Author: Vanyan Gary

Canada NewsWire
ARMENIA – Photographer assaulted in the north of the country
MONTREAL, Aug. 26 /CNW Telbec/ – Photographer Mkhitar Khachatrian, of the
PhotoLur agency was assaulted after taking photos of politicians’ private
holiday villas in Tsaghkadzor in the north of the country.
Reporters Without Borders called on Armenia’s prosecutor-general Aghvan
Hovsepyan to do everything possible to track down and punish those
responsible.
Khachatrian and Anna Israelian, of the independent daily Aravot, were
working on a report on the destruction of the forest caused by
house-building
in the region.
They were photographing private homes, chiefly belonging to parliamentary
deputies, on 24 August when a guard ordered them to stop. The journalists
refused to comply.
The same evening the guard, accompanied by a group of thugs, found the
pair in a local café. One of them struck Khachatrian and threatened to kill
him. He then ordered him to hand over his camera containing shots of the
villas, and the photographer handed him the disk.
Assaults on journalists have escalated since the start of the year. On 5
April several journalists were manhandled on the sidelines of a
demonstration
while security forces looked on. In June, two of the assailants were fined
about 150 euros in connection with the assaults. Security forces beat up two
more journalists at a demonstration on 13 April. In its letter to the
prosecutor general, the international press freedom organisation stressed
that, “Coming after the incidents in April it would be dangerous to all
journalists if a climate of impunity were allowed to take hold”.
For further information: Emily Jacquard, Responsable de la
communication, Reporters sans frontières Canada, [email protected],
(514) 521 4111, Cell: (514) 258 4208, Fax: (514) 521 7771
—

Armenian presidential aide accuses authorities of inaction in summer
Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
25 Aug 04
An interview with an advisor to the [Armenian] president, Garnik
Isagulyan. He comments on possible domestic political developments in
the autumn.
[Hayots Ashkarh correspondent] Mr Isagulyan, what strategy do you
think the opposition will adopt in the autumn? What developments can
we expect?
[Garnik Isagulyan] I do not think that in a strategic sense there will
be any change in the positions of the opposition. The pivot of their
demands will again be the president’s resignation. Some developments
are possible in the sense of people’s participation, as the end of the
harvest is nearing. Unfortunately, we cannot say that farmers are
fully satisfied by the sale of this year’s harvest or by attention of
relevant state structures. But it is difficult to say whether the
opposition will manage to have the support of people in the regions.
[Correspondent] Do you think that the authorities have failed to use
this relatively calm period to strengthen their positions?
[Isagulyan] We have managed to do little in this sense. I thought that
the known speech of the president in Strasbourg should have resulted
in increased activity on the part of the authorities. Unfortunately,
the expected changes in the country did not take place. The same
people work in the government. Prospects of real reforms of the
legislative field are still unclear. We have failed the dialogue with
the opposition on the election law. Moreover, the coalition forces
themselves failed to come to an agreement in this issue. Today’s
package of constitutional reforms does not considerably differ from
the previous ones. I think this will also create a certain basis for
the opposition activity.
[Correspondent] Is the opposition itself united to raise a new wave?
[Isagulyan] It does not matter. There have always been disagreements
among opposition leaders, there are still disagreements over the
successful fulfilment of their claims and over the role of the only
leader. This is natural. But the opposition was guided from a certain
centre, I mean the Armenian Pan-National Movement, and it will
continue guiding them. In case of any significant or minor wave of
displeasure, the opposition will immediately get united.
[Correspondent] What should the authorities do to stop such
developments?
[Isagulyan] Unfortunately, our political elite, in particular senior
officials, have always had one permanent shortcoming: when everything
is calm because of hot weather in the summer or cold in the winter,
everybody forget that the situation was completely different a month
or two months ago. Naturally, public discontent because of different
problems might grow if they are not resolved on time. This summer was
not an exception either. The ruling coalition found itself in an inert
situation, and as was the case last year, the parties were mainly
trying to strengthen their own position within the authorities.
People’s problems were ignored once again.
[Passage omitted: problems at entrance examinations; farmers have
problems buying fertilizers]

Utopiana
L’actualité, août 2004

UTOPIANA
Anna Barseghian Stefan Kristensen
Quai Capo d’Istria 9, 1205 Genève, Suisse
[email protected], [email protected]
t|m+41 76 329 28 30
t|f+41 22 320 98 30
Thierry Fontaine, Hurloir
Installation sonore, proposée dans le cadre de
La Btie – Festival de Genève <; Dates : 3 - 11 septembre 2004 Lieux : pl. Charles Aznavour, Erevan / pl. des Volontaires, Genève Hurler depuis l'Arménie et être entendu sur la Place des Volontaires à Genève : une opportunité offerte grce à un micro installé sur la Place Charles Aznavour en plein centre d'Erevan. Une intervention artistique est organisée chaque soir à 18h (heure de Genève). En l'absence de prise de parole organisée ou spontanée, l?ambiance sonore de l'espace public sera toujours perceptible. Avec le soutien de : Armenian Telephone Company <; Fondation Armenia (Genève) Union arménienne de Suisse Association Courants d'Art (La Réunion) M. Vahé Gabrache M. Gilles Clément M. et Mme Alfred et Claudine Bagdjian. Curateurs: Anna Barseghian, Nazareth Karoyan, Stefan Kristensen Programmation à Erevan: Mariné Karoyan Mise en place technique: association provisoire (André Loz) Remerciements particuliers à l'équipe du Festival de Genève et à son directeur, M. Olivier Suter. Dans un prochain message: programmation définitive des interventions artistiques. -- The Screamer To scream in Armenia and be heard on a square in the center of Geneva: an opportunity given to anybody thanks to a microphone on the Square Charles Aznavour in the heart of downtown Yerevan. An artistic performance is organized every evening at 6pm (GMT +1) from September 3 to 11. When nobody shouts, speaks or sings, the background noises of the public space will any time be perceptible. To Be Heard The Screamer is a device for one way communication. Such a communication is naturally perceived as a scream or a howling. In the heart of a festival animating the Genevan cultural life, the Screamer opens a space of reflection on the relations between the centers and the peripheries of the world. But due to the reversal of the habitual communication flows, it also touches on the good old fantasy of the Orient: in France, one burns "Armenian paper" to purify the air in the appartments... In the other end, Geneva is a sort of emblem of a prosperous Occident, which stands for democracy and human rights. Apart from the artistic perfomances on the program, anyone can take the microphone and send her or his sounds to the West. Friday 3.9. Hover, choir Saturday 4.9. Violette Grigorian, Karen Karslian, poetry Sunday 5.9. Vahan Artsrouni, songs Monday 6.9. Sanctus, vocal quartet Tuesday 7.9. Grigor Khatchatrian, Azat, sound performances Wednesday 8.9. Ani, string quartet Thursday 9.9. INZEST, female rock band Friday 10.9. Jivan Gasparian, duduk Saturday 11.9. Penetro, electronic music Project carried out within the Festival de la Bbtie <;. With the support of Armenian Telephone Company <; , Fondation Armenia (Geneva), Union arménienne de Suisse, Association Courants dArt (La Réunion), Mr V. Gabrache, Mr G. Clément, Mr et Mrs A. et C. Bagdjian. Special thanks to Marine Karoyan, Eva Khachatrian, PROVISOIRE From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 18 2004
K.KOSACHEV: RUSSIA RECOGNIZES TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN
[August 18, 2004, 16:20:03]
Russia’s stance is unambiguous: the Russian Federation recognizes
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and this fact is reflected in a
plenty political documents signed between Azerbaijan and Russia ,
Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Russian State
Duma Konstantin Kosachev told AzerTAj Moscow -based reporter.
Overwhelming majority of the Russian State Duma members, according to
him, support the thesis on Russia’s recognition of the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan.
Asked how does Russia value the facts of Armenia’s military exercises
in the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the `elections’ in
Nagorno-Karabakh, and can Azerbaijan count on fair stance of the
Russian Federation as the OSCE Minsk group co-Chair considering that
Armenia is a Russia’s military appendage, Konstantin Kosachev noted
that Russia’s only aspiration is to work not in favor of either side
but enduring resolution of the conflict that, according to him, is
possible only in case of peaceful, not military methods. Russia will
accept any decision made by Azerbaijan and Armenian for the
conflict’s resolution, he said.
Commenting on why does Russia not urge Armenia to fulfill the UN SC
four resolutions on release the occupied Azerbaijani territories,
whereas Russia stands for the UN’s leading role in solving
international problems, Mr. Koshachev said: Russia has always
supported these resolutions, and confirms its positions in both OSCE
and Minsk Group. However, he added, we believe that the role of third
countries here is minimal, and bears just intermediary character. But
our role, at the same time, our historical mission is to make the
Armenian side sure to accept the principles on which the
international law is based, the Chairman concluded.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROBLEMS OF ARMENIAN EDUCATION DISCUSSED AT PAN-DIASPORA CONFERENCE
HELD IN ANTELIAS
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). Over 70 delegates from 18 hubs of
the Diaspora participated in the Pan-Diaspora Conference on Armenian
Education held in Antelias on August 5-7. The Pan-Diaspora Conference
was held under the patronage of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great Cilician House. Hranush Hakobian, Chairwoman of the RA NA
Commission on Education, Science, Culture and Youth Affairs, and Levon
Ananian, Chairman of the Armenian Writers’ Union (AWU), represented
Armenia at the conference. The AWU Chairman told NT’s correspondent
that reports entitled “Current Situation of Armenian Education by
Statistic Data and Estimation of Results of Armenian Education”,
“Prospects of Armenian Education”, “Role of Children’s-Junior
Literature in Armenian Education”, as well as other reports were heard
during the conference.
According to Levon Ananian, “the conference showed that the primary
problems in the educational-cultural sphere are put before the
Diaspora”. That’s why participants of the conference considered that
it is necessary to pay special attention to the development of the
children’s-junior literature, because the aesthetic education should
start from childhood. Levon Ananian mentioned that the work should be
carried out in order that the children’s books should be published in
Armenia both in Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian. The problem of
the closing of the Melgonian Gymnasia of Cyprus was also touched upon
during the conference.
According to Levon Ananian, this anti-national policies should be
stopped. “Our national structures and foundations resolve their
problems in narrow circles, meanwhile problems agitating the Armenian
people should be submitted for open discussion,” said the Chairman of
the Armenian Writers’ Union. Levon Ananian said that the problem was
arisen during the conference to establish the Pan-Armenian Educational
Center in Beirut and the Open University in Aleppo. “This conference
is a fine simulus, which should contribute to the Pan-Armenian forum
to be held in Tsaghkadzor on August 27-29, because if there is the
Armenian school, there is the Armenian nation, if there is no Armenian
school, it means there is no Armenian nation. And the school in the
Diaspora is the stronghold of the Armenian preservation,” Levon
Ananian concluded.

Athens Olympics official website
Aug 13 2004
NAZARIAN aims for third gold in third weight class
ATHENS, 5 August – Two-time Olympic champion Armen NAZARIAN of
Bulgaria will be attempting to become the second Greco-Roman wrestler
in Olympic history to claim a title in three different weight
classes.
NAZARIAN, 30, won gold at the 1996 Olympic Games at 52 kg, when he
competed for his birth country, Armenia. At Sydney, he took gold at
58 kg. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, he will compete at 60 kg.
Sweden’s Carl Westergren is the only Greco-Roman wrestler who has won
gold medals in three different weight classes.
Cuban Filiberto AGUILERA AZCUY won Greco-Roman gold at 74kg at the
1996 Games, moved down to 69 kg to take gold in Sydney, and has now
returned to 74kg.
Hamza YERLIKAYA, 28, of Turkey won Greco-Roman gold at 82 kg in 1996
and at 85 kg in 2000, and has returned to 84 kg for Athens.
Only four Olympic wrestlers have won three gold medals, only two
achieving the feat in consecutive Olympic Games.

Azeri paper accuses Khatami of “Persian chauvinism”
Ayna, Baku
10 Aug 04
The Azerbaijani newspaper Ayna has accused Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami of promoting Persian chauvinism under the guise of
democracy. Talking about his trip to Ganca while on a visit to
Azerbaijan, Ayna said the fact that Khatami described Azerbaijani poet
Nizami as being Persian shows that Iran’s policy is to assimilate and
trample upon the rights of ethnic minorities residing in that country,
including Azeris. The following is the text of Sadraddin’s report by
Azerbaijani newspaper Ayna on 10 August headlined “President Khatami
behaved as a Persian chauvinist” and subheaded “Thus, showing which
ideology he belongs to”:
Iranian President Mohammed Khatami’s visit to our country ended with a
trip to great Azerbaijani poet and philosopher Nizami Gancavi’s
mausoleum in Ganca . It was there that he made the greatest mistake
not befitting a statesman during his three-day visit.
We have heard more than once representatives of the Tehran regime
paying lip service to the recognition of the territorial integrity of
our country, Karabakh’s recognition as an integral part of Azerbaijan
and consent to the opening of Azerbaijan’s consulate-general in
Tabriz. From this viewpoint, those who describe Khatami’s visit to
Baku and Ganca as a new stage of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan
are in some way mistaken in their analyses. Nor do they need to
exaggerate the Iranian president’s tour of our republic into a great
diplomatic success. Khatami simply paid the visit he should have paid
two years ago. The Tehran regime has never openly objected to the
opening of an Azerbaijani consulate in Tabriz. Both the Azerbaijani
envoy in Tehran and the Iranian ambassador to our country have been
promising the public of North the Azerbaijani Republic and South
Azerbaijan northern Iran for several years that this diplomatic
mission will be opened soon. But, the consulate won’t open. This time,
the promise has been made at the level of the Iranian president,
Mohammad Khatami. Although we do not believe in a positive result, in
any case we hope that this issue which is sensitive for the ordinary
people of both Azerbaijans North and South will find its
resolution… ellipses as given
Now, let us have a brief look at Khatami’s mistake. While on a trip to
Ganca, he wrote down his words and wishes in the visitors’ book at the
world’s renowned thinker Nizami Gancavi’s mausoleum. There he called
Nizami a poet of “Persian literature”.
We have always boasted our hospitality. This national value has always
been a feature distinguishing Azerbaijani Turks from others. Our ills
have often resulted from this feature. With his remarks Khatami proved
that he was a representative of the chauvinist Persian ideology masked
under the cover of democracy. Had he not called Nizami Gancavi a poet
of the Islamic world for eulogizing God and the Muslim prophet, he
would have shown his devotion to Islam which is his country’s official
ideology.
As is known, Persian chauvinists in Iran are trying to tout the great
Azerbaijani poet, Nizami Gancavi, as being Persian. In his wishes
Khatami was a little bit “ashamed” to call him in the same way as in
Iran. Shortly before that, the Iranian president said in an address in
Iran that the national unity factor is the Persian language and
culture. The bearer of this opinion could have never expressed a
different view on Nizami Gancavi. This is the nature of the reformism
Khatami represents. He is a Persian chauvinist pretending to be
wearing the robe of democracy. The supporters of this ideology do not
accept the existence of ethnicities other than Persians in Iran and
believe those who are not Persians are bits and pieces. In other words
they preach the idea that all other ethnic groups in Iran originated
from the Persians, thus attempting to assimilate other ethnic groups.
As we wrote in a previous issue of Ayna, Mohammad Khatami did not meet
the press. The media in his country are silenced because they are
feared. While in our country he hid for fear of confronting questions
on real problems. Because an attempt to seem candid to the local
public by reciting ethnic Azerbaijani poet of Iran Mahammadhuseyn
Sahriyar’s poetry misfired. When in trouble they know how to find ways
to the hearts of our countrymen in South Azerbaijan by saying a couple
of words in Azerbaijani. He failed to rise in the eyes of Azerbaijani
Turks by reciting Sahriyar in Azerbaijani after calling Nizami Gancavi
“a poet of Persian literature”.
Persian is a compulsory language in Iran. Thus, a policy of
Persianization is being pursued in the country. This remark by Khatami
illustrates that everybody, from the supreme spiritual leader of Iran
Ayatollah Khamene’i to ordinary citizens, serves the Persian language
and culture. This clearly shows that the rights of Turks, Kurds, Arabs
and other ethnic groups in the country are being trampled upon.
In recent years an Armenian journalist visited Baku. He made a
fearless statement in Baku that Karabakh belongs to the
Armenians. Khatami’s remark is equal to this. We gave way to the
Persian language and secretaries at our palaces, as we did to
Armenians in our country. That is why part of our country is under
Armenian occupation, while in another part Persian chauvinism is
striving to destroy our ethnic identity.
But no official from Baku that visited Iran has ever said “this
belongs to Azerbaijani Turks”, although they are in majority in the
neighbouring country. There is a Turkic signature under every
historical monument or manuscript in Iran.

Cape Times – South Africa
Aug 11 2004
Symphony Concert
By Deon Irish
Thursday, August 5, City Hall; CPO conducted by Leslie B Dunner,
soloists Suren Bagratuni, Beverley Chiat; Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B
minor, Op 104; Mahler: Symphony No 4 in G major.
Even the miserable winter conditions did not prevent a pleasantly
full – even if not packed – house for a neatly balanced programme of
symphonic masterpieces, sponsored by Cape Gate on the occasion of its
75th anniversary.
Dvorak’s glorious concerto was written in the last months of his
three-year stay in New York, a period which also produced the popular
symphony From the New World to be featured in this week’s concert.
It is the work of a composer at the height of his creative powers
and, more pertinently, self-confidence. In the case of the finale,
for example, he was unmoved in withstanding the pressures of his
technical adviser, the cellist Hans Wihan, and of his publisher,
neither of whom cared for the relatively quiet concluding measures of
the work.
A concluding cadenza was suggested – even written out by Wihan – but
the composer was adamant: “I will give you my work only if you
promise not to allow anyone to make changes – friend Wihan not
excepted…”
Dvorak’s judgment has stood the test of time and in this performance,
the Armenian-born cellist, Suren Bagratuni, demonstrated just why the
work retains its prime status in the cello repertoire.
It does require a neat partnership between soloist and conductor for
the orchestration, cunningly tailored to the soloist’s needs, has
nevertheless the potential to overwhelm. On this occasion, orchestral
climaxes were repeatedly too brass-dominated in scale, resulting in a
somewhat unbalanced overall architecture.
The soloist displayed considerable artistry on his instrument, with
an admirable purposefulness which ensured that the solo line remained
consistently focused. Bowing was many-faceted and intonation secure.
But the greater pleasure came from personal touches which, through
subtle alterations of tempo and the infusion of a rhapsodic element,
gave individual personality to a well-known score.
Accompaniment featured many good things – including some fine horn
solos and finely controlled soft trumpet chords – but there was some
indifferent ensemble – not least in the final crescendo, which only
just held together.
The visiting American conductor, Leslie B Dunner, then took centre
stage for the Mahler 4th Symphony and demonstrated a facility with
the score which proved ingratiating. The work is Mahler’s shortest
and happiest symphony; and has as its genesis a rejected seventh
movement for his already monumental third symphony!
The movement was to be called What the Child tells me and, in this
symphony, it becomes the final revelation of all that goes before, a
song in which the soprano replicates the
innocent joy of a child’s vision of heaven, presenting an uncannily
contemporary obsession with culinary ingredients.
Beverley Chiat sang with musicality and a joyful intent, in most part
capturing the composer’s direction to replicate a childlike
brilliance.
This is a work in which the self-gnawing angst which beset the
composer was, for a brief while, operating at only fractional
strength.
But the morbidities are there; the acerbic tunes and neurotic
accompaniments abound and, even if it does culminate in a child-like
vision, we are constrained to admit that it is a very odd child.
Dunner led the orchestra in a generally assured and frequently
insightful account of the score; but, such anguish as there was
seemed (perhaps understandably) that of a rather different oppression
from that understood by the composer. The same old story, but told
with a somewhat different accent.

The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington)
August 8, 2004, Sunday
Author serves up tasty satire; Fiction: Restaurant critic turns
novelist with savory results
SAM MCMANIS, The News Tribune
If there is anything worse than a restaurant critic gone bad – and,
believe me, we know all about that at The News Tribune – it’s a
restaurant critic gone soft.
In Jay Rayner’s scorching satire about the culture of apologia and
full disclosure in public, “Eating Crow,” the hero is Marc Basset, a
London newspaper restaurant critic who has lost his bite. One of his
excoriating reviews, pitiless in its rude comments about the cuisine
and its chef, has pushed the chef to suicide. Struck by his dormant
conscience, of all things, Basset decides to – gasp – apologize to
the chef’s widow.
This stretches credulity, of course. No one has ever known a
restaurant critic to apologize for anything. But since this is satire
– broad satire, at that – we can suspend our disbelief and go along
with Basset’s purging of his guilt.
A funny thing happens, though: Basset gets off on the way it feels to
say “I’m sorry.” So much so, in fact, that he becomes addicted to
apologizing. It gives him a chemical rush of endorphins and, soon,
Basset is looking up old girlfriends, former co-workers and casual
acquaintances to whom to feed his “sorry” addiction. All react in a
positive manner to his unburdening of himself, shocked that this
formerly callous man would do so. Basset finds an emotional
vulnerability and empathy he didn’t know he had.
If the story were to end there, the reader would be left with a
pretty funny, if forgettable, short story that sends up our Oprahized
compulsion for public confession. But Rayner, who is an award-winning
restaurant critic for The London Observer, expands Basset’s burden to
the global stage and turns “Eating Crow” into a political statement
of style over substance, rhetoric over sincerity, with a side dish of
cynicism.
Through coincidences, as hilarious as they are implausible, Basset
soon leaves his restaurant critic job after he refuses to criticize
restaurants any longer and becomes the chief spokesman for the newly
formed United Nations’ Office of Apology.
As a U.N. headhunter tells Basset when offering him the job – at a
substantial raise, naturally, from his meager newspaper salary – “the
conduct of calm international relations is being stymied by the
enormous weight of emotional baggage that world history has given us.
There are too many countries, too many peoples … with unresolved
grievances. If we could resolve the issues of the past, then the
conduct of world affairs in the present would be that much smoother.”
In other words, if Israel and Palestine could just say, “sorry, my
bad” to each other, then peace in the Middle East is possible. Plus,
the U.N.’s research showed that the amount of financial reparations
countries would have to pay to the oppressed would be less if an
apology first were proffered.
OK, so it’s implausible, but there it is. The reason the U.N. has
tapped Basset is because of his ancestry. It’s essential that the
apologizer have some personal responsibility somewhere in his past to
make the “penitential engagement” seem sincere. It just so happens
that Basset’s ancestors on his mother’s side (the Welton-Smiths,
English aristocrats) had been involved in every act of
oppressiveness, from slavery to colonialism to apartheid, in the
Western world.
So that gives Basset the “plausible apologibility” so needed for the
job.
At the start of his new duties, Basset apologizes for slavery, for
England’s occupation of India, for the Turks’ genocide of the
Armenians. He comes across as sincere, tearing up at every occasion.
He becomes something of an unlikely media celebrity, making the cover
of Time magazine. The reader, however, might miss the old snarky
Basset, the restaurant critic who throws out such bon mots as “the
food would taste better coming back up than it did going down.”
Not to worry, though, eventually Basset loses that earnest, do-gooder
persona as the apologizer-in-chief and starts to get a puffed-up
sense of importance. He appears on stage with Bono and the rest of
U2, making men cheer wildly and women swoon just by uttering, “I’m
sooorrrrryyyy!” He rents high-rent apartments in New York and Geneva
and can bed any woman he wants. He even has a threesome with
groupies/waitresses from Des Moines, Iowa.
The reader knows what’s coming, though, and Basset’s descent off the
pedestal is a delightful free-fall for the reader. Along the way,
Basset becomes an unknowing catalyst for a war in the Balkans and
loses both his job and credibility in the process.
“Eating Crow” is an example of British droll comedy and biting
satire. But there’s an added dimension. Rayner sends something of a
cautionary message that it’s unwise to delve too deeply into the
past, to dredge up long buried hurts for the sake of catharsis.
As Basset’s well-adjusted brother, Luke, tells him early on, “It’s
called personal history. You can’t rewrite that.” Basset replies,
“No, you can’t. But you can reassess it. … Why can’t people revise
their own histories?” Later, his estranged best friend, Stefan, tells
Basset, “I live with my past; you live off it.”
Apology, Rayner seems to be saying, is a form of selfishness. We
might think it’s about making amends with those we have harmed in
some way, but it’s really just to make ourselves feel better. Plus,
spoken too often, an apology loses all impact and is not believable.
Which brings me to the first sentence of “Eating Crow,” wildly funny
but not at all true.
That opening line: “I’m sorry you bought this book.”
No worries. Rayner has nothing to apologize for.
– – –
Sam McManis: 253-274-7380
[email protected]
– – –
EATING CROW
Jay Rayner
Simon & Schuster;
292 pages; $ 23

Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Aug 4 2004
ARMENIAN IDENTITY CRISIS
Fearing politicians and hellfire, protestors force delay in law on
identity cards.
By Naira Melkumyan in Yerevan
Armenia’s government has postponed plans to introduce identity cards
for the country’s approximately three million residents, following
protests from many who feared for the safety of their civil liberties
– or their souls.
Because of street protests, complaints and public renunciation of the
documents, the scheme will now be introduced only at the start of
2005, not July 1 this year as had been intended. Just 900,000 people
have received the cards to date.
The plan is to give all residents – Armenian and foreign nationals,
refugees and those without status – a card showing a 10-figure
identity number, date of birth, sex and passport number. The plan is
to store the data for 400 years.
The United States government’s development agency USAID has donated
1.3 million dollars worth of technical aid to launch the system, while
government costs have so far reached about 200,000 dollars.
Social services minister Agvan Vardanyan told IWPR that the new system
will help the government ensure that pensions and social security
benefits are paid, and cut fraud.
About 40 political and public associations have formed an umbrella
group called Against the Numbering of People, to campaign what they
call “numbering and coding of people to remove their individuality”.
Some protestors see a spiritual dimension to the threat to their
rights.
Khachik Stamboltsyan, chairman of the charity Mkhitarich, said the law
is the work “of the devil and foreign secret-service agents”.
He said that identity numbers were linked to dark forces, and noted
that some of the 10-digit codes were bound to include the number 666,
the Biblical mark of Satan.
The Armenian Apostolic Church, which dominates religious life in the
country, also had reservations, but gave its blessing after the
government promised to change any number that featured 666.
The General Episcopal Council and other leading Apostolic Church
bodies tried to assuage fears among believers, saying that the
identity system “does not pose any threat to the salvation of the
human soul, because relations between man and God are not material”.
Vardanyan told IWPR that the government had secured backing from the
head of the church, Catholicos Garegin II, and that several priests
had already been issued with cards.
But Armen Avetisyan, a spokesman for the group Against the Numbering
of People and leader of the Armenian Arian Order, said that the
centuries-long lifespan of the cards proved there was scope for
misuse.
“Putting citizens’ data together in one centre is dangerous from the
point of view of national security, and I am sure that this is all
being done by outside forces,” he said.
There is considerable support for these views. “I am not convinced by
the arguments made by state officials. To them we’re just laboratory
mice they are trying to turn into zombies, with the aim of making us
easier to control,” said Nune, a 45-year-old hairdresser. “First they
assign personal numbers, then they start implanting microchips under
your skin.”
Officials disagree. “There is no threat here to national security.
The year, month and day of birth is not the kind of information that
could harm our security; it constitutes data on citizens that can be
presented within the bounds of international accords,” said Smbat
Saiyan, head of the social insurance department at the Social Security
Ministry, told IWPR.
State ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan said the protestors should be
listened to, even if they only constituted a minority.
So far about 1,000 people have returned their cards and more are
expected to follow. Against the Numbering of People says it has
collected 150,000 protest signatures and is also gathering support
among members of parliament to call for a hearing at the
Constitutional Court.
Avetisyan said that his organisation had received complaints from
employees in the state health and education sectors, as well as from
within the police, about being pressured to accept the card, even
though until July it was meant to be a voluntary scheme. The Institute
for Human Rights said it had received 100 complaints.
But the social security ministry insisted there was no substance to
such complaints. “When you start to investigate them, it becomes clear
that there are no facts,” said Saiyan.
Opponents of the scheme, as well as the ombudsman, are proposing a
year’s delay, but the government says its new deadline will hold. A
previous attempt to introduce personal identity codes was abandoned
two years ago.
“We are ready to listen to them, but the government does not currently
see any need to make changes to the law,” said minister Vardanyan.
Naira Melkumyan is an independent journalist based in Yerevan.