Author: Tvankchian Parkev

GOLDEN APRICOT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CONTINUES ITS SERIES OF
SURPRISES

YEREVAN, JULY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Jeanne Moreau, the most expected and the
brightest guest of the Golden Apricot (Voske Tsiran) Fourth
International Film Festival to be held on July 9-14 in Yerevan, cannot
arrive in Armenia due to taking part in the Avignon Festival. However,
as Haroutiun Khachatrian, the festival’s Director, stated at the July 4
press conference, no less famous European directors and producers will
fill that gap.

In H. Khachatrian’s words, this year festival’s opening ceremony will
take place in Liberty Square, in the evening of July 9. The ceremony
will be followed by the show of the film "Lark Farm" of Paolo and
Vittorio Taviani brothers, which will announce the festival’s start. In
H. Khachatrian’s words, the purpose of organizing the opening ceremony
in Liberty Square is to give an opportunity to everybody to take part
in that wonderful Yerevan film holiday. Seats for 1500 people will be
placed in the square for that day. Besides, every evening, at 10-12:00,
the best films participating in the festival will be shown in the
square.

H. Khachatrian said that one of many new things in this year’s
festival’s program is creation of new commissions of the International
Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and International Church
Organization. Besides, a Life Tree prize has been also instituted this
year: one of the names of the films hanging on the tree will be awarded
a monetary prize of 500 thousand drams by the principle of accidental
choice.

The festival’s Director stated that this year for the first time
monetary prizes have been instituted for international feature and
documentary films, in the amount of 2 and 1 mln drams, respectively.

"GOVERNMENT SYSTEM NO LONGER UNICENTRAL AS RESULT OF CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENTS," POLITICAL SCIENTIST VARDAN POGHOSIAN SAYS

YEREVAN, JULY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. Political scientist Vardan Poghosian, the
Chairman of the Zhoghovrdavarutiun (Democracy) organization, made a
statement at the July 4 press conference dedicated to Constitution Day:
"The Constitution adopted in 1995 is, unfortunately, still considered
to be a non-legitimate document: it was formally meeting all the
necessary democratic standards, but in terms of the content, the only
hero of the Constitution was the president of the country."

He gave a positive mark to the constitutional amendments made in
November 2005. According to him, the most important thing has changed:
the government system is no longer unicentral. "The division principle
of the authorities has fully reached the democratic standards at least
in respect of the level of Constitution, a balanced government system
has been created between different bodies of authorities," V. Poghosian
mentioned.

In his opinion, "the minimal conditions of democracy are provided and
much depends on the political culture of parties and the people."

Radio Canada
2 juillet 2007

Un procès historique

Le procès du présumé meurtrier du journaliste turc d’origine
arménienne Hrant Dink et de ses complices s’est ouvert à huis clos
devant un tribunal d’Istanbul.

Quelque 2500 manifestants se sont réunis devant les portes du
tribunal pour clamer leur solidarité avec le défunt journaliste qui,
jusqu’à son assassinat en janvier, aura été poursuivi durant des mois
par des menaces de mort pour avoir défendu la réalité du génocide
arménien commis entre 1915 et 1917.

L’ge du principal accusé, un jeune homme de 17 ans, explique la
décision de tenir le procès à huis clos. Ogün Samast, chômeur et
proche des milieux ultranationalistes, aurait, de son propre aveu,
abattu de trois balles Hrant Dink le 19 janvier à Istanbul, devant
les locaux de l’hebdomadaire bilingue turc arménien Agos, que
dirigeait le journaliste. Il soutient l’avoir tué pour des propos
visant à « dénigrer l’identité turque » qu’il aurait prononcés à la
télévision.

Dix-sept autres personnes sont accusées de différents chefs de
complicité.

Amnesty International, qui a envoyé un de ses représentants pour ce
premier jour de procès, craint, tout comme les avocats de la partie
civile, que la procédure ne laisse dans l’ombre des éléments cruciaux
de l’affaire.

L’organisation de défense des droits de la personne rappelle que
d’autres protagonistes, notamment issus des forces de l’ordre, ne
font pas jusqu’ici l’objet de poursuites.

Plusieurs journaux turcs ont rapporté lundi les propos de l’un des
principaux suspects, Yasin Hayal, qui expliquait que lui et ses
compagnons avaient tué Dink selon un ordre donné par des policiers.

« Je ne sais pas si c’était légal ou illégal, mais une chose est
certaine : il y avait un groupe au sein de la police qui nous
contrôlait », a-t-il écrit dans une lettre adressée aux procureurs,
dans des propos rapportés par le quotidien Radikal.

La police n’a pas réagi à ces accusations.

La Turquie hanté par son passé

Amnesty International considère que Hrant Dink a été pris pour cible
parce qu’il défendait la liberté d’expression. Le journaliste avait
été poursuivi à trois reprises par le passé au titre de l’article 301
du Code pénal turc, qui rend passible d’inculpation le fait de «
dénigrer l’identité turque ».

« Bien sûr, je dis que c’est un génocide, parce que le résultat
identifie ce que c’est et lui donne un nom. Vous pouvez voir qu’un
peuple qui a vécu sur ces terres pendant quatre mille ans a disparu.
», déclarait à Reuters Hrant Dink, peu avant d’être poursuivi pour
une troisième fois, en septembre 2006.

Plus de 100 000 personnes avaient assisté à son enterrement, en signe
de solidarité face aux violences des ultra-nationalistes.

La Turquie a jusqu’ici reconnu que des massacres d’Arméniens ont été
commis entre 1915 et 1917, mais les inscrit dans le contexte
d’affrontement inter-ethniques entre Turcs musulmans et Arméniens
chrétiens à la chute de l’Empire ottoman et refuse donc d’en
reconnaître le caractère planifié, ou génocidaire.

MEETING ON DARFUR AND DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN THE UK PARLIAMENT (IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ETHICAL FOREIGN POLICY)

AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2007

Police Take an aggressive attitude to Armenian Lobbyists

In London yesterday, 27.06.2007, on Tony Blair’s last day as Prime
Minister, British-Armenian activists lobbied parliament all day in
support of Early Day Motion 357. This motion, recognising the Genocide,
has now been signed by 144 Members of Parliament.

Police took an unwarranted intolerant attitude, tearing a large
"Recognise the Genocide" banner and detaining the director of Armenia
Solidarity for half an hour under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
for holding the banner too close to Parliament. The distribution of
leaflets was continued throughout and the banner redisplayed where
it could still be noticed by those entering the Houses of Parliament.

A meeting on "Darfur and Armenia" was organised by Armenia Solidarity,
the British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group, Nor Serount
Publications & the Armenian Genocide Trust in the House of Commons,
in the evening, in conjunction with, the Genocide Prevention All
Party Parliamentary Group and the Aegis Trust

In the meeting in the House of Commons, Dr James Smith of The Aegis
Trust, in a major speech on Ethical Foreign Policy emphasised the
parallels between Armenia and Darfur where the Turkish model of the
20th century is being successfully repeated. Ruth Barnett spoke on
the psychological effects of denial and introduced the concept of
reducing the present "Genocide Footprint" by addressing the issues
of past genocides. The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, Dr Vahe
Gabrielyan, emphasised the political dimensions of genocide recognition
which could not be addressed by any commission of historians however
eminent. The meeting was chaired by John Bercow MP of the Genocide
Prevention All Party Parliamentary Group, and attended by several
other parliamentarians including Lord Avebury, Lord Alton of Liverpool
David Burrowes MP as well as David Drew MP, the sponsor of the meeting.

The present Armenian Genocide Recognition effort in the UK is an ever
expanding coalition which is gathering momentum involving more and
more Armenian and UK supporters. "Genocide Recognition is a human,
not merely an Armenian, issue" said Eilian Williams, a spokesman
for the organisers. "We urge all Armenians to continue lobbying to
obtain further parliamentary support as well as to consider joining
the Aegis Trust in their Genocide Prevention Campaigns.

LEO SARKISIAN INTERNS WRAP UP THEIR SECOND FULL WEEK OF INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

armradio.am
03.07.2007 10:31

Entering their third week, ANCA Leo Sarkisian Eastern Region
interns Nyree Naljian and Alidz Oshagan have gone above and beyond
the expectations of most summer interns. While spending their days
at the ANCA office, both have attended functions on Capitol Hill,
visited Congressional offices, and worked on the various projects and
tasks at hand reported the Armenian National Committee of America,
Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).

"We are so honored to have two young, bright, young, and motivated
activists from the eastern region interning in the office this
summer. Having an opportunity to meet all seven interns, it is clear
that each one of them brings their own expertise to the organization
and work collectively to strengthen our cause," commented ANCA Eastern
Region Executive Director Karine Birazian.

Naljian, a New Jersey native, is a junior at Pace University in
the Masters program for Business Accounting. She applied for the
internship to gain first hand experience in the American political
system while becoming more involved with Armenian issues.

"So far this internship has been even more than what I expected. I have
been to Capitol Hill for several occasions, participated in lectures
with Armenian American leaders and professionals from various fields,
and also have met key figures in the House of Representatives and
Senate including the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi," commented
Naljian.

Oshagan, originally from Michigan, is a sophomore at University of
Wisconsin Madison, and is majoring is Sociology, with plans to attend
law school in the future. She applied to the internship to increase
her knowledge on how a grassroots organization operates. Oshagan
and Birazian even spent her second day on Capitol Hill distributing
a magazine created by the North Farmington School District to help
raise awareness about genocide, to the entire Michigan Congressional
delegation.

"The ANCA Leo Sarkisian internship has allowed me to contribute to
the Armenian cause in a hands-on way that I have not been able to
do in the past. I also have the opportunity here to go to Capitol
Hill and meet with staffers which helps build communication skills
regarding informing offices about Armenian issues," commented Oshagan.

Naljian and Oshagan have spent their first few weeks in the office
working on several projects, including advocacy outreach to help
with H. Res. 106 (the Armenian Genocide resolution), participating in
lectures by prominent individuals, attending Congressional Baseball
games, as well as working on their own personal projects which focus
on advancing the Armenian cause.

Now in its 23rd year, the ANCA LSI Program provides student leaders
and activists an opportunity to participate in an intensive 8-week
program designed to give them the tools necessary to effectively
advance issues of concern to the Armenian American community on the
federal, state and local level. The LSI Program is a competitive and
prestigious internship program and is widely considered to be the
best program of its kind for Armenian American college students.

ARFD REPS, IRAQ’S PRESIDENT DISCUSS ISSUES OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD), ARFD Bureau member Mario Nalbandyan
and Representative of the ARFD Supreme body Armen Rustamyan met with
President of Iraq Jalal Talabani in Geneva, where they participate
in the session of the Socialist International Council.

The ARFD press service reported that during the meeting the
representatives of the "Dashnaktsiutiun" discussed issues connected
with the Armenian population in Iraq.

President Talabani promised to solve these problems consulting and
cooperating with the Armenian community.

At present 15ths Armenians live in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad,
Kerkut, Basra, as well in the territory of South Iraq, in the city
of Mosul.

VARTAN’S SON GROWING INTO HIS NEW ROLE AS CHAIRMAN
by Sharon Smitho

Patriot-News, PA
dex.ssf?/base/business/1183164927109450.xml&co ll=1
July 1 2007

Most people would agree that John O. Vartan was an imposing figure
in Harrisburg.

A former engineer at Gannett Fleming, the Armenian immigrant vowed
to start his own business. He did when he created the Vartan Group.

Eventually, he became the dominant real estate developer in Harrisburg,
a restaurateur, the operator of a building-supply company and the
owner of a bank that bore his name.

Vartan wasn’t shy about taking on those in power. He took Harristown
Development Corp. to court for the right to develop properties in
the city. He ended up prevailing and received property on North Fifth
Street, where he built the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement
System building.

Filling his shoes would be a tough task for anyone, but that’s what
his son, H. Ralph Vartan, did when his father died in December 2004
after a lengthy battle with throat cancer.

Most experts say successful family business transitions take time
and lots of planning. Time was something the Vartan family didn’t have.

Ralph Vartan was just 23 when his father died.

"He left great files for me," said Ralph, now 25. "He took me along
and I was sort of his sidekick for the last, maybe, eight months of
his life. But unfortunately, I was 23 years old and he died young. I
knew he wished he had a few more years."

While many people initially wondered how the company would function
without Vartan, most agree not much has changed, including the lobby of
the Susquehanna Twp. office building where the Vartan Group is based.

Reminders of the company’s founder are everywhere. A Michigan Tech
clock hangs in the lobby. John Vartan received an engineering degree
there. A framed cover of Harrisburg magazine hangs next to it. The
dark-haired, dark-eyed Vartan graces the cover. In a portrait hanging
on the next wall, Vartan’s arms are folded and his dark suit and
serious expression leave no doubt that he was all about business.

The Vartan Group might forever be associated with John Vartan and
its past. But it’s Ralph Vartan’s company now, and he’s its future.

It’s a role Ralph Vartan appears to be growing into.

A trained concert pianist, Vartan went back to school and is working
on a master’s degree in business administration at Penn State
University. He divides his time between classes in State College and
spreadsheets at the company headquarters.

Community leaders are impressed with the budding businessman.

"He is driven," said David Black, president of the Harrisburg
Regional Chamber. "And to that extent, his father was a very driven
individual. We’re going to see that in Ralph as he matures from a
business sense."

Ralph Vartan’s leadership skills will likely take on more importance
now that Robert DeSousa, the company’s CEO, has been called up for
military service.

Many business and city leaders credit DeSousa with giving the company
focus and keeping it on track after John Vartan’s death.

"Everybody was worried when John passed on that the company would
decline rapidly," said Randy King, former spokesman for the city.

"That has not happened. That’s been Bob DeSousa. Bob is helping to
mentor and train Ralph. Not much has changed really."

They also credit Ralph Vartan for taking on a taxing role at such a
young age.

"You have to admire [Ralph’s] dedication to the company and the
legacy as well," King said. "He could be selling out Carnegie Hall
every night. Instead, he’s here in Harrisburg keeping things moving.

He’s a warm, compassionate, sincere man."

And he seems up to the task of running the business in DeSousa’s
absence.

"Fortunately, his [military] deployment began right as my school ended,
so I can come back and help," Vartan said.

DeSousa’s temporary military duty is not the first hurdle Vartan has
faced since taking over. Figuring out exactly what the company owned
and what to do with it was a challenge.

After spending 11/2 months going through everything, the family decided
to shed some of the company’s peripheral businesses, such as Vartan
National Bank and the Parev restaurant, and concentrate on the real
estate end of things.

"For me, I grew up following my dad to the construction sites," he
said. "I remember the smell of drywall and concrete. I just love it."

It’s a love he inherited from his father.

"Whenever we passed by the Forum Place, he would always look up and
have a smile on his face," Vartan said. "And he would say, ‘Man,
that’s an awesome building.’"

With one more year to go before he finishes his master’s degree,
Vartan seems well-positioned to feel that same sort of satisfaction.

The Vartan Group, one of the largest private landowners in the city,
is holding land along North Sixth Street and Seventh Street, which
is ripe for development.

"I think if I did nothing right now but work on the stuff we have
ongoing, I’d be busy for five years," Vartan said. "So, I figure if
I could start one or two more projects … that will keep us busy for
seven to 10 years. So, yeah, we have a lot of work to do in this town."

Much like his father, Ralph Vartan sees what Harrisburg could be
instead of what it is. In fact, he plans to move to the city once he
earns his degree.

"It ought to be a city with 50 to 100 percent more residents," he
said. "It ought to have retail shopping. It ought to have a grocery
store — at least one."

Whether the Vartan Group will be the developer to build a supermarket
in the city remains to be seen. But it’s clear that Ralph Vartan is
committed to Harrisburg.

"I’d love to move our office downtown," Vartan said. "We have some
land on Front Street listed for sale. We have some beautiful land."

He also wants to expand the company’s geographic presence.

"We’re really focused in the Harrisburg area," he said. "I think
it’s a mistake for us, in the long run, only to be in Harrisburg. We
want to do lots of stuff downtown, but we want to do stuff in other
cities, too."

That might sound like a huge task, but in many ways Vartan’s biggest
challenge is the one he places on himself.

"I’d like to say if I am half the man my father was, I’ll be like one
of the best people in our community," he said. "Another part of me
says if I am not even greater — if I don’t even do greater things than
he did — then somehow I did not build upon the foundation he laid."

COURT EXTENDED IMPRISONMENT TERM OF THE FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER ALEKSANDR ARZUMANYAN FOR TWO MORE MONTHS IN ORDER TO HOLD ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION MEASURES

arminfo
2007-07-02 13:27:00

Today first instance court of the Center and Nork-Marash districts of
Yerevan under the chairmanship of judge Ruben Nersisyan satisfied an
appeal of the Investigation Department of National Security Service
to extend imprisonment term of the former foreign minister Aleksandr
Arzumanyan for two more months.

As Arzumanyan’s lawyer Hovik Arsenyan told journalists after the court
sitting, the court made such a decision . The court thinks that letting
Arzumanyan free may thwart holding of the pre-court investigation.

To recall, the former foreign minister Aleksandr Arzumanyan was
arrested on 7 May 2007. The Investigation Department of National
Security Service brought a charge against him for "illegal money
laundering".

PanARMENIAN.Net

Appointment of Rudolf Perina may be qualified as USA’s intention to
strengthen its positions in Armenia as counterbalance to Russia

Rudolf Perina took part in formation of the Dayton
Agreement in 1995, which gave bases for the
constitutional structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina
existing up to present.

28.06.2007 GMT+04:00

The appointment of the new temporary chargé d’affaires for the USA in
Armenia Rudolf Perina gives reason to see some things over. First of
all there is an idea that the question of appointment of the
Ambassador will take longer to be solved, and Perina, as a rather
skillful diplomat, is needed in Armenia, moreover taking into account
his large experience in conflict resolution processes.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the former Russian Ambassador Vladimir
Kazimirov, he is not only a highly qualified professional but also an
advocate of creative approach to the most complicated problems of
Karabakh. `As far as I remember he has been one of the initiators of
one of the most essential turning points of the resolution of this
conflict. As it was mentioned the present OSCE Co-Chairs are also
involved in the process and also come up with ideas of their own,’
Kazimirov mentioned.

It must be reminded that in 2002 the American diplomat, who is by the
way specialist of conflicts, announced on the radio station Echo
Moskvi; `The international community, I repeat, is not ready to
recognize neither South Ossetia, nor Abkhazia or Transnistria as
independent countries. The case with Nagorno-Karabakh is a little
different, and negotiations are held between Armenia and Azerbaijan
regarding the status of the mentioned region. The negotiations haven’t
given any specific outcomes yet; the international community supports
the idea of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and doesn’t recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh. We, the mediators try to help the two countries to
find a solution.’ In fact not having any other propositions, `the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan’ is accepted. But as soon as the
mediators, together with the President of Armenia and the President of
Azerbaijan come to a common agreement, taking into account the will of
the nations, the notorious principle may be forgotten.

Appointment of Rudolf Perina may be qualified as USA’s intention to
strengthen its positions in Armenia as counterbalance to Russia. Most
likely the new chargé d’affaires will have his indirect role in the
works carried out by OSCE Minsk Group regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh
Conflict resolution. This assumption may be grounded by the fact that
Perina is perfectly familiar with conflict resolution processes and
with Karabakh Conflict particularly. Moreover, Rudolf Perina took part
in formation of the Dayton Agreement signed in 1995, which gave bases
for the constitutional structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina existing up
to present. The established system is considered to be ineffective,
but by the reestablishment of the mutual confidence between the three
nations; the Bosnians, the Serbs and the Croats, it will make things
more complicated in case of cancellation. Lately the western countries
have been calling on reconsidering the Dayton systems and the adoption
of the traditional Constitution. This plan in particular would improve
the relationship between European Union and Bosnia and
Herzegovina. However, no particular agreement is reached regarding the
issue.

We should not ignore the possibility of a new US war in the region
with Iran, but in this case Armenia will have to face the outcomes of
the war as well and in this case diplomats capable of making quick
decisions are needed. By the way Richard Hoagland is not the worst
variant for a small country like Armenia. Most likely he will arrive
in autumn. His viewpoint regarding the Armenian Genocide is the same
with the one that the Administration and the US State Department has,
though the fact that the US Ambassador to Israel recognizes Holocaust
doesn’t count in this case, as the Holocaust is officially recognized
by the US Government. The recognition of the Armenian Genocide is far
from the same destiny at present, and we don’t think that the new
temporary chargé d’affaires will dare to publicly speak about the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, for a diplomat has no right to
express his personal viewpoint regarding such issues.

«PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical department

MORE THAN 50 COMPANIES TAKE PART IN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION PUBLIC HEALTH AND PHARMACY EXPO 2007

Noyan Tapan
Jun 29, 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The main spheres of public health and
pharmacy are presented at the 6th specialized international exhibition
Public Health and Pharmacy: Expo 2007, which opened on June 29 at
the Yerevan’s House of Moscow center. More than 50 pharmaceutical
companies rendering medical services from Armenia, Russian and Belarus
take part in the exhibition, which will last till July 1.

As RA Deputy Minister of Health Tatul Hakobian said at the opening of
the exhibition, a progress is registered in the sphere of rendering
of medical services. In his words, each person’s health is of big
value, and the very health of the people is the basis of the country’s
economic development.

That’s why, in his words, in the sphere of health we should first of
all pay attention to the quality of medical assistance and services,
and the financial profits should be in the second place.

The exhibition held within the framework of the second International
Medical Congress of Armenia was organized by the exhibition company
LOGOS EXPO Center with the assistance of the RA Ministry of Health.