join the EU is one with which Turks
grapple. Many are afraid of losing their identities as one of the
most culturally diverse and rich peoples.

Furthermore, it is also believed the EU may try and ask more than
is possible for the Turks to concede to — like the creation of an
independent Kurdistan or complete withdrawal from Cyprus — and are
therefore just pulling Turkey along on a string through these talks.

In the end, however, whether Turkey is accepted (or choose to join)
into the EU or not, the changes made in pursuit of the agreement
will be seen to further move the country in a more democratic,
peaceful nation.

At the rate in which globalization is expanding, and the powers
of countries are increasing through consolidation, it is important
for the United States to maintain a peace and cooperation with our
long-time European and Turkish friends.

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:

COMMON DECLERATION OF THE MEETING
OF THE DELEGETAIONS OF THE CATHOLICOSATE
OF ALL ARMENIANS AND THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA

A meeting between delegations from the Catholicosate of All Armenians and
the Catholicosate of Cilicia was held in St. Etchmiadzine on the 4th and the
5th of March. The meeting was held under the patronage of His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos
of Cilicia, with the aim of further developing the mission of the Armenian
Church and further strengthening internal unity. The main purpose of the
meeting was to prepare an outline for discussions around the theme “The
Imperative of the Armenian Church’s Renewal.”

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Bishop Michael Atchabahian, Mr. Rafayel
Babaian, Mr. James Kaloustian represented the Catholicosate of All
Armenians. Archbishop Oshagan Tcholoian, Bishop Nareg Aliemezian, Mr.
Yervant Pamboukian and Mr. Arsen Tanielian represented the Catholicosate of
Cilicia.

On Friday the 4th of March, His Holiness Krekin II met with the two
delegations and clarified his expectations as well as those of His Holiness
Aram I.

The participants in the meeting prepared an outline containing nine main
points, as follows:

1.. The canonical status of the Armenian Church, ecclesiological,
administrative and canonical definition

2.. Christian and Armenian education, mission and protection of spiritual
and cultural values

3.. Liturgical Life

4.. Formation of clergy and revitalization of monastic life

5.. Inter-church and ecumenical relations

6.. Attitudes towards moderns social and moral issues

7.. Church-state and church-society structure relations

8.. The church and the Armenian people’s rights

9.. Use of modern technology

Each of these main points was divided into subcategories and general
discussions were held around each, as an initial for thorough analysis and
accordingly adoption of relevant approaches in the future.

The two delegations decided to present the outline of their discussion to
His Holiness Karekin II and to His Holiness Aram I.

##

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.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/08/2005
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1) Possible May Meeting of Kocharian, Aliyev in Warsaw
2) ARF Delegation at Socialist Movement Congress in Athens
3) EU’s Rehn Says Turkey Must Press Ahead with EU-Sought Changes
4) International Women’s Day: Armenia Celebrates… but for All the Wrong
Reasons
5) UCLA International Conference Series on the Enduring Legacy of the Armenian
Genocide

1) Possible May Meeting of Kocharian, Aliyev in Warsaw

YEREVAN (Azg)–The next in a series of meeting between Armenian and Azeri
presidents may take place in Warsaw, Poland May 16-17, on the sidelines a
scheduled meeting of Presidents of European Parliament member states.
The Azg daily newspaper reports that diplomatic sources indicated on March 7,
that the Warsaw meeting between President Robert Kocharian and Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev will most likely not produce official documents, as the
conflicting sides to the [Mountainous Karabagh] conflict are far from
agreement
on the regulation process.
The paper also reports that US President Bush and Russian President Putin,
during their February 24 meeting in Bratislavia, reached an agreement on
stepping-up efforts to resolve the Karabagh conflict, but did not release
details.

2) ARF Delegation at Socialist Movement Congress in Athens

YEREVAN (ARF Press Office)–An Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
delegation attended the 7th Congress of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement
(PASOK) in Athens, March 3-6, on the invitation of PASOK leader George
Papandreou.
Representing the ARF Bureau, Kaspar Garabedian and Krikor Erchenian met
briefly with Papandreou, as well as former Greek Prime Minister and PASOK
leader Costas Simitis.
Garabedian and Erchenian in their meetings with the Head of Socialist
International (SI) António Guterres and SI Secretary General Luis Ayala,
reconfirmed their commitment to undertake joint initiatives in Armenia in the
coming months.
The ARF Bureau representatives also spoke with the former Speaker of Greek
Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis, former head of the Cyprus Socialist Party
Vasos Lisarides and current president Yiannakis Omiru.

3) EU’s Rehn Says Turkey Must Press Ahead with EU-Sought Changes

(Bloomberg)–Turkey must keep implementing measures needed to join the
European
Union as it prepares for membership talks in October, EU Enlargement
Commissioner Olli Rehn said.
Turkey should continue to strengthen minority and women’s rights in all areas
of the country, including the mainly Kurdish southeast, Rehn told reporters in
Ankara late yesterday after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
“It’s very important that the momentum of the reforms is kept up, that
Turkey
keeps up the momentum of the legal, political and also increasingly the
economic reforms especially as regards the implementation of these reforms,”
Rehn said.
Turkey says the membership talks with the EU will help it reduce the cost of
$250 billion in debt and attract foreign investment. Hansjoerg Kretschmer, the
head of the European Commission in Turkey, last week said Turkey’s
implementation of EU-backed laws had slowed since it won a date to start
membership talks with the EU three months ago.
The EU will run the so-called “screening process” for membership parallel
with accession negotiations when talks with Turkey begin in October, Rehn
said.
Turkey before then should maintain zero tolerance for torture and respect
freedom of expression and the rights of non-Muslims, he said.
The United States and Britain says the EU must embrace a country that’s both
Muslim and democratic to help win the war on terror and encourage democracy in
the Middle East. Turkey, which became a candidate for membership of the EU in
1999, borders countries including Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia.

Outline for Change

The European Union aims to publish a framework for the negotiations with
Turkey by the end of June, Rehn said. The document outlines the political and
economic steps the nation must take before it can join the 25-nation EU.
“The work will have to go on, the reforms have to be consolidated and
continued,” he said. “This means that we will continue monitoring and we
will
support the reform work done by Turkey to make the rule of law apply in all
walks of life, in all areas of Turkey. This is a process, not a one-stop.”
Rehn, Gul and Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, which
currently holds the EU presidency, will meet in Ankara today for talks on
Turkey’s candidacy. They are due to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. local
time.
Turkey can’t join the EU because its culture and history isn’t sufficiently
European, say EU politicians including Nicolas Sarkozy, leader of French
President Jacques Chirac’s Union for a Popular Movement Party. Chirac last
year
said the talks may take 15 years to complete.
The EU’s political leaders agreed at a summit on Dec. 17 to start the
negotiations with Turkey after the government curbed the political
influence of
the military and improved cultural and language rights for the nation’s 12
million Kurds.

4) International Women’s Day: Armenia Celebrates… but for All the Wrong
Reasons

International Women’s Day (March 8) is marked by women’s groups around the
world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated
in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often
divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic
and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look
back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for
equality, justice, peace, and development.

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–In Armenia, men gave presents and paid tribute to their
mothers, wives and girlfriends on Tuesday, as the country marked the holiday,
one of its most popular ones, dating back to Soviet times.
President Robert Kocharian, other top government officials, as well as the
head of the Armenian Apostolic Church Catholicos Karekin II, offered warm
congratulations to women on the occasion.
“Women of Armenia are making a remarkable contribution to the development and
strengthening of our country,” Kocharian said in a statement. “The
framework of
their state and public activities is expanding these days. You, dear women,
remain the pillars of our family hearths and maintain your female
attraction.”
“Rest assured that your boundless kindness, dedication, and solicitude do not
go unnoticed and that you undoubtedly deserve much greater appreciation,”
Prime
Minister Andranik Markarian said for his part, alluding to socioeconomic
hardship, which most women have had to endure since Armenia’s independence.
Though the holiday is primarily associated with workplace equality between
men
and women in Europe and other parts of the world, in Armenia it is an occasion
to extol the traditional female virtues of motherhood, beauty, and tolerance
that are seen as more important in conservative male-dominated societies. All
government ministers in Armenia are men and only a handful of female
members of
parliament.
Random polling on the streets of Yerevan showed that many Armenian men still
regard housekeeping as the primary mission of the opposite sex. “Our
traditional Armenian upbringing teaches that the woman must first of all look
after the home and raise kids,” said one young man. “I can’t say I like
career-oriented women.”
“Feminism sounds good, but we must remember where we live,” agreed an older
man.
Another man argued that March 8, which is a non-working day in Armenia,
should
not have been celebrated in the first place. “It’s stupid. Every day is a
holiday for my wife,” he said with a smile.
Some Westerners living in Yerevan find such attitudes shocking. Lara
Dudaglian, a Canadian citizen of Armenian origin, said local women are also to
blame for that. “Women here tell me, ‘This is the situation we are in,
there is
nothing we can do to change it’,” she said. “They must not be so submissive.”
“I find it easier to socialize here with women than with men,” said her
husband Raffi. “Most of my friends in Armenia are women. The mentality of most
local men is more inhibited and terribly oriental.”

5) UCLA International Conference Series on the Enduring Legacy of the Armenian
Genocide

LOS ANGELES–Marking the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, the
Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian history at the
University of California in Los Angeles, UCLA will host its next International
Conference Series on April 1-3, titled “After Nine Decades: The Enduring
Legacy
of the Armenian Genocide.”
The conference, organized by the holder of the AEF Chair in Modern Armenian
History at UCLA, will commence on Friday, April 1, with an evening session,
7:30-9:30 p.m., in Armenian, at the AGBU Manoogian Center, 2495 E. Mountain
Street, Pasadena. Speakers that night include Nora Assirian from Damascus
University, Karen H. Khachatryan from the Institute of History in Yerevan,
Marc
Nichanian from Wesleyan University, and Raffi K. Hovannisian from the Armenian
Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) in Yerevan.
The conference will continue on Saturday, April 2, 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m., at
UCLA 100 Moore Hall. The Saturday session will cover a range of topics
including the enduring legacy of the Genocide, America’s Foreign Policy and
the
Armenian Genocide: A Legacy of Paradox, the Assyrian Genocide:
Late-Nineteenth-Early-Twentieth Century, the Greek Calamity in Asia Minor and
the Pontus, Comparative Media Coverage in English-Speaking Countries, From
Charles Aznavour to System of a Down, and The Armenian Genocide and French
Society. Speakers include Richard Hovannisian, Henry Theriault, Suzanne E.
Moranian, Hrag Varjabedian, and Katia Peltekian, among others.
The last day of the conference, Sunday, April 3, 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m., will
take place at the Court of Sciences 50, UCLA. With a focus on history and
memory, topics include Across the Chasm: From Catastrophe to Creativity,
Historical Memory: Threading the Contemporary Literature of Armenia, Turkish
Liberal Historiography and Genocide, and Constructing a New Historiography of
the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. Speakers include
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Rubina Peroomian, Fatma Muge Goçek, and Bedross Der
Matossian, among others.
For more information, visit
<;
For a UCLA campus map go to <; or
contact Professor Hovannisian at [email protected]. Admission is free
and parking is available at parking structure no. 2, at the Hilgard and
Westholme entrance to UCLA.

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Turk PM urges probe of Armenia genocide claims

ANKARA, March 8 (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
called on Tuesday for an impartial study by historians of Armenian
claims that their people suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman
Turkish troops during and after World War One.

Turkey has always denied the genocide claims but has been irked
by growing calls, especially from within the European Union which
it aspires to join, that it recognise a genocide occurred as an
historic fact.

Some EU politicians have even suggested that Turkey should not be
allowed to start entry talks to join the bloc on Oct. 3 unless it
accepts the genocide claims.

“We have opened our archives to those people who claim there was
genocide. If they are sincere they should also open their archives,”
Erdogan told a news conference.

“Teams of historians from both sides should conduct studies in these
archives. We are ready to take steps on this issue.

“We do not want future generations to have a difficult life because
of hatred and resentment,” he added.

Armenia says 1.5 million of its people died between 1915 and 1923
on Ottoman territory in a systematic genocide and says the decision
to carry it out was taken by the political party then in power in
Istanbul, popularly known as the Young Turks.

Turkey denies any genocide, saying the Armenians were victims of
a partisan war which also claimed many Muslim Turkish lives. Turkey
accuses Armenians of carrying out massacres while siding with invading
Russian troops.

In an unusual gesture that underlined the sensitivity of the issue
in Turkey, opposition leader Deniz Baykal joined Erdogan at the news
conference to stress his party’s full backing for an independent
inquiry into the claims.

“We are facing a political campaign (against Turkey),” said Baykal,
leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Several foreign parliaments, including those of Canada, France and
Switzerland, have approved resolutions recognising an Armenian genocide
as fact, much to Turkey’s irritation.

Armenians will mark the 90th anniversary of the killings on April 24.

Turkey has no diplomatic relations with its tiny neighbour Armenia and
its border has been closed since 1993 in protest against the former
Soviet republic’s occupation of part of the territory of Ankara’s
regional ally Azerbaijan.

03/08/05 11:52 ET

IN CASE OF RESUMPTION OF MILITARY OPERATIONS RESPONSE OF
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY RELATING TO INITIATOR OF BLOODSHED WILL BE
STRICT

YEREVAN, MARCH 7. ARMINFO. in the case of resumption of military
operations in the issue of settlement of the Karabakh conflict the
response of the international community regarding the initiator of the
bloodshed will be strict. Former Cochairman of OSCE Minsk Group from
Russia Vladimir Kazimirov stated answering the question of the daily
“Yerkir”.

According to him, not only Russia, but all the cocochairing states
of the OSCE Minsk Group, majority of other states and international
organizations not only won’t they approve the actions of the
initiators of the new bloodshed, but take stricter position. For
example, even David Atkinson marked what position the Council of
Europe will take, Vladimir Kazimirov said. Speaking of the reality
of threats of resumption of military operations the Russian expert
noted that the manifestations of revanchism should be vied not taking
into account the obstinate attempts of Baku to solve the Karabakh
conflict by force in 1990s. The result turned to be the opposite to the
expectations, and the parties had to declare cease-fire in 1994 without
any pre-conditions. But somebody took it as a induced pause. The fact
of threats to resolve the conflict by force – it is still an internal
political bluff, constant signal of dissatisfaction, reluctance to
resign themselves to losses and to make serious concessions.

The threats are against series of international obligations of
Azerbaijan, they make an ass of it. But one should not ignore the
revanchism in Baku, especially at official levels. It is harmful,
it hinders to resume serious negotiations. The manifestations of
revanchism have become such obsessive that it is high time the
international organizations to respond it. It already requires
special examination and investigations, Vladimir Kazimirov stressed.

In his opinion, he considers the guarantee of security of the people
of Nagorny Karabakh the guarantees of four or even five levels: –
obligations of all the parties of the conflict to solve all the moot
points exceptionally by peace; obligations of the adversarial party
(grounded demilitarization of all liberated districts right up to
determination and coming into force of final status of Nagorny
Karabakh); – own potentialities of Nagorny Karabakh (in a short
period to attract additional resources of Armenia if necessary); –
international guarantees corroborated by the resolution of UN Security
Council. Of course, we shall think also about guarantees of security
for Azerbaijani population who return to liberated territories. Despite
the demilitarization, the security of the residents of these districts
must be ensured surly at several levels, the Russian expert stated.