Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: WE APPRECIATE COOPERATION WITH SUCH
COUNTRY AS ARMENIA

05.04.2005 06:50

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian today met
with Lithuanian National Defense Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, the
Press Service of the Armenian Defense Ministry reported. “It is very
important to us to cooperate with you. We consider ourselves Europeans
and we work for becoming full members of the European family,” Serge
Sargsian noted. In his words, Armenia develops relations both with
European and other countries, which work for peace. “Armenia is the
second country after the US I paid an official visit to,” Kirkilas
noted. He said Lithuania is ready to cooperate with Armenia in all
fields, including the defense. “We appreciate cooperation with such
a country having rich historical past and culture as Armenia,â”
the head of the Lithuanian defense department added. Touching upon
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement Serge Sargsian especially
emphasized the peace-making activities of the OSCE Minsk Group in the
11-year-long cease-fire regime. At the end of the meeting Gediminas
Kirkilas expressed readiness to discuss any proposals on military
cooperation between the two countries.

–Boundary_(ID_acfjSqM4BWVaD5EvM8aHqA)–

Saakashvili Comments on the Armenian President~Rs Visit

Civil Georgia, Georgia

/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2005-04-04 12:11:12

In an interview with the Rustavi 2 television network on April 3,
President Saakashvili said that there was nothing surprising in
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s unplanned visit to Georgia on
April 1-2.

“When there are some issues that need to be discussed, or even if there
are not any, we can visit each other without any prior notifications
and meet and have a talk. We will always have something to talk about
with our neighbors, including Armenia and Azerbaijan. Because, we
are inter-linked, inter-dependent, there are many mutual problems,
so you would be a fool to reject these contacts,”

Saakashvili denied speculations that Robert Kocharyan arrived in
Tbilisi at the request of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Armenia
is an independent state and a well-disposed country towards Georgia,”
Saakashvili said.

Peninsula On-line, Qatar

Pope John Paul II: A pillar of the modern world (THE TIMES/ by Richard Owen)

JOHN Paul II had reigned for nearly 27 years, the third longest pontificate
in history, and the initial shock of a Slav Pope has long faded. Many people
can remember no other pontiff, and only those over 40 are likely to recall
the last time a Pope was elected, in 1978. John Paul II was unable to walk
or even speak clearly because of debilitating illness – and suffered all too
visibly from the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and the periodic
consequences of the attempt on his life in 1981.
The abiding impression of his final years is thus of a bent, sick old man
who needed 24-hour medical attention, with the Gemelli hospital becoming
known as `Vatican Three’, after the Vatican itself and Castelgandolfo, the
papal summer retreat. Yet he will be remembered in the long term as a
morally and politically towering figure of the late 20th century, a Pope of
enormous charisma and spiritual power who is already being given the title
`John Paul the Great’.
He has been the prisoner of his Slav origins, a man of his time and also of
his place, a forceful opponent of Marxist-inspired liberation theology in
Latin America. But he has also been more open to the world than any Pope in
history, making more foreign trips than any of his predecessors and
travelling the globe as the Pilgrim Pope to spread the Christian message in
the Third World.
He insisted on visiting Kazakhstan and Armenia immediately after September
11 to reach out to the world of Islam while condemning Muslim terrorists who
`profane the name of God’.
He roundly castigated the Bush Administration over the war in Iraq, arguing
that war was `always a defeat for humanity’, but later supported postwar
reconstruction efforts.
He continued to travel as his illness progressed, making his last journeys
overseas to Slovakia at the beginning of September 2003, and to Lourdes in
August 2004, even though his decline was all too painfully visible. He has
been – against all the odds – planning yet more trips, to Northern Ireland
and his native Poland, and never gave up his dream of visiting Russia.
He opposed the weakening of Christianity through the admixture of other
religions, particularly in the East, yet advocated tolerance in the dialogue
with oriental traditions and fervently sought reconciliation between the
three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
He grew old in office and was invigorated by his contact with young people,
as if transported back to his own youth as a sportsman, skier, footballer,
playwright and actor in prewar Poland. He curbed dissident theologians, yet
loved debate, and had a lively sense of humour.
He presided at pop concerts and put the Vatican on the internet as the first
true Pope of the media age. But he also urged Catholic lawyers not to deal
with divorce cases, and remained opposed to abortion and contraception, as
well as stem-cell research, emphasising that embryos have `the same rights
as those who are born’.
Many in the Church had become impatient for change sensing that, for all his
great historic achievements, John Paul II has held back the tide of change
on sexual and social issues from contraception, divorce and remarriage to
priestly celibacy.
As Father Timothy Radcliffe, the respected former head of the Dominican
Order in Rome, has observed, John Paul II’s strength lay in his passionate
spreading of the Gospel and his obvious spirituality, while his weakness lay
in the fact that he was a product (`as we all are’) of his background – in
the Pope’s case the profoundly conservative traditions of the Polish
Catholic Church. He lived to see first Nazism and then communism defeated by
the human spirit. He has been out of tune with millions of Catholics both in
the West and the Third World who wanted a reformist agenda which addressed
the realities of their own lives.
When the smoke eventually emerges from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel,
the first thing that the crowds in St Peter’s Square and around the world
will therefore want to know is not only the name of the new pontiff but also
the forces – spiritual, geographical, historical, cultural, political –
which have shaped him. Many in the Third World will be hoping not just for
another non-Italian pope but something much more revolutionary: a black
pope, or a Latin American pope.
The events of September 11 and the subsquent war on terror have increased
demands among Third World Catholics for a pope able to tackle the root
causes of the grievances which give rise to protest and terrorism.
Most of the world’s one billion Catholics live in the Third World,
especially Latin America, where the Church has been bedevilled by disputes
over poverty and liberation theology and the challenges of evangelical
Christianity and spirit worship. Many Third World Catholics are suspicious
(to put it mildly) of the curia, the Vatican hierarchy, and want the next
pope to bring a breath of fresh air into the Vatican corridors.
Significantly, non-Italians now predominate in the College of Cardinals,
which will gather shortly to choose one of their own number as pontiff. Yet
Europe has provided Church leadership for cent-uries, and could do so again.
The pressures for change are not confined to the teeming cities of Asia,
Africa or Latin America, where abortion, contraception and married priests
have a reality far removed from the desiccated discussions of the Vatican.
In Europe, too, the demand for change bubbles just beneath the surface. In
the end, the decisive factor may be not geography, but age. Once the
euologies for the pope have died away, the world will want to know not only
the colour of his successor’s skin but also how old he is.
The hopes of many are pinned on the emergence of a younger man qualified by
training, experience and temperament to adapt the doctrines and traditions
of Roman Catholicism to the social realities of the 21st century.
`Wojtyla was the charismatic Polish Pope who helped to bring down communism
and guide the world into the post-Cold War age,’ one Vatican-watcher said.
`Now we need a pope for the new millennium.’
The fact that the Pope reigned for so long will certainly militate against
the more elderly cardinals, some of whom have lived to see their names
dropped from lists of the papabile published in the media. Even though the
hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is dominated by men in their
seventies and eighties, a slow process of generational change is at work in
the Vatican.
Nearly all the present cardinals have been appointed in the 25 years since
John Paul II was elected.
John Paul II himself tipped the balance in favour of a younger candidate,
partly by staying on the throne of St Peter for longer than any 20th-century
pope but also by holding consistories at which he brought new blood into the
College of Cardinals.
The emergence of younger candidates does not preclude the election this time
of one of the older cardinals, perhaps as a stopgap measure, and stopgaps
can sometimes remain in charge longer than expected. There may even be a
feeling that an older man would provide a relatively brief `trans itional’
papacy. If the conclave does lean towards a younger man, it will almost
certainly look not for someone of radical views, but rather for someone who
can unify the far-flung world of Roman Catholicism and the wider world of
Christian belief.
`Young’, in the Vatican context, does not necessarily translate into
`liberal’, as John Paul II’s own reign shows. The ideal candidate may be
someone such as Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, or Angelo Scola, the Patriarch
of Venice, both seen as compromise figures able to bridge the
liberal-conservative divide; one of the several Latin American contenders;
or a black pope such as Francis Arinze of Nigeria.
According to Father Charles Burns, the former head of the Vatican Secret
Archives and author of The Election of a Pope, the cardinal-electors in any
case will be guided in the end not by media speculation, but by practical
considerations, and by prayer.
`They are looking for a man who will be the shepherd of the Church, who will
inspire and guide, and who, as the prayers for a new pope laid down in the
missal clearly state, will be `the visible centre and foundation of our
unity’,’ Father Burns says.

Slovene, Azerbaijan foreign ministers discuss Karabakh conflict, democracy

STA news agency, Ljubljana
2 Apr 05

Baku, 2 April: The Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and democracy-building
topped talks held by Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the OSCE
chairman, with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Baku
on Saturday [2 April].

Rupel met Mammadyarov as he began the final leg of his three-day
Caucasus tour, which has also taken him to Armenia and Georgia, as
well as Kyrgyzstan.

According to Rupel, Mammadyarov presented a number “of very
interesting and fresh ideas” for a solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict. [Passage omitted – background]

Rupel today reiterated his call for both sides to join in efforts to
step up talks for a final resolution of this issue.

Meanwhile, progress in democracy was the other main topic of Rupel’s
talks with Mammadyarov. The Azerbaijani foreign minister said the pair
agreed about the importance of building democracy in the country.

Defending the OSCE’s role in the region, Rupel said the security
organization was not meddling in internal affairs or taking sides. The
OSCE is merely striving to support a political process, he claimed.

With parliamentary elections looming in Azerbaijan, Rupel said the
goal of the government should be to ensure that there was no doubt
about the validity and fairness of the vote.

SATURDAY, March 23, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

All-ASA Genocide Recognition Committee
c/o UCLA Armenian Student Association
Kerckhoff Hall Room 146
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Contact: Raffi Kassabian
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Armenian collegiate student groups join forces for genocide awareness, justice

LOS ANGELES, CA – Next month, area Armenian college students will gather to
commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The
All-Armenian Student Association’s Genocide Recognition Committee, a
coalition of collegiate Armenian student groups, has been busy organizing
two major events set to take place this April. Aside from smaller
projects, the committee has organized two major events; an educational
panel presentation and an candlelight vigil for the southern California
student community. On April 7th, the CSU Long Beach campus hosts a panel
on human rights atrocities and genocide denial.

“Since Long Beach State holds such a diverse community it is of great
importance to hold a panel that reviews how denial and ignorance of
genocide affect cultures and people all around the world,’ explained Lisa
Narinian, president of the CSULB Armenian Student Association and
representative to the committee.

The panel discussion will feature faculty from local universities who will
address the Armenian Genocide, Rwandan Genocide and its continuation in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, the genocide in Darfur, as well as the Women
of Juarez.

The following Thursday, the UCLA campus’ Bruin Plaza will serve as the site
for the 2005 All-ASA Candlelight Vigil. Hosted each year at a different
college campus, this year’s vigil will feature a reenactment of a genocidal
death march, performances by UCLA students, and the premier of an
educational video feature commissioned by the committee. The event will
also feature UCLA Professor Paul Von Blum, a specialist on media and
genocide, as well as rapper Knowledge from the Axis of Justice, a
non-profit, social justice organization formed by Tom Morello of Audioslave
and Serj Tankian of System of a Down. Local student and community groups
have been invited to participate and table at the event.

However, the panel presentation and the vigil will not be the first
genocide-related event of the year for many of the committee’s
participating organizations. The UCLA Armenian Student Association has
also been addressing the impact of past genocides on current affairs. In
February, it co-hosted a similar panel presentation on genocide denial as
coalition student groups concerned about the genocide in Darfur. The event
drew over 150 students and members of the faculty.

“When groups of people are systematically oppressed, and targeted for
destruction, it is our duty as humans to do something. Genocide and denial
seems to run hand in hand,” noted Matthew Sablove, a member of the Darfur
Action Committee at UCLA. “Students can lead the way for social justice as
well as social change to stop the current genocide in Darfur.”

Earlier in November this academic year, the USC Armenian Student
Association, another Genocide Recognition Committee participant, co-hosted
a reception and book signing featuring Colgate University Professor Peter
Balakian and his NY Times Bestseller, Burning Tigris. The event was held
in conjunction with the opening of USC’s Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial
Library exhibition documenting the Near East Foundation’s relief efforts –
commonly cited as an example of one of the first world-wide humanitarian
relief efforts in the global age – to help survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

The committee also addresses issues regarding education about the Armenian
Genocide such as its proper inclusion in human rights-related curricula and
exhibitions such as the local Museum of Tolerance.

“The Museum of Tolerance issue is a continuing source of concern to the
student community,” explained Arineh Der Petrosian, president of the
Glendale Community College Armenian Student Association and representative
to the committee. In 2003, college students protested the lack of a
permanent and prominent exhibit on the Armenian Genocide at the
museum. The GCC ASA supported their efforts by collecting 1,500 signatures
in support of this initiative.

“As of today, there is still no permanent exhibit. We think it is
important that the student community continues to work on this issue. The
lack of an adequate and prominent acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide
in a place like the Museum of Tolerance only serves to embolden deniers of
all genocides.”

But in the end, much of the collective effort has been leading up to this
April’s events.

“The panel and the vigil being organized by the committee are critical not
only because they mark the April anniversaries of such tragedies as the
Armenian Genocide, Rwandan Genocide, and Holocaust, but also because we are
living in a world today in which genocide is being committed, specifically
in Darfur,” emphasized Raffi Kassabian, chair of the committee and
president of the UCLA Armenian Student Association. “I think this is a
clear illustration that if people continue to turn a blind eye or deny such
atrocities the cycle of genocide will continue to turn.”

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE All-ASA GRC Events in April:

“All-ASA Panel Presentation – The Blind Eye: Genocide & Denial”
at the Soroptomist House, CSU Long Beach Campus
THURSDAY, April 7th @ 7:30pm
– featuring: presentations on the Armenian Genocide, Rwandan Genocide,
genocide in Darfur, and the Women of Juarez
– for more info contact: CSULB ASA – c/o Lisa Narinian <[email protected]>

“2005 All-ASA Candlelight Vigil”
at Bruin Plaza, UCLA Campus
THURSDAY, April 14th @ 7:30pm
– featuring: genocide reenactments/recollections, performances, speakers,
and a newly commissioned educational video montage
– for more info contact: UCLA ASA – c/o Raffi Kassabian <[email protected]>

PHOTO # 1:

CAPTION # 1:
Pictured from Left to Right: Raffi Kassabian (UCLA Armenian Student
Association), Ani Nahapetian (UCLA Armenian Graduate Student Association),
Ara Krikorian (Loyola Marymount University ASA), and Arineh Der Petrossian
(Glendale Community College ASA). Not pictured are representatives from
the AEO, ARF-SSA, CalPoly ASA, CalTech ASA, CSULB ASA, CSULA ASA, UCI ASA,
UCR ASA, UCSC ASA, USC AGSA, USC ASA, Woodbury U. ASA and other All-ASA
participating organizations.

Gunduz Aktan: How shameful (1)

Turkish Daily News
Mar 31, 2005

Two weeks ago David L. Phillips, the organizer of the Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation Commission (TARC), arrived in Istanbul where he
promoted his book, “Unsilencing the Past.” He took part in conferences
staged at a number of prestigious Turkish universities, participated
in television programs and was interviewed by leading Turkish
newspapers. He had taken an unprecedented step, succeeded in bringing
together the two “intransigent” sides. Some Turkish columnists have
commented on what he has said and written, assessing his
recommendations.

On this occasion another book, the Turkish edition of “The Truth will
set us Free,” has been put on the market as well. Written by an
Armenian named George Jerjian, the book contained a “legal” study into
the 1915 incidents. The study was made by the International Center for
Transitional Justice (ICTJ), a prestigious nongovernmental
organization based in New York at the instigation of the TARC.

The TARC meetings began in earnest in early 2002 and ended in February
2003. Bringing the two sides together was an important first
step. Some Armenian members of the commission braved death threats
from the Dashnaks and attended the meetings.

No common ground could be created during the talks. We suggested a
joint investigation of the incidents by historians, archivists and
psychologists. The Armenian side did not accept our proposals. For
them, what happened between 1915 and 1923 was genocide; the whole
world accepted that fact; and the problem would be over once Turkey
accepted it.

That was “perfect” rhetoric from their standpoint. However, it had a
shortcoming. According to the Genocide Convention only a competent
court would be able to decide whether that had been a case of
genocide. No such court decision existed. And there was no way for the
Armenian side to have a convention (that took force in 1951)
implemented retroactively. However, to overcome that obstacle, Turkey
could accept retroactive application of the convention and Turkey and
Armenia could, together, take this issue to an international tribunal
for adjudication or seek arbitration.

I had made that proposal repeatedly at international forums and the
Armenians had rejected it consistently because they knew that the law
was not on their side. They were dying to kill that proposal since it
constituted a mortal threat to their claims. Phillips rushed to their
aid on this issue. There was an organization named ICTJ. We, the TARC
members, could pose the ICTJ the following question: Can the Genocide
Convention be applied retroactively?

>From the legal standpoint the answer to that question was quite
simple. According to Article 28 of the Vienna Convention on the Law
of Treaties, it was impossible to invoke the genocide convention
retroactively. There was no need to conduct a study to arrive at that
answer. However, since the Armenians wanted it we saw nothing wrong in
going along with that proposal.

The outcome of the ICTJ study was announced on Jan. 28, 2003. In its
first section the report admitted that the convention could not be
retroactive and stressed that, for that reason, the Armenians would
not be able to demand land and compensation from Turkey. That was in
our favor. The second — and longer section; however, claimed that if
the convention could have been implemented retroactively the Armenian
incidents would have been genocide indeed. Answering a question that
had not been posed to it, the ICTJ thus gave the Armenians what they
sought — disguised as a legal opinion.

As the Turkish side we felt deceived and we left the TARC. Soon after
that the TARC died.

The “legal” work of the ICTJ was, in a word, awful. To show how flimsy
the Armenians’ legal theses were, I made the full text of the ICTJ
report appear in the Feb. 17-18, 2003 issues of the Turkish Daily News
(TDN). The TDN’s Feb. 19, 2003 issue carried our side’s views on the
same subject.

Our side’s opinion had been communicated to the ICTJ so that it would
be published together with the ICTJ study. However, the ICTJ did not
even make reference to the Turkish side’s opinion let alone publishing
it. Obviously they did not want the total refutation of the Armenian
thesis that was weak as it was.

Since then I have published five articles on this issue. In the March
27 issue of daily Hurriyet, Ozdemir Ince asks whether the TARC members
knew about the aforementioned ICTJ decision. Obviously my articles
escaped public attention.

The TARC was created and operated according to “track II diplomacy” or
informal diplomacy. When that method is adopted the discussions that
take place during the sessions cannot be published by quoting the
members by name. In his book Phillips not only violates that ethical
rule but he also embellishes the deliberations with stories that are
the fruits of his fertile imagination. Those who read the book can
easily understand that he has certain problems with me and with Ozdem
Sanberk. Our views against the genocide claims must have upset him
together with the Armenians.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER – March 31, 2005

UNITED COMMEMORATION OF THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN NEW YORK CITY
IS EXPECTED TO ATTRACT THOUSANDS FROM EAST COAST
Plans for the joint united commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide are progressing and from all indications thousands of
Armenian Americans are expected to gather at the various events organized by
the joint committee.
It is the duty of every Armenian to make an effort to attend the events
which include: Divine Liturgies at St. Vartan Cathedral and St. Illuminator’s
Cathedral, Gathering at Times Square, and Ecumenical and Requiem Services at
St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
For details on these events on April 24 go to the joint committee’s
site: There is also a blog site where individuals
can post their stories, comments, photos, etc.,
Both of these are also accessible through
the Prelacy’s web site:
The organizations represented on the joint commemorative committee are:
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern); Eastern Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America; Armenian Assembly of America; Armenian
Democratic Liberal Party; Apostolic Exharchate for Armenian Catholicos in
the U.S.; Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Missionary Association
of America; Armenian National Committee of America; Armenian Relief Society;
Armenian Revolutionary Federation; Armenian Social Democratic Hunchakian
Party, Knights and Daughters of Vartan.

FATHER HOVNAN BOZOYAN ARRIVES IN U.S.
Rev. Fr. Hovnan Bozoyan arrived in Boston yesterday with his family. Der
Hovnan was ordained in November 2004 after completing his studies at the
Theological Seminary of the Holy See of Cilicia. Der Hayr will spend a
period of training at St. Stephen Armenian Church in Watertown,
Massachusetts, under the guidance of the church’s pastor, Archpriest
Antranig Baljian.

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL BE IN NEW JERSEY THIS SUNDAY;
FATHER TANIEL WILL OFFICIATE THE LITURGY AT STS. VARTANANTZ
Archbishop Oshagan will preside over the Divine Liturgy this Sunday,
April 3, with Rev. Fr. Taniel Garabedian officiating at Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey. Hayr Taniel, who was ordained a celibate
priest last year in Antelias, Lebanon, returned to his home state of New
Jersey to attend the funeral of his grandmother. Father Taniel will return
to Antelias next week where he is continuing his studies. He will return to
the United States in June to begin his service within the Prelacy.

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL ATTEND RECEPTION
Archbishop Oshagan will attend a reception at the Yale Club in Manhattan
Monday evening, April 4, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Fund
for Theological Education.

DEACON SHANT MEETS WITH ARAM AND SETA
FROM BEAST ON THE MOON
Closely tied with the 90th commemorative events is the New York premiere
of the off-Broadway production of BEAST ON THE MOON, which is scheduled to
open on Tuesday, April 12, at the Century Center for the Performing Arts,
111 East 15th Street, New York, NY.
At the invitation of David Grillo, the producer of Beast on the Moon,
Dn. Shant Kazanjian, Director of the Armenian Religious Education Council
(AREC), had an informal conversation with the creative team of the
much-anticipated play. Dn. Shant met with the playwright, Richard Kalinoski;
the director Larry Moss; and the two leading actors, Omar Metwally (Aram)
and Lena Georgas (Seta). The hour and fifteen-minute engaging discussion
ranged from formative events in Armenian Christianity and its distinctive
characteristics, to the Armenian Genocide, Armenian Apostolic wedding
service, to various Armenian customs.
Various Armenian organizations have purchased bulk tickets. We have been
informed of the following:
Sts. Vartanantz Church, Ridgefield, New Jersey, Sunday, April 17.
Hovnanian School, Saturday, April 16 (matinee) and April 23 and May 7.
St. Leon’s Church, Saddle Brook, New Jersey, April 23 (matinee); and the
Armenian Radio Hour of NJ, Thursday, April 21.
Contact your local parishes and/or organizations for additional theatre
groups. Make your plans now to see this play about survivors of the
Armenian genocide, which has won critical and popular acclaim in many
countries including best play awards in Paris and Buenos Aires.
For information on the play as well as parking, hotels and restaurants
in the area go to

ANEC WILL PARTICIPATE IN COMMEMORATIONS
In addition to their anticipated attendance at the commemoration
services of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian
National Education Committee (ANEC) has encouraged and augmented the active
involvement of Armenian school students by sending them a pertinent and
age-appropriate information package. ANEC has also invited students to
participate in an art contest depicting the survival and growth of the
Armenian nation and culture.

GET WELL WISHES TO REV. FR. VARTAN KASSABIAN
Our correspondent in North Andover has reported that Rev. Fr. Vartan
Kassabian, pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Merrimack Valley,
North Andover, Massachusetts, has undergone successful hip surgery this week
and is expected to be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. We wish Der
Hayr a speedy recovery and a rapid return to his home, family and
parishioners.

MAGAZINE FEATURES ARMENIA AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
CNN Traveler Magazine, a leading travel magazine published in the United
Kingdom, with a readership of 800,000, features Armenia’s ecology in its
current April issue. The feature describes the current state of the
environment in Armenia, as measured by the health and biological diversity
of its bird population-a marker that scientists believe is one reliable
measure of a region’s ecological health. The article is written by Robert
Kurkjian and Matthew Karanian, who are experts on the Armenian environment.
Their CNN story is an account of the birding expedition that has been
organized by the American University of Armenia’s “Birds of Armenia”
research project. The project, which is funded by the Armenian American
philanthropist and conservationist Sarkis Acopian, has been working for the
past decade to raise environmental awareness in Armenia.

AREC SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER SEMINAR IS NEXT WEEKEND
A reminder that the New England Regional Seminar for Sunday School
teachers will take place next Saturday, April 9, from 10 am to 3 pm, at St.
Stephen Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown, Massachusetts. The seminar
is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education Council (AREC) and led by
Deacon Shant Kazanjian. For details go to:

TURKEY EXPECTS UNITED STATES HELP
A press release from the Qatar News Agency that was forwarded to
Crossroads last week stated that the Turkish government is reportedly
contemplating giving consent to the United States for greater use of the
Incerjlik Air Base in exchange for Washington’s help on counteracting what
they described as “allegations about a so-called Turkish massacres committed
against Armenians.”
The Istanbul-based newspaper, Hurriyet, quoted Foreign Minister sources
as saying that the final government decision in this respect would be made
on April 24th, with the not-so-subtle hint that Turkish authorities might
grant Washington unrestricted right to use the military base.

HOLY WEEK CONCLUDES WITH THE RESURRECTION OF EASTER MORNING
Holy Week was observed last week in all of our parishes and from all
reports our churches were overflowing with worshippers not only on the
ever-popular Palm Sunday and Easter, but also for all of the services during
the week. Holy week is truly the pinnacle of the Christian liturgical
calendar. In the Armenian Apostolic tradition, the special music of Holy
Week is particularly beautiful and memorable from Oorakh Ler Yegegeghetsi
Soorp (Rejoice, O Holy Church) of Palm Sunday, to the hauntingly beautiful
Oor Es Mayr Im (Where are you, O Mother) of the vigil of Maundy Thursday
into Good Friday, to Kovya Yeroosaghem Uzder (Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem),
which becomes an exuberant celebration of Christ’s Resurrection.

THIS SUNDAY IS NEW SUNDAY (NOR KIRAKI)
Easter Sunday is followed by a period of fifty days (Hinoonk) during
which there are no fasting days or saints days. This period, from the
Resurrection to Pentecost (Hogegaloost), is dedicated to the glorification
of the Resurrection. Each of the seven Sundays of Hinoonk has a separate
name. This Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter, is called Nor Kiraki (New
Sunday), since the first day of the week through Christ’s resurrection
became consecrated and Sunday became a dominical day. By virtue of its being
the eighth day of Easter and a day similar to Easter, it is also called
Grgnazadig (Second Easter).

TOMORROW IS APRIL 1
March came in like a lion and is going out like a lamb. Tomorrow is
April 1st, also known as April Fools’ Day. The history of April Fools Day is
not exactly clear, but is thought to have originated with the reform of the
Gregorian Calendar which moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1.
Some people continued to celebrate New Years on April 1 and were called
“April fools.” It eventually evolved into a fun day-no gift buying, no card
sending, no flower deliveries or chocolates-just a day for jokes and pranks.
Mark Twain said that the “First of April is the day we remember what we
are the other 364 days of the year.”
The poet T.S. Eliot called April “the cruelest month,” and certainly for
us Armenians it is. But it is also a month of vibrant rebirth. In Armenian
Abril means “to live.”

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;
and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty.
I Corinthians 1:27

April is the crulest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots and spring rain.

>From The Waste Land: “The Burial of the Dead,” by T.S. Eliot

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Turkey can help USA within NATO framework – premier

NTV television, Istanbul
31 Mar 05

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on US requests
regarding the Incirlik base [an air base in southern Turkey which the
USA seeks to use for logistics], said that support can be extended to
an allied country within the framework of NATO and humanitarian
aid. He then added: However, it is impossible to meet every request
each time.

Speaking at a news conference in Morocco, Erdogan said the following
about comments that the requests concerning Incirlik were linked to
Armenian genocide claims: Such a linkage would upset us. We have
opened our state archives. The US Congress and US historians can send
their experts to investigate the issue. [Passage omitted]

ARF MEMBER ON WAYS OF RESOLVING KARABAGH CONFLICT

YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS: Deputy chairman of the Armenian
parliament Vahan Hovhanesian from the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation/Dashnaktsutyun warned against dangers stemming from
Azerbaijan’s efforts to have other than the OSCE Minsk group
cochairmen, the sole international body authorized to help Armenia and
Azerbaijan find a compromised solution to the Karabagh conflict,
involved in the dispute regulation process.

Addressing participants of the two-day parliament hearings on
waysto end the opposition, Hovhanesian said involvement of
parliamentary assemblies of the Council of Europe and OSCE in this
process poses a real danger to Armenian interests as the principle of
territorial integrity is placed higher by them than the principle of
peoples’ right to self-determination.

Hovhanesian went on to argue that these bodies focus mainly on
conflict consequences rather than on their causes. “We have to make
conflict consequences our weapon, as until now it has been applied
only by Azerbaijan,” he said.

Nevertheless Hovhanesian said taking the conflict case to
parliamentary assemblies has also “a positive aspect,” which,
according to him, is that they allow “to use new language”, a factor
that Armenia may benefit from. He said there are three ways of
resolving the problem-a new war, establishment of relations only after
the end of the conflict, both advocated by Azerbaijan and a search of
a peace deal through talks, contacts and other-level relations, which
he said Armenia must push for.

He said the EU Committee of Ministers will finally approve on April
25 the European Neighborhood Plan (ENA), which says that all three
South Caucasian nations must either follow its recommendations on how
to be come closely integrated with Europe or drop their hopes. “This
means that the road offered by Armenia is what Europeans say we have
to do,” he said.

Hovhanesian also said both Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh have to
undertake serious reforms in all areas to win Europe’s sympathy.

IF NAGORNY KARABAKH PROVES TO BE PART OF AZERBAIJAN BY SOME MIRACLE,
THERE WILL REMAIN NO ARMENIAN: ARMENIAN DM

YEREVAN, MARCH 30. ARMINFO. Establishment of two Armenian countries is
within the interests of the whole Armenian people, says Defense
Minister, Secretary of the Presidential National Security Council
Serzh Sargsyan speaking at hearings on Karabakh in the Armenian
Parliament today. The optimal formula of Karabakh’s status is a single
Armenian people – two Armenian states, the minister says.

In his speech, the minister says that both successes and definite
difficulties have been fixed in the sphere of foreign policy in
Armenia. However, it is necessary to draw lessons from the experience
achieved. That is why the Armenian nation, state and non-state
structures must consolidate their potential to counteract the cynic
and sly rival, which enjoys Turkey’s support, Serzh Sargsyan says. In
this connection, we should regularly specify our approaches to
Karabakh issue and the current parliamentary hearings are a good
example for it.

Speaking on the genesis of the conflict, the minister says that the
first stage of the conflict started yet in the period of Royal
Russia. He says that the second stage was of hidden nature and was in
the Soviet period of time. In that period Azerbaijan exerted a hidden
pressure on Karabakh people and already in 1987 various signals were
received in Nagorny Karabakh and Azerbaijan from the Central Committee
of the CPSS i.e. NKR people was advised to fight for its self-
determination while the Azerbaijani authorities were advised to
protect the territorial integrity and not to let Karabakh people to
push itself around. Sargsyan says that Sumgait, Baku and other pogroms
were organized with consent of USSR authorities. However, already in
1991 the Karabakh people has become self-determined o the basis of the
USSR legislation on the order of withdrawal from a Union Republic and
held a referendum of independence in conformity with international
norms with participation of international observers.

As regards the issue’s presentation in the international arena, he
points out the importance of creation of scientific works which will
contribute to presentation of the real essence of the conflict and
creation of a positive image of the Armenian people. He says that 4
scenarios of the conflict’s settlement have been on the negotiation
table during the whole process – NKR’s joining Armenia, independence
of Nagorny Karabakh, establishment of a common state in the territory
of Azerbaijan, a high status of autonomy of Nagorny Karabakh as part
of Azerbaijan. Proceeding from the principles of security and
democratic development of NKR, the Armenian party has insisted on the
principle of self-determination of the Karabakh people. Meanwhile,
Azerbaijan supports its territorial integrity and is ready to provide
high status of autonomy. At the same time, Armenia’s position in
settlement of the conflict has not changed – it keeps insisting that
NKR cannot be part of Azerbaijan or an enclave, and that it is
necessary to secure land borders with Armenia, NKR’s participation in
international processes, high guarantees that Azerbaijan will not
resume military actions, the minister says. He says that if a common
agreement is reached around these principles, a single concept of
presenting Karabakh issue in the international arena can be
elaborated.

The minister says that Karabakh conflict differs from other conflicts
in the post-Soviet space just by the fact that NKR has gained
independence in conformity with the laws and international legal
norms. And a reasonable use of this argument can form a favorable
attitude of the international community to the people of Nagorny
Karabakh, the minister says.

He says that at the initial stage of the conflict Azerbaijan could
solve it in a peaceful way. However, it preferred starting military
actions and transforming the problem into an armed conflict. It
becomes clear that if Nagorny Karabakh proves to be part of Azerbaijan
by some miracle, there will remain no Armenian. As regards the enclave
existence of NKR, it is evident that Karabakh will not be able to
develop and exists without borders with Armenia. It cannot integrate
into international processes either, the minister says. At the same
time, Sargsyan points out the importance of deepening democratic
processes in NKR. Otherwise, Karabakh people may loose the disposal of
the international community and efficiency of the negotiation process
depends on the skilled comparison of public and nonpublic parts of the
settlement, the minister thinks. He also says that a bill on the
concept of national security will be presented by 2007, which will
indicate exclusively peaceful way of settling the Karabakh conflict.