TOROSIAN CEASES HUNGER-STRIKE
A1+
06 February, 2008
Life-sentence prisoner Haik Torossian who had gone on hunger-strike
on January 29, 2008, at the Nubarashen Penitentiary Institution,
ceased hunger-strike on February 5.
"Three other prison inmates, Emil Chivtchian, Arthur Kocharian and
Georgy Khanamirian, still continue hunger-strike refusing water and
food," Arsen Babayan, Press Secretary of Penitentiary Department of
the RoA Ministry of Justice, informed A1+.
ALI HASANOV: "INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS IS STILL NOT ABLE TO RELEASE ORDINARY CITIZENS OF AZERBAIJAN"
Today
ociety/42909.html
Feb 5 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani government are displeased with the activity of the
International Committee of the Red Cross.
The due announcement was made by Ali Hasanov, chief of public
and political department of the Presidential Administration,
Novosti-Azerbaijan reports.
At the same time, he noted that Azerbaijani side respects human rights,
as well as the activity of all international organizations, operating
in Azerbaijan.
"As is known, hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens have been held captive
by Armenians for several years. These are not only war prisoners,
but also civilians, captured during occupation of Azerbaijani lands
by Armenians.
We are not satisfied by the fact that though over 15 years have
passed since the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by the Armenian armed
forces, the International Red Cross is still not able to or has not
undertakeò due steps for release of ordinary citizens of Azerbaijan",
Ali Hasanov said.
In particular, he announced that Azerbaijan is not displeased with
the actions of the International Red Cross, which were demonstrated
during the recent release of Azerbaijani soldier Samir Mamedov,
handed over to a third country on January 31.
He also added that the government currently holds talks with the
International Red Cross to eliminate clashes between the countries.
–Boundary_(ID_CEQEj5e9DX2nres7qxQRBw) —
PRESIDENT AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS STATED THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING ATMOSPHERE OF TOLERANCE IN THE PRE-ELECTION PERIOD
Mediamax
February 5, 2008
Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and the
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II stated today the importance of
preserving atmosphere of tolerance and consent in the pre-election
period. As Mediamax was told in the press service of the President,
Robert Kocharian and Garegin II "discussed a number of issues, related
to the interrelation of the state and the church’. The interlocutors
noted with pleasure that the state and the church effectively develop
cooperation.
BY ELECTING SERGE SARGSIAN PEOPLE WILL ELECT HUNANIAN, FIRST RA PRESIDENT CONSIDERS
Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2008
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. According to first RA President,
presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian, the current authorities
have robbed Armenia’s wealth for 10 years and they need another 10
years to rob the other half. As he stated during the February 5 meeting
with voters in Nor Hachn, if President Robert Kocharian and Prime
Minister Serge Sargsian contented themselves with it and left, the
forgiving Armenian people would not only forgive, but also would feel
pity for them. Now to tolerate these authorities for another ten years,
according to the first President, means to lose Armenia and Karabakh.
"By electing S. Sargsian, the people elects Nairi Hunanian, who
committed the October 27 crime, Erebuni prefect Mher of Tokhmakh,
Paz driver Sashik, Mkhchian mouse, Service Ando, who does a service to
Serge, that man was born as a servant and is to live as a servant. You
elect Krakem Hrach, who will be your future Security Minister, who
is Serge’s close friend," L. Ter-Petrosian said.
According to Stepan Demirchian, the leader of the People’s Party of
Armenia, only the first President is able in case of coming to power
to fully disclose the October 27 crime and to undertake concrete steps
in the direction of establishment of solidarity in the country. He
gave assurance that L. Ter-Petrosian will win in the very first tour.
Marieta Petrosian, the head of the Nairi territorial organization
of the National Unity party, stated that the organization has left
the National Unity and supports L. Ter-Petrosian. In her words, NU
Chairman Artashes Geghamian struggles against L. Ter-Petrosian and
it is "a direct support" to Prime Minister, presidential candidate
Serge Sargsian.
On February 5, L. Ter-Petrosian also had preelection meetings in
Abovian and Yeghvard.
BAKU ACCUSES YEREVAN OF BREACHING INTERNATIONAL LAWS
Interfax
Russia & CIS General Newswire
February 4, 2008 Monday 4:19 PM MSK
The involvement of residents of the occupied Karabakh region in the
Armenian presidential election is a breach of international laws, Azeri
Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibragim told a Monday press briefing.
"The Armenian election is being accompanied with extensive violations
of international laws. First of all, Azeri citizens live on Azerbaijani
lands occupied by Armenia but they are unable to take part in
Azerbaijani elections. Secondly, Karabakh residents are involved in
Armenian elections. International organizations should investigate
that," he said.
"Bearing in mind the breach of international laws, international
organizations should take appropriate measures," Ibragim said.
"Azerbaijan has always demanded this from international organizations
and it will keep making the demand. The current developments in
Armenia are larger than hysteria," he said.
"Political opponents and rivals [of the incumbent authorities] are
subjected to persecution in Armenia," Ibragim said.
AT START OF INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT HELD IN MALTA ARMENIAN NATIONAL TEAM BEATS LOCAL TEAM WITH SCORE OF 1 TO 0
Noyan Tapan
Feb 4, 2008
LA VALETTA, FEBRUARY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. An International Football
Tournament with the participation of four teams started on February 4
in Malta. At the start of the tournament the Armenian national team
beat the team of Malta with the score of 1 to 0. The score of 2 to
0 was recorded in the Belarus-Iceland game.
PILLARS TELL TALE OF TUNG NUTS, SCHOLARSHIPS
Kat Bergeron
The Sun Herald
McClatchy-Tribune Business News
February 3, 2008 Sunday
Biloxi, Mississippi
Feb. 3–As the mysterious 8-foot Bezazian pillars prove, the "rest
of the story" can be as surprising as the original.
This tale begins with a letter from someone curious about the
history of two concrete pillars in a Gulfport park and ends with such
recognizable Mississippi Coast names as Webb Lee and Bobby Ladner.
If not for the death of World War II hero Harold Bezazian, these two
and a handful of others from poor rural families wouldn’t have gotten
the college footing that set them on a path of community leadership.
Bezazian is an uncommon name in this region, and long ago the
neighborhood near the park pillars forgot why the park was created
there. A plaque reads: "In Honor of a Hero, 1st Lt. Harold A. Bezazian,
Born Chicago, Illinois November 11, 1911. Killed in Action on Luzon,
Philippine Islands, March 11, 1945."
When the history mystery landed on my desk, I tracked down the Bezazian
family still in Chicago. A niece explained that after Harold’s death,
his father created philanthropic projects in his memory. One is a
branch library in Chicago and another is three Gulfport parks.
The obvious question is, why here? The niece, Paulette Bezazian,
points out that the lieutenant’s father, who was her grandfather,
owned a 520-acre tung tree farm near Gulfport.
That makes historical sense. Beginning at the turn of the 20th century,
snow-wary Chicagoans turned the tepid Mississippi Coast into a winter
getaway. John Bezazian, Harold’s father, was likely one of the winter
escapees, and being a smart businessman, he also recognized the
agricultural potential here. In the first half of the 20th century,
tung tree oil was important for paint and furniture polish, and South
Mississippi soil grew tung nuts well.
Before going off to war, Harold worked at his father’s Mississippi
tung farm because he thought the experience would make him a better
short story writer.
Another thing you should know is that Harold’s father was an Armenian
immigrant. Although he eventually did well in real estate and rugs,
in the early days he was penniless and discriminated against, as
darker skinned, non-English speaking immigrants sometimes are. That’s
why he created three Gulfport parks in less privileged neighborhoods.
"My own father drove us by the playgrounds when I was a kid," Paulette
Bezazian remembers. "He wanted to make a point that you must be
charitable and you must not accept inequality."
The park with the pillars is on 30th Street. David Aquilla of Gulfport
Leisure Services says another of the Bezazian pillar parks is adjacent
to the 19th Street Community Center but he is uncertain of the third
location.
The Bezazian puzzle pieces were falling into place when my deadline
arrived and after the article, we learned the location of the tung
farm. The still undeveloped land is on Bradley Road, north of DeLisle.
"The first dollar I ever earned was at the Bezazian farm, picking up
tung nuts," Bobby Ladner of Long Beach says. "I was just a kid and
we got paid by the bushel."
Bobby’s story didn’t stop there. Years later, he was one of the
recipients of a Bezazian scholarship.
"What we were told is that the father used the death benefits for
his son as scholarships for rural kids to go to Mississippi State
University. I remember my daddy taking me to the Trailways bus station
in 1955. He bought me a one-way ticket to Mississippi State, then
reached in his pocket and gave me the best he could, $20.
Because of Bezazian, that’s all it cost my parents for me to get a
college education."
Bobby eventually became Harrison County school superintendent. Among
others locally who benefited from Bezazian generosity is Webb Lee,
retired circuit clerk who attended MSU for one year on scholarship
before dropping out to support family after his father’s illness.
"The Bezazians were charitable people who shared their good fortune,"
Webb says. "I used to correspond with them and saved those letters
and mementos but Katrina took them all."
What hasn’t disappeared is how this Chicago generosity permanently
marked Webb’s life.
"The Bezazians were kind to me, and I try to repay by doing some
scholarships each year myself for young people who don’t have the
money."
That, in the words of Paul Harvey, is the rest of the story. The
name may be little known here but the Bezazian legacy lives on in
enriched lives.
VOTES THAT ARE DIVIDED AND ARE NOT DIVIDED
by Karen Kocharyan
168 Zham
Jan 29 2008
Armenia
Of course, there will be shifts in ratings [of candidates] during the
presidential campaign in the Republic of Armenia. However, one month
envisaged for the election campaign is very short time to achieve
radical changes in the electorate’s opinion with regard to various
candidates. Moreover, all candidates have efficient propaganda and
anti-propaganda tools in their arsenal. [Passage omitted: election
tricks which can be used during the campaign]
What will be the outcome of the presidential election in the Republic
of Armenia, and particularly in Yerevan and the regions? Usually the
regions mostly vote for the candidate of the authorities (all elections
in the Republic of Armenia since the independence have demonstrated
this), and the votes of the capital’s population are usually split
between an opposition candidate and a candidate from the authorities.
Votes will be mostly split in Yerevan
The struggle for votes of the electorate is in full swing now. All
possible and impossible methods are being used, campaigners even
use the names of [US President George] Bush and [Russian President
Vladimir] Putin.
At least six out of nine presidential candidates say that they will
win. Such statements are of course aimed at influencing their own
teams psychologically. [Passage omitted on experience of elections
in Georgia and Russia]
As experienced politicians, they understand very well that they
are rather weak in the regions. Especially in the former industrial
cities – [second city of] Gyumri, [third city of] Vanadzor, Hrazdan
[administrative centre of Kotayk Region], Charentsavan [town in
Kotayk Region], Abovyan [town in Kotayk Region], Gavar [administrative
centre of Gegharkunik Region], Kapan [administrative centre of Syunik
Region], Kajaran [town in Syunik Region]. This is natural because all
major industrial enterprises in these cities were privatized during
[ex-President] Ter-Petrosyan’s time, and then came to a standstill for
known reasons, and thousands of people became unemployed as a result.
It is already not important for them what was Ter-Petrosyan’s personal
guilt in this process. This was obvious during Ter-Petrosyan’s visits
to Hrazdan and Charentsavan, after which, according to well-informed
sources, the presidential candidate expressed extreme dissatisfaction
with the work of his [election] headquarters in the mentioned cities.
[Passage omitted on Russian media reports on Armenian election]
The situation seems to be not that hopeless for the opposition in
Yerevan. However, the question is what opposition force can pin
hopes on the capital? The election practice in the newest history of
the Republic of Armenia showed that when opposition does not have a
single candidate, the votes of the pro-opposition electorate always
split between these opposition candidates. These election will not
be an exception either.
Especially, if we take into account that even the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun, which is part of the
authorities, has been pretending to be an opposition force, I believe,
this will increase the number of their stable electorate.
The parliamentary election in 2007 was a manifestation of this.
Given that the list of opposition candidates include [leader of
the Orinats Yerkir party] Artur Baghdasaryan who preaches populism,
[leader of the National Democratic Union] experienced Vazgen Manukyan,
[owner of ALM Holding] Tigran Karapetyan, [leader of the National
Unity Party] Artashes Geghamyan who never joins the opposition, one
can surely say that Ter-Petrosyan’s chances in the capital Yerevan,
to put it mildly, are quite unclear.
ARGONAUTS ASSOCIATION 2ND HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE
Greek News
me=News&file=article&sid=8039
Feb 4 2008
New York
New York.- Bitter personal memories of the Jewish Holocaust in Greece
were revived on Saturday February 26, 2008, at the 2nd Holocaust
Remembrance of the Argonauts Association of Magnesia Prefecture,
that took place at the Stathakeion Center in Astoria, NY.
Lina Casuto-Goren, the eventʼs main speaker, described her
familyʼs story and how the survived the war taking refuge in
a monastery in Thessaly and protected by the partizans. Although Ms
Casuto-Goren was one of the fortunate ones, more than 60,000 Greek
Jews died in the concentration camps.
"We commemorate Holocaust because Greek nation has fallen victim
of a genocide, like the Greeks of Pontos and Asia Minor, or ethnic
cleansing like in Cyprus. When we Greeks ask for the recognition of the
Genocide of the Greeks of Pontos, we must be equally sensitive to every
other genocide, like the Jewish Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide",
said the president of Argonauts Association, Apostolos Zoupaniotis.
The event was under the auspices of the Ambassador of Greece in
Washington, Alexandrow Mallias. Consul-General of Greece Agi Baltas,
Consul-General of Cyprus Andreas Panagiotou, senior advisor of the
US State Department Office of Holocaust Affairs Gregory Mattson,
US Representative Carolyn Maloney, Assemblyman Michael Giannaris, NY
City Council Member Peter Vallone Jr, State Senator George Onarato,
would be NYC mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, Very Rev. Apostolos
Koufalakis (representing Archbishop Demetrios), past president of the
Pan-Macedonian Association Panos Spiliakos (whose father Demitrios
has been placed on the list of the Righteous) spoke at the event that
concluded with a viewing of the documentary "The Jews of Thessaloniki".
In his message, Ambassador Mallias said that "the history of the
Greek Jewish community is part and parcel of the history of Greece.
The Holocaust Remembrance Day is not only for honoring those who
perished, but also to contemplate the evils of intolerance, which
lead to violent acts of hatred."
Congratulating the Argonauts Association, the President of the
Israelite Community of Volos Marcel Solomon said in his message
that "this gesture reflects a special honor, for it demonstrates
humanitarian feelings of the highest order.".
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney congratulating the Argonauts stressed
the importance of people to promote tolerance and human rights and she
informed the audience of the resolution she introduced in the House of
the Representatives for the protections of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
"Today we are not only honoring the memory of those who perished
during the Holocaust, but also the heroism of Greek people", said
Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. State Department Senior Advisor
Gregory Mattson praised Greeceʼs participation in Task Force
for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and
Research that was initiated in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minster
Goran Pearson. Greece is scheduled to take the presidency of the Task
Force in 2010.
State Assemblyman Mike Gianaris pointed out the common path of Greek
and Jewish communities in America, while John Catsimatidis praised
the close cooperation of these two communities.
Consul General of Greece Agi Balta pointed out that we should not
allow fanaticism and racism to lead our society, while Cypriot Consul
General Andreas Panagiotou mentioned that in total 280 Greeks and
Cypriots are included in the list of the Righteous of the Nations.
Panos Speliakos spoke about his father who saved many Greek Jews and
stressed the importance of remembering history. "We should remember,
forgive, but not forget", he said.
The chairman of the event, professor Asher Matathias – born in a
cave of Mt Pelion while his parents were hiding from the Germans –
commented the association "for continuing a second year the voluntary,
non-governmental initiative to remember the loss of Jewish compatriots
— 87% loss of population, 62,573 — while honoring those in the
general population who, with dire risk to their safety, reached out
to assist, hide, and otherwise strive to save them", he said.
Professor Matathias stressed the importance of educating the broad
about the holocaust and anti-Semitism and pointed out the close
relationship events like this builds between the two communities.
"Our humanitarian impulses were joined by numerous Jews from the
New York metropolitan area, contributing to assist in the Mt Pelion
reforestation project", Matathias said.
HAYPOST: ARMENIA HAS HUGE CAPACITY FOR EXPORTING KNOWLEDGE AND SERVICES
ARKA News Agency
Feb 4 2008
Armenia
YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Armenia has a huge capacity for developing
international trade relations focused on knowledge and services
exportation, Hans Boon, General Director of HayPost national post
operator, said on Monday at his meeting with the company workers.
He said taking into account geopolitical state of the country that
additional efforts are needed for developing new transportation links
in order to take greater advantage from international cooperation.
Welcoming economic growth in Armenia, Boon stressed the importance
of political and microeconomic stability maintenance in the country.
He also finds it important to continue the development of international
trade relations with other countries.
Boon said that HayPost can play considerable role in spurring retail
trade and developing small business.
That’s why the company attaches importance to Armenia’s presence
in the world post organizations and the establishment of new trade
partnership.
"Haypost" closed joint stock company is the national post operator of
the Republic of Armenia having 900 post divisions in the country. The
company’s staff is 4,000 people. Under the agreement signed on November
30 "Haypost" was handed over to the Dutch "Haypost Trust Management"
company for a five-year trust management with an option of further
prolongation.
The Dutch operator intends to invest $12mln in modernization of the
post sector of Armenia by 2012.