Author: Vanyan Gary

FREEDOM’S BATTLE: THE ORIGINS OF HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION
by Rachel Bridgewater

Library Journal Reviews
September 1, 2008

Bass, Gary J. Freedom’s Battle: The Origins of Humanitarian
Intervention. Knopf . 2008. c.528p. index. ISBN 978-0-307-26648-4
. $30. POL SCI

Kosovo. Rwanda. Darfur. The Congo. Just the names of these places
conjure the struggle that other nations face when trying to end the
slaughter and abuse of people in far-off lands. Though we may think
of this concern for human rights as being relatively recent, possibly
starting with the Wilson administration, Bass (international affairs,
Princeton Univ.) here places the tradition of humanitarian intervention
into its 19th-century context in a timely, enlightening, and gripping
book. In describing a rich history of morally motivated intervention,
largely by the British and the French, Bass challenges the belief
that such involvement in the affairs of other nations must, at its
core, have imperialistic motivations. The work explores the political
and cultural milieus in which humanitarian responses to atrocities
in Greece, Syria, Bulgaria, and Armenia arose, especially the role
of increasingly free presses in rallying public sentiment. The very
best kind of historical writing, Bass’s work is lively, moving, deep,
and full of insight for today’s challenges. Highly recommended for
both scholars and history buffs in all libraries.-Rachel Bridgewater,
Reed Coll., Portland, OR

SEPTEMBER 1-DAY OF KNOWLEDGE

A1+
[12:44 pm] 01 September, 2008

The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Tigran
Torossian,issued a congratulating message on the Day of Knowledge.

"September 1 is of great importance for each of us as a way taking to
the infinite world of knowledge. September 1 is especially significant
for thousands of first-formers who get in touch with the mysterious
world of books and freshmen who step into the wonderful world of
knowledge.

The day is also important for our pedagogues who educate new
generations as erudite, honest and honourable citizens to build the
Armenia we long for," runs the message.

His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, also issued a congratulatory address on the Day of
Knowledge. The message says, in part:

"On the occasion of the Knowledge Day, from the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin we bring our pontifical blessing and good wishes to the
workers of the sphere of education, devoted lecturers and teachers,
pupils and students.

The meaning of the Knowledge Day is bright and joyous, full of hope
for progress. The doors of hundreds of educational establishments
are opening today with this aspiration and optimism to educate our
children, to whom the future of our people, our country and Motherland
should be entrusted.

We wish a productive academic year, robust health and vigor to
the teachers and organizers of the educational process, as well as
educative spirit, bright mind and diligence to the students.

May Our Lord Jesus Christ keep you under his protection and guide
your steps, keep our Motherland and people in peace today and
forever. Amen."

HRAYR KARAPETIAN: ARF HOLDS MEETINGS ON APPROPRIATE OCCASIONS ONLY

Noyan tapan

Au g 29, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The ARF holds meetings on appropriate
occasions only, member of the ARF Armenia Supreme Body, vice speaker
of the National Assembly Hrayr Karapetian stated at the August
29 press conference when speaking about the meeting-concert to be
organized on September 2 by the ARF Dashnaktsutyun on the occasion
of the 17th anniversary of Artsakh’s independence. According to him,
the municipality did not give permission to hold it, explaining that
some events dedicated to Day of Knowledge are scheduled for that
day. However, the court upheld the ARF’s claim against the decision
of the municipality. "It should not occur to any Armenian official to
ban a celebration of Artsakh’s independence anniversary. This is not
a meeting for making calls for civil disobedience. It has no relation
to the chain of meetings that are held constantly," he said.

In the words of H. Karapetian, the aim of the ARF’s initiative is to
reassert and show to the world that the Armenians are united in the
name of international recognition of Artsakh. He did not rule out that
similar events will be held in Paris and Los Angeles on those days.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION PARTY CRITICAL OF DASHNAKS’ ANTI-TURKISH PROTEST PLANS

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Aug 29 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 29 August: "The authorities are obliged to provide conditions
to all political forces for holding rallies. I respect the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun’s [ARFD] right to hold
rallies, however, I assess negatively a possible anti-Turkish protest,"
a top member of the opposition Republic Party, Suren Surenyants,
told journalists at the Tesaket club today.

He said that on the one hand, the ARFD joins the governing coalition,
on the other hand, it is critical of the president’s initiative to
invite the Turkish president to a football match in Yerevan. "If the
Turkish president’s arrival in Yerevan is so important for the ARFD,
then let them withdraw from the governing coalition and criticize
the president," Surenyants said.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun intends to
stage a rally on 2 September on the independence day of the Nagornyy
Karabakh republic. ARFD representatives have also repeatedly stated
their intention to hold a protest in case the Turkish president arrives
in Yerevan. The Yerevan mayor’s office did not sanction the 2 September
rally of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun.

RUSSIA WARNS AIRLINES AGAINST USING "DANGEROUS" AIRSPACE OVER GEORGIA

Itar-Tass
Aug 28 2008
Russia

Moscow, 28 August: Georgia’s airspace is currently especially dangerous
for civilian aircraft flights, the head of the Federal Air Traffic
Control Service [Rosaeronavigatsiya], Aleksandr Neradko, has said
today, as quoted by the press service of the Ministry of Transport.

For example, on 28 August 2008 the Belarusian airline company Belavia’s
B-737 plane on a regular BRU-1735 flight from Minsk to Tbilisi, which
was following the international route P11, on its approach to the
boundary between Russia’s and Georgia’s airspaces was unexpectedly
denied service in the previously agreed air corridor by Georgian air
traffic control bodies. The commander of the aircraft had to change
the route in order to complete the flight safely.

Earlier, on 25 August 2008, there was a similar incident with an Yak-42
plane of the Russian airline company Volgaaviaekspress on the VLG-303
flight from Volgograd to Yerevan through sections of international air
routes in the Georgian airspace. Despite the fact that the Georgian
side had approved the flight route through the border-crossing Gusli
corridor, Georgian air traffic control bodies refused to service the
said flight without explanation when the plane approached the area
of responsibility of the Georgian air traffic service. The Russian
aircraft’s crew had to change the route and use air routes bypassing
Georgia.

So far, the aviation authorities of Georgia have not provided
explanations for refusal to service civilian aircraft following the
established international air routes over its territory. The Georgian
side has not been responding to special requests from Russian air
traffic control bodies, Rosaeronavigatsiya stressed.

In connection with the incidents, the Federal Air Traffic
Control Service again strongly recommends that Russian airlines
not use Georgia’s airspace for their flights and use alternative
routes. Initially this recommendation was given to Russian airlines
on 8 August.

GRAND MASTER LILIT MKRTCHIAN TO COMPETE AT WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan

Au g 27, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, NOYAN TAPAN. A World Women’s Knockout Chess
Championship will start in Nalchik on August 28.

One of Armenia’s leading grand masters Lilit Mkrtchian will compete
at the championship with the participation of 64 chess players. She
gained the right of participation by winning the bronze medal at the
2006 European Championship.

Games of the 1st round are scheduled for August 29. L. Mkrtchian will
play against Eva Mozer (Austria).

Among the participants is Grand Master Katerina Rohunian (U.S).

"STRUGGLE AGAINST POSTERS"

A1+
[07:15 pm] 25 August, 2008

On August 25 the Armenian National Congress (ANC) issued a statement
which runs,

Today at 10.30 a.m. over 100 policemen and people wearing plain
clothes, showed up in Northern Avenue, shouted abuse at the sit-down
strikers, tore posters and left taking along their posters.

Armenia’s leadership is in a terrible plight. They fear the size,
efficiency and reputation of the sit-down strike in the avenue.

On the eve of a September 5 rally, collection of signatures on
bringing Robert Kocharian before the Court of the Hague gathers new
momentum. Holding 76 political prisoners as hostages the authorities
have waged a struggle against their photos and posters.

They fully realise the size of the upcoming rally organised by the
ANC and fear public vivacity, economic crisis and unprecedented terror
against businessmen. Therefore, the administration resorts to threats,
illegality and torture.

Today when the international community is seriously concerned over the
Georgian-Ossetian conflict Armenia’s leadership tries to seize the last
opportunity and abolish human rights and freedoms. The ANC is surprised
at the silence of international structures towards these events.

We call for patience and restraint as they are mighty weapons. We
state that the leadership’s unbalanced steps and minor hooliganism
will not break the will-power of the Armenian National Congress and
its supporters aimed at overthrowing this totalitarian regime.

CUSTOMS BROKERS INSTITUTE TO BE APPLIED IN ARMENIA

arminfo
2008-08-21 15:15:00

ArmInfo. Today Armenian National Assembly made alterations and
amendments to Customs Code and to the law "On licensing" and "On
state tax".

As chairman of State Income Committee Gagik Khachatryan said in his
speech, the submitted draft law is directed to putting the relations
"importer-customs officer" in order. In particular, the customs
declaration of the imported materials is meant, after processing
of which waste appeared which should be also declared. The draft
law also supposes application of the new type of license activity
according to which economic agents, which deal with organization of
the customs stores, should be licensed.

The state tax for giving license will be equal to the one thousandth
size of the basic tariff. The customs stores at these territories will
function independently. This measure will make it possible to apply
customs terminals institution in Armenia. For this reason, register
controlled by the customs structures, will be introduced. And customs
brokers will be responsible for formation of the customs declarations
and customs movement. Introduction of this institution supposes to
limit the cases when customs declarations may be considered invalid and
to avoid double declarations. All the data regarding the post-customs
control will be saved in the computer basis. The customs structures
will have a right to take part in preliminary investigation of breach
of law.

CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS

Aug. 20, 2008 – 1:25 p.m.

D.C. Makes a Statement on Armenian Genocide

By Colby Itkowitz, CQ Staff

Late last year, lawmakers balked under pressure from the Turkish
government, which warned against the United States officially declaring
a century-old massacre of Armenians as genocide. Apparently, the
District of Columbia Board of Zoning Adjustment doesn’t scare that
easily.

The city agency has given its stamp of approval to convert the former
Federal-American National Bank into the Armenian Genocide Museum of
America, according to public records.

"Visitors to the museum will come to understand the Armenian Genocide as
the prototype for modern crimes against humanity, including the
Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur," a Web site for the museum says.

The debate over whether to declare the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians
in the former Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago heated up in Congress
when Bush administration officials warned that such a move would
threaten U.S. relations with Turkey. The resolution (H Res 106) was
approved in the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 10, 2007, but
was never sent to the floor.

The museum is set to open in 2011.

Id=3D64026753

Source: CQ Today Online News
Round-the-clock coverage of news from Capitol Hill.
(c) 2008 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BRANCH LINE UNDER REPAIR TO RESUME FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA

ARKA
Aug 20, 2008

YEREVAN, August 20. /ARKA/. Armenian specialists, together with
their Georgian colleagues, carried out repair works at a branch line
bypassing the damaged section of Gori-Tbilisi railroad, the Ministry
of Transport reported.

As from August 17 a group of Armenian specialists participates in
repair of the railway bridge 40 kilometers away from Gori toward
Tbilisi. The bridge was blown up on August 16.

The decision to repair the bypass branch line was made to resume
freight transportation to Armenia as soon as possible, the Press
Secretary of Armenian Ministry of Transport Susanna Tonoyan said in
her interview to ARKA Agency. Armenian specialists completed their
work and are currently returning to Yerevan. The repaired branch line
is being tested now, she said.

"The new branch line goes in parallel with the old one without
extending the cargo travel line," Tonoyan said. Yet, she refrained
from mentioning the exact date of commissioning of the new railroad
line saying that details will come out after the group of Armenian
specialists is back to Yerevan.

The Press Secretary also pointed out that the number of stuck railway
cars with cargoes (72 cars) for Armenia did not grow over the days
of demurrage.

According to the Ministry of Transport, shipping companies delivered
62 cars of various cargoes to Armenia on=2 0August 16 – before the
bridge was blown up.